Sales Training Programme. Module 6. Features, advantages and benefits workbook

Transcription

1 Sales Training Programme. Module 6. Features, advantages and benefits workbook

2 Workbook 6. Features, advantages and benefits Introduction This workbook is designed to be used along with the podcast on features, advantages and benefits. It is a self learning tool for people in sales and should take about an hour to complete. (Although you can go at your own pace) It has been designed for: People new to sales wanting to get a brief but focused look at the principles of selling Experienced salespeople wanting a refresher of their key skills Sales managers wanting to coach or train team members How it works First, download the podcast to your mp3 player, or computer. Give yourself an hour or two of uninterrupted time and have a pen and paper handy. Print off the workbook and read the first few pages that talk about the objectives and content for the session. Write down your own objectives. Listen to the podcast. You can follow the theory in the workbook as the podcast plays. When you have listened to it you can complete the exercises in the workbook. If there is something you are not sure about refer back to the podcast. At the end of your session, complete your action plan. Good luck with the session and good luck with your selling. 1

3 Features advantages and benefits. Objectives and content Objectives The purpose of today s session is to look at features, advantage and benefits and how we can use these to describe our products and services more persuasively. Content Presenting information What are features? What are advantages? What are benefits? Describing your organisation 2

4 My personal objective This is a statement of what you want to achieve as a result of completing this module. The best salespeople have clear objectives. It gives them focus and leads to better results. Write your objective in the box below: My object for today is: Having written down your objective you can review it at the end of the session. 3

5 Selling features, advantages and benefits There comes a point, during the sales process, when the salesperson needs to present the solution that meets the customers' needs. Presentations can relate to products or services or the company itself. During the sales process it is important to: Sell the concept of buying the product. In other words, does it meet their business and personal needs? Sell their company as the natural choice of provider Many salespeople fail because they raise awareness about the need to buy a particular product, or service, then fail to sell their company. This can lead to the customer shopping around for the cheapest option, which may not actually be in their best interests. Presenting information should come later in the sales process because before we present we must ask questions in order to identify needs and buying criteria. These are the 2 or 3 reasons for buying which can represent 80% of the buying decision. Buying decisions are a combination of logic and emotion. We will explore this later. When salespeople present information, they tend to present features of their products or company: Our company was established 200 years ago We offer our service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You have your own account manager Let s see if we can t make these features more persuasive. Because our company was established 200 years ago we have lots of experience and are here for the long term Because we offer our service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week we are always here when you need us. Because you have your own account manager, if there is a problem you can talk to someone you know 4

6 What is the common factor in the second type of statements, which makes them seem more persuasive, is that they talk about advantages. An advantage describes how a product, or a product feature, can be used or can help the buyer. Advantages, as we have seen, are more persuasive than Features. Most Advantages can be expressed in the form: Because of... (feature) you can... (advantage) So, if the Feature is: Our company was established 200 years ago And the Advantage was: Because our company was established 200 years ago we have lots of experience and are here for the long term But there is one way for a seller to describe the produce which is even more persuasive than using advantages. People buy because they have needs. If the seller can relate the product specifically to those needs, then there is a high probability of making a sale. Statements, which show how the buyer's needs can be met by product features, and advantages, are called Benefits. Benefits are the most powerful way in which a seller can describe the product. A benefit describes how a feature and advantage of a product can meet a specific need the buyer might have for that product. By having a clear understanding of the buyers' needs, we can sell the particular benefits of the product that meet those needs You will recall we have spent time in the sales call asking questions in order to identify needs. Using the examples, above, of the mobile, the calculator and the computer, let us say that during the sales calls that took place the following answers were received during the `asking questions' phase of the call. I want to work with a supplier who knows what they are doing We work 24 hours a day, 3 days a week and can t afford to have down time I don t want to speak to a call centre every time I have a problem During the presentation phase of the call we can sell Features Advantages and Benefits to link our presentation to the actual needs described by the customer earlier in the sales call. For example: 5

7 Because our company was established 200 years ago we have lots of experience and are here for the long term so you can be confident you are working with a supplier who knows what it s doing Because we offer our service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week we are always here when you need us so you don t have to worry about down time and lost production. Because you have your own account manager, if there is a problem you can talk to someone you know so you can be reassured you won t get connected to a call centre. Benefits relate to the individual. They say how the features and advantages will affect the individual and are therefore much more persuasive. Most people are thinking what is in this for me? Benefits describe what is in it for the individual customer and reflect feelings of confidence, reassurance and peace of mind. The benefit phrases people like to hear are: 1. You don t have to worry because 2. You can be confident that 3. You can be reassured that 4. This will give you peace of mind because By combining features, advantages and benefits we can make our presentations more focused on the features that are important to the client in a way that the client finds most acceptable. 6

8 Features advantages and benefits exercise Produce a brief written presentation on your organisation using features advantages and benefits. To do this, pick out 3 or 4 features that describe your business, then add the appropriate advantages and benefits. Write this in an informal, conversational style. 7

9 My personal action plan Having completed the module set yourself some points you will put into practice. Write your action plan in the box below: My action plan for today is: 8