There’s a common mistake I see in tech marketing.
Something that KILLS sales.
This mistake virtually hits the ‘delete’ button in your client’s memory banks…
… and erases your product or service from their brains.
Now, there’s a sentence I use to solve that problem.
But first let me tell you what the mistake is:
Too much focus on features, not enough on benefits.
Companies that ONLY talk about their fancy state-of-the-art features tend to make me feel dead inside.
Why?
Most people don’t care about YOUR genius innovative state-of-the-art features, until they see how it benefits THEM.
How do you solve that?
With THIS sentence:
“People don’t buy quarter-inch drills; they buy quarter-inch holes.”
––Theodore Levitt, Economist and Former Professor at Harvard Business School
Notice how the focus isn’t on how good the DRILL is. Instead, you focus on the HOLES people want.
Maybe the drill makes holes faster… better… easier…
… and THAT is what you advertise.
Your company doesn’t make drills? That’s fine.
It’s not the sentence itself, but the structure that’s key.
Let me show you.
I’ll use this sentence structure to delve deeper into potential benefits of a drill:
People don’t buy quarter-inch holes… they buy DIY cabinets.
People don’t buy DIY cabinets… they buy a showcase for their wine.
People don’t buy a showcase for their wine… they buy the admiration of their guests.
People don’t buy the admiration of their guests…
You get the idea.
Different people will care about different benefits of a drill…
(For example, not every wine aficionado is keen on DIY carpentry.)
But the solution is straightforward:
Showcase a different chain of benefits for different clients.
This makes your company’s ads feel personal to THEM.
So next time you write your company’s website, emails, or ads…
… use this sentence to discover the chain of benefits for your clients.
Here’s a template:
People don’t buy______________… they buy ______________.
Be specific.
Next, TELL your clients those benefits.
Then use the features as PROOF your clients will get those benefits.
With that, you’ll grip their attention, interest, and desire.
And push them into ACTION.
I love this method because it focuses on being empathetic to your client.
It helps you understand their needs, and to CLEARLY state how you can help them.
With this, you’ll connect better with clients.
And make more sales as a result.
Because your business doesn’t sell FEATURES… your business sells BENEFITS.
And THAT is what people buy. That’s what makes them crave what you offer.
Try it.