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I gave a talk on Features versus Benefits to a business group. When asked if anyone knew what they were, only one hand went up. Which is normal because business professionals rarely receive this training. But ask a marketing consultant or a copywriter what they were—they'd know.

Or

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

would they?

I wouldn't bet on it. But don't allow that to keep you from recognizing the difference between Features and Benefits. Then you'd know exactly if you were hiring a genuine marketing expert—or a hack.

Here's the difference in a nutshell...

Anytime you talk about you, y

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ur company, your products, or your services: those are features. Anytime you mention what your prospect gets from you, your company, your products, or your services: those are benefits.

The hack will recite some story they memorized from a one-day marketing workshop they attended b

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

cause they get a day off from the office. You've probably seen the promotions for those. The versatile trainer speaks about Diversity on Monday, Customer Service on Tuesday, Marketing on Wednesday, Sensitivity on Thursday, and has a hard time paying bills by Friday.

The expert tran

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

sforms features into benefits, deeper benefits, and even ultimate benefits. Let's take a closer look...

Say you went to Home Depot to buy a drill bit. The problem is, when you were sleeping the night before, you weren't dreaming of buying a drill bit. What you really wanted was a h

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

le in the wall.

The hole is the benefit. The drill bit is the feature.

But the drill bit distributors will disagree. They want to educate the public on how well their drill bits are built. How unique those tungsten carbide tips are. And why the shank sizes are important.

On the o

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

her hand, the consumer wants to know if she will be able to hang her Monet, put up shelves, or secure cabinets quickly. She's not interested in how long those tips last or that stunning drill bit chart on the manufacturer's website. She wants to know how she will benefit from buying

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

those drill bits.

How does this serve you?

Take a look at your mailers, brochures, and websites. Anytime it mentions anything about you, your prospect is not interested. Anytime it mentions what they will get, they're interested.

Believe it or not—they're not concerned about you

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

pretty graphics, corporate letterhead, or expensive logo. If you haven't addressed their wants, needs, and desires—you've lost them. They'll dismiss you like they have so many others.

As I'm writing this, I just received a voicemail for a free analysis of my phone system. They lef

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

their company name and phone number. I'm sorry, but that's not enough to get me excited about the analysis. Not even a free one. They haven't identified one benefit. They've wasted my time as well as theirs.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Unless you're in a government prog

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

am. Even the offers for a free credit report are tied to some subscription deal.

What's happening today?

The dark side of the Force is dominating the war in the marketing empire. They employ mindless clones to get their messages across. Only a few thinking Jedis stand in their way

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

.

If you want to become a Jedi marketer, you must master the Force. And resist the seductive dark side.

Resist the urge to brag about your company, your products, or your services. Show your prospect how you can solve their problem with what you offer. Paint the picture of what th

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

y'll get in your marketing promotions. Then you'll be on your way to becoming a Jedi.

Let's take a look from another angle...

Scan most pieces of mail and you'd swear Og Advertising Agency produced them. Browse most websites and you'd conclude Igor Web Design Firm built them. And

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ead most company newsletters and you'd testify Schmuck Publishing wrote them.

Am I being brutal?

Yes. Brutally honest...

Because the majority of the marketing messages you read either clobber you in the head with their features (company name, product or service)—or they hide thos

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

e features in-between expensive graphics. Or their messages are so bland and sterile: you're fighting to keep your head from crashing on your desk and saliva from dribbling down your chin.

Do they have it backwards?

No, not backwards. They've got it all wrong. Period.

Most market

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

ng pieces lead with company features, support it with more features, and close with even more features.

The consumer continues to scratch his head wondering when they will talk about what concerns him, what he wants, and what he gets.

The Star Wars Solution...

Here's how to grab

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ore business than you've ever had: Lead with consumer benefits—follow with company features.

Instead of saying, "This house has vinyl windows," ... say, "You'll save money on energy and enjoy easy maintenance with vinyl windows."

The vinyl window is a feature. What your prospect g

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

ets from the vinyl window is a benefit. Now that was easy.

In your promotions, show them how they will benefit in your headline. Continue adding more benefits throughout your body copy supported by company features. Then close with features such as your contact information.

Lead w

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

th consumer benefits, support them with company features and you'll create a stronger pulling marketing piece, get more sales, and generate more leads. You'll also answer your prospect's favorite question, "What's in it for me?"

May the Force be with you.

Tommy Yan helps business

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

wners and entrepreneurs make more money through direct response marketing. He publishes Tommy's Tease weekly e-zine to inspire people to succeed in business and personal growth. Get your free subscription today at www.TommyYan.com

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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In the future we will have cars, which are powered by wind. Some of these cars will be hybrids or combination propelled vehicles where wind will be one of the components and indeed there may even be pure wind-powered vehicles at a later date, as the technology gets better.

There is no doubt whatsoever that about the easiest business to start for someone with little or no upfront capital is a window washing service. But have you ever considered once you start this business how you are going to go out and get customers? How are you going to market this business and what types of advertising will do?

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