Selling Skills: Features and Benefits
Selling is a process of uncovering and satisfying customer needs. In order to do an effective job of satisfying customer needs, it’s important to understand the difference between features and benefits.
| Feature: A Characteristic of Our Product or Service | Benefit: The Value of a Feature to a Customer |
Below is a list of several features and benefits of an ordinary wastebasket:
| Features | Benefits |
| 1 ½ cubic feet of volume | Less emptying necessary |
| Plastic construction | Lightweight; easy to lift and empty Can be washed with water without fear of rusting Will not leak if liquid is deposited in it |
| Available in 21 different colors | Blends into décor of the room Accents room decoration |
Understanding the difference between features and benefits is especially important when satisfying customer needs. Because of your product knowledge, it’s very clear to you how certain features will satisfy a customer’s needs. Just talking about features, however, doesn’t mean your customers will share the same understanding. To explain to your customers how your product or service will satisfy their needs, it’s important for you to translate the features of our products into benefits.