ARE YOU REALLY SELLING VALUE OR JUST BOMBARDING YOUR CUSTOMER WITH MEANINGLESS FEATURES?
The dictionary defines value as “......the worth of something, compared to something else.....”. This is a great definition when you are selling, just because we think what we sell delivers benefits, it doesn't mean the customer does. What is of value to one customer is not necessarily of value to another. Your USP, the benefits you [possibly] deliver, your differentiaters, are all meaningless if they are not "of value" to your prospects, clients and customers. Ask questions about what the customer values, pitch only the capabilities of your product, service, profession that delivers value to that customer. If what you have on offer is not of benefit, don't present it!
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2 comments:
Ian, I believe the Feature and Benefit belief has a third stage:
ADVANTAGE, it is true that each customer may place a value on a feature that is of benefit to them, hence it becomes a benefit. It is also true that a good salesperson identifies an unperceived issue for the customer to obtain the customers agreement that it is now a perceived issue. This new perceived issue can unlock the middle point: Feature/ADVANTAGE/Benefit. The advantage stage is the value a client puts on a feature to calculate if it will ever become a benefit. If the salesperson does not SPIN the customer correctly and cover all the bases, then the ADVANTAGE reverts back to being a feature and not a benefit and makes the sale more difficult.
Stu James
Good point Jamesey. We tend to talk feature, function, benefit. You could define a benefit as some thing that is "advantageous" or "of advantage". Then the sales person explains the feature and function (advantage) and they think they have explained the benefit when they haven't. Then as you point out the customer does not see what's in it for them. There is a simple way to avoid this. Explain the feature / function (advantage) / benefit and then explain (using this phrase) ".....and this means to YOU", if you are not doing this you are not selling benefits that the customer wants. I like the way you explained it.
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