From a marketing stand-point, we want to promote our products and services to increase our sales. Are customers looking for products?
When we need to buy something, we are buying to solve a problem. We don’t tend to buy food for the sake of buying it; we buy it because we will go hungry if we don’t. The same can be said for all products and services. We don’t visit a solicitor because we fancy it; we do it to resolve a legal issue.
People, therefore, are not seeking products; they seek solutions that resolve the many issues they face through life.
Features
It is important to assess the features of our products and services. We can achieve this by placing "which means that" at the end of a typical a feature statement to helps determine its worth.
“The coffee granules in GreatCafe are more soluble than other leading brands, which means that they dissolve easier and release the taste more efficiently.”
We should note that the features sold with a product are not necessarily the features seen by the customer or consumer. The GreatCafe example may have a distinct taste or a soothing effect that is not promoted yet attracts many consumers. This is where surveys and alike help the marketer to understand the product or service from the customer’s or consumer’s point-of-view.
Benefits
A customer buys benefits, not features. Consider the GreatCafe feature statement again. It doesn’t really have much appeal because we have merely highlighted a feature. Features are useless unless there is a much needed or, perhaps, a perceived benefit. A leading brand name might have more perceived benefits than actually needed by customers or consumers, but they buy or use the brand simply because it is a market leader.
To test our product's benefits, we could ask, "so what?" at the end of the feature statement.
“The coffee granules in GreatCafe are more soluble than other leading brands, which means that they dissolve easier and release the taste more efficiently. So what?”
We might respond:
-No need of boiling water, which
-Helps promote a rich, satisfying taste and aromatic smells
So, GreatCafe might be an option for coffee lovers, but is unlikely to appeal to those who buy coffee and don’t really mind what it tastes like, or will simply choose a brand leader. However, there may be other benefits that the marketer could work on in an attempt to appeal to more buyers, or consumers that influence buyers.
