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7 Top Strategies to Building a Benefits Based Business |
by:
Julie Jordan Scott |
You hear it all the time: "Attract new customers and clients based
upon benefits, not features!" This truism can be spoken by new
and old entrepreneurs alike. For those just starting out, it can be
challenging at best to determine the distinction between the two!
With a few simple techniques, you can easily bridge from feature,
feature, feature to benefit, benefit, benefit. This will increase
both your bottom line and the satisfaction for yourself and
your clients.
1. Define the separation between features and benefits. A simple
example would be two grey skirts with almost identical length, cut,
style. A feature of one of the skirts is that it has two pockets.
That particular feature becomes a benefit when one looks at the
results the wearer may achieve through wearing the pocketed skirt
rather than the unpocketed skirt. For example, by wearing the
skirt with pockets, Shari will receive the following BENEFITS from
this FEATURE. She will be:
* An Efficient Team Player: Carry post it notes and pencils for quick
jotting of notes and reminders as Shari meets colleagues on route to
meetings and appointments.
* Gleeful and Happy as a Parent: Shari can delight her daughter with
a treat at the end of the day.
* Surprising Mate: Shari can tuck her bonus check into her pocket
and pull it out to delight her partner with an unexpected windfall.
* Warm, Protected, Comfortable: On chilly days, Shari can tuck her
hands into her pockets as she jets from her car to her office with
speed and agility. After all, a woman with pockets can do it all!
2. Make a list of all the features you can think of for your product
or service. For example, you provide Search Engine Placement
assistance for your clients. One features of your service would
include maximizing the use of keywords in your client's website.
3. Make a parallel list of all the benefits from the above listed
features.
For example, the benefits of the above feature (maximizing keywords)
would be additional wealth and prosperity through higher listings
in the major search engines.
4. Determine what benefits are REALLY important to your target
market. You may assume that THIS benefit is of utmost importance.
However, when you poll your clients or prospective clients, you
may find the exact opposite. The important thing is to not be blind
to reality. Ask some questions, adjust, tweak, poll again, adjust,
ask more questions, tweak. Marketing and attraction are NOT an
exact science. Enjoy the process!
5. Create word pictures of the benefits derived from your product
or service. Remember the skirt with pockets? Carefully crafted
statements which bring emotional responses will bring the most
bang for your buck. Paint a picture and bring home sizzling bacon.
6. Implement a marketing and sales strategy based on the benefits
you have uncovered. Pay special attention to those benefits which
have the greatest impact on the purchasing decision. Continue to
try on different techniques and strategies along the way as you
uncover what works particular well for you and your target market.
7. Celebrate Success! Practicing building your business on benefits
will yield a larger bottom line, that is guaranteed. It also takes
some
artistry and panache. You can choose to be an automaton, however
I am sure you would rather become prosperous through using your
mind and creating beyond your wildest dreams.
About the Author
Julie Jordan Scott is a Speaker, Writer and Life Coach who
transformed her life from Government Bureacrat to Successful Entrepreneur in less
than six months. To see how you can do the same, visit her website at
http://www.5passions.com or call her at 661.325.4116 or via email,
Julie can be reached at mailto:julie@5passions.com |
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