Archive for Sales
Balance the Scales of Features and Benefits
Posted by: | CommentsFeatures and benefits – you can’t really have one without the other – and be honest about what you’re selling and delivering to your clients.
A recent article came across my desk about features and benefits, and making sure you’re sharing the benefits of your product or service. Which I agree is important.
But let’s take a look at the value of features. It’s a balancing act in the creation of your marketing collateral and your sales processes. When the scales are out of balance, you risk turning off your clients and losing sales.
Do your offers have balance between the features and benefits?
Why?
Benefits do matter – you have to clearly demonstrate to your potential clients what the end result is in working with you or your organization. But, people still need to know the components of what you’re offering – otherwise they might think you’re just doing a sales job on them. If you’re considering buying a product or program, and there’s this huge long list of all the benefits it offers . . . but the actual features that provide the path to those benefits aren’t described well, what does that say?
Know your audience – what is most important to the person/decision maker you are speaking to? For example, men and women may respond differently. Organizations and individuals may respond differently. This is where having your target market profile is key. When you can visualize the person or group you are writing to and know their decision-making factors, it can make a huge difference in all of your copy – web copy, emails, voice mails, autoresponders. I forget where I picked up this point – but it really resonated with me – everything you write (and say) is copy. So take care in what you’re putting out there.
Ultimately – your end goal is to create confidence and inspire action. Your benefits should inspire that action, because that person wants what you have, they want the end results you’re describing. It helps them reconcile their emotional need to buy. But seeing a well-constructed list of the features that will get them to that result – it can help reconcile the logical side that says, “OK. I can see this person has thought this through and is offering the ‘how’ of getting to those benefits.” People want confidence that you know “how” to get them there – your features.
What’s your take? Leave your comments.
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Hi [blank], what makes you actually read an email?
Posted by: | CommentsI belong to Aweber and there was a great post on email personalization.
Let me ask you two questions:
- What prompts you to take the time and read an email? (Rather than open, see it’s just a marketing message, and quickly close.)
- How many chances will you give someone before unsubscribing?
You get a gazillion email messages a day . . . which ones do you actually open and READ?
I subscribe to many lists and personalization is almost always there is some form, and usually in the subject line. But many times the body of the message itself doesn’t always have a personal feel to it.
I really believe the key is to focus on the message first! And then a subject line that grabs the reader.
Some observations from others in the post that I thought were worth sharing with you:
Focus on the personalization in the message itself. If you’ve done your homework and created a target market profile, you should have a crystal clear picture of who you’re writing to – keep that person in your mind while you write.
Test the message by reading it aloud a few times. One reader commented that this would prompt her to re-edit because the reading just didn’t match the tone or level of personalization she was going for.
Consider not using the person’s name in the subject line of the email. Maybe use it in the body instead. When you send emails to friends, do you put their name in the subject line? No! So why do we think if we do that in our email marketing that it’s really doing the job of personalizing? This is making me reconsider the value of using someone’s name in the subject line.
Communicate consistently with your list so they get to know you. Too many people go through the effort to build a list, and then don’t communicate consistently enough with those who volunteered to get information in the first place. If you’re not consistently providing value they won’t remember you anyway!
One last thing I’ll mention. There’s a line between consistency and overdoing it. When I start getting multiple messages a week and the majority are promotional, I begin to wonder if it’s worth being on the list anymore. An increase in frequency can often lead to a decrease in relevance.
I’ll answer those questions above:
- I read emails from those I deem likeable, credible, and who have gained my trust through sources other than email. I also love wit and humor in a message.
- I usually give someone a month.
Thoughts? Would love to hear from you.