Luke told me about a business panel discussion in which he participated. He represented the ad department of the local newspaper, and others represented industries like banking, accounting, and various office services.
The moderator asked each panelist to introduce themselves, identify their company and position, and then give a brief, one or two-sentence statement of one thing they would like the audience to know about their specialty.
The brevity requirement was broken immediately. The accountant’s statement was several minutes long and, according to Luke, completely forgettable. The banker rambled for a minute or two and ended up saying how much she liked her job. The other panelists were equally vague and unmemorable until it was Luke’s turn. After introducing himself, he said, “People don’t buy features, they buy benefits.”
That was it: People don’t buy features, they buy benefits. In one sentence, he summed up the most important thing that a salesperson needs to know – whether it’s selling through advertising or selling in a one-to-one conversation.
Luke’s strategy was right on target. “My kickoff statement was easy to remember,” he said. “Some of the people in the audience had never considered the concept of seeing products in terms of features and benefits. As the meeting progressed, their interest gave me a chance to cover important details about advertising. Some of them even wanted to set appointments.”
His experience reminds me of the story of the old sea captain who was famous for his years of success in always delivering the ship’s cargo on time. In the face of countless storms and dangerously high seas, he never lost a ship, a crew member, or a passenger.
Every morning, the old captain went through a strange ritual. He opened the safe in his quarters, opened an envelope, and pulled out a small piece of paper. After staring at the paper for a few minutes, he locked it up again and went about the day.
When he retired, the first mate said, “Captain, we feel the secret to your success is on the piece of paper in your safe. May we see it?” The captain smiled and handed the key to him. A few minutes later, the first mate opened the envelope in front of the entire crew.
They were stunned when they learned that the paper read, “Port left. Starboard right.”
The old captain’s focus was on the most basic of sailing basics. From a canoe to a battleship, port is always the left side and starboard is the right side. That will never change.
In advertising – as in any kind of selling – people don’t buy product features, they buy what those products can do for them. That’s the most basic of advertising basics. And that, too, will never change.
As long as advertising people remember that in every sales presentation – and as long as they remember that in every ad they create – they’ll stay on course.
If journalists want our coverage to aid in civil discourse and civic engagement. We need journalists to commit to producing coverage seen as fair and even-handed by news seekers across the political spectrum — and for people who are not engaged at all.
The National Press Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that provides free professional development to journalists. NPF seeks a part-time fall intern to assist staff with varied projects. Intern will:
Do you know a highly-skilled, fearless journalist whose work illuminates the stories behind our politics and policymaking? The Shorenstein Center welcomes your nominations for the 2024 David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism!
Across the United States local newspapers — from metro dailies to alt-weeklies and community publications — are making changes to their businesses that once would have been considered radical or a sign of decline: they’re reducing print frequency or even eliminating print altogether.
Cecily Weisburgh is executive editor-digital at The Keene Sentinel. She co-manages a 14-person newsroom and works on digital products including The Sentinel’s website, social media, newsletters, and the technology associated with each. She has also worked for the past few years to bolster The Sentinel’s audience engagement efforts and earn trust from the community through coaching and a fellowship project with Trusting News, an organization that helps newsrooms demonstrate credibility and actively earn trust. She is a member of The Sentinel’s audience engagement and paid readership and retention teams. 
We are excited to share with you the details of Sunfox Farm’s 6th Annual Sunflower Festival, taking place from August 10 to 18 in the heart of Concord, NH. This year, we invite you to experience the stunning beauty of our 20-acre sunflower field, the largest single field of sunflowers in the state, set against the picturesque backdrop of the state capital.
Radically Rural, the national summit that helps small communities thrive, returns Sept. 25-26 with community journalism sessions designed to connect rural newsrooms with resources to help them achieve sustainability and uphold democracy in their communities.
Applications for Negri First Amendment Institute Close On August 23
Named after the late trail-blazing Boston Globe journalist, the Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute (formerly the New England First Amendment Institute) is an intensive training program on freedom of information law and investigative reporting techniques.
The Institute is offered each year tuition-free and exclusively to 25 working New England journalists. More than 300 journalists from 100 local news organizations have benefited from the program since it began in 2011.
The deadline to apply is August 23, 2024. Application materials can be obtained here.