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Ever given a pitch that felt flawless …
only to watch their eyes glaze over …
or tell you they “can’t afford it”

even though they’re constantly throwing money out the window at things that don’t work

Chances are your messages stuck because they’re full of features.

The Feature Trap

Focusing on features not only fails to sell, they’re sabotaging you.
Because as you rattle them off, you’re pushing prospects into your competition’s arms.

The easiest way I’ve ever seen comes from Bob Bly.

Bob’s a legit modern-day copywriting legend.
→ 100+ books
→ industry-giant clients like IBM, AT&T, & Inuit

So he’s obviously got some mad skills & experience

Bonus points for being a Star Wars & Superman fan

But the thing about Bob is his ability to break down & explain concepts in a way that not only make sense the first time you hear them.

Bob’s breakdown uses something so ordinary, you probably have one in your desk drawer right now.

A pencil.

The Pencil Exercise

Grab your pencil & a piece of paper
Draw a line down the middle.

On 1 side lists all the features … the things (characteristics) that make up the pencil
- made of wood
- hexagonal shape
- one end has an eraser fastened to it
- etc.

Now on the other side lists the benefits … what having those features means to the user

Before you fill in the benefit side, let’s clarify what a benefit actually is.

What it is = feature
How it works = function
Why it matters (to your client) = benefit

If stop at the first 2 & you’ve lost them.

Because “Why that matters” to your client … their outcome … that’s their true benefit.

so … the benefits of those features …
- made of wood → resharpen for clear writing
- hexagonal shape → won’t roll off your desk
- one end has an eraser fastened to it → easy & quick way to correct errors

& the fastest way (I know of) to make your features their benefit is using 3 small words

The Magic in “so you can”

Here’s the framework you follow:

feature so you can benefit
The pencil has an eraser so you can easily fix mistakes without losing time

That’s just one easy way to move from describing a feature to showing why it matters to your clients.

I briefly mentioned “so you can" when I pointed out no one cares about you, but it deserves a deeper dive because we all instinctively fall into the feature fluff.

Now I realize you’re not in the pencil business
But you are in the same trap.

Your pitch, website, discovery calls …
they’re probably full of features

Apply the Pencil Exercise to Your Offer

You (& your business) are the pencil.
List your features & functions on one side of a page
On the other, the benefits for your clients

Connect them with “so you can”

Learn more about the pencil exercise (& the foundations of writing that sells) here …

The Copywriter’s Handbook ←This book’s been so helpful to me, I bookmark with US dollar bills instead of my usually colorful tabs.
(the Features & Benefits start on page 74 of the 4th edition)

The AWAI Method for Becoming a Skilled, In-Demand Copywriter ← layers the learning with video, audio, reading, & exercises so the lessons stick better in your brain
(Bob’s pencil exercise is in module 10 → What Are You Really Selling?)

Pro Tip: if you really want to ramp it up, add plural verbs after the feature
feature + plural verb so you can benefit
built-in eraser removes mistakes so you can keep writing without loosing momentum

That’s impacting your confidence & costing you $$$
→ clarify your message … so you can …
→ improve time management … so you can …

But there’s a catch …

Not all features (& benefits) are created equal

Some are more important than others to your ideal client
& others they couldn’t care less about

You need to focus on features creating the most important benefits for your client

To do that, you need a clear picture of who that person is

Let’s apply Bob’s pencil exercise to me as your ideal pencil-buying client

What you need to know about me …
I've always been a clumsy writer.
& I’m always erasing
But I never used the eraser on the tip of the pencil
I needed a jumbo eraser that fit into the palm of my hand

My mistakes were big
There were just a lot of them!

So if you try selling me a pencil & focus on that
I’m not buying.
Because I don’t care.

It’s big reason why so many pitches fall flat, even when you do make it all about them.

So what feature’s going to benefit me more?

My biggest pencil benefit

It’s the shape … those 6 sides

Why?

SO I CAN hold the pencil comfortably without it slipping through sweaty stressed-out fingers trying to write in cursive.

& bonus benefit …

SO I CAN smack the pencil down in frustration without rolling off my desk

or you can bring up the fact that it’s made of wood & can be resharpened

SO I CAN have all my writing be clear & legible (even if it’s not all correct)

Now look at your features & benefits list …

What’s a feature you have that benefits your client most?

Prioritize them … all the way down to least important
& cross out those that are irrelevant

Most people trying to get clients panic & slash prices.
That’s the lazy (& terribly ineffective) way.
(we’ll look at your value in another email)

A bolder (& more profitable) choice?

Double down on the benefits that actually move your clients
& ditch the stuff they don’t care about.

So don’t kill your offer / product / business if it’s not working
Start by changing which benefits you’re focusing on
(& make sure you’re talking about their benefits & not your features)

Pivot the benefit you’re talking about before scrapping the business plan.

What’s your offer?
Is it full of features or bursting with benefits?
Is the benefit the most important outcome your client desires?

Use these 7 steps to make your features their benefits.

7-Step Framework to Building Benefit-Driven Offers

1 - List your features (& functions)
2 - Identify how they benefit your clients
3 - Name your ideal clients biggest needs / wants / desires
4 - Highlight the features & benefits that best help achieve their goals
5 - Cross out the ones that don’t
6 - Start with the most relevant 1
7 - If it doesn’t give you the results you wanted, try another benefit

Here’s your challenge …

Write down at least 3 of your offer’s features
Flip them into your ideal client’s benefits using so you can
Then hit reply & share 1 (or more) with me …

so you can …
→ get honest feedback before your next pitch

so you can …
→ see if it actually a benefit or fluffy features in disguise

so you can …
→ make your clients lean in & say ‘yes’ instead of tuning out

Make it a great “benefit-filled “ week!
EG

PS:

Wanna know what else doesn’t have to be boring …

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Check it out

PPS:
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📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

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