STOP Selling Features and Benefits!

Now, before I start, features and benefits is better than "hey, I can do this and I can do that"... but there's still a better way ...

From the experiences i've had over the last few years, features and benefits selling is arm’s-length selling. In some cases, it can even confuse the potential client.

Try this out ...

Here's a very revealing exercise a sales trainer once taught me.

On a piece of paper draw a vertical line down the center. On the top left, write your company's name (or your name if you trade as you). On the top right, write the name of your main competitor.

Down the left side of the page write the numbers 1, 2 and 3. Do the same thing on the right side of the page. On your side on the left, list the top three benefits of the product or service that you’re selling. Be sure these benefits explain why people buy from you. (i.e your product or service generates increased profits, get higher ranking on Google etc)

Now, I’ve got bad news and good news. The bad news is: You’re fired.

The good news is: Your competitor (whose name you wrote in the exercise above) just hired you!

It’s your first day at work for your new boss. On the right side of the paper, under your competitor’s name (now the company you work for) put the top three benefits of the product or service that you’ll be selling.

You’ll probably discover that the benefits of your former product or service are pretty similar to the benefits of your new product or service. Same benefits and same features.

THIS is the problem with features and benefits.

Prospects are used to hearing the same features-and-benefits presentations day after day.

So each time you make some kind of presentation, the prospect already has heard everything you’re going to say . . . from your competition.

You want to know what is better than features and benefits?

Emotions!

Technically, there are five emotions that lead to buying decisions when they’re aroused in prospects. Here they are:

Pain in the present.
The prospect tells you, "It hurts now."

Pain in the future.
"It will hurt if I don’t fix it."

Pleasure in the present.
"That's going to make me happy now."

Pleasure in the future.
"I can’t wait to buy it."

Interest/curiosity.
"Interesting. Tell me more."

I have just bought a BMW. I didn't buy it because of the features and benefits. I bought it because of how it feels to drive.

People make decisions intellectually, but they buy emotionally.

The benefits that you come up with for your services such as increased profits, higher rankings, more traffic etc... they appeal to the intellect, but not to the emotions.

You can sell intellectually, but it's a lot of hard work (and a lot of calls).

Here's what i've learned.

People will spend money to get rid of pain. An example of pain I have found is when someone is spending money with and SEO company and they are pissed off that they don't know what the company is doing for them.

That was an easy sale and we took over from that company.

But I would never have found out that the guy had an emotional time with his existing company (pain!!) if I had just offered features and benefits,

I had to ask the right questions!!

You must get below the surface conversation with a client, uncover the prospect’s real motivations, and expose the pain.

Pain is such a strong emotion. When you uncover it with your great questions, you can then deal with the real issues that the client is having.

They will pay good money, if you can fix the pain...