Converting intangible benefits into a compelling demonstration takes finesse.
The first step to developing a powerful demonstration from your features and benefits is to make a list. Go feature by feature and write down all of the ways the product will benefit the customer. You will notice that, when it comes to writing a demonstration, there are really only two kinds benefits; tangible and intangible.
For example, in the case of a food processor, some of the benefits may be extra power and higher speeds (derived from the high watts feature) and the ability to hold large batches of food (derived from the 10 cup capacity feature). Those would be tangible benefits because you can see and/or touch them. You can turn the machine on and see the blades going at a very high speed and you can see how large the container is.
Writing a demonstration for tangible benefits is relatively easy. For speed you may want to put heavy cream in the processor and watch it quickly turn to a whipped cream topping. Or, maybe fill it full of whole nuts and show how quickly they become chopped. For capacity you could show how it can chop 3 whole onions at once or shred 4 large potatoes. And, you could compare these benefits to the competitors product to illustrate just how much faster and larger your product is over theirs.
But what about intangible benefits such as safety? How do you demonstrate the fact that if the lid is not on correctly the blades will not engage? You could turn it on and then loosen the lid to see the blades stop but…so what? That isn’t really compelling on it’s own. The real benefit isn’t that the blades stop, it is that the lid prevents your hand to be near the blades when they are operating; it prevents you from being hurt. You certainly aren’t going to rig the machine to go on without the lid so that you can cut off a finger just so that you can say, “See, this will never happen to you!”. Although…that would be compelling!
So what do you do with the intangible benefits? Don’t demo them at all; just talk. I find that in most cases intangible benefits are better left as part of your sales pitch. They become the emotional connection between you and your consumer. Using statements that start with “imagine” and “what if” this is your opportunity to show the consumer that you care enough to be concerned for their safety.
“Imagine if your child accidentally hurt him or herself?” or “What if the blades started while you were placing the onions in the container?”. “That will never happen in our food processor because of this wonderful safety feature!”.
Making that connection with the consumer by showing concern is a very powerful selling tool but there is a fine line on how far to take it. You want them to see the value in the safety benefits that your product offers, but you don’t want to scare them so much that they decide to stay away from food processors altogether!
Bottom line: When it comes to intangible benefits, use them to connect with the consumer and they will become a powerful part of your sales pitch…but always let them “imagine” what would happen if the lid was open rather than to “tell” them how many fingers they could chop off! Let them “see” the demo in their imagination!