FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits)

What is FAB?

FAB is a sales methodology that helps salespeople translate product characteristics into customer value. The acronym stands for:

• Features: What the product or service is or does (factual statements)
• Advantages: What the feature does (functional benefits)
• Benefits: What the feature means for the customer (personal value)

The framework transforms product-focused conversations into customer-centered discussions by connecting what your product does to why it matters to the buyer.

Why FAB Matters

Most salespeople talk too much about features. Customers buy benefits, not features. FAB forces you to bridge the gap between product capabilities and customer outcomes.

The Value Translation:

• Features describe your product
• Advantages explain what your product does
• Benefits answer "what's in it for me?"

This progression moves the conversation from technical specifications to business outcomes, emotional drivers, and personal wins—what actually drive purchasing decisions.

Best Practices

1. Start with Customer Needs: Don't list features. Ask questions to uncover pain points, then match features to those needs.

2. Use the "So What?" Test: For every feature, ask "so what?" until you reach a meaningful benefit. Your CRM stores data → So what? → You can access customer information → So what? → You close deals faster → So what? → You hit quota and earn commission.

3. Lead with Benefits: In modern sales, consider reversing to BAF (Benefit, Advantage, Feature). Hook with value, then explain how.

4. Be Specific: Vague benefits don't sell. "Saves time" is weak. "Reduces your team's weekly reporting from 4 hours to 15 minutes" is compelling.

5. Tailor to the Persona: Technical buyers care about advantages. Business buyers care about benefits. Adapt your FAB accordingly.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing advantages with benefits (advantages are still about you; benefits are about them)
• Leading with features instead of needs discovery
• Using generic benefits that could apply to any product
• Skipping to features before establishing value

Key Takeaways

• FAB translates product capabilities into customer value
• Benefits drive decisions; features justify them
• Use BAF order for stronger opening hooks
• Always connect features to specific business outcomes