What are your benefits really?

I spent all day yesterday with a great bunch of potential entrepreneurs, running a start a business workshop. When we hit on the topic of marketing we had some fun defining exactly what benefits each business could potentially deliver for its customers.

We all (hopefully) know the difference between features and benefits but so much of the marketing I see, from the 'big guys' down focusses on features alone. So what benefits do people really care about?

Nobody really cares how many Safety Stars a car has got - what really motivates us is the peace of mind that comes with knowing our family is safe in the back seat. I don't care that product x is cheaper than product y - what I care about is that extra money means I can buy something else or not have to stress when the bills hit the doormat. You've got 20 years experience - so what? - your customer wants to see results so that his boss doesn't yell at him.

Whatever product or service you have to offer, you need to ask what is the real customer benefit for every feature you can name. When you know that you've got your marketing message pegged.

(BTW - that's me in the suit)