He does not relate this benefit directly to Jane’s goal. Granted, it must surely provide value to Jane, but he is leaving it up to her to decide exactly how. Therefore, Rich should directly connect the benefits of shatter-resistant plastic to reducing returns by $50,000. For instance, he could find out how many of Jane’s shipments were damaged by incidents that his shatter-resistant plastic could have prevented.
When customers provide measurable dollar benefits, ask them why they chose that amount. In the previous example, Rich should have asked Jane why $50,000 and not $25,000, or $75,000. Knowing those reasons will help you to determine how customers calculate value—and to make sure those dollar amounts are not just out-of-the-blue figures. Measurable dollar benefits will also determine how you can cost-justify your product selections.
Note In cases where you cannot define measurable value, perceived value must suffice, such as the example in Exhibit 7-5.
Case Study:
Olivia’s goal is to reduce downtime by nine hours annually (the benefit becomes measurable once you know what an hour of downtime costs). Steven’s variance alerts feature prevents unscheduled breakdowns. They connect as follows:
Customer’s Goals
Common Benefits
Product’s Features
Reduce downtime
Cut production stoppages by nine hours annually (benefit of goal) by preventing unscheduled breakdowns (benefit of feature)
Variance Alerts
Exhibit 7-5: Connecting goals, benefits, features.
The Verbal Structure of Explaining
The structure of explaining highlights the difference between the benefits of goals and the benefits of features. Start your explanations with customers’ goals and they will value them more as they listen to how you connect features to them. Avoid leading with the features of products and making customers wait as you work your way back to their goals. It takes a little practice becoming comfortable starting explanations with customers’ goals—not product’s features. It is like visiting a country where they drive on the wrong side of the road (at least, according to Americans). The steering wheel is where the passenger sits from our perspective. Although it feels a little awkward jumping into the passenger seat, it is still the fastest way to get where you want to go.
In addition, you connect all the features and benefits of one goal before you proceed to the next one. These connections require concentration (fortunately driven by logic) when customers might have two or more goals, one goal might have two or more benefits, and one benefit might have two or more features that can connect to it. Again, the case studies give you plenty of examples of the explaining process.
Explaining consists of the following four-step process:
Start with the customer’s first goal (top ranked) and that goal’s first measurable benefit.
Highlight and explain which feature(s) of which product(s) achieve that first benefit.
If there is a second benefit of the first goal, again highlight and explain which features of which product(s) achieve that benefit.
Exhaust the benefits and features that achieve the first goal before proceeding to the second goal by following this same pattern.
Another sure-fire way to determine if customers accept your explanations is to let customers know that you accept responsibility for their understanding of what you said. A helpful question is: “Does that make sense the way I explained it?”
Note The following examples make this concept easier to understand; otherwise explaining them is like trying to give someone a haircut over the telephone. You can either chart out the relationships among goals, measurable benefits, and features on your connecting value sheet or create one for your customers. Use modified versions of these sheets in your formal proposals and presentation packages tailored to your audiences’ areas of expertise. Customers find them easy to read and understand.
The Tactics Behind Crystal-Clear Explanations
In the course of explaining, use the fewest words possible to connect the features of your products to the benefits of the customers’ goals. Your explanations take into account the following six guidelines:
Simple. Use your customer’s terms and jargon to explain technical features and benefits. Remember, your goal is to make customers feel smart about their business decisions, not dumb about technical details that might not have any impact on their decisions. Limit your technical knowledge to the features that produce measurable benefits, nothing else.
Example
Explaining the waterproof feature of a watch as being a “hermetically sealed chamber resistant to external pressures of seven atmospheres before liquid infiltration occurs” is technobabble. Explaining how it only leaks at 250 feet or deeper is plain English.
Vivid. Use descriptions that create powerful images.
Example
Saying that the face cover of a watch is scratch resistant is boring. Explaining how the watch can land facedown after falling from a three-story building and still look brand-new is exciting. It may not work any longer, but it will look brand-new.
No Return. Stay focused on one measurable benefit and its features, exhaust them, and then go to the next. To keep momentum building and to keep customer comprehension high, do not go back and speak about a benefit you have already covered.
Example
Explain all the features (construction, material, and warranty) of the watch that improve quality as a group. Mixing them with features that increase functions (stopwatch, countdown timer, and alarm) could confuse customers.
Analogies. As illustrated in Chapter 2, provide everyday parallels that the customer can relate to. Typically, choose a unique strength to build your analogy around.
Example
Explain the watch’s wireless connection to your e-mail as an electronic post office box on your wrist. You receive your mail anywhere.
Note Competitors’ use of analogies tells you about how they try to sell value. An abundance of them indicates they are customer oriented (keep things simple)—a lack of them suggests a product orientation that rely on technically astute customers
Power Words. Use terms that express confidence such as confident, convinced, or know and avoid using weak words such as think, feel, maybe, or might.
Example
Do not say, “I think you will be pleased with the watch’s performance.” Your display of enthusiasm will underwhelm customers and probably cast doubt on their purchasing decisions. Instead, boldly proclaim, “I know the watch will exceed your expectations.” When you know measurable benefits of goals and conditional commitments, you know how much value your products provide. While the meek may inherit the earth, they do not get the sale.
Do Not Use “Never” or “Always.” You do not want to put yourself in an awkward position if exceptions exist—and exceptions always, oops, often, seem to surface.
Example
Do not say the watch never needs an adjustment. Rather, say that it should not. However, if it ever does, there is no charge for the service.
Explaining Technical Products to Nontechnical Buyers
When selling technical products, take the responsibility to ensure that customers understand your features. Let customers know up front that if they do not understand something, it is because you did not explain it properly. You win when customers feel smart.
Two issues affect how smart you need to make customers feel. The first issue involves how easy it is for customers to accept that a feature produces the benefit the way you described it. For instance, it is difficult to accept on face value that 800 MHz computers process information 50 percent quicker than 600 MHz computers. After all, their 200 MHz difference suggests they would be 33 percent, not 50 percent faster. Yet, it is easy to understand how a computer with 128 MB of RAM has twice as much RAM as one with 64 MB.
The second issue is the technical expertise of the customers. The greater the gap between your technical expertise and that of you customers, the more you should explain concepts in their jargon. Conversely, if your customer has a strong technical background, you do not need to elaborate as much.
How Technical Should You Get
“Less is more” is a good rule to follow on how technical you should get. Use your technical knowledge to support your points, not to make them. Let the technical depth of customers’ questions about your products provide the platform to display your expertise. If a customer asks you about the amperage draw and power factor of a piece of electrical equipment, answer him or her by using technical terms. In addition, use the customers’ systems of evaluations as indicators of their expertise.
Example
Arlene Hartman wants to purchase a laptop that can handle numerous peripheral pieces of equipment (printers, modem, and DVD burner) at fast speeds. Mike Boone, the salesperson, asks Arlene what she is looking for in a laptop. He can suggest goals and terms that range from the elementary (fast speed and huge memory) to the high-tech (bandwidth connections and cache size).
She points out that the number of USB ports (SOE) will play a major role in her decision. When she asks Mike about data transmission speeds, he knows that if his explanations are technical in nature he will be speaking Arlene’s language.
Note Buzzwords or acronyms are mostly position related. Be careful whom you use them with. For instance, a hotel manager probably does not know the technical terms used by the director of engineering.