the appropriate benefits supported by the matching features. 7. Benefits are related to buying motivations – fear, need, or greed. The above examples of fuel and miles per gallon probe the greed motiva- tion. The thought process to be transferred was:


a. Good transportation b. at half the cost c. satisfying your requirements d. and saving you hard-earned dollars e. that you can use wisely or foolishly! 8. Wherever possible, benefits should be specific for direct measure- ment or comparison purposes. For ex- ample: “Thinking of your current fuel cost per week, is it close to $30.00? Good. What we are talking about here is a savings of better than $750.00 per year! That has to make sense to you, doesn’t it?” (Wait for your answer.) 9. Use benefits to determine real needs. If your target bites hard on one of your benefits, you have deter- mined a real need – and, most likely, the buying motivation. These three areas – need, motivation, and key benefit – are the keys to a successful call objective.


10. Know that you don’t need a cast of thousands in benefits to close a sale. If you and your supervisor have determined a specific product or ser- vice has eight benefits and 17 features, please do not believe you must recite all you know before you can accom- plish your call objective. It’s like our famous quote: “Will you stop waving your hand? I am not finished with my presentation yet! I’ll tell you when to buy! And, for your information, it will be after I have explained these other features and benefits! So, shut up!” These 10 selling skills are not mechani-


cal in nature. They are free-flowing and very much a part of the total presentation. They are not accented, made to stand alone, or disjointed. Benefit statements are natural and given with confidence – based on your determination of the need. Benefits are definitely related to the buying motivation you suspect will be the reason for purchase or satisfaction


VIDEO: WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A JOB INTERVIEW?


of your call objective – no matter what that objective is.


USE YOUR IMAGINATION Have you ever heard the description, “smooth as silk”? You might say it about an accomplished communica- tor, inbound specialist, or inbound/ outbound sales rep – anyone who sounds so natural and so self-assured. The more confident you are, the more comfortable you are with your selling techniques, and vice versa. Then you can become really imaginative with your presentations. Here are two examples: one good and one, well… not so good. “Mr. Bonner, you will be able to save money by purchasing your paper supplies in bulk. Other accounts of mine have reduced their overall paper expense as much as 9 percent per year. Can I interest you in a bulk purchasing arrangement?” “Mr. Bonner, I’ve been curious about how you purchase paper, and also what’s important to you and your company, especially as it relates to sharp purchasing – you know, things like quantities, discount, inventory space, and so on. Does it make sense for you to carry inventory in order to take an additional 9 percent discount? (Wait for answer.) Good. One of the features of our service is automatic in- ventory control if you agree to annual


usage in order to take advantage of your maximum discount. Would that be helpful?”


Number 2 is the better example. The telemarketer was checking for the correct motivation: in this case, greed (saving money). Also, can this paper be inventoried? Is there space? Then, a few features and back to the discount offer and slowly toward the close, as opposed to the first example, where the benefit (and mo- tivation) were simply assumed to be important. Look, folks: Targets have to be courted, just like companions.


LOOSEN UP We know that beginning telemarket- ers are often more regimented or unyieldingly formal when they start their benefit/feature presentation. We also know that targets are cool to this treatment. No one likes to have a number done on them. They want to listen to people who sound interested in their needs as opposed to those who are mechanical and stilted in their approach.


Once you truly understand the


difference between features and ben- efits, loosen up! It’s OK! We suggest you tape or role-play your current statement to determine where adjust- ment would help. Don’t try to clone the telemarketer in cubicle number four. Be yourself. 


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