Too many selling presentations focus on “what we do or what we offer.”
In other words, if we’re not careful, our presentations are all about us. If we’re not careful, when presenting we focus on the features of our products or the details of our services, as in:
“We offer the largest, most-advanced…”
“Our support services are the most comprehensive…”
“Our team has an average of over 5 years experience…”
“Our widget comes in six different styles and colors…”
“We provide the fastest turn-around in the industry…”
“Our software solution has the best interface…”
Consider how much more effective it could be if, instead, we make our customers or clients the stars of each presentation!
“Our clients enjoy an immediate surge in productivity, and at least a 5:1 R.O.I. in the first year alone…”
“Our customers increase up-time by 50% on average…”
“The average user of our services experiences a 20-30% boost in sales revenue…”
“On average, organizations using our approach have reduced workforce turnover by half, and have improved the customer experience as well…”
This perspective isn’t new, but it’s often forgotten.
Possibly this is because as our organizations introduce new products and services, or when they make improvements to what we sell, we find ourselves intrigued with the updated versions or the latest developments and, therefore, we are compelled to talk about these things.
But these new features, bells and whistles more often fail to WOW buyers, because buyers are most persuaded by what’s in it for them (W.I.I.F.T.)!
So, instead of telling others about what we do or what we’re offering, it is better to tell them about what they will get!
Tell them how they will benefit and they will become engaged!
Even better, they will want to know more! They will most likely place greater value on our solutions as well, which can help us build stronger value propositions, increase margins, reduce competition, and shorten selling cycles all at the same time!
Of course as simple as this may sound, we realize it’s not easy. The first step will involve a conscious effort to distinguish between features and benefits, and then to modify not only the way we think (i.e., think in terms of the customer and WIIFT) but also how we communicate.
A simple and easy way to get started might be to adopt the following phraseology:
“Because of [FEATURE], you get [ADVANTAGE], which means [BENEFIT]”
By applying this thought process before interacting with customers or prospects we can shift our thinking and, hopefully, our communication style, away from features/price and instead focus on benefits/value by stressing the “which means…” part of the equation.
As the saying goes, “No one ever really needs a shovel…”
(They just need a hole.)