I want to share with you what is probably the most powerful business question you can ask.

The reward for asking this question and answering it correctly is immense. Get is right and you are free to dominate your marketplace. This simple question has the power to help you grow almost like nothing else.

On the other hand, the penalty for not asking this question (or for answering it incorrectly) is a business that will always be a step behind. No matter how hard you try – if you get this wrong you’ll forever struggle to “get over the hump” and you’ll never be able get the results you want.

It’s disarmingly simple, but don’t let that trick you into rushing past it. Ready for the question? Here it is.

What Are You REALLY Selling?

When I ask this question in my seminars and workshops I get a variety of answers. Several say (or think) that they are selling whatever their main product or service is. If they sell cars – they think cars. If they sell cabinets – they think they’re selling cabinets.

Then I also have another group that has been through some sale training (usually Realtors) that say they are selling themselves. While all of these answers have some truth to them – they all miss the mark.

So what are you REALLY selling? The BENEFITS of your product or service. Or to put it another way – the end result that your product or service brings.

I will venture to say that no one ever buys a product for the sake of buying that product. They buy it because they want the benefit that the product provides. Same goes for a service.

If someone is looking to buy a home they don’t hire a Realtor because they want a Realtor. They just want to find the perfect home, they don’t want to waste a lot of time, they want an expert who will negotiate the best price for them, and they don’t want to miss any good deals.

So if you are a Realtor your job is not to focus on the typical Realtor stuff – like GRI certification, blah, blah, blah – but you should focus on showing your prospects that you can bring them what they want (benefits) better than any other Realtor.

Alright. Here’s another example. If you owned a car dealership what would you be selling? Transportation? Only partially.

Yes, people need to get from point A to point B, but that is not what motivates them to buy a particular car over another. If people where motivated solely by transportation then you would see a ton of Yugos on the road.

No, car dealers are selling largely, status. That’s what people associate a car with – their position in life. If you’re a working man, tough, and rugged – you need a Chevy or a Ford, or a Dodge. If you’re a Dr. or a professor you better have a Mercedes, Lexus or Acura. People consciously and subconsciously think about cars as a status symbol.

Good car dealers understand the emotional side of the sale. They understand that the desire to project the image you want – is the strongest motive for buying a car. Yes, you need to know warranty info, the specs and features of the car – but ultimately it’s the benefit that those features bring that will tip the scales in the end.

So what are the benefits of what you sell? Here’s your assignment for the day: make a list of all the possible benefits that your product or service can bring. I don’t mean features, I mean benefits.

To clarify the difference between features and benefits here’s an example.

A feature of a new Ferrari is that it has 400 horse power, the benefit of 400 hp is that it creates lightning fast acceleration, and that when you rev the engine at a stop light people stare and drool.

The feature of a skirt is that it has a perfect blend of cotton, silk, and whatever – the benefit is that it will enhance your natural curves and cause men to do a double-take.

Make sense?

Your Assignment:
List out all of the possible benefits for your product, then decide on the top 1-4 most appealing benefits – that’s where you want to focus your advertising.


So, what are you selling?