Benefit Selling

I like going to car dealerships and looking at new cars. Cars have always been my passion. I would normally talk to sales agents about certain features of the car and how it can benefit me, as a car enthusiast. Unfortunately, I get disappointed most of the time.

While the sales agents or marketing professional can discuss the car's features and some facts about the car; they are very hard put how to translate the features into benefits. When you are trying to sell people something, you must be able to tell what's in it for them, or how will they benefit from what you are selling.

A typical car buyer goes into a dealership looking for a car to use. In most cases, he has two or three choices in mind. In most instances, a good marketing professional can upgrade a sale because he understands what the customer wants - earning him more commissions. He knows how to translate a car's features to benefits that the client will surely enjoy and love.

image from http://en.wikipedia.org/

Let me illustrate.

Everyone that knows me can tell you that Subaru Impreza WRX STI is my favorite car. I like the 2006-2007 model than the newer generation of STI's. I will use this as an example to highlight the differences of features and benefits. 

A marketing professional will tell you these things about the car:

All Subaru cars have a boxer engine; this is different from the traditional in-line or V configuration engines. A boxer engine can have a lower center of gravity.

What does that mean? If you were the buyer will you understand what was said?

Now try this one out;

A Subaru car has a boxer engine, which has a lower center of gravity. A lower of center of gravity can make your car more stable during cornering and high-speeds. It is safer compared to the other types of engine configuration.

Is it clear how can a boxer engine benefit the buyer? To convince the buyer, you can also add figures and statistics supporting your claim.

How about this one:

All Subaru cars use a four-wheel drive system. A four-wheel drive system engages all the four wheels of a car.

How do you think a customer will benefit from a four-wheel or all-wheel drive system? What can you say about the revised sales pitch below?

This Subaru STI has an all-wheel drive capability that delivers excellent traction and control on whatever road condition or weather you are in. You feel safer and secured than in a conventional front-wheel system.

When you are selling products, it matters to the customer how it will benefit him. Even if all the features of your products are great but you are not able to translate it to what's in it for your customer, you might lose the sale.

The Art of Selling

When I was in college, I told myself that I would not be a salesman. My idea of a salesman is someone who sells insurance, condominiums and those Electro-lux men. They would hound you at all times of the day, calling and texting you just to get a sale.

Little did I know that the art of selling is an everyday occurrence. We sell our ideas to our friends when we tell stories. We sell our point of view to our partners when we tell them our ideas. We sell our vision to our employees when we tell them what are our plans. Selling cannot be avoided; it is part of our every day life. We are selling all the time even if we are not aware of it.

Entrepreneurs understand that selling is a great part of whether their business will succeed or not. They understand that they need to sell their products so that they can pay for their expenses and earn profits to expand and grow their business. They train people until they are capable of selling their products.

image from http://zenmastersales.com/

But what happens if someone who has not sold anything is suddenly put in a situation where he needs to sell? Most often than not, he will be shy. He will not be able to meet his quota and will blame extraneous circumstances for his failure. When he has not met his quota for a couple months, there will come a time when he will blame his boss or the products themselves. This scenario is not only harmful to the individual but also to the company as well.

Entrepreneurs must place importance on product and sales training. He must make sure that everyone of his employees know what the product can do for their consumers before they go out. The entrepreneur must feel assured that his sales staff will be able to overcome any objections placed by their target market.

In my experience, I have come to realize that there are three important factors that determine the success of each sales staff. The factors are:

• Knowing your customers. 
• Sell them the benefit they will be getting when they buy your product.
• Buying is emotional.

In my next blogs, we will be discussing these factors in detail to help you become a successful salesman. You can also use these three when talking to anyone to win them on your side.

Lastly, the mastering the art of selling takes time. You may see that some people have the knack for selling - natural salesmen; while others are not good at it. You must need to practice often and practice consciously to be able to sell more.