“In the factory, we manufacture perfume. In the store, we sell hope.”

– Charles Revson, Founder of Revlon Cosmetics

Why are so many voters – especially younger and first-time voters – attracted to Sen. Barack Obama’s message of hope? Why does it seem that Sen. Hillary Clinton’s latest message – “I’m in the solutions business” – is not gaining traction?

Could it be something as basic as the difference between saying, “This will make your stomach feel better” versus, “Trust me, this medicine will be good for you?”

People like to buy, but they do not like to be sold! The sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer reminds us of this basic tenet in each of his best-selling books. Don’t tell us what what you have done in the past – and why it will  good for us. Entice us with a message of what our future will look like. Paint a picture of the future – our future. And help us to see how we fit into that picture. Help us to make the decision. Don’t just tell us your solution.

We will buy hope – if we can see the benefit. Our benefit. Don’t try to sell us on the basis of the quality of the ingredients you put into your perfume. Charles Revson did not build his Revlon cosmetics empire based strictly on a special combination of ingredients. Those ingredients are features – and features do not motivate us to buy. Hope is a little more difficult to see and quantify. But that is a leader’s role – to help us to see hop and to put us in the picture. And that gets the sale most of the time!

This is not a political blog. I am not writing to “put down” a candidate. Nor am I advocating for a candidate. I enjoy observing and analyzing political strategy. I like to learn from the successes and mistakes in the current presidential primaries and apply them to my business – consulting and training. I write to share my observations with my readers.

Here’s what I see so far. Perhaps you agree, perhaps you don’t. But I hope that you will at least read on: Continue reading “Features vs. Benefits” »