Most salespeople include in their approach sales call a “benefit statement”. This is two or three generic customer benefits that attempt to create interest so the prospect agrees to an initial appointment. But the vast majority of prospects you call are either in the Change or Discontent steps when you call them.
They may or may not be aware they have a problem, which is nowhere near having the kind of explicit need for a solution that would allow them to respond positively to your pitch.
Describing benefits is a match for customers’ state of mind much later in the buying process, in the Comparison step. In talking about benefits off the bat, you’re out of sync, steps ahead of your customer—and, unfortunately for you, buyers rarely skip steps.
