Recently, I had the opportunity to choose a new lease car. What immediately struck me was the flood of โfeaturesโ the car manufacturer and salesperson bombarded me with:
- Lane assist with blind spot detection
- Dual-zone climate control with air purification
- Zero-emission hybrid or electric drivetrain
- Adaptive cruise control with automatic emergency braking
Do you recognize that? All those technical terms you only half understand, which then lead to decision fatigue. This isnโt just something you see in the automotive industry; in other sectors too, marketers and sales professionals often get stuck in technical details like โAI-driven,โ โfully scalable,โ or โstate-of-the-art technology.โ
Although such features can be impressive, they only become relevant to the customer once they understand what these features actually mean for them.
Why Features alone arenโt enough
Iโm guilty of this myself at times. Itโs tempting to claim that your product is the best, the biggest, or the most up-to-date. While this can be useful for comparisons, it often lacks the translation of what this actually means for the customer.
Let's make the distinction between features, benefits and advantages:
- Features: These are the characteristics of your product or service. For example: "Our data integrations with Salesforce are fully automated."
- Benefits: This shows how these features help the customer. For example: "It saves your team time in processing and correcting data."
- Advantages: This is the strategic impact on the organization as a whole. For example: "You achieve revenue improvement through better targeting and increase the ROI of your marketing campaigns."
Interesting read: Performance branding from a B2B perspective: The best of both worlds
How do you translate Features into Benefits and Advantages?
Het draait allemaal om de waarom achter de wat. Deze stappen helpen daarbij:
- Start with the customer's challenges. What are their pain points? Which problems are they looking to solve?
- Translate features into impact. Take a feature and keep asking yourself, "And then?" Continue questioning until you reach the core of its meaning for the customer.
- Support with customer cases. Numbers and success stories directly showcase the impact and strengthen your message.
By emphasizing advantages, you speak the customer's language. You not only clarify what your solution does but also why itโs essential. This builds trust and positions you as a strategic partner, not just a supplier.
Practical Example: my new lease car
In the end, only one question guided my choice: Can my two large dogs ride comfortably in the back?
- Feature: The car has enough space and a flat floor in the back.
- Benefit: My dogs can travel safely and comfortably.
- Advantage: This increases my freedom and flexibility, as I can effortlessly travel with my dogs.
Do you see the difference? By focusing on the value (advantage) that the feature provides, you make the choice relevant and meaningful for the customer.
Conclusion
The next time you give a pitch or presentation, ask yourself this question:
"Am I just explaining what my product does, or am I also showing why itโs important?"
With this approach, you not only build trust but also show that your solution makes a difference. And that's ultimately what it's all about.
