You see it all the time. It’s amazing they continue NOT to get it. As a freelance marketing copywriter, it’s one of the most common mistakes I see made by many companies when presenting themselves in their marketing materials (and I'm guessing many consultants are just as guilty of it): they talk about themselves too much.
They forget (or never learned) a fundamental of sales and marketing: The Features/Benefits Equation. Features are about a company and the products/services it sells. Benefits are about what’s important to the customer. Stop leading with how great your services are, how much experience you have, or how long you’ve been in business.
Talk about the things that matter most to clients – increased profitability, competitive advantage, enhanced reputation. Or in the case of a consumer product – convenience, freedom, flexibility, a “cooler” image. And then tell your customers how your products and services deliver all those things.
Once they get that YOU get what’s really important to them, they’ll be more willing to listen to the details (features). Begin with benefits, follow with features.
Peter Bowerman is a freelance copywriter in Atlanta (www.writeinc.biz) and the author of the award-winning Book-of-the-Month club selection, The Well-Fed Writer and TWFW: Back For Seconds, both “standards” of commercial freelancing. www.wellfedwriter.com.
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