What Are People Buying Online?

Benefits, that's what!

Whether you're selling in print or in person, it's a universal truth.

And success in both worlds requires a counterintuitive approach.

Allow me to explain.

As human beings, we are all pre programmed from birth to behave in certain ways. And one of the strongest things that drive us is an awesome pre occupation with our own self-interests.

You really don't have to look very far to see that this is true. The world is cluttered with marketers whose messaging is about them.

They talk about all of the features of their product, and the advantages of doing business with their company. Its just human nature to express ourselves this way when we've poured our lifeblood into the development of a product, or a business, isn't it?

But features, and advantages, are not what people buy.

People Buy Benefits!

Some quick definitions,

Features ? The attributes of your product or service.

Advantages ? What the attributes of your product or service do.

Benefits ? How people feel when they have the advantages of your product or service.

Here are a few examples,

1) This SUV has a Vortec 5300 V8 engine (feature), and it can pull 7000 lbs (advantage). It gives you a testosterone rush every time you drive it (benefit).

2) Its got an autotrac 4x4 system (feature) that kicks in automatically at cruising speed when you hit an icy patch on the highway (advantage). You'll drive with confidence and peace of mind, regardless of the weather conditions (benefit).

3) You'll be safer & feel more secure too, (benefit), because you can actually steer while you brake on slick surfaces (advantage), thanks to it's advanced Antilock-braking system (feature).

Your copy has power, when it contains all three elements, but it is quite natural & common to place too much emphasis on features & advantages. Even on copy that covers all three, the order is very often F->A->B. I've found that B->A->F (as in example 3 above) often yields better results. And it stands to reason, considering our natural preoccupation with ourselves, doesn't it?

Benefits are personal & emotional. Benefits trigger opiates in our brains. Think about this for a moment.

Does a possession, in & of itself, give you any personal satisfaction? Isn't it the feelings that you anticipate as a result of having it, that give you joy? Doesn't all human striving and endeavor boil down to the pursuit of happiness?

Incidentally, be careful with negative emotions. They can be useful at the beginning of a piece, but you must be sure to counter them strongly with positive ones before the close. Negative emotions are debilitating, which is exactly what you DO NOT want. You need your prospect in a resourceful, confident, & comfortable state of mind when you ask her to take action.

So how can you put this knowledge into practice?

Make a list of all of the features of your offering, and map advantages & benefits to each one. Then take the most powerful benefits and work them into your headline & the opening of your copy. You'll be pleasantly surprised with this approach because you end up with many more references to "you", and "your", at the beginning of the piece this way.

Of course the order in which you present your benefits is also crucially important. Your prime benefit needs to be presented first, and in such a way as to set your business apart from your competition.

You must have a unique, and clearly articulated sales proposition, that's loaded with benefits that are most relevant to your target audience. The most successful approach is to target & dominate one small niche market at a time with this strategy.

Think of the benefits as the motive power that grabs your prospect's attention and moves her to action, while the features & advantages justify those feelings with logic. All three are important.

Regardless of whether you want to improve your personal sales skills, write better letters and proposals, or produce more effective ads & web copy, BENEFITS are what will set you apart & ahead of the competition.

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Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & world-renowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author "Million Dollar Online Advertising Strategies ? From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!", a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier.

Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell...Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters! http://www.Advertising-Online -Strategies.com/ad-strategies.html

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Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:50:43 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg Ottawa Citizen Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg - 7 hours ago By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US to buy shares in struggling banks Los Angeles Times Obama welcomes Paulson plan to buy equity in firms Reuters MarketWatch - International Herald Tribune - Bizjournals.com - Washington Post all 2,114 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes - International Herald Tribune Washington Post Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes International Herald Tribune - 1 hour ago By Serge F. Kovaleski NEW YORK: Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, abused her powers as governor of Alaska by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, according to an investigation ... Palin ethics lapse cited Los Angeles Times Alaska probe finds Palin 'abused her power' Indian Express Baltimore Sun - Boston Globe - New York Times - Reuters all 4,043 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:28 GMT Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party - New York Times Voice of America Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party New York Times - 52 minutes ago By CELIA DUGGER JOHANNESBURG - In a step likely to lead to the collapse of a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in office for 28 years, has unilaterally declared that his party will retain the most powerful ... Mugabe 'gives Zanu-PF key posts' BBC News Zimbabwe's Mugabe hands key ministries to his party Reuters United Press International - AFP - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press all 1,687 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:57:49 GMT Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies - AFP GulfNews Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies AFP - 20 hours ago BANGKOK (AFP) - Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes. Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors AssociatedPress PAD leaders surrender to Thailand police United Press International The Associated Press - Washington Post - New York Times - International Herald Tribune all 2,495 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:03 GMT Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury - Bloomberg Wall Street Journal Blogs Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury Bloomberg - 7 hours ago By Christine Harper Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the biggest independent US investment banks, may reap cash infusions as part of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to buy stakes in financial institutions, ... As Stock Falls, Morgan Looks to Japanese Bank New York Times Morgan Stanley hangs on Mitsubishi's $9bn pledge guardian.co.uk Forbes - New York Post - New York Times Blogs - Barron's all 895 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:30:39 GMT Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says - Washington Post Washington Post Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says Washington Post - 8 hours ago By Del Quentin Wilber Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders. Reporter's Notebook: Powell Takes the Stand for Stevens FOXNews Powell says Sen. Stevens' integrity "sterling" Reuters CNN - Kansas City infoZine - The Miami Herald - ABC News all 2,865 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:53 GMT McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama - Los Angeles Times The Associated Press McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama Los Angeles Times - 2 hours ago 'NO MA'AM': Sen. John McCain takes a question from a supporter who called Democratic rival Barack Obama an Arab at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minn. McCain-Palin's hot rhetoric risks GOP backlash San Francisco Chronicle McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times Boston Globe - Washington Post - Minneapolis Star Tribune - Reuters all 460 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:20 GMT Automated Blog and Ping RSS Parser

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