Features Vs Benefits
Today’s subject is yet another one that’s been inspired by a conversation I had with a business owner recently.
As we went through the challenges that he was facing, it was clear the major challenge was something that is far more common than you might think. The challenge of generating new leads.
I asked him what would make his customers come to him?
He recited a number of things, including;
- His personal touch
- His attention to detail
- His adherence to making sure that his solution works in all different environments.
All great things I was sure that give him a very satisfied customer, and possibly return business. However it doesn’t necessarily address his current challenge. The one of new lead generation.
Why is that?
Because these are features of what the service is delivering, about what he does and how he does it. They make rational sense, but they don’t initiate action. This is because the brain does not react to those triggers.
If you want to know more about why I recommend doing things differently, then go and listen to the TED talk by Simon Sinek on ‘Start With Why’
Back to the subject…
If features will not generate new leads, what would?
You need to be talking about the benefits that you deliver and how each of those features that you have would make a difference in the customer’s life.
In other words you’re telling them why they should buy from you.
Changing your communication from talking about features to talking about benefits has a number of advantages;
- It puts you in the customer’s shoes.
- It makes you understand what the impact is that you have on the customer.
- It helps you always convey something positive.
- A feature can be interpreted as good or bad depending upon the circumstances.
- A benefit on the other hand leaves very little room for misinterpretation.
- Benefits are emotional.
- Emotions trigger action, so they are much more likely to reach out and contact you.
In the earlier example, I changed the question slightly from;
Why would your customer come to you?
To; What would your customer benefit from you?
That totally changed the discussion.
How do you go about moving your communication from features to benefits?
You do that by showing that you C.A R E
CHALLENGE
First determine the Challenge that you’re solving for the customer.
ADVANTAGES
Then look at the Advantages you offer to the customer for solving that challenge. In effect, what the value you’re delivering is.
RESULTS
Go on to list the Result that the customer would get by deploying your offering.
ELIMINATE
And finally Eliminate jargon, use the language of the customer to communicate the challenge, the advantage and the result.
Take some time now, look at how you’re communicating your offering and convert your features into benefits with care; Challenge, Advantage, Result and Elimination of jargon.
