(Time to read this Blog is about 3.5 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “Planning the future of your business and your bottom line is not a guessing game…it’s a committing game.  In a ‘guessing’ scenario, you make a guess and then wait to see what happens.  In a ‘committing’ scenario, you make a reasoned sales and profit commitment…and then proactively do the work to make it happen.”
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   Play it straight.  Stop deceiving customers with ‘Small Print’.
    
   Everybody hates the ‘small print…and nobody reads it.  A recent experiment found that out of 543 university students who signed up for a fake Social Media platform, all of them agreed to the ‘small print’ terms of conditions, including a clause giving up the rights to their firstborn child.
    
   How can you differentiate yourself and earn trust by playing it straight with clear conditions, printed legibly?
    
3. Really tall Canadians. At 7 ft, 6 inches tall, Jérémy Gohier, a 14-year-old Québécois basketball player, is already taller than every active NBA player. That’s two inches taller than Zach Edey, the current tallest player in the NBA, who is also a Canadian. 
     
4. Fun fact.  60% of Walmart’s U.S. sales come from its grocery business.
    
5. World’s best Airport dining. With over 300 dining establishments and its commitment to deliver quality dining options, Singapore’s Changi Airport is the world’s top-rated Airport dining experience. Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland came in second, followed by Tokyo International Airport (HND) and Narita International Airport (NRT) in Japan in third and fourth, respectively.
    
   What commitments would you have to make and always deliver to become the best in the world at what you do?
    
6. AI update. Since AI is the current ‘hot ticket’, each week, I’ll bring you some specific innovations to get you thinking about how you might use AI in your business.  If you have examples to share about how you’re using AI in your biz, I’d love to hear from you.
   1. AI algorithms now accelerate the speed of the new drug discovery process by generating vast libraries of possible compounds and predicting their effectiveness. This enables researchers to quickly focus on options that appear to be most promising.
   2. Construction contractors are using an AI platform called ‘ConcreteDNA’ to improve the quality of concrete pours by using data from proprietary sensors embedded in the concrete to monitor temperature, humidity and strength development.
   3. AI is being used to identify genes in corn that optimize nitrogen use, potentially allowing farmers to reduce fertilizer use, without sacrificing yields. 

Now, to this week’s important topic:

‘Increase your sales effectiveness’…4 words that turn Features into Benefits and prospects into customers!

In the world of sales there’s an old expression, “Sell benefits, not features.”   But, whether we sell B to B or B to C,  we mostly tend to talk with customers about features.  So, here are my simple 4 words that will increase your sales effectiveness by getting you talking about ‘benefits’.  The 4 words are, “which means to you…”

Here’s how it works:

Our ______________ has bla, bla, bla (features)…which means to you bla, bla, bla (benefits):

Note:  If you’re promoting features that mean absolutely nothing to your target customers, because there’s no real benefit, improve them, or drop them from your sales pitch.

Below are two examples of turning features into benefits:

1.  “These tires are made with our exclusive new ‘super grip, super durable’ rubber compound (feature)…which means to you quicker stops, better control on turns and 20% longer tread ware.  This makes your vehicle and your family safer, and saves you money.” (benefits)
2. “We have 11 Systems Design & Technology Support experts on duty 24/7. (feature)…which means to you that your mission-critical system’s technology breakdowns will typically be fixed within 3 hours, with no data loss. This will reduce your customers’ frustration, your revenue loss and your employees’ stress…and protect your precious brand reputation!” (benefits)

Bonus Tip:  When talking about ‘benefits’, keep in mind the ‘4 Currencies’ in your customers’ lives.  To truly resonate with customers, your ‘benefits’ should relate to as many of these ‘4 Currencies’ as possible.

The ‘4 Currencies’ are:

1. Money,
2. Time,
3. Feeling safe (physically and emotionally safe)…and,
4. Feeling Special.

Action to take:  Sit down with your sales Team in the next 10 days and practice using the magic phrase, “Which means to you…” to create clear and compelling benefits that will improve your sales effectiveness.

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.