A feature is a statement of fact or something your product is or has. Features correlate directly to problems customers may have. They add credibility to your sales pitch.
Benefits result from solving problems. They add a piece of the puzzle which gives customers a reason to buy. Benefits are why prospective customers become actual customers.
Understanding the difference between features and benefits is critical to making sales. It provides the value associated with a product. As a seller, you need to make the connection for them. Here are three ways you can do just that.
Understand your customers
People have wishes, needs and dreams. They want to avoid problems and glitches. Customers also want as few annoyances as possible.
You must be able to recognize what your clients want to achieve. Knowing this, you can identify problems, then show how the product or service you sell solves them.
For example, a perpetually foggy mask can ruin a dive trip. This means investing in a better-quality mask can be a better choice than putting a costly dive vacation at risk.
To do this, you must know what is most important to customers. Learn about their dreams and how you can help achieve them. At this same time, show customers how to avoid obstacles standing in the way of those dreams.
Change your viewpoint
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Ask What’s in it for me? Or So What?. Keep asking to uncover a product or service’s real benefits.
The answers to most So What? questions boil down to:
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Making money
- Becoming healthier, happier, more productive or more relaxed
Highlight a key benefit or a problem which customers can sidestep by using what you sell. Avoid technical language customers may find hard to understand. Most customers don’t care if a phone has 64 gigs of memory. They do care if it can store 1,000 of their favorite songs.
Be results oriented
Think of problems in terms of results. Doing so makes situations easier to understand. It helps you produce a clearer marketing message.
Being results-oriented helps you communicate in such a way that customers realize using an inferior product or service comes at a cost. The result is customers who understand how what you sell can improve their life.
Your biggest sales asset is empathy. When you link benefits to specific needs, you connect with your clients. You produce a contagious enthusiasm which can captivate and charm. This will result in not only more sales but a fantastic experience for you and your customers.