Needless to say, given the title, this trade secret is contradictory. Everywhere you look in the world of marketing, people tell you that you have to know everything about your product or service in order to sell it better, more effectively, and with more enthusiasm. And while that’s important, it doesn’t hold a candle to perspective knowledge. I think it’s more important to understand the people you’re selling to and what they want than it is to understand the features of what you’re selling. I have four reasons for this.
Reason #1: That way you won’t get so entangled in all the details.
Reason #2: So you can be excited about the main advantages of what you are selling, directing your focus towards the final results achieved by using it.
Reason #3: So you can take care of potential objections from the prospect with a strong risk-reversal guarantee that makes it easy for them to back down if they’re not satisfied. If you’re with a potential client and you have a lot of questions, you can always say, “Don’t worry about this.” Then repeat the main benefits again and ensure that if they are not 100% satisfied, then you do not want their money. They will get it back instantly.
Reason #4: It allows you to stay positive. Believe it or not, there is incredible power in not knowing all the details behind every product or service you sell. His sole focus is on the big promises and the big picture. This makes things seem simpler and easier for the prospect. Any of the tough objections they raise can be addressed after the sale by customer service. Your job is to attract sales; customer service is to make them stick. Features count, benefits sell.
Now what it is a benefit? It is the emotional end result that the prospect can get when they give you their money. So what’s in it for them? What are they Really searching? What will they get when they give you their money? You have to know what they want more than anything else, and how your product or service can give it to them. Emotional end results are all people really want.
Back in the 1980s, before I started my first business, I sold roofing and parking lot coverings. You put the material on the parking lot and it made the asphalt or concrete last longer; you put it on the roof, and you could save yourself from having to do roofing work. It was a kind of preventive insurance. All kinds of scientific material came with this material that I sold; there were all kinds of studies and statistics that I was supposed to learn, but I didn’t. However, I was able to sell a huge amount only because of an amazing idea I got from the company I worked for. It was a brilliant idea. I did thousands of that.
All I did was take an Alka-Seltzer tablet out of a two-pack and, right in front of that prospective buyer, I would use tongs to put a tablet into a little cup that was filled with this sealer that I sell, for maybe 10 seconds. When I took the tablet out, it was covered with the sealer. Then I threw it into a glass of water and it stayed there. It didn’t bubble at all. Then I took the other Alka-Seltzer tablet and dropped it into the water and it bubbled like crazy.
I made so much money with that simple trick. That it was what sold people, not all the scientific facts and figures about the product. The fact that it could make even an Alka-Seltzer impervious to water was a huge selling point. They loved it, especially when I let them seal the Alka-Seltzer themselves. I was selling the benefits and letting them see the benefits directly using that little demo.
Everyone is looking for things to make their life simpler, easier, and more fulfilling. They want answers to questions like, “Will it make me money? Will it take away my pain? Will it make me happy and secure?” Therefore, it is important to focus on benefits rather than features. My simple caulking experiment was a brilliant way to illustrate this, and shows that people can be influenced by the simplest things, as long as those things reach out and touch them in a way they can relate to. If you have simple solutions for anything major that ails people, as well as many of the minor things, you’ll make a lot of money. Just tell people that you can make their lives better, and then prove it.
That’s all they care about. They don’t care about how much you put into developing the product, or even the years of study you had to endure to become a pro. They just want to know if you can make them money, make their lives easier and happier, or make the pain go away. If so, you will earn money.
Think of the pharmaceutical advertisements you see today, especially the ones in print. The cover has big bold promises and all the things it will do for you. On the back are all the fine print disclaimers telling you about possible side effects. We sell benefits. That’s what people want to buy. Fortunately for most of us, we are not sell things that have adverse side effects; but even if they exist, we want to minimize them. Everything has a positive and negative side, which most people realize. That is the reality of almost every product we use. But when you focus on the benefits, you sell much better.
Again, this is especially true when you combine those benefits with a strong guarantee, because it’s your job as a marketer to make your customer or prospect feel comfortable. Too many sellers are too timid when it comes to warranties. If you can make one, you’re telling your prospect, “There’s no risk here. If you’re not satisfied, we’ll give you your money back. If you don’t like the results, we’ll buy the product from you.” “
Decide what type of refund policy to use and then put it into play. Almost all products must have a guarantee. That guarantee should be reasonable and comprehensive, allowing you to focus on the benefits of your product, guaranteeing that certain promises will be fulfilled, or your money back, period. In many cases, if you have a compelling enough offer, people will respond quickly and with confidence, knowing that they are assured of a refund if they are not satisfied. It will make them feel more comfortable, even before they have all the facts. Even if they still have some concerns at the end, they can order anyway because they know they can do their due diligence after the fact. They don’t want to miss out, and they don’t want to miss out on the discount or free bonuses you offer. It all boils down to knowing that if they decide to buy and something goes wrong, they know they can get their money back.
Let me re-emphasize: the more you focus on the benefits and positives, the more you can sell. People want benefits, but most don’t need to know the details of how benefits work. They just want to know that they do it. That being the case, trying to tell them too much becomes a hindrance, because it gets in the way of that positive approach. Telling them too much can also reveal some of the negatives, which can hinder your ability to sell a product. I’m not encouraging you to sell products that don’t deliver on their promises or have no real benefits; Just don’t focus on the negatives. All products have pros and cons, and focusing too much on the negatives will result in a lack of enthusiasm that hinders your ability to do whatever it takes to make a sale.
You need to know your stuff, because sometimes prospects will ask you some tough questions. However, what they want to know is not necessarily the answer to all those questions; they want peace of mind more than anything else. They want to see that you know what you’re doing and that you really are going to deliver Often they also try to control the conversation and the entire sales process. Just make sure you have an answer for each objection; and, whenever possible, include it in your speech, so that you answer the question before it is asked.
Remain relentlessly optimistic and always accentuate the positive.