Most mining supply companies are very good at explaining what their product is and how it works.
All good.
But where too many mining suppliers lose prospects is by not telling potential clients how their product will benefit them.
Features v Benefits
It’s one of the oldest rules of marketing. List the features of your product and then what that product will do for the client. Because that’s what potential clients are thinking about. Will this product help my company?
Unfortunately, your prospects don’t really care about you and how many hours you’ve spent building your business or creating a new software program or new piece of equipment. They only care about themselves.
Not that they are mean people, but they aren’t going to buy your product just to be nice. They aren’t going to buy something they don’t need or isn’t useful to them. They want to know what’s in it for them.
Features
It’s important to list the features of your product. What does your product look like? What new/special components does your product have? What does your product do? What does your product do that the competition’s doesn’t?
Choose the top five features. That’s a good number. Up to seven would work as well. But be careful not to have too many. You don’t need all of the features just the most important ones. The ones you think are most important to your potential clients.
The ordering of the features may be changed for different target markets.
Often the features are in a bulleted list format. This format is easy for prospects to read and skim. Most people skim marketing content or just about anything else.
Explaining the product is often as far as many mining supply companies go and many other companies.. But you need to take the next step and tell your potential clients how your product will help them. You must show them the benefits of having your product
Benefits
It may seem obvious to you what each feature will do for prospects, but it may not seem obvious to them. Do not make your potentials make the connection. Tell them how your product will, for example: streamline operations, save money, protect workers, save the environment, or provide better data. Prospects might not think of these possibilities unless you mention it in your marketing copy. They might think of benefits that don’t benefit them and think your product isn’t for them.
I found a couple of examples on a website of a company that manufactures mine and tunnel ventilation systems. These are the descriptions of two of their products. As always I’ve made changes, so as not to identify the company.
Backdraft dampers prevent air flow reversal.
Good information, but so what? What’s the benefit to the prospect?
Another product description read:
Variable Inlet Vanes (VIVs) provide a low-cost method of controlling airflows.. Using VIVs can lead to reduced power costs.
This second example has two benefits — low cost and lower power costs. This benefits will attract the potential client’s attention. Who doesn’t want to save money.
If this company had more information on the power savings from current customers, the benefit could be even more impressive. For example, reduced power costs of 20%, would be even stronger.
Current clients can give you ideas of how your product is being utilized and the benefits they are having from using your product that you hadn’t anticipated when you created your product. Your sales or customer service team could help.
By including the benefits, prospects begin to imagine how your product could be used in their business.
Without adding the benefits, potential clients just read a list of features and think, “So what? What’s in it for me?”
When you tell them what’s in it for them, you get their attention. You show that you understand their problems and are providing solutions that will make a difference. You are gaining their trust.
And, likely, their business.