Kelly McCormick's Business Tips

Excerpt from OutSell Yourself: Go From Hello to Sold by Kelly McCormick

Customers may be attracted to the features of what you offer, but it’s the benefits of your products and services that really win them over. If you mistakenly focus on the bells and whistles, you could lose out.

Before we go any further, we need to make sure that we are speaking the same sales language. Sellers often confuse features with benefits. If we don’t clear this up, the rest of what’s here for you might not make sense…

Feature and Benefits Are Different Animals

• Features are what a product/service has. (Yawn . . .)
• Benefits are the value buyers get from the features. (Now you’re talking!)

Example of Features and Benefits

As an example, a pen comes with a cap (feature). The cap fits over the tip of the pen (ho hum). The cap (feature) stops the ink from drying out (big benefit). The cap (feature) also stops the ink from staining your clothes so you can look great all day long (even bigger benefit—where can I buy a dozen?!).

The ‘Benefit’ Conversation

When you asked precise questions like “What would you like this product or service to do for you?” and “How will you measure the success of this solution?” the answers you heard were the benefits your customer was after: “I want our company to save money” or “I want the window coverings to be easy to clean because I have three children, one puppy, and a gerbil.”

Remember the WIIFM Factor

Remember, customers don’t just buy features. They invest in the benefits. They look for the WIIFM factor—What’s In It For Me? So before you suggest any buying options, first identify the benefits of your products and services. This will increase your selling confidence and your customer’s buying confidence.

How to Identify Your Benefits: To help you identify and speak about the benefits of your products and/or services check out pages 133 to 136 in my book, OutSell Yourself: Go From Hello to Sold With Ethical Business and Sales Techniques! When you define the benefits of your goods, not only will you be convinced of the value of what you offer, but so will your buyer.

Hi, I’m Kelly McCormick, a Business Growth and Marketing Strategist. I help entrepreneurs & companies to identify opportunities for growth. Plus, I develop targeted branding, marketing & sales strategies. I can help you too!