"And what does it matter to me"
Great phrase from a schoolyard that hides a lot of truths.
Perhaps with age we are suppressing externalizing these types of reactions, but inside, from time to time, they resonate very loudly, especially when someone tells us something that doesn't interest us at all.
"What the hell does it matter to me"
I have softened it because usually instead of noses we tend to put another more expressive taco.
When this occurs in a conversation between friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, or brothers, the situation is simple.
If my brother-in-law is a firecracker who keeps talking about the new car cucumber he bought, with its meerkat leather seats, diamond-effect metallic paint, adamantium alloy wheels... my brain disconnects at the speed that says “I would have gotten it cheaper".
**And why is this happening? **
This is because people, in most conversations, focus the message on features and not on benefits.
When my brother-in-law does it, nothing happens, but if you do it when it comes to selling your products or services... you have a problem.
Difference between features and benefits
A feature is a part of your product or service that describes it, while a benefit is the positive impact it has on your customers.
**It's that simple. **
The difficult thing is to understand that people don't buy leather seats because of the material itself, what they want to buy is the comfort they feel when using them or the pride of being able to have a feature like this in their car.
Let's go with some examples that can be very enlightening.
Examples of features vs benefits
To leave my brother-in-law alone, let's focus on something common to all of us (or almost all of us).
**Underwear. **
We all wear underwear and in order to wear it we need to buy it. *Today I'm planning a master class, I know. *
If I'm going to buy boxer shorts, there's only one feature that matters to me: the size.
Since I already know my size, the next step will be to decide on one or the other model available in the store.
Normally stores classify by characteristics, in this case we are going with some examples:
- Colours
- Brands
- Material
- Seams
I can't think of any more features for the boxer shorts, sorry.
Returning to my buying process, I begin to select the different features based on the benefits that I think they bring me:
- Color black: black is a discreet color, it doesn't attract attention and when I change my clothes at the gym I don't go all the way with a pistachio green (very respectable on the other hand).
- ACME brand: I already have some clothes from this brand and I know that they have a very good quality.
- Cotton material: I play sports and I love that underwear breathes and is comfortable, cotton gives you these two benefits.
- Seamless: underwear with minimal seams is usually the most comfortable, so I'm looking for models that minimize seams.
Notice how I have transformed the features of the product into the benefits according to my needs:
- Discretion
- Quality
- Breathability
- Comfort
**Now seen like this, it's crystal clear. **
If I put myself in the role of a company that sells shorts to a target audience such as me, I would simply have to tell myself:
Look Guillermo, on the internet and at the grocery store in your neighborhood (where you'll never go to buy underwear because that's the way we guys are), you have a lot of models of briefs available.
However, at CookieUnderwear, we have manufactured shorts that adapt to the frenetic pace of your daily life thanks to the fact that they are 50% more breathable than conventional briefs. They are made of 100% organic cotton with hardly any seams, so we guarantee you extra comfort and durability. They are available in discreet colors such as black or gray, perfect for any situation.
** Where is the add to cart button because I want a pack of 3! **
Do you want to know what are the benefits of ournewsletter?
WHY BENEFITS ARE SO IMPORTANT
The benefits are so important because they answer the main question we have when buying: Why should I choose this model and not another?
They are the justification that leads us to make the purchase. They are meeting our needs with something that allows us to be better after the purchase or hiring.
***Add to cart and get your visa. ***
HOW TO IDENTIFY BENEFITS
Finding the benefits of different features is a process that requires significant knowledge of the product or service and the target customer.
By following the following steps you will have the necessary benefit for your customers:
- List all the features of your products or services and associate the benefits they propose.
- Now list the needs or problems of the target customer.
- It connects customer needs with benefits.
You already have your main sales arms for your copies, calls to action or sales department.
DESPITE EVERYTHING, FEATURES ARE STILL IMPORTANT
If you remember at the beginning of this text, when I gave you the example of buying boxer shorts, the first point was select the size.
Size is a feature that is essential, making you able or unable to use that product.
For example, if you are looking for an architect who signs a certain certification, you may need to be a member.
In this example, the fact that the architect is registered or not is a characteristic that is fundamental to carrying out the work. It's must.
With this I want to emphasize that there will be certain specifications of our products or services that are impepinable and that we need to detail.
Once the client sees that we have the capacity to respond to those specific needs (available underpants size or registered architect's signature), it will be our benefits that convince them that we or our products are exactly what they need.
So, the phrase "Sell with benefits and not with features" is good advice, but first we'll have to guarantee to the customer that **we meet their specifications or fundamental characteristics. **
That would be it!
**Now it's your turn to get to work. **
- Select your products or services and list their features
- Find those essential specifications
- Get the benefits of the rest of the features
- Connect the above to the needs of your customers
If you want us to help you with this entire process or in [translating it into a tailor-made web project] (/web-made-to-measure), you have a form below to contact us.
Meanwhile, I'm going to see if I renew my change drawer.
