In the first installment of my series “Six Steps to a More Effective Sales Proposal“, I outlined the importance of focusing your proposal directly on your customer’s goals and concerns, rather than on your company’s accomplishments and background.
The second step to writing a sales proposal that will increase your capture rate is to avoid “feature dump”. In this installment, we’ll detail exactly what that means and how to best present your strengths.
Six Steps to a More Effective Sales Proposal
STEP TWO: DON’T FEATURE DUMP
It slices. It dices. It mowes your lawn. It washes your car. It even changes diapers!
In my experience, “feature dumping” is the achille’s heel of so many salespeople. From day-one on the job, salespeople are taught the in’s and out’s of their products with such a fervor, it becomes easy to believe that specs are what customers want to hear.
The harsh reality is that SPECS DON’T SELL. While it may be fascinating that your {INSERT PRODUCT HERE} does {INSERT SPEC HERE}, the truth is no one buys because your {PRODUCT} does {THAT}.
Take that long list of bullet points and trash it.
Instead, focus on BENEFITS. How does you’re product fill the need that your customer has? How does buying your product enrich their business or enhance their experience?
If you watch an infomercial, you’ll immediately understand the difference between features and benefits and how to emphasize the latter.
Perhaps you are familiar with the the Showtime Rotisserie Oven from Ronco. Pitched as a simple oven for experienced or novice cooks, Ron Popeil takes only a moment to explain that the oven has many programmaned time and temperature settings for different foods, but focuses his presentation on the benefits – you can cook many foods easily, you save time in cleaning and you can “set it and forget it!” – just walk away knowing that the oven will cook your food properly. You get a delicious meal and you also get free time. Set it and forget it!
By emphasizing the explicit benefit of your products for your customer, you demonstrate that you understand your clients needs. In focusing on how your solution benefits the client, you differentiate yourself from 99.9% of your competition who only knows how to feature dump.
By presenting your offering as a solution to their pressing business need, you create worth in your product. And worth, my friends, is a psychological and emotional need for buyers.
Remember it’s never the number of “settings”, it’s “set it and forget it” that truly sells.
While this one tip is going to make you stand out from the pack, be sure to check out the rest of the tips in this series on Six Steps to a More Effective Sales Proposal!
1. Six Steps to a More Effective Sales Proposal – FOCUS ON YOUR CUSTOMER
2. Six Steps to a More Effective Sales Proposal – DON’T FEATURE DUMP