THE SURPRISING TRUTH ABOUT WHAT CUSTOMERS REALLY WANT

Have you ever been in a position where you spend hours, weeks, and sometimes even months trying to convince a customer or investor why they should buy your product or service? It has to be one of the most discouraging aspects of owning a business, especially when they eventually don’t take the action you hoped for. There are ways to avoid the frustrating cycle of back-and-forth conversations that often lead to nothing because, in truth, the longer the discussion, the lower your chances of making a sale. 

One of the things that can help you escape this situation as a business owner is to understand and utilize one fundamental truth about every human being; we’re always on the lookout for how any and everything benefits us. No one wants to put their money on what’s great but has no clear benefit to them. This means you can present the most pretty graphs, polish your ad copy with refined English, and butter up your service to look like nothing anyone has seen. None of it would work if your audience still has to wonder what’s in it for them afterwards. 

THE CONCEPT OF FEATURES VS BENEFITS

So many business owners tend to emphasize the features of their products and services rather than the benefits of these products and services. Why should I care that your phone’s screen size is two times bigger than what I own? What does that do for me as a person? Why should the fact that your workspace is painted white matter to me? The features of a product or service differ from the benefits, and most people need to learn to pay more attention to the latter rather than the former. “So what’s the difference then?” I can almost hear the question through the screen. I’m getting to that. 

The feature of your product is the description of your product’s appearance or capability. It could range from size to weight, shape, color, and everything else that has to do with the outlook of the product or service. 

The benefits are why these features are essential to your customers. They are why they should care to buy your products or employ your services—benefits such as relaxation, time-saving, and money-making.

Avoid stopping at listing the features of your products or services and pay more emphasis to the benefits. This way, no one has to ask you why they should partner with you or make a purchase. They know what they are getting into right from the jump.

Here are three vital ways to determine the benefits of your product or service

1. Why Does Your Product Exist? Let’s say you are selling a platform where people are to pay for digital skills. The best way to determine the benefits is to ask yourself why people should pay you to learn these skills when there are a million and one free platforms out there.

2. How Does Your Product Connect To The Human Desire? If we keep up with the digital skill platform, one of your reasons should be physical interaction and community because research shows that more than 50% of students drop out of virtual classes. So, they have a higher chance of achieving their career goals in a physical class.

3. What’s In It For Your Customers? Continuing with the same platform, the benefits can be goal achievement, career advancement, and an increased earning bracket.

Whatever you do, it is essential that you don’t fake a benefit. The key to making this work for you is fully understanding what you are selling and the benefits people get from purchasing your products or employing your service. 

So, take some time to ask yourself the above questions, come up with genuine answers, incorporate them in your next ad copy, and watch your sales skyrocket!