Good morning and welcome to the Monday morning marketing podcast, I'm Esther.
And I'm Melanie.
And today we're talking about features, tell, benefits, sell. Tell us more about that, Melanie.
Well, I wish it was entirely my idea is actually somebody I work with. And I think it's such a great concept. I thought I'd run with it. So it's not my idea. So if she's listening, I'm not claiming it's mine, but I'm also not saying who you are,
unless you'd like to sponsor this podcast, that's all.
But it's true, though, isn't it? I mean, it doesn't really matter what we buy, whether it's a product or service.
Yeah.
There are certain criteria's that each of us are looking for, and that's what is the feature. You know, this may be we want a certain type of house or a certain type of car or some type of bed, let's say. And but what actually people get is when they try it, when, you know, especially beds and cars, you can't really try a house quite as easily now. And, you know, you can test drive a car, you can lay on a bed. But, you know, it's not just that people are buying in a whole experience only. So normally you've got somebody showing you the car and then taking you out on a test drive or, you know, with the house, you didn't get an estate agent who's explaining where everything is. But when they when you actually get there, you're seeing the views, you're listening to the ambient noise, then they're telling you where the nearest schools are. And, you know, it's an experience, isn't it?
Oh, it really is. It really is. And it's one of those things like you can't change a lot of things about, you know, a house is in that one location. You cannot pick that house up and move it to your ideal location. So you have to love everything about it or at least tolerate everything about where it is. Right. Whereas a car, you know, you could get it in lots of different colours. You can get it in different models. So say you've got two cars that are exactly the same side by side. How do you choose?
Well, it's it could be the seats, it could be, you know, with your having to root down and push your feet down and sort of pull yourself out of the car because someone that can be quite low, some of them are quite high. I mean, when I had very small children, I was looking for a higher sort of seated car so that I could, you know, not break me back out of the car and that sort of thing.
Bit more storage space because you have to have fold up prams and cots and, you know, carry half the house with you every time you went out. So there was certain fixed criteria that I had, but then it was how it drove, how I felt in it, you know. Did it feel comfortable? You know, did it sound loud? Those sorts of things and I know we're raving on about these other subjects, but these actually have a serious impact on our businesses.
OK.
Because as I say, this is buying an experience, so if we can explain to people in an effective what's in it for me scenario and make it clear from, you know, the features initially to draw them in to entice them and then give them a really good experience on what they can get out of it, then there's more chance of them, A buying and B recommending and maybe even going buying more
Esther
Right, so the experience you're talking about it comes down to storytelling, comes down to the vibe that you get off the other person. Right. So, Melanie, you could have been doing this podcast with anybody else, right? But you chose me and not Kim Dotcom. That's also, you know. A feature on the benefit, right?
Yeah, you feature and we all benefit. Yeah, I mean, and so what I'd like everybody is listening today to think about is can you translate your features of your product or your service into benefits to the customer?
So instead of just saying we run your social media for you or we train you to do your social media. That would translate into. We see a few hours of work. We see a few hours of learning from other places are trying to do it all yourself by putting it into one hour, two or three or whatever length of session that they get. And therefore, then they have the right place to go and be able to do the things rather than going, what how am I how do I do this and what do I do here? What do I post and what, you know, who's my audience? Yeah. So instead of saying this is what we do, it's this is how it can help you.
Hmm. That's pretty much what I'm explaining I mean. A lot of the issues I find many business owners are doing is they're brilliant selling the experience "features, tell, benefits, sell" ... but they didn't sell, sell, sell, sell. And I think the best way to reach your audience through a social media, social media medium is is to help rather than sell, because we will frankly, we're all sold out.
Oh, yeah,
We're constantly battered with sales pitches and they're online. They're in the high street. They're in the shops. And I think we're all a bit sick of it. So if you can provide a level of assistance or help without being condescending, because that's the other issue as well, then what people are actually buying is the memories. You know, they're buying the memories rather than the camera.
Yeah, yeah. And just going back a bit to where you were saying, you know, about beds and going and, you know, testing them out there are beds and mattresses you can buy online which are doing really well because one of the features or one of the benefits are that they use is that you can return it within the first 100 days, no questions asked, no problem. You know, there's all these on, you know, you don't have to go and physically try on the clothes, try on a you know, the headphones, go and lie in the bed. You can order a lot of these things online from reputable companies going to throw that in there, reputable companies and have the freedom and the liberty to return it at any point, even if you just didn't like the colour of
We can do the same with hair colours, can't you? There's this app that you can put in your shade of colour and inlay over your head for the night. I can't remember the name of it. I'm sure some of our some of our readers.
Readers?
Our listeners will know the app I'm talking about and you can actually see what that particular hair colour will look on you. And so you can pick the right shape for your skin is a brilliant idea and really sort of knocks out all the worrying parts of some of this hair colour can be quite expensive, especially more the better quality.
Yeah.
So at least you can get the right colour, feel for your personality, for your skin. You see that that is another benefit.
Yeah.
So the feature is the fact you can get the range of colours, but the benefit is, is you can try this out first.
Yeah, yeah. And that's, you know, that's one of the great things about everything now being online is that it really separates the features and the benefits. It really you can really see the difference there. And, you know, just bear in mind that not everybody will need the same benefit. No, not everybody that wants to buy from you or needs to buy from you has to see him, you know, will have the same or get the same benefit from you. OK, they all you know, your features won't change the feature that you sell or that you provide. It won't change. But how you help and benefit other people that will be dependent on what they need. At that time, as Melanie was saying earlier, when she had little tiny kids, she she wanted or needed a car that was higher up. So she wasn't breaking her back. Now the kids are older. That's not so much of a benefit anymore. You don't really need, you know, might be a nice thing to add on, but you don't really need it anymore, you know, so people change and develop and they're under preferences change and their needs change as time goes on. And whether whatever it is that you're selling won't be the same way that you promote it to different people.
Exactly. Using different courser language and calls to action and using the language that your audiences are going to be using as well, which is why, you know, we've harped on about it again and again and we will again.
Yeah,
you've got to have a good understanding of who your customer avatars are, your customer personas are. Um, but, you know, when I when I go through this particular area with the person I work with, we talk about features, tell, benefits, sell... So it is my absolute favourite topic of the whole session because it just answers so many questions about the people that I'm working with. It really helps them envisage how they can translate that for their personal business or for their concept even is even a Start-Up concept. So and that's why I thought our audience would benefit from listening about it today. So I really hope you get some help from this particular topic. It's been transformational for me and since some of the people that we discuss it with as well.
Yeah. And just a quick, you know, like activity that they can do at home is to write down what it is that they do, why they do it, and just keep asking why, you know, why should people buy from you? Why is that important to them? Why do they need that? Why keep asking why until you really drill it down into what it is that you are offering and what it is that they will get from it. Because it's not about you. It is about your customer.
It is absolutely not about you. Social media is the phrase not me, me, media.
And on that note, that's us for today. Guys, thanks again for joining us. And if you have any questions, do let us know if we can help you with anything. Give us a shout. You can find us on all our social media where we are very social and we are here to help you. Have a great one, guys. See you next week.
Bye