You’ve heard it before I’m sure: focus on the benefits to your clients, not the features.  When you are writing copy, talking about what you do, or in a sales presentation, it’s the benefits and results of the service or product you provide that people are interested in, rather than its features or how it works.  A lot of people struggle to get this right.

A feature is a fact, detail, or description about your services.  A benefit is the positive result your client gets working with you or buying your product.  It seems simple when you read the distinction, but it’s tough in practice.

Consider an IT consultant: “I help small businesses that are losing time and money due to computer problems.”  Feature or benefit?  It might sounds like a benefit but it’s actually just a description of the consultants’ target market: businesses with computer problems.  That’s a feature of the consultant’s business.

A graphic designer may say “I produce creative and attractive logos, business cards, and brochures.”  Feature or benefit?  The designer is naming a tangible result he produces, without stating a benefit to the client, simply facts about the designer’s work.

A management consultant: “I conduct team-building sessions using the innovative Delarosa system.”  Feature or benefit?  The consultant is describing the process used to produce results, not the results themselves.

So, what is a benefit?  It’s your answer to the crucial question every client asks, whether they say it or not: “What can you do for me?”

A benefit of working with a small business IT consultant might be that he or she will: “take care of your computers so you can take care of business.”  A graphic designer’s benefit might be to “make your marketing stand out from the competition.”  Benefits of working with a team-building consultant might include “boost productivity, reduce conflicts, and improve communication.”

There are three keys to communicating what the true benefits of your services or products are:

1. Determine the essence of what your clients want and need.

Look at your business through the eyes of your ideal prospects.  What needs and desires are they seeking help with?  Do clients go to a chiropractor because they want a spinal adjustment?  No, they go because they want pain relief.  Do businesses hire a technical writer because they want instructions written down?  No, they hire one because they want employees to make fewer errors, or customer to find their products easy to use.

2. Connect those wants and needs to what you deliver, as directly as possible.

If the clients of an image consultant primarily want to take more pride in their appearance, telling them they’ll “save money by avoiding wardrobe mistakes” is a much less effective benefit than “look like a million bucks at a price you can afford.”  When a business is seeking help for underperforming managers, an executive coach should be selling them “improved performance and increased motivation,” not “higher job satisfaction.”

3. Tell them not just the results of what you do, but why those results matter.

While it is true that hiring a professional organizer might result in “an organized office, “ a much more powerful benefit would be “find any piece of paper in less than 10 seconds.”  The result of working with a sales trainer might very well be “better sales skills,” but a much more attractive benefit would be “close more sales in less time.”

When can you talk about features?  Describing features can help you attract the right clients and let them know you have what they are seeking.  A copywriter who specializes in direct mail and ad copy should say so, to distinguish her services from one who writes primarily for websites and brochures.  An accountant who primarily serves business clients rather than individuals should make that clear.

Once you’ve covered the basics of who you serve and what you provide, it’s time to tell your prospects what they’ll get from working with you.  In a competitive marketplace, communicating benefits can get your hired.

Would you hire a web designer who offered simply “Flash and Java programming” or one who promised a site that would “convert visitors to customers?”  Would you choose a disc jockey for your wedding with just a “wide variety of music” or one who assured you of a “completely stress-free experience?”

Talking about the benefits instead of features can make you stand out from the competition, connect your services directly to your clients’ wants and needs, and persuade lukewarm prospects to take a closer look at your business.  If you’re not sure whether what you’re offering are features or benefits, there is a test:

Do your words describe what you do and how you do it, or do they focus on what your client wants and gets?  When you talk about yourself or your work, you are almost always stating a feature.  When you talk about your clients and their desires instead, odds are that you are naming a benefit.

When you’re ready to test out your marketing message and benefit based elevator pitch, call for an appointment.  We’re happy to provide feedback.