Imagine you have a leak in your 2nd floor kitchen ceiling. Water is seeping through the drywall and you’re looking up franticly like, “Are you F%#ing kidding me”.

You do a quick google search for a plumber nearby and call to have them come fix it.

They show up, assess the problem in 10 minutes, and say: "Here’s the issue I uncovered and I can fix this for $350."

You don't ask them to list every which way they are going to fix it or have them share their other trade certifications.

You just need the leak fixed…and fast.

Now imagine they said:

"So for $350, I'll fix your leak, AND I can also inspect your water heater, snake your shower drain, replace the toilet flapper, check your outdoor spigots..."

You'd stop listening.

Your brain would start doing math: "Wait, I only need the leak fixed. So really this is like... $75 worth of work and $275 of stuff I don't care about."

Suddenly, $350 feels expensive.

Not because the plumber isn't skilled. Because they made you evaluate everything you won't use.

This is exactly what's happening in your sales conversations.

When a prospect asks what you offer, your instinct is to show them everything.

More features = more value, right?

Nope. More features = more friction.

Your buyers start to make a checklist in their head.

"Okay, I'd use this... probably not that... maybe this... definitely don't need that..."

Instead of thinking: "Can this solve my core problem?"

They're thinking: "How much am I paying for stuff I'll never touch?"

Same offer. Same price.

Lower perceived value.

You ask about their problems. They tell you.

Instead of driving that gap wider, you pivot and say: "Great! We can help with that. We also do X, Y, Z, A, B, C..."

Stop. You just shifted from their problem to your capabilities.

But, they are capabilities they haven’t asked for or much care about.

→ What to do instead:

"So it sounds like the biggest issue is [specific problem]. That's exactly what we're built for. Before we go further, is there anything else competing for attention right now or is this the driving force behind what you are looking for?

It’s easier to solve a few major problems than trying to address every need

Before you share your screen, confirm everything important you’ve discussed.

"Based on what you shared, I want to hit on 4 main aspects of where our solution can help you directly address [their problem]. We can do a lot of other things, but I'd rather go deep on what matters most to you. Does that work?"

When I was selling software, I used to joke: "We could spend 5 hours clicking through every feature, but that's not helpful for understanding how we solve your specific problems."

It hinted that we have a lot more but put the focus back on the important stuff that mattered.

You have to keep circling back and doubling down on the core problem areas.

After showing a capability: "This is one of the main ways we solve [their problem]. Does this align with what you were hoping to see?"

At the end: "Coming into this call, you said the biggest challenges were [X] and [Y]. Did we address those clearly?"

You're not being repetitive. You're staying anchored in what matters to them, not what is cool to you.

(ICYMI: Here’s a simple way to approach creating your proposals)

More focused time on the parts of your product or service that actually matter to the buyer.

(Bonus: This will also shorten and improve your demo).

If it’s not a main need you can respond with, "We have that, but it's not core to solving [their main problem] we discussed. Can you share why this might be important to your overall goal?

It doesn’t mean it won’t be important, but you are creating a line in the sand to help them with their decision criteria.

It’s not this constant, “Show me what else you have.” It’s “That’s not important to solving this specific problem.” Things stop dragging.

Buyers decide on 2–3 things, not 15 and it ultimately makes the decision easier.

How many deals close with indecision, delayed timelines or ghosting?

They might have been excited, but at the end of the day the value was watered-down and wasn’t worth the cost you were charging.

Doing more rarely makes your offer stronger.

You actually get more:

→ What makes your offer stronger? Doing less, but better.

What would change in your next sales conversation if you only talked about the 20% that actually matters?

Try it. You might be surprised how much easier it is to close when you stop trying to sell everything.

Pull up your last proposal or think about your last demo.

If your buyer could only use 20% of what you showed them, would they still happily pay full price?

If not:

In discovery, anchor there. Before the demo, confirm focus. During the proposal, tie pricing to outcomes.

You're not hiding the rest. It’s there if you need it.

You're simply leading with what matters most.