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Problem Separating Benefits from Features

by The Niche Man
11 replies
What's a simple question you can ask yourself to separate a Benefit from a Feature?
#benefits #features #problem #separating
  • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
    What does it do for you?
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  • Profile picture of the author AcmePLR
    Fill in the blanks:

    "If you use this _________, the results will be (or you will experience)___________."

    If it goes in the first blank it's a feature; in the second blank, a benefit.

    Maybe a bit simplistic but I thought I'd take a shot at it, just to give a general idea.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      Feature - what your product has
      Advantage (also known as Weak Benefit) - what your product does
      Benefit - what your product means to the prospect

      For example, a diet product:

      Feature - all natural ingredients (has)
      Advantage - helps a woman lose weight (does)
      Benefit - she looks better in her jeans and feels good about herself (means)

      Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author mindmarketing
    Perhaps an oversimplification, but features are the blades of a fan while the benefit is the cool breeze they produce.
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    Mind Marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author fasteasysuccess
    Basically, the easy way to remember is...a feature is what it is and the benefit is what it gives you in return or how it benefits you. Like heated seats in a car is the feature, but the fact that it keeps you warm in the winter is the benefit. Focus on the benefits in your copy and you'll always be better off.
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  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    Whenever you're talking about the product, it's a feature.

    Whenever you're talking about a target customer, it's a benefit.

    That's why companies love talking features. They have the illusion they can sell to anyone, for any reason, be anything to everyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jay Cummins
      Here is another way to look at it.

      Benefit=Y
      Feature=X
      What's important about X
      Which means that... Y
      Which means that... Ultimate Y

      This is the way that if finally made sense to me.

      Jay
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  • Profile picture of the author tobyR
    For me its simple a benefit is what it does for you, features are what add up to give you the benefit - make sense?
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    • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
      A hand saw for example:

      Feature (Benefit)

      13 tpi rip teeth (makes a clean and speedy cut)
      hardwood handle (heftier and "feels better" than cheap plastic)
      hardened teeth (stays sharp longer)



      Beyond that the benefits usually have implied benefits,
      for example, the clean cut of the saw could make you
      a more efficient sawyer or actually seem to improve
      the quality of your workmanship because the cutting
      action is more predictable, or easier to control.

      The hardwood handle can be shaped and refinished
      to fit one's preference.

      The fact that the teeth are hardened and stay sharp
      longer than other saws implies: "goes longer between
      sharpening," or "never needs sharpening" (if a replaceable
      blade model) which implies less time maintaining the
      tool and more time doing productive work with it - which
      further implies more enjoyment of the sawing, quicker
      completion of woodworking projects, and so forth.
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  • Profile picture of the author davechan
    How does it help you?
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