Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features."

So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect's heart pumping?

First, let's set the parameters: A feature is a raw fact about your product or service. You're open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Your widget slices, dices, and then folds flat. Your cleaning service uses Chemical X to clean carpets.

A benefit, on the other hand, is the specific advantage of your product or service. It stirs the emotional desire within your prospect, and connects him with what you are selling. It tells him What's In It For Me.

Your convenient hours make after-work shopping a breeze. Your widget makes dinner prep simple and saves counter space. Chemical X leaves carpets sanitary enough for babies to crawl on.

Every feature provides at least one benefit, often several. So discovering benefits is just a matter of finding out what each feature does for your prospect.

Take a sheet of paper and divide it in half. On one side, list all the raw facts about your product or service. Include everything you can think of, from size to color to every service you perform.

Now, change hats. Think like your prospect, and go back over that list. After each feature say, "This means that I..." and finish the sentence. What can your prospect do, or get, or save because of that feature?

Some benefits will be stronger than others, and most likely there will be two or three that you just know are power-packed. These are the ones you'll want to use in your headlines and leads.

Your prospect discovers What's In It For Me, and you discover that more prospects are becoming customers. That sounds like a benefit all around.