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Selling Benefits

Written by: Jim Meisenheimer

Article Overview: Selling benefits is something most salespeople neglect. Learn why in this article.

Selling Benefits

Selling benefits is something most salespeople fail to do.

In a recent article I wrote about the Ultimate Sales Tip. In that article, I mentioned I found some inspiration from a copywriting course I was re-reading.

I'm guessing most entrepreneurs and professional salespeople have little or no interest in improving their copywriting skills.

And that's too bad because copywriting is merely salesmanship in print. A lot of what you see in print can be used when you're selling face-to-face.

Trust me on this one because I do it all the time and so can you if you're receptive to the idea.

As I plow through this workbook they have a chapter on selling benefits.

Everybody and his brother realizes that people buy benefits not features.

Every entrepreneur or a professional sales person knows this - however most of you only talk about features.

There are reasons why you do this. The features are the basic facts about your products and services.

Of course what's the first thing you learn about a new product - yup, the basic facts.

Features are all plain Jane facts. Things like size, dimensions, color, horsepower, lumens, mpg, cast iron, 16 oz. etc.

Benefits are an acquired taste. They require imagination. They demand some thinking time.

Benefits have to be crafted carefully so they link emotionally to specific features.

The copywriting course offers several examples of straightforward features and statements that sizzle with benefits.

Selling benefits isn't easy and doesn't come naturally to most salespeople.

Try this on for size and see how well you do.

Here are four features of a #2 pencil.

1. The pencil has one end capped With a rubber eraser.

2. The eraser is attached with a metal band.

3. The pencil is 7 1/2 inches long.

4. The pencils are sold by the dozen.

There you have it - four factual statements about a #2 pencil.

So take a minute and write a benefit that sizzles for each of these features.

Not easy huh!

Next week I'll give you examples of well-written benefit statements for these features.

Please don't underestimate the relative importance of selling benefits.

It's the hooks and loops of professional selling. It's like Velcro - it's made to stick.

The feature is always about the product, whereas the benefit is always about how the customer gains from using your product.

In my book, 47 Ways To Sell Smarter, I have a chapter devoted to this subject, titled "Two Words That Make Your Benefits Sizzle."

Chances are if you're not using these words you're probably not selling benefits. You're leaving a lot of money on the table.

You'll start selling more as soon as you start offering more benefits.

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  What Are You (Really) Selling?

Article Tags: brother, cast iron, copywriting course, copywriting skills, entrepreneur, horsepower, imagination, inspiration, pencil, pencils, plain jane, professional sales person, professional salespeople, recent article, rubber eraser, sales tip, salesmanship, size dimensions, thinking time, ultimate sales



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Re: This is Marketing Warfare! - Hey GT, I guess this was from a while back, and it'll test your memory a bit but could you possibly elaborate on Unique Selling Proposition? Can you give us some examples of good USPs?
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