One of the features of the Piedmont Triad International Airport is its heated runway. Another is that it has extra long runways. The truth is that I am not too excited about either one of those. Unless…I want to land in an ice storm and am flying on a huge plane that requires lots of runway space to land!

Features are how you describe your product. Things like length, width, weight, size or capacity. Benefits are the positive things that will come out of those features for the good of your customer. For example:

·         8 feet long – you can sleep on it!

·         3 feet wide – you can roll over on it!

·         Weighs 30 pounds – you can carry it!

·         1 foot tall – you can slide it under your bed!

Yes, most salespeople do understand the difference between features and benefits. However, after working with tens of thousands of salespeople over the last 20 years, I have reached three very clear conclusions:

·         Salespeople still treat features and benefits as if they were of equal value.

·         The average salesperson presents too many features and benefits.

·         Salespeople present the wrong benefits.

Here is the principle: If a prospect doesn’t have a need for a specific benefit, then the feature that provides that benefit is totally irrelevant and worthless to the prospect.

Here is an exercise we regularly conduct in our varied seminars and workshops around the world:

·         Select one of your products.

·         List all the features of the product.

·         Next to each feature, list the accompanying benefit.

·         Develop a question you can ask the prospect to determine if they have a need for the benefit.

NOTE: If they don’t have a need for the benefit they surely don’t need its attendant feature!

·         Only present the benefits or benefits the prospect has indicated they have a need for…and only mention the feature or features that relate to the benefit or benefits they seek when you present your product.

An example? Follow the above format for this single product:

·         Product: Light bulb

·         Features: 70 watts; screw in bulb

·         Benefit: Brighter light, easy to install

·         Questions: How important is brightness of light to you? How often do you have to install the bulb yourself?

·         Answers: The room is dark, a brighter light would help. I never have to install bulbs myself.

·         Presentation:   The light is brighter than 70% of other comparable bulbs. Should you ever have to install the bulb, you’ll find it exceedingly easy to install.

Follow this format and you’ll cease to be a proven feature or random benefit presenter. Instead, you will start to present only the benefits that are of relevance, value and importance to your prospects. Present fewer of them, but present them with more power. You won’t believe the difference it will make in your sales results.
 

©2000 Bill Brooks, The Brooks Group, Greensboro, NC

For almost two decades Bill Brooks has been one of America’s most in-demand sales speakers.   The reason behind Bill’s tremendous popularity is that he has successfully accomplished what other sales speakers merely talk about.   He enjoys real-world, legitimate sales success, executive experience, in-depth topic expertise, academic preparation, as well as the highest speaking and consulting accreditations.   Bill has been a sales executive and marketing manager, an international sales award winner, CEO of a 300 million dollar corporation and successful college football coach with a 70% winning record.   He has managed a national sales force of 4000.   Bill is author of over 100 video and 200 audio programs, and 9 books.   He has hosted over 300 satellite television shows.   For more information about Bill Brooks’ speaking, training and consulting services; or learning tools, call 800-633-7762 or e-mail sales@thebrooksgroup.com or visit his website at www.brooksgroup.com.