Making the Most of the Benefits
Published on 6th November 2014 by Diana NadinIf you have your own business, then you’re probably selling something – whether it’s goods, services or ideas.
But, the only way you’re going to actually make a sale is by 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 it’s important to remember when you’re selling to someone that it’s not the features of your products that they buy – it’s the benefits. Confused? Let’s explain. Features are specific aspects of your product or service. The benefits are what these features will do for your customer.
Let’s say you sell electrical equipment (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 straight hair will make them look and feel good anywhere (benefit).
What do you look for when you’re buying a car? The salesman tells you that fuel consumption is great (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 you can whip it into a tiny parking space on a city street (benefit). He tells you that there is central locking (feature) which means greater security and convenience (benefit). And if he’s a good salesman and really want to make that sale he’ll have concentrated more on the benefits in his spiel than he will on the features!
So next time you’re trying to convince someone to buy from you, work out the major features and then spend a little extra time thinking how these will convert to benefits for your customers. I can promise you that it won’t be time wasted and you’ll find it much easier to make that sale.
And before I leave you, here’s a challenge. Take something simple – say a jar of jam or chutney – and work out the features, and associated benefits, if you were selling it first to a retailer to stock in his store. Then do the same exercise as though you were the shop owner selling it to a customer.