Sales Myth No. 1: Sell The Benefits

Conflicting phrase you have created a couple of reasons, maybe just to me.

(1) 'People justify their purchases".....the prospect has to justify his purchase (one part of the sales dynamics), and believe he/she is getting the best value for their investment

(2) 'by describing features -- not benefits' ....... the salesperson is the one describing his features and benefits' (the other part of the sales dynamics). -Paulette Halpern

Paulette, I don't understand what you are saying here. Could you clarify.

Perhaps it would help if I clarified what I had said. My point was that in practice a buyer will choose to justify his purchase by naming (I said describe) the feature.

Please understand that as buyers we justify our decisions not just to ourselves, but often to others.

As far as the word "describe" goes, we certainly can use words to describe a feature that have no bearing on benefit. For instance it might be a "yellow" reinforcement strap.

Again, please clarify your point and how it applies to my post. -Ace Coldiron

As we all know, salestrainers have different points of view. There are yours, mine and many others. Your statement to me, seems to have conflicts within it. You don't have to agree with me.

F&B's have always been the 'tools of salespeople'. They give them knowledge and confidence about what they can deliver to the customer. It can be great confidence builder for the salesperson. When the time is right to deliver your presentation of what your company can do to solve the problem, they will have their place, but they are not the reason for the purchase.

Customers 'justify' that it makes sense to invest in XXX solution, because the 'problem' they have needs to go away or else (whatever that may be). Features deliver the results that TAKE the problem away that the prospect is investing in. When the prospect believes he 'can't live without' the solution provided, no one will change his mind, especially if you are talking with the real decision maker....because he has determined that his 'best value is coming with the solution that now takes away his problem'.

When it comes from a point of view of "F&B selling", someone else can walk in the door, with a 'shinier gizmo or flashier presentation' and wow the customer away. Or the prospect, just ponders for a moment after the sales person walks out of the room, and 'questions whether he made the right investment into the F&B's just presented....' hence buyers remorse.

People want and need their problems solved/or the problem isn't important enough to solve to the 'individual'...when the prospect believes he has found the person who can do that with their solution, he buys. The justification is in the value of the headache taken away. -Paulette Halpern

We can't agree because we are not using terms in the same context. But first let me clarify something about something you implied. I am not a sales trainer. I make my living eyeball to eyeball with prospective customers on a daily basiis.

Now back to the "justification" thing. In the context that I am using that term, I am presenting it as an important component of decison making. I pointed out that there is often a need to justify to ourselves and to OTHERS. You took my word and put it into the mix of how you have interpreted the Sandler Training you sell. That's fair enough. But I use the word to fit into what I have experienced in dealing with tens of thousands of people in selling situations, and I am not putting it through the Sandler lens.

Paulette, I respect Sandler's work. I think his was a valuable contribution to sales education. I believe his system works and is strategically sound. I could learn it well, and use it. I could use other systems well also. But as a business owner and serious professional, I explore my options and make my own choices. I have through years of trial an error and study chosen my own way. That said, there will be forever contextual differences between my views and others.

I looked at my words to see if you were correct in finding a conflict in my post. I found none. -Ace Coldiron

When giving reasons why they bought, most especially when justifying their purchase with others, people often list features and benefits (...and it has this and it does that...) however in the buyers mind they know the real reason they bought and it was not about features and it was not about benefits it was about satisfying a need.

Once a solution to the problem, satisfying a need, has been found then solution A may be compared to solution B to determine which is the better value or better fit but not until the solution has been identified. -Mikey

Mikey, what is your method for determining what is "in the buyer's mind" if it is not what they say? How do you yourself do that? Tell us how you do that from your very own experience. -Ace Coldiron

Is that a rhetorical question or do you really not know? -Mikey

It has been my life and career experience to consciously observe that they do not do that at all, except in very rare cases. The only sales expert that I am aware of who ever pointed that out was Bill Good, the prospecting guru, whose work I admired. When he noted that, I became more aware, and observed over the years that my experiences substantiated what he said. I have very seldom heard anyone describe and justify a purchase as you have exampled.

Incidentally, I would not have accepted Bill Good's observation on this unless it could be validated from my professional and everyday experience. -Ace Coldiron

I truly want to know, Mikey, and will respect your answer.

I don't like rhetorical questions because in my view they are merely statements in disguise by people who don't have the courage to take responsibility for a statement.

Obviously you may surmise that I am challenging what you said, but I would not insult you with a rhetorical question. That would be wrong in my view. -Ace Coldiron

Are saying that in your experience people DO NOT list features and/or benefits when giving reasons why they bought, most especially when justifying their purchase with others? -Mikey

No, Mikey, I clearly stated the above. -Ace Coldiron

I wrote (your quote): When giving reasons why they bought, most especially when justifying their purchase with others, people often list features and benefits (...and it has this and it does that...)

You wrote: It has been my life and career experience to consciously observe that they do not do that at all, except in very rare cases.

I wrote: Are saying that in your experience people DO NOT list features and/or benefits when giving reasons why they bought, most especially when justifying their purchase with others?

You wrote: No, Mikey, I clearly stated the above.

If that is not what you are saying then what is "they do not do that all , except in very rare cases" refer to? -Mikey

I am saying that they do not do this, except in very rare cases:

"When giving reasons why they bought, most especially when justifying their purchase with others, people often list features and benefits (...and it has this and it does that...)"

You post says "features and benefits".

Again, I said: "People justify their purchases by describing features--not benefits." -Ace Coldiron

Mikey, I'm doing my best, within my own limitations to answer your series of questions. Your turn. Now that I have assured you that the above was not rhetorical, are you going to provide an answer, or just let it hang?

BTW, that question is not rhetorical either. -Ace Coldiron

I apologize for getting the feeling you were a 'trainer'. I make my living day to day, being belly to belly with prospective clients and current clients all the time as well. We don't have others to do our 'business development', we do it 'using our own system'.

If people are disappointed in the results they are getting from the sales strategies they are using, and want to learn different ways to approach the 'buyer-seller dynamics' to give them a potential for better results, they can talk with me. This methodology works in Fortune 500 companies as well as much smaller ones as well and has for many years.

But if the owner/independent salesperson is not unhappy enough or frustrated enough, or sick and tired enough of seeing their 'sales team turned into unpaid consultants' to the point of 'being open' to ways to 'handle the sales dynamics', they aren't a prospect for me....no matter how the 'features and benefits' list might look.

I can help them get a better view of their problems and determine if what we do can help them overcome those problems....or they can still live on "Denial Peninsula' as I call it....with lots of other business owners. -Paulette Halpern

I will take it for granted that you don't have an issue with this.

This is the heart of selling. People don't buy features and benefits they buy a solution that satisfies a need.

I will take it for granted that you don't have an issue with this. -Mikey

Mikey, the rewards of my career have been too great to have an issue with anything or anybody or any statement I don't agree with. -Ace Coldiron

Do you agree that people don't buy features and benefits they buy a solution that satisfies a need? -Mikey

I think that generalization is shallow. Maybe you missed it the first time I said it on this thread. People buy for a lot of reasons.

No more questions, Mikey. You don't answer questions. -Ace Coldiron

People do not buy features and benefits they buy a solution that satisfies a need. If that is too shallow then give it some thought. thmbp2; -Mikey

That's right. But the question is, what to present in the call.

Experts don't like being confronted with shallow sounding advantages/benefits, they prefer features because they don't sound so manipulative.

On the other hand laymen prefer hearing about benefits because they usually can't make the connection from features to their needs being statisfied on their own. -Alexander

It is the benefit that provides the solution, so i don't understand where all this "benefit hate" is coming from. -Skip Anderson

When you make your presentation to the prospect, you simply show them WHAT the solution to their problem will look like, nothing more. Only those items that specifically relate to 'resolving the problem' are discussed. -Paulette Halpern

A feature's benefit is tied to a desired result - It will do what I want it to do / reduce waste by 30% - but that desire result may only be a piece of the solution that the customer believes will achieve his or her ultimate outcome. -Jolly Roger

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Can benefits exist without being perceived by a buyer? Hmmm... ybrw; -Frankie

This thread appears to have run its course and is now closed. Thank you for joining the discussion. If you would like to discuss aspects of this topic further please start a new thread. -Jeff Blackwell