5 Reasons Selling Benefits Converts More Customers
Whether you’ve been running your own business since you could walk or your only real sales experience was that one summer you worked at Macy’s, you’ve probably heard the phrase “features tell, benefits sell” - or some variation of it.
But...has anyone ever stopped to explain WHY benefits are so much more effective at selling products and services than simply listing features? One might think a person about to buy your coaching program, fitness regimen or Etsy product would want to know the semantics of what they’re getting.
And that’s where one would be wrong.
{Alright, alright. That stuff is good to include too, but it’s more of a “cover your bases" situation.}
In reality, your customers aren't looking to buy a product or service, they're looking to buy an experience or an identity.
Here are the top five reasons why benefit-focused messaging helps you tap into that story and connect with more customers, more consistently:
1) Benefits Speak to Value Over Cost
While features communicate characteristics, benefits communicate results - and results are always more valuable. When thinking through your product or service, rather than simply listing “what’s included”, try building messaging around what your offer helps someone accomplish or become.
EXAMPLE:
Feature-Focused: This four person tent includes two easy-assemble poles and a clip attachment system.
Benefit-Focused: With two easy-assemble poles and a convenient clip attachment system, set up is simpler than ever so you can get back to enjoying the campfire.
In this example, we see the value we get from this product is a lack of frustration that's typical of the experience and more importantly, the time we gain back - because everyone knows camping is about relaxing and roasting ‘mallows, not fighting with your tent into the evening hours.
2) Benefits Allow You to Tap Into Emotion
No matter how simple or seemingly practical our day-to-day decisions are, they all stem from our desire to avoid pain or seek pleasure. In marketing, benefits allow us to share stories and emotional motivators that harness this instinct - they create a vision and connection that inspire us to take action.
EXAMPLE:
Feature-Focused: Purchase our “Whole Foods For Fitness” ebook today to get access to 50 step-by-step recipes.
Benefit-Focused: Start shedding weight and increasing energy TODAY with 50 step-by-step recipes designed to get you fast results. {Clickable Button: "Buy “Whole Foods for Fitness” Now"}
Here, we see how this product is going to help us claim a new identity, and not only do we get a picture of who we can become should we say “yes” to the purchase, we hear the added benefit of time (i.e. it's not going to take 2 years to achieve our goal).
3) Benefits Increase Offer Clarity
If you’ve ever purchased a tech product or service, you’ve probably experienced the struggle of deciphering specs/analytics jargon in an attempt to understand what the heck the thing actually DOES for you. Sticking to benefit-centered messaging alleviates this headache for your customers so they don’t have to spend 30 extra minutes researching what in world you’re even offering. HubSpot offers a great example of this theory in practice:
EXAMPLE:
Feature-Focused: HubSpot's Sources application uses up to seven different original source types, and is flexible enough to let you isolate these different sources, and even view them using the time intervals of your choice.
Benefit-Focused: HubSpot's Sources application allows you to see exactly where all of your website visitors are coming from, and more importantly, tells you exactly where all of your new online customers are coming from. So instead of spending time wondering what areas of your marketing are generating ROI, you can know for sure, and spend more hours in your day focusing on the important things like blogging, social media, or determining which leads you should be sending to your sales team.
While the first example might be a little above our heads as customer without a ton of technical know-how, the second explains exactly what we can expect by opting into the offer and more importantly, WHY it matters to our day-to-day.
4) Benefits Tell Your Customer Why They Should Give a *What*
As business owners, it’s our job to help our customers understand why they should care about what we have to offer. When we’re entrenched in the details of our own product or service, it can be easy to assume that the “why” of things is obvious, but from the outside looking in, this is often difficult to decipher. If your messaging doesn’t answer the question “So what?”, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
EXAMPLE:
Feature-focused: Access to over 50 unique business training videos via our online portal.
Benefit-focused: Fast track your success with access to over 50 unique training videos for entrepreneurs looking to serve more clients and earn more money.
It's great to hear what we're getting when we opt in to something, but it’s even better to hear how our lives will be different AFTER we opt in to something. As consumers, we're very responsive to transformational messaging that shows us a vision of who we could be - but currently aren't.
5) Benefits Give You Unique Insights on Customer Hot Buttons
Using benefit-centric messaging gives you the unique opportunity to understand the issues and topics your target audience really struggles with and/or responds to. By trying out some A/B testing on your website, landing pages, social media ads {etc}, you can gain valuable insights into which benefits speak to your audience the most, and subsequently, what their biggest pain points are. This will help you continue to grow your product or service line to further accommodate customer needs.
While understanding how to communicate your offer’s specific benefits is an important tool in any entrepreneur's arsenal, it's only one piece of the puzzle.
To learn the full formula for persuasive sales writing {plus a bucket load of other valuable tips on how to write copy that converts}, check out our Sales Copy Mastery ebook here.
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