Professor Merritt,
I attended one of your sessions in Atlanta. I have used your principles of emphasizing features in my pitches to customers, but do not always get the sale. I know that I am not going to get every sale, but is there a method that I can use to increase my success rate?
-Cliff T.
Savannah, GA
Cliff,
Without sounding robotic, there is definitely a sequence that should be used in ensuring a complete pitch. It is possible that you are spending so much time emphasizing features that you may not be translating that into what the benefits may mean to the customer. Making this connection may sound obvious to you, but often it is difficult for a potential customer.
Here is an example of connecting the dots for a potential country club member in a pitch: Feature: "Our club has established a membership cap of 400 members." Benefits: "This means that as a member, a round of golf will never take longer than four hours and you can always play golf without first making a tee time."
The feature can be referred to as the what. The benefit can be referred to as the so what. Answering the so what ensures that the potential members can understand how the particular feature will be of benefit them. Paint a more complete picture by being sure to answer both the what and the so what.
I wrote earlier that there is a specific order of events to cover in making a pitch. While I spent most of my answer on two specific elements of the pitch, here is the complete process listed in order. I will illustrate the process using an example from a restaurant server:
1. Expand awareness of the product or service (intro the product):
“We feature fresh flounder tonight from Florida”
2. Explain features (the what):
“Light fish, flown in today, broiled w/ lemon & capers”
3. Describe benefits (the so what)
“Delicious tasting, flaky, just 250 calories”
4. Ask for the order (do not miss this important step in asking for the order)
“Would you like to order the broiled flounder for your dinner tonight?”
5. Compliment the choice (this helps eliminate buyers' remorse)
“Excellent choice. Guests are raving about it. I'm sure you will love it”
About Me
- Edward A. Merritt, PhD
- Dr. Ed Merritt is the James A. Collins Distinguished Professor of Management at California State University (Cal Poly Pomona). His education includes a Doctoral degree from Cornell University (PhD), Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University, and Bachelor's degree (BS) from the University of Alabama. Dr. Merritt is the author of seven books on management, as well as more than 200 publications and presentations. Research and consulting interests include leadership, strategy, and survey questionnaires for organizations worldwide. Contact Dr. Merritt: www.EdwardAMerritt.com edwardamerritt@gmail.com
