Marketing 101: Two Foolproof Ways to Quickly
Spot Benefits from Features
Did you know that U.S. infomercial sales were expected to hit $250 billion in
2015?1 Wait, I don’t even own a Snuggie®! What is it exactly that these
infomercials do to sell like gangbusters? They sell BENEFITS, BABY—and you
should be selling benefits over features in your business too.
The reason I’m bringing up infomercial sales is to demonstrate the financial gain
that can be realized from touting benefits and not simply features. ProActiv®
doesn’t talk about the benzoyl peroxide and water, they talk about the lack of
ridicule and gain of social acceptance that comes with having clear skin. The
PedEgg® doesn’t promote a foot roller, they promote the avoidance of
embarrassment. Let’s jump into Marketing 101: Two Foolproof Ways to Quickly
Spot Benefits from Features.
What the Heck Is a Feature Anyway?
According to Google:
A feature is a distinctive attribute or aspect of something, a characteristic, quality,
property, trait, hallmark, trademark, facet, factor, ingredient, component, element,
theme; peculiarity, idiosyncrasy, quirk. 2
What the Heck Is a Benefit?
According to Google:
A benefit is an advantage or profit gained from something. Synonyms: good,
sake, welfare, well-being, comfort, ease, convenience, help, aid, assistance,
service, reward, merit, boon, blessing, virtue, bonus, value. 3
Let’s Take a Little Quiz, Shall We?
There’s so much talk about benefits these days and why they’re so important.
Take a quiz to test your skills. Ready? Which one of these statements is a
benefit?




“We’ve been in business over 50 years.”
“Our firm has over 1,000 employees.”
“All of our electronics are Wi-Fi enabled.”
“Our company is located in over 30 states.”
Ok, which one is a benefit?
NONE OF THEM! Yep, not a single one of them is a benefit. Confused? Keep
reading.
Marketing 101: Two Foolproof Ways to Quickly Spot Benefits from Features
There are two easy ways to recognize the difference between a feature and a
benefit.
Features are the WHAT.
Benefits are the SO WHAT.
Think of a feature as just that—a “what.” A feature is something that is specific, a
fact, a measurement, a tangible.
Think of a benefit as the “so what.” The benefit is how someone’s life is going to
change for the better. It can be an emotional result or what the feature does for
you. It is usually intangible.
Let’s Look at Some Examples of Benefits vs. Features
Here are 10 examples to help you craft benefits from your features and let your
customers know exactly what they’re buying.
Product or Service
Feature (the What)
Benefit (the So What)
A watch
Tells the time
Spares you the
embarrassment of being
late
Cell phone
Is Wi-Fi enabled
Connects you to the
world
Lazyboy chair
Contains goose down
feathers
Lets you relax on air
Tax preparer
Follows the law
Keeps you free and out
of jail
Elmo
Talks to children
Delivers a thousand
smiles
Life insurance
Gives your family money
after you die
Gives your family peace
of mind
Dentist
Cleans your teeth
Gives you the
confidence of a million
dollar smile
Plastic surgeon
Fixes imperfections
Makes you the envy of
many
DirectTV
Provides TV network
access
Acts as your ears and
eyes to the world
Real estate agent
Finds you a place to live
Helps you create a new
chapter of memories
Talking only about features kills your sales because you leave it up to the
consumer to connect the dots between the feature and the benefit. Simply tell
your prospects and customers what they’re buying and what they stand to gain.
Two Powerful Real-Life Examples
Look at the Mucinex website below. What are they really selling? Are they selling the
ingredient recipe in the bottles? No, they are selling empowerment to kick the butt of
your worst cold and flu and get the relief you’re desperately seeking.
Take a look at the ADT website below. What are they really selling? Are they selling the
electronic contraption that’s mounted to your wall? No, they are selling the protection of
those you love most. Aww…
The Bottom Line
Always start with the strongest benefits in your ads, newsletters, emails, and
messages, then talk about the features. Don’t leave it up to your prospects to
figure out what the benefits are from your list of features. Remember, there are
two easy ways to recognize the difference between features and benefits:
features are the WHAT, benefits are the SO WHAT.
1.
2.
3.
http://priceonomics.com/the-economics-of-infomercials/
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS459US576&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8#q=definition%20of%20a%20feature
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS459US576&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8#q=definition+of+a+benefit
Angela Murphy
Founder | Positionist
JustPositionIt!
Tap into Your Inner Marketer™
[email protected]
justpositionit.com