I realize you have
heard this before. I know my clients have (I say it all the time, like
a broken record). But I’ll say it again:
Your
client buys what you’re selling because she perceives it as having
some benefit to her!
That’s maybe
obvious. But here’s something that isn’t so obvious:
You
need to point out what the benefit is, even if you think it’s
obvious.
Too often proposal
writers think they're calling out benefits, when what they're really
doing is simply citing the features of their offering.
Features vs.
benefits. A feature is a
characteristic of your approach; it’s a part of what you are
offering the customer. A
feature of a refrigerator, for example, is its cold drink dispenser in
the door. Now, this may be a benefit to some buyers, but the
benefit is not intrinsic; the cold drink dispenser by itself is not a
benefit.
A benefit
is what the feature does for the client.
The cold drink dispenser lets the user have cold water with
very little effort on her part. She likes that, and sees how it would
simplify her life; the feature makes the refrigerator more attractive
to her than one without that feature.
That’s the benefit of the feature.
Too often proposal
writers assume the intrinsic niftiness of their technical solution is
self-evident, that just citing a feature will be enough for the reader
to immediately see its benefit. Not likely. It's
your job to point out the obvious, because the obvious really isn't.
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Benefits
come in five basic categories. Check 'em out.
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How do you know
what the client will consider a benefit?
This is a direct result of your win strategy brainstorming.
And the benefit statements you use are the manifestations of
your proposal themes.
Characteristics
of effective benefits statements.
Benefits statements vary according to what your client
thinks is important. But
in general they
-
Should
be the major point of the section.
-
Must
be conclusive, factual, quantified, and brief.
-
Must
be stimulating; it needs to capture the readers' attention and
drive them to seek proof in the text and graphics of the section.
Benefits are the heart and soul of a
proposal; they’re what will close the sale to the client. Citing clear
and direct benefits to the client is also an excellent way to
spike yourself above the competition. You want the client
to feel she will get more value from your solution than from anyone
else’s. In the end, the proposal that has the biggest benefit to the
client will win.
