Features versus Benefits

If you’re running your own business, then you’re probably selling something – whether it’s goods or services. But, the only way you’re going to actually make a sale is by promoting your products and convincing people to buy them. (Unless, of course, they are so rare or wonderful that their fame spreads by word of mouth and people are queueing up on your doorstep to buy them. But let’s be realistic – is that really going to happen?) And an important point to remember when you’re trying to sell to someone is that it’s not the features of your products that they buy – it’s the benefits. Confused? Let’s explain.

Features are aspects of your product or service. The benefits are what these features will do for your customer.

Let’s imagine you sell electrical equipment including hairdryers, heated brushes or straighteners to style hair. Women don’t buy straighteners because they heat up fast (feature); because they have a non-twist flex (feature) or because they work from mains or battery (feature). What they are really buying is convenience (benefit) and confidence that they will make her look good anywhere (benefit).

Think about when you are buying a car. The salesman tells you that it has economic fuel consumption (feature). All you are really interested in is that this will save you money (benefit). He tells you that it has power steering (feature) so it’s manoeuvrable for city parking (benefit). He tells you that there is central locking (feature) which means greater security and convenience (benefit). And if he’s a wise salesman and really want to grab your attention he’ll have made much more of the benefits in his spiel than he will of the features!

So next time you’re trying to convince someone to buy from you, work out the major features of your product or service and then spend a little time thinking how these will convert to benefits for your customers. I can promise you that it will be time well spent and you’ll find it much easier to make that sale.