March 4th, 2010 | 
Author: What makes a consumer buy a product or service? One answer may be classic salesmanship being used with a customer from a salesman. And what does classic salesmanship entail? It includes getting to know the customer and explaining how the customer can benefit from the product or service. The salesman then directs them to the product or service with the features they need to get the benefits desired.
A good salesman does something that all too often small business advertising does not. They elicit emotional responses with a customer using personal connections. Then it reinforces that emotion using logic and reasoning that backs up what they’re wanting to do based on that emotional response.
Most small business that advertises using print and other media simply tout the features of a product or service instead of explaining to the customer how they will benefit from those features. Put simply, customers only care about features that directly benefit them.
For instance, one feature of a vehicle might be that it can fit seven passengers. But if I have a family of three, I have no reason to want or need this feature. It has no benefit for me. But say a good salesman learns that my only child has a bunch of friends over to our house and that I shuttle them between activities a lot, the classic salesmanship can take over and the salesman will recognize that the feature can benefit me.. That car with room for seven could make life easier because I can fit everyone into the vehicle, and be the cool parent because my kid can spend more time with friends.
In order to create effective small business advertising, it is important to know your customers or potential customers and to know something about them. You can create small business advertising that speaks directly to your customers once you know enough about your customer to describe them. Then you can demonstrate how they’ll benefit from your product or service.
Features. Benefits. Emotion. Those are the keys to small business advertising. But the response you want to elicit-and the order in which these words and concepts matter to potential customers-is in reverse order.
Your small business advertising must elicit emotion first. It has to make an emotional reaction or response. They have to desire and feel connected to your product or service.
Next, your advertising must show off the benefits that justify the emotional desire from your customer. Most people are mainly looking for a reason to buy a product or service, but they must justify the expense first. By describing the benefits, you help the customer justify their expenditure on your product or service.
Showcasing the features of a product or service comes last. Do remember that features only matter in the first place if they demonstrate the real benefits that support the customer’s emotional reaction and desire to purchase. So never start in your small business advertising by focusing on the features.
Don’t forget, if you want actual business to result from your advertising, then you want to gain your responses in the proper order. First, generate an emotional response. Describe the benefits that justify the purchase second. Then third, show off the features that provide these benefits.
Posted in Marketing and Advertising