Features vs Benefits? NEITHER. Here's the fix... Marketing Monday #8

David Bingham

20d • GET

Most people were taught: “Sell features!” Then: “No, sell benefits!”

Both are outdated.

In modern marketing, neither drives action.

Only outcomes do.

And this is exactly why the 25K Growth Formula walks you through the entire process from

defining your WHO
to identifying their needs
to converting those needs into real marketing messages.

(If you haven’t grabbed the workbook yet, it’s in the Classroom tab.)

Here’s the core problem:

People talk about features vs benefits… but nobody teaches you how to actually create them or figure them out.

So here’s the fix:

Use the TWO PROBLEMS framework.

Every customer has two problems.

1. The Tangible Problem (The Proof They Need)

This is the real-world evidence that tells them: “I need this.”

Example: You don’t decide you need a new deck out of nowhere. You notice soft boards. Loose boards. Rot. That’s the tangible problem.

It creates AWARENESS.

2. The Emotional Problem (The Urgency That Moves Them)

This is what happens the moment they see the tangible problem and ask:

“What does this mean for me?”

This splits into two sides:

Fear:

What happens if they ignore it? What happens if they pick the wrong solution?

Freedom:

What happens if they fix it? How does life get better? What friction disappears?

This emotional gap that happens between their current reality: FEAR and their ideal reality: FREEDOM

is the force that drives action.

The bigger the gap, the faster people buy.

Put it all together:

Tangible problem = Evidence

Emotional problem = Urgency

Features don’t sell. Benefits don’t sell. Outcomes sell.

And outcomes come from the Two Problems, not from a list of bullet points.

Quick Example (Yeti Cup):

Tangible Problem:

“My tumbler doesn’t keep ice long enough. ”or“ They don’t have my color in the cheaper brand.”

Emotional Problem:

Fear: “I’m going to end up drinking warm soda or reheating coffee every day — wasting time.”

Freedom: “My drink stays perfect for hours. I stop messing with refills and microwaving.”

Now your turn.

Drop this in the comments:

What’s the real-world evidence (the tangible problem) that tells someone they need your product or service?

Don’t overthink it. Just give the observable, real-world signal.

Let’s build your outcomes from there.

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