There is as much advice out there on how to sell as there is space to write it. I don’t plan to add to that here. Rather than “how” to sell, what I’d like to discuss here is “what” to sell. The “how” deals with sales processes, compensation, territory coverage and a myriad of other issues. There comes a time in that process, however, when you open your mouth and should actually have something to say. What should you communicate?
In response to the previous post, I heard from two clients who have colleagues with substantially different views from those in my post. They believe that features are the “what” that should be described to customers. They suggest that knowing about features is plenty of information for any customer. But….but…..
Our belief is that selling is about communication that results in the customer understanding your value proposition (VP) and believing that you can deliver it. If the VP is compelling, you win. The VP is not about features. It’s about the experiences that a customer can expect to get and how those experiences will impact him/her.
Features are important, but they should be proof points to support benefits; they supply the belief portion of the selling equation. It’s the benefits that people care about. I care about whether I can listen to my iPod continuously during an entire cross-country flight and the return without having to lug my charger with me (a benefit experience), and I’d like to not repeat any songs during the trip. I don’t care in the least how many GB of storage or what type of batteries it has (features). Those features can support the listening time by helping me believe the benefit claims, but Apple would force me to make a conceptual leap if they didn’t provide that benefit information. They do. In fact, they weave benefits and features to create an intriguing story.
Some markets are indeed sufficiently mature that customers know what a given feature will do for them. For instance, knowing that my old BMW would go from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds was a rush. 
Not that I had a clue what 6.5 seconds was like, but I did know it was a lot faster than my previous cars. And knowing that my current Prius requires roughly 3 days for a similar 0-60 run wasn’t a rush at all. Those hamsters can only spin that cage so quickly. But that wasn’t an experience I valued in the Prius.
The message here is simple: In order to gain the preference of your customers, they must be motivated by a sense of value. You can either help them understand the value by communicating the value proposition to them or you can hope that they make the leap themselves by only discussing features. Too many companies take the latter course and are not served well by it.
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