Can you spot the difference?

“Our company has been around for 27 years.”

- Vs -

“Our company has been around for 27 years which means you will be joining a company with great stability and past record and you will not ever have to worry about your business security.”

Yes. Of course the second sentence is longer in length. However, there is a subtlety that makes all the difference in the world.

Spot it?

Notice how the first sentence is a statement, a rather detached one at that. It’s merely saying “this is what it is…” There are absolutely no emotions to it. This is what we marketers call a “feature”.

Now, by contrast, notice how the second sentence puts that same “feature” in perspective. It answers the question “so what”? It explains the reader the implications of the feature itself. It personalizes it and translates that feature into something tangible for the reader.

It makes it so that the reader actually give a rat’s ass about what it has to say.

This is what we call a “benefit”.

The differences between a feature and a benefit are night-and-day.

Let me ask you something else, what moves you more, the feature or the benefit? What perks you up more? Hearing about how long a company’s been around OR how your business security is safe?

Hmm, toughie eh?

One of the biggest mistakes I see marketers make is hammering their prospects and costumers with features.

Look, NO one but yourself cares about your product’s features. People only care about what those features will do for them. After all, as Perry Marshall says, “Nobody who bought a drill actually wanted a drill. They wanted a hole.” So tell them how your “feature” will do that for them.

Put things into perspective for your reader and speaking directly to their emotions is how you will get them to care.
The “So What?” Rule

So how do you distinguish between a feature and a benefit? It’s simple really. Just use the “so what” rule.

After every selling point, ask yourself of that feature “so what?” If that selling point answers your question, then it’s a benefit. If you have to scramble and conjure up some logic in your head to answer that question yourself, then it’s a feature.

Try that exercise above, take each of those selling points and run them through the test. You’ll see that the answer to the first statement if found in the SECOND statement.

It’s obvious that the second statement is a benefit while the first one is merely a feature.

Remember, “features tell, benefits sell”. I don’t care whether you are prospecting a lead, doing a presentation at a home meeting, or writing your capture page. Make sure your statements are laced with benefits and not features.

To Affinity and Beyond,