Stop Selling Features. Start Selling Value: The Easiest Way to Make Customers Care

Wooing your customer is like a dance - a strange dance that involves talking about their problems, and highlighting your solution, but then pulling back just enough to tease them to want to know before unleashing your sales pitch.

One of the biggest mistakes I see brands make in their messaging is not understanding the difference between their product's features, benefits, and customer value, and when to showcase them.

Traditionally, companies would pitch their brand and stake their marketing on their features. "We have 35 years of this, 12 awards of that, and 5 large global offices full of experts." And while yes, this all sounds lovely, in today's Me Me Me market, your customer will push your company to the back of the line.

Your customers are wired differently when it comes to making a buying decision, depending on where they are in their buying journey.

Selling your "how" rather than the "why" is the quickest way to lose your buyer at the beginning of their buyer's journey. While going on and on about your benefits at the end of their buyer's journey will confuse your customer and lose valuable trust.

What's the difference between your selling features, benefits, and customer value? Features are the attributes of your product or service; these are often your ingredients, technical specifications, and methods of manufacturing.

For quick reference, think of a Dog's Bed.

Its Features may include:

• 100% cotton

• Stuffed bolsters

• A removable cover with zips

If that was all you knew about the product, you probably wouldn't be reaching for your credit card!

LL Bean

Benefits, on the other hand, are what you can do with those features - it's the how it solves the problem.

So in the case of the dog's bed:

• 100% cotton is hard-wearing yet soft

• Stuffed bolsters are supportive and comfortable

• The removable cover makes it easy to clean

A good copywriter could whip up a quick tagline about why this dog bed is a good option, for example: "the perfect place for your four-legged friend to nest, nuzzle, and nap."

And now you're starting to talk the language of your customer, but it still feels incomplete — other dog beds could replicate the same message.

Another challenge is that many features can be translated into fake benefits.

Fake benefits are benefits your customers aren’t interested in.

They may feel like an advantage, but they don't add any real value to your customer. For example, 24/7 customer service sounds great to a company but your customers may want a human on the other side rather than a chat bot.

.To find the real benefit, you have to ask 1 question - So what?

The So What question takes your message one step further and joins the conversation in your customer's head.

For example:

Apple iPad Feature: Responsive Magic Keyboard with built-in trackpad and backlit keys

So What? responsive typing experience

So What? More ways to work with the iPad

So What? So you can write your novel and rip through your inbox

So What? Work in any light

Asking "So what?" turns your feature into a benefit and a benefit into customer value.

This process becomes more valuable when you consider how your solution solves their immediate problem.

By placing your product or service in your customer's life (What does your solution look like in their lives?) and understanding the motivation or buying trigger behind the hunt for a solution ( Why does this matter to your customer now?), you can join the conversation in your customer's head.

While it may be tempting to sell your features at the beginning of your customers journey what they really want to know is what value do you provide them.

Tell a visual story showcasing your Benefits to keep them engaged

Then add your Features to build trust and credibility.

Need help getting your messaging to survive your audience's attention?

🎯 Hi, I'm Vivien, I unpack the messy reality of B2B communication —  why messages get lost between people, departments, and decisions — and how to make them stick, travel, and land.

🗝 As a Messaging & Communication Strategist, I help B2B comms teams write human-designed messages  that survive your multi-audience barriers, avoid content purgatory, and get faster approval.

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