123rf.com: Hongqi Zhang
These days, prospects are doing online research long before they ever talk to a salesperson. I’m betting, though, that salespeople are still encouraged to talk about features early on. This practice can lead down a perilous path, because they’re likely competing against sellers whose products and services also have terrific capabilities. Features are important, but in the great scheme of things, your sales focus should be “What’s in it for me?”
Tell a real-life story about what your product or service can do, rather than focusing on a specific feature or feature set. The “Yes/No” checklist stuff should come a lot later in the trust and relationship-building process.
Prospects, and people in general, are impressed by success stories, which are essentially extended benefit statements. As sales guru Jill Konrath notes, you can grab your prospect’s attention by sharing how well someone who uses your product or service is doing. (On the more personal side, if you’re trying to sell someone on spending time with you, for example, you need to find a way to make the value of doing that real.)
Enjoy this great short video from Jill Konrath about resisting the temptation to talk about features.
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