Talking about the benefits of your product or service rather than focussing on the features, is the key to winning more customers and selling smarter. Shift you conversation.
We spent last weekend in the van on a property in the New England Highlands with family and friends.
It was a wonderful opportunity to sit back and take in the beauty of the surrounding nature.
Imagine you’re planning a similar weekend trip.
You could focus on the features of the van, the vehicle towing it, and the heating system. (a necessary in this past week’s cold snap)
But what matters are the benefits these features provide for your overall experience.
For example…
- The Van’s Features:
- Feature: The van has a safe towing capacity.
- Benefit: The safe towing capacity ensures that you can bring all your essential gear and supplies without any worry. This guarantees a stress-free journey, allowing you to focus on enjoying the scenic beauty and making memories with your loved ones.
- The Vehicle Towing the Van:
- Feature: The vehicle towing the van has the capacity and is legal for the weight being towed.
- Benefit: Knowing that your towing vehicle is fully capable and legally compliant gives you peace of mind and safety. This allows you to enjoy your trip without concerns about overloading or potential legal issues, ensuring a smooth and secure journey for everyone.
- The Heating System:
- Feature: The van has an efficient heating system.
- Benefit: The efficient heating system keeps everyone warm and cozy during chilly nights, making the van feel like a true home away from home. This comfort allows you to fully relax and enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings without worrying about the cold. You have then moved the conversation from features to benefits.
Just as these benefits enhance your travel experience, focusing on the benefits of your product or service can transform a sales conversation. Highlighting how your offering improves the customer’s life or business makes your pitch more compelling and memorable.
“People don’t buy products; they buy better versions of themselves.”
Sam Mallikarjunan
By framing your sales pitch in terms of benefits, you help the customer envision the positive impact your product or service can have, just as you envision the joy and comfort your van trip brought to your family and friends.
When engaging in sales conversations, shifting the focus from features to benefits can significantly enhance your effectiveness.
Here are five crucial points to keep in mind:
- Understand Your Customer’s Needs: Begin by identifying the customer’s pain points and goals. Tailoring your conversation to address these specific issues makes your offering more relevant and compelling. Asking probing questions can help you understand their unique situation and needs, allowing you to highlight the most pertinent benefits. By knowing how to ask the right questions, you will be shifting the conversation from features to benefits.
- Translate Features Into Benefits: For every feature of your product or service, explain the direct benefit it provides. Use “so that” statements to bridge the gap between features and benefits, making it clear how your offering can solve the customer’s problems or improve their situation.
- Highlight Tangible Results: Use data, testimonials, and success stories to demonstrate the real-world impact of your product or service. Emphasize the return on investment by explaining how your offering can save time, money, or resources, ultimately improving the customer’s bottom line.
- Emphasize Emotional Benefits: Create an emotional connection by highlighting how your product or service can enhance the customer’s life or business on an emotional level. Appeal to their aspirations and show how your offering can help them achieve their dreams or professional goals. Shifting your conversation from features to benefits.
- Show the Bigger Picture: Relate the benefits of your product or service to the customer’s broader goals and future needs. Discuss how your offering prepares them for future challenges and opportunities, ensuring long-term relevance and value.
Focusing on these key points to shift from features to benefits can make your sales conversations more impactful and persuasive, ultimately leading to better customer engagement and higher conversion rates.
At next Friday’s 1-Day Sales Mastery Workshop I will help you do exactly that.
You will learn to create brilliant sales conversations that turn prospects into paying customers. Master asking the right questions and converting features into “must-have benefits.”
Click on the link for details and register to attend this small group training. Attend either online or in person.
This small investment might make a big difference.
While you are here check out Janeen’s books.
