Often we are very good at communicating features of the products and or services we sell, neglecting to tell the customer about the benefits. So what’s the difference; the difference is that benefits are the real value to the customer, the ‘thing’ which every customer will use every time. Features can simply be a factual statement about the product or service and are generally the ‘things’ that only some customers may use some of the time.
When we sell features, we are making the customer do all the work to figure out why they want ‘it’. However if we answer the question “what’s in it for me” from the customer’s perspective, understanding the actual result for the customer, then we are talking value. So think result, value and therefore benefit from the customer’s perspective. Which of the following sells the benefit?
- “battery included”
- “ready to use out the box”
- “you’ll never have to see that disappointing look on your child’s face when his/her toy won’t work because you forgot to buy batteries”
