Benefits, schmenefits…

How many times have you heard that people buy benefits and not features?

Unfortunately, if the only writing you do is for yourself or your own business, you might have trouble separating features from benefits even if you know doing so will make your copy much stronger.

Basically, a feature is a product spec and a benefit is what improves the end user’s life – what’s in it for them.

I’ll show you what I mean.

Here on my desk I have a Blueline Daytimer.

It’s pink (feature) and not only does its color make me feel happy when scheduling my time (benefit) but it’s a Pink Ribbon Product (feature), so when I bought it, I was helping to support breast cancer research (benefit).

There is a calendar for each month (feature) so I remember birthdays and keep track of important dates at a glance (benefit) and a weekly planner (feature) with lots of space for me to jot down every day’s to-do items. The pages are big (feature) so I don’t have to sacrifice my big loopy handwriting (benefit).

Do you see the difference?

Now to make this an exercise, it’s your turn!

What’s sitting on your desk to the right of your keyboard? Think about what its benefits and features are. I’d love if you’d do this by leaving a comment so we can all exercise our brains together!

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I don’t drink much pop…soda as some of you may call it. But when I want a fix, I really want one. A couple nights ago, I felt I needed a Pepsi or I was going to die. That might sound dramatic, but I felt like nothing else could quench my thirst at that moment. I debated over it, grabbed a couple of dollars and drove to the nearby convenience store that has a pop machine (it was after the store was already closed).

I put my $2.25 in the machine and pressed the big Pepsi button. The bottle that I was dispensed was not Pepsi, though. It was a bottle of water. I was not happy.

Where I live, I’m lucky enough to have great water from my own well, so I don’t buy water unless I really need to. I don’t like paying for my water. I especially don’t like paying more than $2 for a bottle of water that I didn’t want or need.

You see, I have no problem paying that for a bottle of Pepsi because I enjoy it but I don’t have the recipe for good ole Brad’s Drink.

What does this have to do with operating a small business? Well…besides the fact that you people need to make sure your pop machines are dispensing the right things…there’s a lesson on value in here somewhere.

I was talking with my good (virtual) friend Sally the other day about a prospective client she had who told her she shouldn’t charge so much for “simple administrative tasks”. I immediately said, “If it’s so simple let her do it herself then.”

Sally and I chatted about this, and really, when it comes down to it, the services we offer as virtual assistants or writers or house cleaners, are all optional. If people want me to write for them or someone like Sally to take care of the admin needs of their businesses, they have to pay for our expertise and experience. It’s not like we’re doing life saving brain surgery here. You can write your own articles or manage your own social networking plans, but if you think someone can do those things better than you, you do have to pay up.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that people can’t see the value in what I do as a writer or what I used to do as a virtual assistant, but people seem to have no trouble paying for a bottle of water. Bottled water, people. What would our ancestors say about us buying water?!

If you can read and write, you don’t need me to write your marketing materials for you. But if you think I can do a better job than you, why would you tell me I charge too much? (Yes, I’ve been told this before, just like Sally was told before she wrote this great blog post.)

You buy bottled water because you don’t have to bother to pack your own canteen for a road trip, or because your own water tastes funny. But if there’s drinkable water coming from your taps, you really don’t need it.

I have a feeling though, that most people don’t try to haggle over the price of Evian when they get to the counter.

Why is it, then, that people feel they can haggle with a service provider like they’re at a trading post or a yard sale?

Anyone?

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The phones aren’t ringing.

Registrations are down.

Products aren’t moving.

Customers aren’t re-ordering.

Subscribers are canceling.

Let’s just “shut-er-down” and chalk it all up to the crappy economy, right?

Not so fast…

Sure people are being careful with where they put their dollars, but not everything can be blamed on the economy. I think some small business owners could be using Mr. Economy as an excuse – a good reason to stay right there in the safe and cozy comfort zone.

If your beloved pet was acting strange would you say, “Oh, he’s probably dying of old age. We better put him down”? Probably not. You would first take Fido to the vet to find out what the problem was and if it could be cured with medication or a change in diet I would hope you’d try to fix him instead of go ahead with putting him to sleep.

If that’s the case then why would you cancel an event and chalk low numbers up to the economy without first doing what you could to add more value and broaden its appeal?

Is it just easier to blame the economy? Maybe. I mean, then you wouldn’t have to revisit your marketing plan, have your website copy rewritten or enhance your other marketing materials. You can just stick your head in the sand and wait for it all to be over.

The problem is…will your customers be there when it’s over? Why would they wait for you if you didn’t hang in there with them? If you disappeared at the first sniff of a recession, they’ve forgotten all about you.

Instead of playing the blame game, why not take a good hard look at your business? Why not create some economy-friendly packages or promotions? Why not create new services that cater to people in times of economic recession?

Get in touch with your past prospects and former customers. Follow up on your old leads. Do something. Anything! Let everyone know you’re still there and you’re still interested in helping them with your product or service.

The economy stinks – that’s a given right now. But it doesn’t mean your business has to suffer. Get out there and shake your money maker because people are still spending money. You just have to find those people and cure their pain – whatever that may be. After all, just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean you stopped being the best at what you do, does it?

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