Every good marketer talks about their products in terms of benefits. Every good sales pro sells benefits - not the product's features. Then, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty.
In order to create demand for a product, it is true that you must seek to solve customer problems through their eyes. Thus, you have to speak in the language of "acquiring benefits." Where most startups trip up is in the actual carrying out of that chore. You see ... most sales and marketing people have a habit of drawing up the benefits themselves and thrusting it upon the customer. This is a common pitfall.
The correct way to generate demand by marketing benefits is to first ask customers themselves what benefits they are seeking. You should never (ever) draft up benefit statements before asking customers what they are seeking. The order goes something like the following:
1. We have a unique way or method or technology of doing something;
2. We think that customers will want it;
3. We talk to customers and ask them to tell us what sorts of benefits they are looking to acquire;
4. We come back to the office and apply that knowledge to the product;
5. We now can market against that benefit (promise and want); we can train sales to deliver that benefit (persuasion);
6. We now have a product that can prove delivery against that benefit via features (fit and availability);
7. We have a unique way or method or technology to deliver a benefit (it's not "something" anymore).
- John
Comments