I ran an email marketing company for 19 years until we sold it in January to Benchmark.
When telling people about our software, I loved to share the story of a prospect who hugged our sales guy when he told her about a certain feature.
The feature: Automatically generate different sender names, reply addresses, and messages — for a single mailing — depending on the recipient receiving the mailing.
The benefit: Before our software, she created 12 versions of the same email, one for each sales rep at her company, and sent the email 12 times. The first mailing went to “Sales Rep 1’s” list with his name as the sender and his reply address. The second mailing went to “Sales Rep 2’s” list with her name as the sender and her reply address. And so forth…
With the new feature, our prospect could have one list, one mailing and one send. The software did the rest — inserting the correct sales rep for each recipient in the from and reply fields. Lots of time saved.
That’s a cool story about features and benefits.
But the story continues:
When she hugged our sales guy, she said, “This will change my life.” And she meant it.
Every week, she dreaded those hours she would spend juggling those lists and managing those sends. It stressed her out. It was a drag.
This software transformed her experience. She felt relieved. She felt a burden lifted.
I’m not telling you this to brag about MarketVolt software (although that truly is a great feature; and if it piques your interest, you can contact Pat Hawn at Benchmark/MarketVolt who would be happy to tell you more).
I share the story to reveal a critical marketing lesson.
The best business stories go beyond the standard “benefits” pitch and reveal transformations.
We learn in Marketing 101 to lead with benefits, not features. But too often, we stop there.
We describe benefits in impersonal terms:
We use phrases like “save time” or “eliminate waste” or “increase ROI.”
All of that is important. But this is more important: How does the prospect or customer feel when they experience your product or service?
The story I told is fine when I say, “The feature saves time and eliminates waste.”
But it’s far more powerful when I describe how it affects the customer who uses the product:
“That feature will wipe away all the headache and hassle and stress you feel when you have to juggle all those lists and sends.”
So, yes, know the benefits and talk about them. That’s way better than talking only about features.
But if you really want prospects and customers to tune in, stay tuned and act, craft stories that reveal how your products and services transform the lives of those who use them.
If you want to learn how to craft better business stories…
Sign up for a Story Assessment.
I’m offering free, 30-minute web conferences to review your business story. I will meet with you via Zoom and review how you’re telling your business story — on your website, social media, and other channels. Then, I’ll recommend steps you can take to help prospects and customers tune in and act.
I have a limited number of slots open on my calendar for these sessions. Please visit my calendar to book a time that works for you.
Thanks!
Tom
314-529-1431
tom@StoryUpMarketing.com
www.StoryUp Marketing