Ask HN: Difference between selling benefits vs featuers

[gamebit07]

I am basically a dev. but I do have a SaaS product, which is selling. But my sales skills are not good, and hence conversion rates are low.

One advice I get from people is sell benefits not features.

Could someone please explain via example, how to do the above.

[gane5h]

Say I'm trying to sell water.

Features: Liquid at room temperature. One oxygen atom, two hydrogen atoms. Has high specific heat capacity.

Benefits: Helps with the balance of bodily fluids necessary for digestion, absorption, transportation of nutrients, creation of saliva, maintenance of body temperature.

[dandrews]

O Bog, how I despise semantically null product briefs that promise to "synergistically increase your profit potential" or "apply market-leading holistic techniques to help build world-class infrastructures" or whatever.

Please, please, just tell me: What does your product do?