How to sell in English - features and benefits

It's my first day as a salesman. I wish Vicki were here.

Don't worry, I am here. Good. I'm a little nervous.

You're going to be great. I've got my magic wand so I can help you.

You'll be here if I need you? Yes. I'll just be invisible. Oh look, here

comes a customer.

In this lesson you're going to learn some

useful English phrases for talking about products along with some great phrases for selling.

And you're also going to learn some phrases for persuading people and selling your ideas.

Where did Vicki go? Oh, good morning. Can I interest you in our product?

I don't know. What is it? It's a lighter.

I see. It contains flammable gas.

Well, it's a lighter. Of course it does. It's 12 inches long. I can see that.

And it's red. I don't think I like the color.

Vicki! Vicki, it's not going well. That's because you're talking about the

features. Tell her about the benefits. The benefits?

Yes. How is it going to make her life better? Oh I see.

And don't forget to let her try it. Have another go.

Good morning. I have a product that will make your life easier.

Really? What's that? You can throw away your matches and use this

to light all your candles, fires and grills. Oh it's a lighter.

This long pipe keeps your hand away from the flame so you never get burned.

I like that. I'm not sure about the color though.

It's bright red so it's easy to find in the kitchen drawer.

Well, that makes sense. Try it.

It doesn't work. No, it does. Pull hard.

It's very stiff. It has a safety catch. Would you like to buy

it? No, I don't think so.

It's too difficult to operate. We sold half a million last year.

Thanks all the same. It's only ten dollars. Vicki!

It's OK, don't panic. You were doing well. You just need to explain how it works and

tell her the benefits. The benefits. Yes, that safety catch is a

great feature, and it's a terrific price. OK.

Try again. Do you want to try it?

Yes please. Now pull very hard. It's stiff because there's

a safety catch. Yes, it is very stiff.

That's a special feature. It means you don't have to worry about children playing with

it. It's childproof.

Exactly. That's very good. How much is it?

Just $10, so you can afford to buy one for all your friends and family.

Hmmm... People often give them as gifts because they're

so useful. I need to get some Christmas presents.

We sold half a million last year. OK, I'll take twenty.

Sure. Would you like to pay by cash or credit card?

Thanks Vicki! So Jay got the sale! Now did you understand

everything they said? Let's check some vocabulary. It contains flammable gas.

Well, it's a lighter. Of course it does. Flammable means easy to burn and set on fire.

And what about inflammable? Does it mean the opposite? No!

Inflammable means the same as flammable. Sometimes English is so confusing. OK. Let's look at

the word 'light' . You can throw away your matches and use this

to light all your candles, fires and grills. Oh, it's a lighter."

Light' is a verb here. It means make something start to burn. We can light fires, grills,

cigarettes and candles. Notice we don't set fire to them. We light

them. We only set fire to things when we want to destroy them. OK, two more words.

It is very stiff. That's a special feature. It means you don't

have to worry about children playing with it.

It's child proof. Exactly.

If something is stiff, it's difficult to move. And if something is childproof, it's designed

so that young children can't open or use it. Lids on medicine bottles are stiff so they're

childproof. Great. Now let's look at some phrases you

can use to sell products. It's 12 inches long.

Features are facts that describe a product and say what's special about it.

But if you want to sell the product, you probably need to talk about its benefits.

This long pipe keeps your hand away from the flame so you never get burned.

Benefits are things that make our lives better. Let's look at some more.

It's bright red. It's easy to find in the kitchen drawer.

Benefits are things that make life easier. It has a safety catch. You don't have to worry

about children playing with it. Benefits are also things that make life more

pleasant and worry-free. It costs ten dollars. You can afford to buy

one for all your family and friends. So notice these phrases. They're are useful

when you're selling a product, and they're also useful for selling your ideas.

When you want to persuade someone to do something, talk about its benefits. Tell them the good

things that will be possible. You can also use these phrases to tell them

how your ideas will make their life better. You know this lighter has another feature.

What's that? A flame adjuster switch.

What's the benefit of that? Well, when you're lighting birthday candles,

you just want a little flame. But when you're lighting the grill you

want a big one.