Presenting Features and Benefits

When delivering a sales presentation, it is important to make sure that your audience understand the benefits that you are offering them. Often, benefits are stated at the end of a presentation, as a form of summary. The problem with this approach is that if the audience weren’t sure what benefits you offer for the rest of your sales presentation, they may well disengage.

A value proposition will contain statements of advantages or benefits. When presenting a value proposition, it is important to tease out the full benefits of the proposition to the prospect – use phrases that help to make benefits explicit.

A technique that works well is a feature – benefit switch. Start by presenting the feature (e.g. hybrid engine), and then quickly switch to the benefit (e.g. better mileage, lower road tax).

Phrases that bring out the benefits in a value proposition include the following:

“… which means that…”
“…and so you will be able to…”
“…and so you will benefit by…”
“…meaning that you…”

If you aren’t talking about your customer (using language like ‘you’ and ‘your’), and you aren’t explaining what they will get from what you offer, then your sales presentation is unlikely to be effective.