The Case of the Missing 'A'

The F.A.B. of Sales aka The Case of the Missing 'A'

The backbone of every sale has been the mantra of FEATURES AND BENEFITS. It's so well known that it's almost stamped on the forehead of every sales manager in every sales organization...
And it's an incomplete mess that leaves the salesperson with an empty holster, a missing piece of their puzzle, and no steering wheel on their car.
A very wise man said once: if you want to sell to bricks, use logic. If you want to sell to people, use emotion.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON?

Just like everything else in our culture, we want something fast. So fast that we're willing to skip steps and treat it as normal. Microwaving isn't cooking, and texting isn't communicating. When you cook, you're supposed to use all the ingredients and when you write or talk, you're supposed to use all the letters!

So what's missing? Features and Benefits need something in between to show a clear distinction between the LOGIC and the EMOTION (or the WIFFM). The missing ingredient is the A in F.A.B.; ADVANTAGE.

The original formula for sales therefore is
FEATURE, ADVANTAGE and BENEFIT.
Here's how it's supposed to work:
You must first identify what the actual service, product, or particular aspect of your product that you are going to emphasize. For instance, if selling a car, the feature could be SUV, sedan, convertible, etc.
At this most basic level, we begin to establish the facts and the logic by meeting the expressed needs of the buyer. They want something, so they begin to 'look' for it. But why does the convertible appeal to some, and the SUV to others? For that matter, why does Baskin Robbins have 31 flavors?

After we establish the FACT or the LOGIC of the 'thing' we have to demonstrate why it's different from what our competitor's have. This is the moment where the weak salespeople talk about 'saving money or time.' (We'll cover this in the next article, but suffice it to say for now, STOP using 'save money /time' in your sales approach, your marketing, and advertising.). The ADVANTAGE serves as a bridge between straight logic, and the beginning of fulfilling DESIRES or WANTS. The advantage is a further explanation of the feature; it may appear to be obvious to us, but are you sure it's as apparent to your prospective purchaser?

Stop and think for a moment about our example above. Let's say we've decided that the feature is a SUV. What, to you, is the advantage of having an SUV? Let's list a few and you can determine for yourself if we hit on the exact advantage that you were considering: flexibility of being able to drive in all weather conditions, ability to utilize off road capability, extra size for all the carpooling you do, higher off the ground that enables you to see better, more cabin room, etc. Was your advantage in there? Are there more?

Now you're beginning to understand that some of the less than obvious spices combine to give the food the real taste. But our fast food friends might skip this step and go straight to: "having an SUV will help you see better." HUH? Well, to that salesperson it's as plain as the nose on his face. However, his prospect may actually be thinking "wow, this big car, how will I be able to see well enough to back up?"

As we further describe the feature, we begin to get the prospect excited about having us fulfill this desire. The reason is of course is that he begins to imagine himself enjoying the benefits of ownership! His wants are being fulfilled...it's not longer just an SUV, it's the embodiment of the image he has of himself as able to handle anything that comes his way, to maintain the rugged and carefree way of his youth as he proudly delivers his children to their destination, over hill and dale, thru ice and snow and clearly able from his perch on high to ably determine any impending danger because of his superior vantage point, as he basks in the luxurious comfort the extra cabin space affords him.

What we've now done is given him the W.I.I.F.M. and the true emotional benefit of fulfilling his wants, not just giving him what he needs.

LOGIC + EXPLANATION + EMOTION = SALE

It's utterly F.A.B.

The Author
Jeff Bochner is a co-founder of Speaking-of-Business, a master sales trainer, author, public speaker and coach. Jeffrey has over 15 years experience developing and implementing strategic initiatives for Fortune 100 clients and over 7 years of entrepreneurial know-how. He can be reached at: jeff@speakingofbusiness.net