When selling it's often very easy to forget that a feature is what a product is....an intrinsic characteristic of the product or service.

Examples of features are:

• Priced at £20

• Red/Blue/Black

• Transparent

• Compact

• Lightweight

• TV advertised

• The market leader

• The latest technology

• Covered by a three year warranty

.........All very interesting (or perhaps not!) but of no real concern to the buyer who really wants to know what the product will do for him/her.

In other words, the benefits.

For example: "This promotion will increase your sales (feature) which means that you will get increased turnover and profit" (benefit)

Or.... "The new display unit is compact and eye catching (feature) which means that you will get more impulse sales at the till points (benefit), therefore increasing your profits" (benefit)

Or..."If you order today we will be able to deliver next week (feature) which means that you will have your new car just in time for your holiday" (benefit)

Note that a real quick way of changing a feature into a benefit is to use the linking words 'which means' or you might want to use 'which gives you'....

Never forget....the product features are important but they are unlikely to clinch the sale without making the link in the customer's mind to the specific benefit they will derive from the product.

That is what the customer is really interested in!

Good luck with your selling and make sure you're not one of those fools forcing features when buyers buy benefits.

(c) Gary Gorman 2009