By Traci Brown, CSP

When describing what you offer your clients, there’s a secret phrase you can use that’s guaranteed to get them almost 20% more engaged with your sales pitch. Before you can use it, there are a few things you need to know.

You have to know the difference between features and benefits. And you can’t review this too much. Once you’re clear on what it means for you, you’ll be able to maximize your value to clients.

Features are a unique quality. That’s how you do what you do. It’s your assessment, your technique, your system, your anacronym.

Here are some features that it’s easy to get caught up in:

• AI
• Your sales technique
• Leadership
• Story
• Communication

The problem is that ultimately clients don’t care about these features. That can be a bitter pill to swallow.  You’ve worked hard on your IP and getting your program just right.  Nobody cares? Sadly, no.

Clients are primarily focused on their needs and how you can help solve their challenges. In order to be paid big fees, you MUST use your content to solve a very expensive problem, that they know they have and they urgently want gone.  They want the benefit of your content.  And your marketing HAS TO reflect it, or you won’t get hired.

Benefits are what’s in it for them and that’s what clients care about.  Your solution has to make them money, save them money, or save them time.  Anything other than that, and they won’t hire you.

It’s easy to get so caught up in your content that you forget that the client is hiring you for the end benefit to them.

For example, nobody wants a drill, they want a hole.  Sell them the hole!

Nobody wants to pay all that money for a Harley Davidson, they want the feeling of the open road and not letting the man keep them down.  Sell them that feeling!

When you’re clear on the benefits of working with you and applying your content, you’re ready to use the phrase that pays.  “I speak on xxx (your feature) SO YOU xxx (their benefit).

Studies show that the ‘So You’ phrase increases engagement with your content by almost 20%.  People want to know what’s in it for them immediately. So tell them!  Don’t beat around the bush.

If you don’t connect the dots for people immediately, you’re taking a big risk.  You’re leaving them to figure out for themselves why your content matters to them. Put it right up front on your website. Use this first in conversations.

If people aren’t responding as you’d hope, you haven’t crafted a valuable enough benefit.  Go back to the drawing board and get it right!

Take the time to really focus on your benefits. It is likely slightly different for every client and industry you work in. The more specific you can be bringing up their pain points and your solutions for them, the more successful you’ll be. You’ll be the one they must have.

Want to hear more from Traci Brown, CSP? You can watch her full mainstage session from Thrive 2025 in the Digital Vault! If you’re not yet a member, now’s the perfect time to join and gain access to this session and so much more.