Have I got some bad news for you?

NOBODY in the whole world WANTS YOUR PRODUCT

Actually, that’s true of any product, even the

ones sold by the million. - Nobody wants
products.

Think about it. Why does anyone buy a drill-bit?

Not because they lust after drill bits. Well, they
may be a few perverts but, in the main, most of
us have no desire - for a drill-bit.

WE BUY THEM BECAUSE WE WANT HOLES!

Women do not buy sheep fat dyed red. They don’t even buy lipstick.
They but sex appeal.

People don’t want products –

they want what the product will DO for them

They want BENEFITS.

So, whenever writing sales copy – YOU should be talking benefits.

Well, that’s obvious, you say….. no, it isn’t. Few people really
understand what a benefit is. In our little test, were you able to
identify five true benefits associated with your product or service?

I do hope you did do the exercise. I am fairly confident that you’ll

have written down a number of FEATURES – not benefits at all. But
people don’t buy FEATURES they buy BENEFITS.

So, what is the DISTINCTION?

Features are just ATTRIBUTES of what you’re selling. A factual aspect
of the product or service.

A dead GIVEAWAY is a sentence that begins with..

“It does… It is… It has… we are…. and so on

“Our website technology? IT IS fully mobile-compatible.”

“Our images? THEY ARE copyright-free”

“WE ARE a local supplier”

“WE ARE long established”

“WE HAVE over 600 users”

“WE SPECIALIZE in your market sector”

None of those was a benefit!

Talking FEATURES is an easy trap to fall into – concentrating on what

WE are selling or proposing, rather than concentrating on what
people really WANT.

Fortunately, there’s a quick-test we can apply. You try completing the

sentence with..

“WHICH MEANS …”

Let’s try it:

 Our cooker has fan-assisted heating (feature)… which

means … faster, more even-cooking (the benefit!)

 We provide one-click financial reports (feature) which

means that… you get immediate information and prepared
statements for your accountant (benefit!)

Some copywriters use a 'So what?' test - the principle's the same.

"This model has a Z111 engine" (SO WHAT?)

Which MEANS that you only have to have it serviced once

every eighteen months (benefit)
Each feature can have MULTIPLE benefits

 “We specialize in your market sector” (feature) … WHICH

MEANS that… you can be confident we understand your
needs (benefit 1)

 “We can bring industry best practice” (benefit 2)

 “We can create a website that resonates with your

prospective customers” (benefit 3).

This is seriously-important stuff. You really MUST set a half-day aside

– book it in your diary – to list every CONCEIVABLE feature of your
product or service. If you’re more than a one-man business, get your
colleagues to join you.

Then brainstorm, using the ‘WHICH-MEANS TEST’ to arrive at every

conceivable BENEFIT. Use a matrix approach…

You’ll be amazed how many benefits you can find.

Purely as an exercise, I once asked a major furniture retailer to try it

for their own IN-STORE credit card. They expected to come-up with a
handful. I fact, they found HUNDREDS of benefits
  You are charged when the furniture is DELIVERED (feature)
.. helping your CASH FLOW (benefit)
 Up to eight weeks’ FREE CREDIT (feature).. which means
you can BUY NOW - AT SALE PRICES
 Fixed monthly payments (feature).. you know where you
stand
 12, 24 or 36 month instalments – easier budgeting
 Optional insurance – peace of mind

It just went on and on and on.

Once you have built your own matrix of features and multiple
benefits – learn them. They are going to be an essential part of your
sales armoury. They need to become second nature - something you
can pull out of the bag at a moment’s notice.

ADVANTAGES
Now HERE’S a bonus for you…

Most copywriting courses, when discussing features and benefits,

stop there. But there’s a THIRD element to add to your matrix that
can really STRENGTHEN your proposition - and that’s ADVANTAGES.
Advantages YOUR product has over your COMPETITION.

Let’s think of an example….

 FEATURE – there’s no limit to the number of pages you can

add to the website, at no extra cost
 BENEFIT – which means that, as your needs grow, your
costs DON’T grow.
 ADVANTAGE – no other website service in this price range
offers this valuable reassurance
Phrased this way, you’re going to be even more successful.

Time to book a half day in your diary.

Overleaf, you will find a matrix to print off for your own
brainstorming
Feature … which means Benefit Is this an
that… advantage too?