Here’s a little tough love: if your marketing is crammed full of the “features” of your business, you’re making your clients work too hard to see your value.

Features are what you do. Benefits are why it matters. 

And if you want people to happily pay your prices, you need to connect the dots for them.

Here’s how: Grab a piece of paper. 

On one side, write down all the features of your service: years of experience, inclusions, processes, services, deliverables, awards won, and so on. 

Then draw a line down the middle. 

On the other side, write why each of those features matters to your client. What outcome does it give them? How does it solve their problem faster, better, or more effectively?

Example:
Feature: “10 years’ experience as a copywriter.”
Benefit: “I can jump inside your head and nail your tone of voice and message FAST. This means you’ll have the deliverable you need in your hands before you know it, instead of weeks of back and forth providing feedback. 

Example: 

Feature: “I’ve trained 350+ business owners o use ChatGPT for their marketing”
Benefit: “You’ll get tried and tested ChatGPT prompts unique to small businesses that guarantee you’ll save hours in marketing content creation every week.”

Example: 

Feature: “Messaging Strategy delivered in a comprehensive X-page document.”

Benefit: “Instead of feeling scattered and second-guessing your words every time you sit down to write, you’ll have a clear playbook that gives you instant confidence in how to talk about your business across every touch point.”

Example:

Feature: “One-week Intensive Service.”

Benefit: “No more waiting months for updated marketing, all while juggling multiple service providers. In five days, you walk away with your messaging nailed, all relevant copy written, and your AI tools set up and ready to use.”

Most of us assume our clients “get it.” But especially in service-based businesses — where the deliverable isn’t tangible — people need that connection spelled out. So stop assuming. Spell it out. 

Turn every feature into a benefit, and watch the shift in how your offers are received.

This exercise is one of the strategies I shared with Bec Chappell on her Marketing Espresso podcast. We talked about why so many service providers struggle to translate what they do into clear client benefits — and how making that shift changes everything. You can listen to the full episode here.