Features. Advantages. Benefits.
These three words often bring more pain than clarity to many business owners. The task of explaining why customers should choose you over your competitors can be a challenge. Why is it so difficult to write about your products and services?
Often, when features and benefits come up in strategy sessions, we find ourselves arguing about a benefit that doesn’t actually benefit the end user or a feature that doesn’t appear to have any real-world benefit. And then, when we add “advantages” into the mix, the marketing conversation gets even more complicated.
Part of the problem comes when we have to write it down. While most of us can talk effortlessly for hours about our area of expertise, writing about a product or service in a way that conveys emotion and results in action isn’t so easy. While our facial expressions and passion are hard to ignore in a personal conversation, these intangibles are not so easy to infuse into paragraphs and short marketing messages.
So, how do you tell the difference between a feature, a benefit, and an advantage? And why does it matter? After all, your customers don’t care what you call those points on your bullet list. They are too busy sorting out their priorities to pay attention to yours. But once you can write about your products and services in a way that solves problems for your customers, you will be well on your way.
This is exactly why you need to articulate features, advantages, and benefits so that your prospects and customers will pay attention. If all you give them is features, you’re asking them to connect the dots. Don’t leave it to chance. Connect the dots for them.
We need an example. Let’s say your company is trying to increase your flagship leaf blower sales. One feature might be the “optional three-speed motor.” If that’s your leading bullet point, your customer might respond, “And I care because?” The truth is, nobody wants anything three-speed or seven-speed. However, they likely want to solve a problem that your three-speed innovation is ideally suited to address. This is why you must push past the features and get to the advantages and benefits.
When writing about your products and services, ask this question after every bullet point: “And I care because?”
Let’s take a closer look and see where this takes us.
How does your 3-speed version improve on the single-speed base model sold across the street? In what scenario will the 3-speed outperform it? Once you’ve clarified the advantages, you can zero in on the benefits that your customers will receive by choosing you over the competition. It would be best to frame the conversation to appeal to your customer. Something like this: “Our 3-speed reversible Zetcon 9000 removes leaves from your gutters 60% faster than those old-school single-speed Zetcons. Imagine what you could do with all the time you save!”
What did we do? We took a feature (3-speed motor) that didn’t articulate any positive change in our customers’ lives and focused on the advantage (faster completion of the task). But more importantly, we moved on to a tangible benefit—a claim that our Zetcom 9000 will improve the quality of life for our customers (save time). Now, your customer can make an intelligent choice. Who knew the Zetcon 9000 was such a life changer? I’d better buy two!
Advantages and Benefits remove barriers and help your customers make their buying decisions. Making the benefits obvious will dramatically increase your odds of making the sale.
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