Page 107 - engage workbook

14 At some stage in your conversations with buyers, once you have

understood what they need, you will need to present your ideas.

video
Key to having your ideas understood and accepted is to place
them in the context of your buyer’s world.

Where you have multiple buyers, or need to present to a group, learn
reflect on the interests and needs of each person, then construct
and direct your messages accordingly. A review of section 5:
Buyers and section 6: Bias will help with this. See later in this
section for notes on specific biases and how to address them. toolbox

Need-Feature-Benefit

One particularly useful construct for promoting your ideas is Need-Feature-Benefit:

Example 1

Need You mentioned in our last conversation that you’re considering expanding
overseas – perhaps partnering with a business in Europe.

Feature We can help you with identifying suitable partners, since we have offices
in all the major European cities. We can also make you aware of any
differences in doing business in the overseas location.

Benefit Aside from saving you the time of needing to brief new consultants /
salespeople about your business and your ambitions, the fact that any
feedback and advice you receive from us will be in a familiar format
should also help.

Example 2

Need You said before that you need to reduce inventory.

Feature Our inventory management system constantly monitors in-store buying
patterns, and uses mathematical algorithms to predict future inventory levels.

Benefit This guarantees in-store availability and ensures sales, whilst also reducing
cash outlay on overstocking.

N-F-B changes the dynamic of your proposition dramatically. Instead of focusing on the
features of your offering and talking only about yourself, the proposition now begins and
ends with the buyer, with your offering sandwiched in the middle. A 2:1 ratio in favor of
buyer focus!

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