Sell the hole, not the drill bit
Benefits are the most powerful way of selling online
Humans are generally nice. Most are friendly, many generous. But when it comes to buying things, people want to know ‘What’s in it for me?’
To sell with words, you need to make good friends with the concept of BENEFITS.
Features vs benefits
If you’ve something to sell, you’ll want to dazzle people with all that’s good about your product or service. Most people start sales copy by listing the unique properties of what they do. That’s a great starting point, but most of the things listed will be features.
There’s an old cliche when people are buying a drill bit, they’re really buying the holes it makes; that’s the true benefit of the product.
If you’re selling tickets to a conference, you could mention the brand new state of the art venue, the amazing lunch, the list of influential speakers. Fantastic, but they’re all just features.
Car brochures are notorious for listing features. They have endless lists telling you about the leather seats, cruise control and anti-lock braking systems. Again, these are features.
Features are great, they help differentiate between products and services, especially when you get down to comparing one product against another. But features are dry facts, they don’t connect to people emotionally.
To sell things, you need to show people the benefit of what you have. Benefits connect emotionally; benefits persuade.
Dig deeper, when you have a list of features, follow each one with the words ‘which means that.’
Every time you list a feature, hit it with ‘which means that.’ Carry on hitting it until there’s nowhere else to go. Finally, you’ll arrive at your key benefit.
For example. We are holding our conference in a new venue, which means that everything works well, which means that you can concentrate on the sessions, hear everything, and take it all in without distractions, which means that you get to make the most from your valuable time at the conference. This makes the conference worth all that investment.
With a conference, the main benefits are what you learn and the contacts you make. Ultimately, you benefit from furthering your career and improving your life. Get that message across first, and you’ve sold your ticket.
Going back to our car example, that list of exciting features means that you arrive at your location safely and in comfort. Those are the real benefits, so those are what should be right there at the front of your copy, perhaps as the title or at least in the first paragraph.
So what?
Another handy way of drilling down to the benefit of a product or service is to continually ask yourself the question, ‘So what?’
“This car has anti-lock braking.” So what?
“If you brake hard, the wheels won’t lock up.” So what?
“You won’t skid.” So what?
You’re less likely to run into the back of another car when you make an emergency stop meaning you and your passengers will travel more safely.
The true benefit of anti-lock braking is the safety it brings. ‘Protect your family, keep them safe.’ That’s the main selling point.
Try this on your own products or services. Ask yourself the hard question, ‘Am I really selling the benefits of what I do, or am I just listing the features?’
Benefits sell
Selling cars, conference tickets or soap, it’s the benefit that really makes the sale. Benefits connect the real needs of people with their desires and emotions. So, when you are trying to sell your product or service, make sure you get right down to the true benefits; put those first.
If you’d like a hand with sorting your features and benefits, don’t hesitate to get in touch through my contact form or by giving me a call.