Benefits Don't Sell

Think about it for a second. Do you typically buy something because it provides you with a benefit or because it provides you with a benefit you actually care about?

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  Posted by Joe Shirley, Seattle, Washington | Oct 20, 2008

  My takeaway here: First rule of selling = LISTEN. How else will you know what your customer cares about?

  Thanks for spelling it out, Paul.

  Biznik Ambassador Mentor & Events Coordinator
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  Posted by Pamela Ziemann, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 20, 2008

  Funny you mention that Joe, my blog today is listening with more than your ears. People are giving us hints all the time with the words they emphasize, their body language, and how they feel.

  Thanks for your article Paul. We're going to a deeper level than ever before. It's refreshing.

  Energetic Speaking Coach in Bellevue & Seattle
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  Posted by Howard Howell, Seattle, Washington | Oct 20, 2008

  And, as the sales rep... how do I phrase the ultimate question to flush out what the specific benefit my prospect is looking for?

  Entrepreneurial Sales Coaching by That Sales Guy
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  Posted by Paul Anderson, Redmond, Washington | Oct 20, 2008

  Thanks Pamela and Joe; listening is the most important skill is sales and communication in general. As Pamela mentioned, it's much beyond words.

  Howard, thanks for the asking for the ultimate question.

  "What's important to you about ..." elicits someone's values. If I ask what's important to you about a house or a new car, the answer will be full of values the customer cares about. With this information you'll be able to talk about the features and benefits that's important to them.

  In my next articles I'll dedicate a whole article to values, how to elicit them, and what to do with that information during selling.
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  Posted by Howard Howell, Seattle, Washington | Oct 20, 2008

  Paul... Thank you for that great advice. Now, if I can only commit that phrase to memory.

  I look forward to your continuing inspiration.

  Entrepreneurial Sales Coaching by That Sales Guy
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  Posted by Scott Serles, Camano Island, Washington | Oct 21, 2008

  Great article Paul.

  I think everyone that reads this and the comments that are being exchanged will get great value. Can't wait to hear more.
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  Posted by Stacy Karacostas, Seattle, Washington | Oct 21, 2008

  Hi Paul, You really hit the nail on the head with this one. And, following your iPhone example, you can take it one step farther by saying the same thing about products in general: People don't buy products with lots of benefits; they buy products with benefits they want.

  All too often small business owners try to create and sell products or services they think their prospects need, instead of what their prospects want.

  As you stated, whenever you're selling anything, you absolutely must get inside your prospect's head and understand what is important to them...What problem are they trying to solve? What need are they trying to fill? What want are they trying to fulfill? Then show how your products or services can help them do just that by talking about benefits that matter most to them. Otherwise they simply have no reason to buy.

  The easiest way to find out what is most important to your prospects and customers is to ask. You can do this in person, or by using an email survey. Or you can also surf the Q & A sections on sites like this one to see what's on people's minds. Every time I speak at an event I have an evaluation that asks a number of questions to help me understand what my prospects want and need so I can give them exactly that.

  That way you don't waste time and money developing ideas people don't really want anyway and your sales job gets much easier.

  Thanks for sharing!!

  Stacy

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  Posted by Paul Anderson, Redmond, Washington | Oct 22, 2008

  Thanks Scott, I appreciate the positive encouragement. I speak regularly but writing is something I'll be getting use to ;-)

  Thanks Stacy, these are all great wonderful additions to the article. What is surprising to me is that a lot of salesmen ask these type of questions, yet they don't listen to the information and therefore they're unable to properly serve their customers. I can't even begin to count the numerous experience myself or colleagues have had with this.

  So this ties back into what Joe Shirley said earlier. We can all ask great questions but unless we listen, we won't be able to truly address our customer's needs.

  Thanks guys!
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  Posted by Jean-Pierre Ruiz, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 22, 2008

  Nicely done Paul. To take one step further than Stacy, people don't hire other people (consultants or employees) for the same reasons. Of course, that is also expressed by the level of "comfort" the hiring person feels towards the candidate. But, a candidate attuned to the verbal and non-verbal cues, can create that very same level of "comfort" and provide the person doing the hiring or contracting with the benefits they are seeking (i.e., the benefits that they care about).

  The same logic which Stacy applies to selling a product, I would argue applies to selling yourself.

  Look forward to your next installment.

  Jean-Pierre
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  Posted by Krista Dunk, Olympia, Washington | Oct 22, 2008

  Thanks Paul. Sometimes we are so excited about the features that we love (and think everyone should too).... we forget to consider the other person's "must have" list. Thanks for the reminder!

  Krista Dunk NWweddingplace.com
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  Posted by Paul Anderson, Redmond, Washington | Oct 22, 2008

  Thanks JP, I agree with you 100%. Before asking any question, we have to get our prospect employer or potential customer to like us, trust us, and feel safe around us. People don't want to be sold to; instead people want to have great conversations with people they like and trust.

  The first step is to build instant rapport with your prospect (this is opportunity for another article). Once you have that level of rapport, then, and only then can you proceed with asking the right questions.

  Krista,

  I've been in this boat many times. One point in my life I sold computers and I would catch myself talking about how much RAM it has, how large the hard drive is, that it has a 64MB graphic card, etc, etc. Back then, I actually thought prospect customers were just as excited about all the bells and whistles as I was ;-)

  I was wrong and learned my lesson quickly. After that I made it ALL ABOUT THEM. As soon as I made that behavior shift, I made president's club that month (and the months after) and very large commission checks.

  I was happy, the customer was happy, and the store was happy. It was a win-win.

  Let's truly serve our customers and make everyone happy.
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  Posted by Peter Chee, Redmond, Washington | Oct 23, 2008

  Very helpful article. Helps reinforce the information that you presented in the past. Thanks!
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  Posted by Sally Anne Giedrys, Portland, Oregon | Oct 23, 2008

  Great article, Paul.

  Discerning the benefits that really matter is often glossed over in marketing and communication as well as in sales. We like to focus on "benefits not features," and yet "Why does this benefit matter?" is just as important-- if not more so.

  This issue often comes up with my copywriting clients as well. Effective, interesting marketing messages and copy are based in hearing, connecting and responding to your audience. The real question we need to ask, as you point out, is "What do they really care about?"

  Thanks for laying it all out so nicely.
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  Posted by Charlotte House, Seattle, Washington | Oct 23, 2008

  As an Intuitive, my practice is all about listening, yet I haven't been entirely successful at applying that same 'listening' to how I promote my business.

  Thanks for getting me thinking about this!

  Charlotte House, Craniosacral Therapy

  Charlotte House, Craniosacral Therapist
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  Posted by Patricia Klingler, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 23, 2008

  Paul,

  Your article is superb in demonstrating the importance of highlighting benefits that really do matter. I love those infomercials that show how a Ginzu knife can slice through a package of frozen vegetables. Why would I want to do that? What I really want is a knife that can thinly slice a tomato without shredding it to pieces. That matters.

  I'm encouraged now to talk to my clients and learn what is most important for them as I coach them on their issues around stress and communication. The better I understand their preferences for service, the more successful the relationship will be.

  Thanks for a valuable article.

  ~ Patricia
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  Posted by Paul Anderson, Redmond, Washington | Oct 23, 2008

  Thanks Peter, Sally, Charlotte, and Patricia,

  I appreciate the great comments.

  Sally,

  I really appreciate you considering this for your marketing/copywriting messages. How can we engage the audience if we don't know what they want? What is important to them?

  Charlotte,

  I agree with you. I from time to time have to remind myself to make sure I'm fully understanding the network I'm in touch with to see who I need to recommend them to. Within my practice, I can't fully transform a client's behavior if I haven't listened to verbal/non-verbal communication to elicit their root causes.

  Patricia,

  As coaches and consultants the only true way of making a difference with our clients is to listen to them and find out what's important to them.

  I'm very excited that we all share this mindset and we'll be making a true difference with our clients.
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  Posted by Tshombe Brown, Portland, Oregon | Oct 24, 2008

  Paul,

  I also have to offer my gratitude to you for this timely article.

  Oftentimes, salespersons are trained on all the bells and whistles, and not on how to authentically create rapport with a potential client. In their excitement, they end up bombarding the client with who-cares data, facts, and figures, instead of inquiring about what they really want.

  I appreciate your observation that salespeople tend to "actually overload the customer with TOO MUCH INFORMATION; therefore resulting in not selling the product/service." As some brilliant person once said, "A confused mind always says 'no'. "

  What better way to bring clarity (and avoid confusion in the first place) to any sales situation that to learn and speak the language of the client?

  It almost seems too easy: Ask people what they want, listen and show you care, and give them what they said they wanted.

  It may be that Ego plays a hefty role. The desire to be perceived as an expert is strong.

  As you and the others here so eloquently pointed out, truly understanding the psychographic profile of the client and giving them only what they want, need, and desire is the best demonstration of expertise there is.

  I think it's also worth nothing your acknowledgment that we all have made a purchasing decision (or two or three!) by falling for marketing hype. I assert that hype does work.

  What's refreshing about your approach, Paul, is it feels great. There is no pressure to perform or know everything about our product or service.

  Rather than duping, tricking, or misleading a prospect or bombarding them with information overload, truly engaging them and their needs is authentic and, well....practical. Instead of mindlessly tooting our own horn all day long, we may find (by asking and actively listening) that our product or service is not for them at all and that something or someone else would better serve them.

  How's that for a twist on the traditional model of selling?

  Great article, Paul. Thanks for taking the sales concept that "benefits sell" to the more client-centered level. It's all about the specific benefits the client cares about.

  Sick and Tired of Failed New Years Resolutions?
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  Posted by Paul Anderson, Redmond, Washington | Oct 27, 2008

  Thank you Tshombe, well said. I like how you articulated this from additional points of view and brought more richness to the article. I appreciate your wonderful and supporting comments.
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  Posted by Adam R.T. Smith, Toronto, Ontario Canada | Oct 27, 2008

  Hi - maybe I don't get it, but how could a feature / function that does not satisfy a user / customer want or need be called a benefit?

  if it's not something a customer cares about, it's not a benefit.

  2 cents.
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  Posted by Diane Moore, Tacoma, Washington | Nov 05, 2008

  Paul, A very beneficial article...am eager to read your future article on establishing rapport....since we generaly only have a few seconds to establish that trust with a client, prior to them asking about our product or service. I'll be watching for more of your informative tidbits. Great job...thanks for taking the time.
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  Posted by Tshombe Brown, Portland, Oregon | Nov 09, 2008

  Hi Adam --

  Highlighting a benefit that is not of interest to the customer doesn't negate it's benefit status. It's just not very wise, and it certainly reduces the likelihood of making a sale.

  Most products and services have multiple features and benefits. The difficulty that many salespersons have is highlighting only those benefits that are of interest to the specific potential customer they are connecting (or not!) with.

  Some of this comes from excitement that they finally got a "live one," or out of desperation because they feel they have to make the sale.

  The key is asking the right questions to elicit from the client what their wants, needs and desires are and then truly listening to the answer. THEN, we have to deliver only (or at least primarily) that.

  I believe that (among other things) was the thrust of what Paul was getting at.

  Sick and Tired of Failed New Years Resolutions?