3 Steps to Easily and Quickly Transform a Feature into a Benefit

Sometimes customers have a hard time understanding how your product features can improve their lives, their jobs, or their relationships.

Here you have three easy steps to transform a feature into a benefit.

Step 1 — Create a List of all the Features Your Product Has

Write down key facts about the product and the company making it. Answer the question: “What does your product has or do?”

Some ideas to help you start your list:

• For your product, consider things like physical dimensions, performance metrics, credibility (testimonials from customers, peers, case studies), options (color, sizes, customization), product delivery and installation, product price.
• For your company, consider things like certifications, awards, years making the product or offering the service, number of customers served, specialties offered, number of employees, time it takes to deliver the product, inventory.

Compare every feature you write down with the ones your competitors have.

Step 2 — Explain Why the Feature Is There

Write down next to each feature the reason why the product has it. It will help you understand how every feature is helping improve your customer’s life.

Step 3 — Translate the Feature Into a Benefit

To do that, answer the question: “What effect does this feature have on the customer’s life?”

If it’s difficult for you to uncover how a feature changes your customer’s life, use the “so what?” technique. For every feature, ask yourself “so what?” until you find the real benefit of that feature. A real benefit connects to your customer’s desires (saving time, reducing costs, making more money, becoming healthier, happier, more productive.)

An example:

Feature — Fast internet connection

“So what?” You can access the information you need quickly

“So what?” You spend less time doing research

“So what?” Your productivity increases

“So what?” You have more free time

Bonus Tip — To prioritize features and benefits when writing your copy, imagine how your customer will feel when enjoying a specific benefit or about the lack of it. “Does the benefit cause a positive emotion or eliminate a negative emotion?”