Do you remember the old tv commercials with a car salesman in a bad suit telling you about the deal he can make you? If so, you are giving away your age :), anyway, did you notice how he was always concentrating on the benefits of dealing with him? Fact is, he really did not care what car or truck you bought, just that you bought it from him.

Successful salesmen and internet marketers alike know that it is all about the benefits, not the product. While it may seem strange at first, the same approach is still the most effective strategy to generate sales for many of the same reasons. Marketing benefits will appeal to the customers emotional need to satisfy a particular need. Benefits will show exactly what a person will gain by purchasing your product. Done properly, benefits leave an opening for a creative sales pitch, more importantly, they will answer the single most important question every shopper has. *What is in it for me?*

All that said, what is the difference between Features and Benefits?

Features Are:
The actual elements that make up your product, service or affiliate.
For example: keyboards, v8 engine, electric motor, etc.
Content regarding the qualities and/or capabilities of the product.
For example: pretty, fast, latest technology, etc.
Information on the product’s performance.
For example: fastest, best, stats on longevity, powerful.etc.
Pricing for a product.

Your customer will, of course, want to know the features of the product, however, features generally do not sell your product or service. To compel a potential customer to buy your product or service, you must describe the benefits the buyer will get from closing the deal with you.

What are benefits as opposed to features?

First, benefits are an explanation ( in language the buyer will understand, not techno speak) of how the product will improve the buyers life.

All your benefits will (should) address the one simple question that every buyer is thinking: Whats in it for me? Any statement that answers that question is a benefit to your customer. Look at this example:explaining to someone who wants to buy eyeglasses that are for nearsightedness and that darken when exposed to sunlight are features of the glasses. However, if you explain to that customer that they will be able to read to their grandchildren now and don’t have to buy a spare set of sunglasses, now these are both benefits.

Don’t they say about the same thing? The benefits will squeeze the emotional trigger that is a big part of the reason why the customer went shopping in the first place. They didn’t go to get a specific prescription for their eyes. That, they leave up to the optometrist to decide. They didn’t even go there for the sunglasses; it was just an additional benefit that could appeal to them. Another point: rarely does a buyer go in with a specific budget in mind; that budget is flexible when enough benefits make it sensible to pay a higher price (within reason, of course).

Stick with emphasizing the benefits of your product or service, and you will sell more, increase your average sales price sold, and have more satisfied customers. Understanding your customer’s needs is the basis of all good business, and finding the right benefits that can trigger a sale is just matching a need to a benefit.