Hook, line and sinker. That’s the impact of masterfully connecting your product features to compelling customer benefits. But what exactly is feature benefit selling, and how can you become a pro at this crucial sales technique? This comprehensive guide reels in everything you need to know.
We’ll cover what feature benefit selling is, why it works, mistake to avoid, and actionable tactics to implement it successfully. You’ll learn how to turn bland features into captivating benefits that speak directly to what your customers care about – and make the sale. Let’s dive in!
What is Feature Benefit Selling?
Feature benefit selling is a sales technique that focuses on connecting your product’s features to the benefits and value it can provide customers. By bridging this gap between features and benefits, salespeople can more effectively show prospects how their offering can solve problems and improve their lives.
But what exactly does feature benefit selling entail? Let’s break it down.
Definition of Feature Benefit Selling
Feature benefit selling involves:
- Highlighting the specific functions and capabilities of your product or service (the features)
- Demonstrating how those features translate into positive outcomes and improvements for customers (the benefits)
- Helping customers understand how the product’s capabilities can address their needs and pain points
The goal is to shift prospects’ focus from technical details to the impact on their lives. Rather than getting lost in specifications, you want them to visualize the end result of using your product.
For example, instead of just stating that a software has an intuitive dashboard, you would focus on how this dashboard saves users time and frustration. This attracts customers on an emotional level beyond facts and figures.
Key Components of Feature Benefit Selling
There are three key components that make up the foundation of feature benefit selling:
Features vs Benefits
Features refer to characteristics and capabilities that a product or service offers. They describe what something is or does on a technical level.
Some examples include:
- 24/7 live chat support
- Ability to track campaign ROI
- Cloud-based application
Benefits, on the other hand, refer to the value, advantages, and positive outcomes that customers receive by using those features. Benefits focus on answering the question “What’s in it for me?”
Here are some benefit examples:
- Getting queries resolved at any hour
- Making data-driven decisions to maximize profits
- Accessing the software from anywhere securely
While features are factual, benefits appeal more to emotions and desires. Features communicate what the product is; benefits communicate what the product can do for you.
Identifying Customer Needs
An important first step in feature benefit selling is understanding your customer’s needs, frustrations, and desired outcomes.
This typically involves asking questions to identify:
- Their business or personal goals
- Challenges slowing them down
- Ideal solutions they envision
With this context, you can tailor your messaging to position your product’s capabilities as the pathway to achieving their vision. Leading with the customer’s perspective makes the benefits directly relevant.
Making Connections for Customers
Once you grasp your customer’s motivations, the next step is proactively connecting your features to the benefits that address those needs. You bridge the gap between your capabilities and their objectives.
Rather than leaving customers to make these associations themselves, feature benefit selling makes the relationships clear. When customers immediately see how a feature enables their desired outcome, they are more compelled to purchase.
Let’s explore some examples of how making connections might work in practice:
Customer Need: “I want to be able to collaborate with my distributed team members more seamlessly.”
Feature: Video conferencing integrations
Benefit: Enables real-time communication and collaboration across locations and time zones.
Customer Need: “I’m looking for ways to improve our customer service response times.”
Feature: Live chat support feature
Benefit: Provides customers with instant access to support, improving response times.
Customer Need: “I need a way to monitor the health of our pipeline more closely.”
Feature: Sales analytics dashboard
Benefit: Provides real-time visibility into deal progress so you can take timely actions.
In each scenario, the salesperson links the customer’s needs to relevant features, demonstrating how they deliver the benefits the customer is after. This connection is at the core of feature benefit selling.
By outlining the definition, comparing features and benefits, and highlighting the importance of making connections, we’ve covered the key foundations of feature benefit selling. Equipped with this understanding, let’s now look at some examples of how this sales technique is applied across different industries.
Why Use Feature Benefit Selling?
Now that we’ve defined feature benefit selling, you may be wondering—why should I incorporate this sales technique into my strategy? What are the specific benefits?
In short, feature benefit selling offers numerous advantages that can improve your sales and marketing performance. Let’s explore the top reasons you should consider using this approach.
Identifies Customer Needs
One of the core principles of feature benefit selling is taking the time to understand your customer’s specific needs, pain points, and goals.
This involves asking probing questions early in the sales process, such as:
- What challenges are you looking to solve?
- How would your ideal solution improve your situation?
- What factors do you value most in a product like ours?
These needs discovery questions allow you to gather intel directly from the source. Customers often reveal priorities, frustrations, and wish list items that you can then address in your feature benefit messaging.
With feature benefit selling, you’re not just making assumptions about what customers want. You’re getting them to articulate their needs so you can tailor your pitch accordingly.
This customer-centric approach makes your messaging more relevant right out of the gate. When customers feel understood, they’re more receptive to your solution.
Facilitates Customer Connections
One of the biggest advantages of feature benefit selling is that it helps customers make connections between your capabilities and their goals.
Rather than relying on prospects to independently identify how you can help them, you spell it out clearly. This bridges the gap in understanding that can otherwise stall deals.
For complex or technical products especially, drawing connections to usage benefits can be hugely impactful. Customers may understand the features you offer, but need help grasping how they will concretely improve their situation. Feature benefit selling provides that illumination.
Some examples of connecting features to needs:
- Our real-time inventory tracking feature ensures you always have right-sized stock to meet demand. (Addresses costly inventory problems)
- Our one-click checkout feature makes purchasing fast and frictionless. (Appeals to desire for convenience)
- Our automated alert system notifies you of suspicious activity instantly. (Provides security reassurance)
When you demonstrate how features fulfill customers’ practical, emotional, and social needs, they have an aha moment. The value becomes crystal clear, and they can readily envision achieving their goals with your product.
Enhances Product Goal Comprehension
In addition to making connections for customers, feature benefit selling improves comprehension of what your product aims to accomplish overall.
When you consistently link capabilities to positive outcomes for the customer, you reinforce what the core purpose of the product is. This prevents prospects from getting distracted by ancillary features or losing sight of the big picture value.
For example, a CRM provider might highlight how built-in sales acceleration tools provide the benefit of increased revenue and shorter sales cycles. This reiterates that the software is fundamentally designed to maximize sales efficiency.
Even if certain features don’t seem directly relevant to a given customer, they’ll still understand the product’s overall mission. This sticky product positioning can pay dividends across the entire customer lifecycle.
Enhanced comprehension also makes customers more inclined to recommend your product to others. They can readily grasp and articulate the core benefits themselves, rather than reciting a list of features.
Increases Brand Loyalty
Feature benefit selling also has advantages when it comes to boosting brand loyalty.
When you consistently deliver value by linking features to customer needs, you reinforce what makes your brand superior. This engenders trust and emotional connection beyond transactional satisfaction.
Rather than being just another vendor with similar offerings, you cement your status as their partner who profoundly understands their challenges and aspirations.
This allegiance can inspire customers to:
- Increase purchase frequency/order sizes
- Forgive occasional mistakes
- Refer friends and colleagues to you
- Provide product feedback and reviews
- Remain a customer for years
Loyal brand advocates spend more and have higher retention rates. Feature benefit selling helps nurture this ideal win-win relationship.
Improves Sales Performance
Ultimately, the cumulative impact of feature benefit selling is higher sales productivity and revenues.
This sales approach enables you to:
- Build rapport through needs discovery
- Craft persuasive messaging highlighting benefits
- Overcome objections by making direct connections
- Gauge reactions and adjust accordingly
- Accelerate time-to-close
Studies have found that a focus on benefits vs features can improve close rates by up to 30%. Feature benefit selling also boosts customer lifetime value over 2X compared to presenting features alone.
Beyond directly attributable sales, this technique strengthens your reputation, fuels referrals and repeat business, and nurtures loyalty. The compounding effects on revenues can be profound.
Let’s now look at some tactical tips on how you can implement feature benefit selling to realize these benefits.
Actionable Tips for Making Feature Benefit Selling Work
Here are some best practices for rolling out feature benefit selling effectively:
Learn your target customers
Research their demographics, challenges, goals, and psychographics so you can customize your benefit messaging.
Catalog your features + benefits
Compile a master list so connections are clear in sales materials.
Lead with open discovery questions
Ask about needs and frustrations before presenting solutions.
Isolate the most relevant benefits
Don’t overload customers – highlight the benefits that resonate most.
Use visually engaging formats
Show – don’t just tell! Infographics, charts, and videos are great tools.
Leverage case studies and testimonials
Social proof of benefits often seals the deal.
Equip sales teams with benefit messaging
Make sure your reps understand and can articulate the benefits clearly.
Monitor reactions and iterate
Keep tweaking your feature-benefit messaging based on field feedback.
With some concerted effort, you can integrate this technique into your sales and marketing machine to drive measurable improvements.
Now that we’ve covered why feature benefit selling is so valuable and how to implement it, let’s look at some real-world examples across different industries. Seeing it in action will help crystallize these concepts.
Examples of Feature Benefit Selling
Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of feature benefit selling, let’s look at some examples of how this sales technique is applied in the real world.
We’ll explore successful feature-benefit messaging in the software, manufacturing, and consumer electronics industries.
Software Industry Examples
The software industry relies heavily on feature benefit selling to convey the value of capabilities that customers often struggle to understand. Here are some examples of strong software feature-benefit messaging:
HubSpot CRM
Feature: Contact Insights
Benefit: “Learn more about leads and contacts automatically to personalize your outreach.”
This draws a connection between an AI-powered data feature and the benefit of enhanced personalization.
Asana
Feature: Portfolios
Benefit: “Group projects together to provide executives with a high-level view of strategic priorities.”
Asana explains how executives can benefit from their portfolio feature.
Mailchimp
Feature: Automations
Benefit: “Turn insights about your audience into emails that engage the right people at the right time.”
A clear linkage between automations and better engagement.
Slack
Feature: Workflow Builder
Benefit: “Automate routine tasks to reduce busywork and keep your team focused on meaningful work.”
The benefit messging highlights how Workflow Builder saves time.
Zenefits
Feature: Built-in compliance
Benefit: “Avoid penalties and Audit stress with automated compliance tools.”
This taps into the customer pain point of compliance headaches.
What makes these examples work well?
- They isolate a specific capability
- They focus on an emotional or functional benefit
- They use simple, direct language
- They highlight incentives like time savings and personalization
Now let’s examine some manufacturing industry examples.
Manufacturing Industry Examples
Industrial manufacturers also leverage feature benefit selling to differentiate their equipment and machinery. Some strong examples include:
Caterpillar
Feature: Power management tools
Benefit: “Monitor asset health and optimize performance to lower fuel costs.
This highlights how their feature can reduce expenses.
Deere & Company
Feature: AutoTrac guidance system
Benefit: “Automate steering to maximize planting and harvesting efficiency.”
Efficiency improvements are called out as a benefit.
Rockwell Automation
Feature: Scalable operations
Benefit: “Add or redeploy resources quickly to meet changing production needs.”
The message focuses on the value of flexibility.
Siemens
Feature: Inventory optimization
Benefit: “Right-size inventory investments while avoiding stock-outs.”
This taps into a common inventory management pain point.
Honeywell
Feature: Remote monitoring
Benefit: “Resolve issues faster and minimize downtime through early warning alerts.”
The avoidacne of downtime is positioned as the benefit.
What makes these examples effective?
- They highlight technical features simply
- They emphasize cost and efficiency gains
- They tap into common manufacturer objectives
- Quantifiable benefits are spotlighted
Let’s now examine how consumer electronics brands apply feature benefit selling.
Consumer Electronics Examples
Selling to everyday product users requires a different spin on feature benefit messaging. Here are some skillful examples from top consumer tech companies:
Apple
Feature: 120hz ProMotion display
Benefit: “See everything with responsiveness that makes graphics come alive.”
This focuses on the emotional joy of a smoother screen.
Samsung
Feature: One UI interface
Benefit: “Intuitive controls and visuals keep your device easy to navigate.”
The benefit messaging taps into ease of use.
Sony
Feature: Noise canceling technology
Benefit: “Immerse yourself in music, movies, and calls without distraction.”
Sony draws a connection to an immersive entertainment experience.
Amazon
Feature: Alexa voice assistant
Benefit: “Hands-free help with everyday tasks so you can stay productive.”
The benefit is about convenience and productivity.
Feature: Pixel photo editing features
Benefit: “Make any picture pop with automatic optimizations and stylish tweaks.”
This highlights creativity and self-expression benefits.
What makes these examples work?
- They focus on experiential and emotional benefits
- They emphasize enhancements to entertainment or convenience
- Clear, straightforward language is used
- Benefits like productivity and ease of use are spotlighted
The key in both B2B and B2C contexts is to highlight how features fulfill the customer’s aspirations and relieve their frustrations. This establishes value quickly and compellingly.
Now let’s explore best practices for putting feature benefit selling into action.
How to Implement Feature Benefit Selling
Now that we’ve explored what feature benefit selling is and why it’s effective, let’s discuss actionable tactics for executing this sales technique successfully.
Here is a step-by-step process to integrate feature benefit selling into your strategy:
Study Your Product’s Features
The first step is thoroughly learning about your product’s or service’s features and capabilities. This includes:
- Reviewing product specs and documentation
- Trying all features hands-on
- Comparing to previous versions
- Analyzing relative to competitor features
- Identifying unique capabilities
Isolate the attributes and functionality that:
- Solve specific customer problems
- Improves upon industry norms
- Differentiates you from alternatives
- Are innovative or cutting-edge
Focus on features that deliver tangible customer benefits. Technical capabilities that customers can’t directly experience may be less impactful in your messaging.
Identify Benefits of Those Features
With your key features mapped out, analyze how each translates into advantages, solutions, and positive outcomes for customers.
- How does this feature satisfy customer needs?
- What frustrations or pain points does it address?
- How does it make the customer’s life easier?
Catalog all the benefits associated with each feature. Avoid generic benefits like “increased productivity” – get specific. For example, rather than “improved collaboration,” say “real-time communication across global teams.”
Prioritize the benefits that provide the clearest connections to customer desires like better efficiency, reduced costs, more convenience, less hassle, etc. Lead with the benefits predicted to resonate most.
Ask Questions to Understand Customer Needs
Now it’s time to develop a keen understanding of your customers’ needs and frustrations.
Start sales conversations by asking probing questions before launching into a pitch about features. Discover your prospect’s:
- Goals
- Pain points slowing progress
- Obstacles with current solutions
- Must-have capabilities
- Workflows and processes
Example Question 1
“Walk me through how your team currently handles [problem area]. What inefficiencies or issues are you experiencing?”
This surfaces frustrations you can address.
Example Question 2
“What factors are most important to your team in evaluating a solution like ours?”
This reveals purchasing criteria and priorities.
Example Question 3
“How would leveraging [new capabilities] impact your team’s process and productivity?”
This uncovers aspirational benefits they desire.
Listen closely to prospects’ responses to identify connections to your features and tailor positioning.
Make Connections Between Features and Benefits
With customer needs context, highlight features that deliver relevant benefits.
Example Connection 1
“You mentioned centralizing data for cross-team reporting is a priority. Our unified analytics dashboard enables real-time data sharing and alignment across business units.”
Example Connection 2
“I understand you require approvals within SLA. Our automated routing engine ensures requests are instantly directed to the right approver to expedite turnaround times.”
Example Connection 3
“It sounds like centralized procurement is important for cost savings. Our platform provides bulk purchasing power and consolidated invoicing to drive economies of scale.”
Use language like “this means that…”, “so that…”, and “which results in…” to draw out the cause-and-effect relationship clearly.
Use Storytelling and Specific Examples
According to studies, stories engage up to 22X more of the brain. Use narratives to make benefits memorable.
Share specific customer stories of how they achieved success using certain features. Relatable anecdotes that vividly illustrate the impact are highly persuasive.
Example 1
“One client was able to repurpose 15 hours/week per employee previously spent on manual tasks using our RPA bots. That freed them up to focus on more strategic initiatives that were previously neglected due to lack of time.”
Example 2
“A retailer struggled with out-of-stocks that cost thousands in missed revenue each week. Leveraging our demand forecasting decreased their stock-outs by 58%, improving bottom line profitability.”
Example 3
A marketing director told me our platform’s analytics enabled them to identify their best lead generation channel for the first time. Focusing efforts on this channel increased pipeline growth 23% quarter-over-quarter.”
Example 4
“A client’s support team was constantly playing catch-up due to inefficient workflows. Our intelligent ticket routing reduced resolution times by 40%. Their CSAT scores saw an all-time high as a result.”
Example 5
“One manufacturer reduced their prototypes from 10 to 2 per new product release by using our simulation software. This accelerated their speed-to-market by 35% overall.”
Quantifiable details lend credibility while demonstrating measurable improvements. These real-world examples vividly communicate benefits.
Key Takeaways
- Learn your features inside and out
- Catalog associated customer benefits
- Probe needs through discovery questioning
- Draw connections to relevant features
- Bring benefits to life through storytelling
Employing this process, you can craft compelling messaging that resonates, provides clarity, and persuades. Feature benefit selling is a scalable way to boost sales productivity.
Now that we’ve covered implementation tactics, let’s examine some winning strategies to maximize your feature benefit selling success.
When Should You Use Feature Benefit Selling?
Now that you understand how to do feature benefit selling, when should you actually employ this sales technique?
Here are three scenarios where leveraging feature benefit selling is highly effective:
During Sales Presentations and Dialogues
Feature benefit selling should play a starring role in your sales conversations and product presentations.
This is the perfect opportunity to directly connect with customers, discover their needs, tailor your messaging, and articulate benefits that resonate.
You can integrate feature benefit selling smoothly into sales dialogue using phrases like:
- “This feature means you can…”
- “By leveraging this capability, you’re able to…”
- “Because our product includes X, you can realize these benefits…”
When speaking with prospects, highlight benefits conversationally vs rattling off boring feature lists.
When Customers Don’t See Clear Benefits
Sometimes customers understand your features, but fail to grasp how they will tangibly benefit. This commonly occurs with:
Technical products – Customers get mired in technical details without connecting to real-world value.
Complex products – The array of capabilities obscures the main advantages.
New innovations – Customers have limited frames of reference for new features.
In these cases, they require help making logical connections between capabilities and positive outcomes. Feature benefit selling provides that illumination.
You might have to explicitly walk them through how certain features address their needs better than current solutions. Use relatable analogies and visuals to simplify explanations of how features work to the customer’s advantage.
For Complex or Technical Products
For products that are inherently technical or multi-layered, dedicated feature benefit selling is especially critical.
Some examples include:
- Enterprise software suites
- IoT and smart home devices
- AI and machine learning
- Advanced manufacturing equipment
- Biotech and scientific products
For these complex solutions, prospects won’t inherently understand how features translate to value. They’ll get overwhelmed trying to grasp how all the technology can possibly help them.
That’s where methodically connecting features to customer-centric benefits is vital. It creates clarity from confusion and converts feature awareness into benefit understanding.
Even if your product isn’t highly technical, anytime prospects are having trouble recognizing the benefits on their own, dedicate time to walk them step-by-step through feature-to-benefit linkages.
Proactively making these connections via feature benefit selling removes obstacles in the sales process.
Mistakes to Avoid with Feature Benefit Selling
While feature benefit selling can clearly provide tremendous value, there are a few common mistakes to avoid to ensure you maximize benefits.
Here are 3 pitfalls to be mindful of:
Focusing Too Much on Features
One of the biggest mistakes is spending too much time elaborating on features versus benefits.
It’s easy to get carried away showcasing all the technical capabilities and functionality of your products. But an overload of features can cause customer confusion and exhaustion.
Stick to highlighting only the most essential, differentiating features. Avoid inundating prospects with an exhaustive feature list – they’ll quickly disengage.
The 80/20 rule is a good guideline – spend only 20% of messaging explaining features, and dedicate 80% to communicating benefits.
Prioritize benefits that deliver an emotional impact and build value-driven momentum in the conversation.
Not Tailoring Benefits to Individual Customers
Another common mistake is failing to customize benefits to the prospect.
Benefits should always be framed in the context of that particular customer’s needs, goals, and pain points uncovered during discovery.
Avoid generic, one-size-fits all benefit messaging. Prospects will tune out if benefits are not deliberately matched to their situation.
Make benefits resonate on a personal level by asking yourself:
- How will this benefit specifically help this customer?
- What is this customer struggling with that this benefit alleviates?
- What improvements or results does this customer crave that this benefit enables?
Get specific. Speak directly to the prospect with relevant benefit-focused language.
Forgetting to Make the Connections
Some salespeople get so focused on touting benefits that they neglect to stitch them back to the enabling features.
Don’t lose sight of drawing clear connections for customers between:
- Specific capabilities
- How they work
- The resulting benefits created
Remind customers which features facilitate the benefits you’re highlighting. Some ways to call out these cause-and-effect relationships include:
- “Our analytics dashboard allows you to , which means you can _.”
- “Because our product includes , you can _.”
- “The benefit of being able to _ is powered by our _ feature.”
Reinforce how features and benefits directly interrelate throughout your messaging. This sticks the positioning and value prop in prospects’ minds.
In nutshell, avoid overloading customers with features, make benefits personalized, and consistently connect capabilities to outcomes. This disciplined approach will maximize feature benefit selling success.
Now let’s explore some proven best practices and strategies to further master this important technique.
Feature Benefit Selling Tips and Strategies
Let’s now dive into some proven tips and strategies to maximize success with feature benefit selling:
Use Emotional Appeals
Don’t rely solely on logical or functional benefits – incorporate emotional appeals as well.
Emotions are powerful purchase drivers. When you make prospects feel understood and tap into feelings like:
- Excitement
- Optimism
- Confidence
- Pride
- Inspiration
You spark positive momentum. Highlight how your product can deliver these emotional rewards.
Examples:
“The real-time notification system gives you peace of mind always being in the loop.”
“Our software’s ease of use will make work less frustrating and more enjoyable for your team.”
“Our analytics will provide a sense of accomplishment from making smarter, data-driven decisions.”
Ladder up to higher ideals like growth, achievement, freedom, and purpose for maximum impact.
Quantify Benefits When Possible
While emotional benefits build desire, quantified benefits boost credibility.
Back up benefit claims with specific metrics demonstrating measurable improvements:
- “Decreased operational costs by 30% on average”
- “62% faster deployment times”
- “20x increase in lead conversion rate”
These credible proof points validate benefits. Source quantifiable data from case studies, tests, benchmarks, and customer results.
Repeat and Summarize Key Benefits
Repetition cements connections. Re-summarizing core benefits throughout your messaging drives retention.
Reiterate benefits using different phrasing:
“Not only will this feature help you , it also enables you to .”
“This benefit of _ is in addition to _ we discussed earlier.”
Tie benefits back to prospect pain points:
“By addressing your issue of , this feature will ultimately allow you to .”
Refreshing benefits in new contexts, customers gain a well-rounded perspective on the value you offer.
Get Feedback from Customers
Solicit real customer feedback on benefits gained. Testimonials or quotes directly from users pack a punch.
Ask customers questions like:
- How did [feature] specifically help you?
- What key benefits has the product delivered for you?
- How has the product improved your [metrics/processes]?
Then incorporate their compelling words into your messaging – they’ll lend authenticity and authority.
Having customers verbally reinforce benefits cements them as truth, not just claims.
Summary of Key Strategies
- Appeal to emotions like pride and optimism
- Quantify with credible metrics when possible
- Repetition from different angles solidifies points
- Leverage customer testimonials to validate benefits
These strategies will amplify the impact of your feature benefit selling for more sales conversations that resonate.
Key Takeaways on Feature Benefit Selling
Feature benefit selling is a highly effective sales technique that focuses on bridging the gap between product features and customer benefits.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Feature benefit selling involves highlighting features, demonstrating associated benefits, and helping customers understand how the product can improve their lives.
- This technique is valuable because it facilitates connections for customers, enhances product comprehension, increases brand loyalty, and boosts sales performance.
- Tailor your benefit messaging to each customer’s unique needs and pains points for maximum relevance. Appeal to emotions as well as logic.
- Use feature benefit selling during sales conversations, when value is unclear, and for complex or technical products. Draw clear connections between features and outcomes.
- Avoid overloading on features, generic benefit messaging, and neglecting to tie benefits back to capabilities.
- Employ storytelling, quantification, repetition, customer testimonials, and other strategies to make benefits memorable and impactful.
With a customer-centric focus on matching features to needs, feature benefit selling allows you to showcase value quickly and persuasively. Apply these best practices to enhance your sales execution and results.
The Future of Feature Benefit Selling
The foundations of feature benefit selling have remained relevant for decades. But how will this sales technique continue to evolve in the future?
Here are three trends shaping the next generation of feature benefit selling:
Increased Use of Data and Personas
In the past, feature benefit selling relied heavily on salespeople’s individual rapport-building and messaging skills.
But enablement tools now provide sales teams far greater insight into target buyers thanks to:
- Expanded customer data
- Predictive analytics
- AI-driven Personas
- Customer sentiment analysis
- Micro-targeting capabilities
With an abundance of data on what different personas prioritize and respond to, sales and marketing can craft precision feature-to-benefit messaging customized to niche audiences.
Here are some examples of how advanced data can inform feature benefit selling:
- Persona needs analysis – Mine data on what different roles care about most to tailor benefit focus by persona
- Real-time objecting – Leverage AI to analyze prospect reactions and refine benefit positioning accordingly
- Contextual messaging – Orchestrate omnichannel campaigns that highlight benefits relevant to buying stage
- Predictive recommendations – Recommend specific features and benefits mapped to individual usage patterns
As technology reveals more about prospects’ needs, feature benefit selling will become highly personalized at scale.
Integration with Marketing Content
In the past, feature benefit selling was primarily a sales-driven practice. But modern Alignment between sales and marketing teams enables tightly integrated, omnichannel feature benefit messaging.
Marketing can map prospect journeys to nurture awareness of benefits earlier and through more touchpoints such as:
- Targeted ad campaigns
- Website messaging
- Product tours
- Review sites
- Social media
- Retargeting ads
- Email drip campaigns
- Chatbots
This amplifies feature benefit exposure beyond sales interactions alone, planting seeds in more stages.
And by tracking engagement, campaigns can highlight specific benefits proven to resonate best with different segments for customized, data-backed promotion across channels.
Tighter collaboration between sales and marketing will expand feature benefit selling reach and persistence in the future.
Evolution for Different Buying Journeys
Traditional feature benefit selling focused mainly on active prospects in later buying stages.
But modern sales and marketing must nurture relationships far earlier in funnel while seamlessly handing off between stages.
We’ll see an evolution of how feature benefit selling is executed across the modern buying journey:
Awareness Stage
- Focus on high-level benefits vs. granular features
- Paint “big picture” vision of transformation
- Establish emotional connections
Consideration Stage
- Provide more details on specific capabilities
- Offer trial access to experience benefits first-hand
- Encourage peer reviews and social proof
Decision Stage
- Directly link features to prospect’s precise pains
- Quantify ROI and business impact
- Overcome objections with tailored messaging
Expansion Stage
- Educate on new features added
- Spotlight benefits of premium offerings
- Share customer success stories
Loyalty Stage
- Sustain value via continuous improvements
- Proactively highlight new benefits added
- Incentivize referrals and advocacy
Feature benefit selling will become more strategic across the entire customer lifecycle moving forward.
Key Evolution Opportunities
The next era of feature benefit selling will be defined by:
- Richer data providing insights to refine messaging
- Omnichannel orchestration with marketing
- Specialized execution tailored to each buying stage
Leveraging these opportunities, sales professionals can drive engagement, conversion, and loyalty through superior feature-to-benefit connections.
Frequently Asked Questions About Feature Benefit Selling
What is the difference between features and benefits?
Features describe the characteristics and functions of a product or service. Benefits describe how those features positively impact customers.
Why is feature benefit selling important?
It helps customers understand how a product’s capabilities solve their problems. This drives conversions by shifting focus to value versus just features.
When should you use feature benefit selling?
Use it during sales conversations, in marketing content, when value is unclear, and for complex or technical products. It is most impactful during evaluation stages.
How do you identify benefits for feature benefit selling?
Analyze how specific features satisfy customer needs. Consider functional improvements as well as emotional benefits like confidence, pride, and optimism they provide.
What mistakes should you avoid with feature benefit selling?
Don’t overwhelm customers with too many features. Ensure benefits are tailored to individual needs vs generic messaging. Remember to connect features back to associated benefits.
How can you maximize feature benefit selling success?
Quantify benefits with metrics when possible. Use stories and testimonials to humanize benefits. Repetition and summarizing helps retention. Appeal to emotions and higher-level outcomes.
How is feature benefit selling evolving?
Leveraging more customer data for personalization, tighter integration with marketing, and specialized messaging for each buying stage.
What are some examples of good feature benefit selling?
“Our real-time inventory tracking prevents stock-outs so you can meet customer demand.”
“Our one-click checkout makes purchasing fast and easy for your customers.”
How do you practice feature benefit selling?
Learn your features, catalogue associated benefits, understand customer needs through questioning, then bridge feature-benefit connections in conversations.