F (Features) refers to the objective information of the product—the technical material properties, craftsmanship, appearance and design of the thing you are selling.
A (Advantages) is the packaging of product features—what effects or performance does this feature have? It is practical, elegant, efficient, reliable, convenient, and safe.
B (Benefits) is what these advantages can bring. Benefits put the user into the scenario of using the product after purchase, describing the experience: happiness, peace of mind, reassurance, and a sense of prestige.
Benefits are the most compelling descriptions—far more persuasive than simply describing product features or functions.
FAB is a foundational mental model in sales, which salespeople can rely on to improve their selling skills. FAB is a simplification of the FABE sales rule; the difference is that the Evidences (Evidence) step includes product data reports, comparison experiments, patent certificates, and other credibility-boosting information. If you have no evidence, you can simply skip it.
The mission of marketing is to get people engaged and to drive action, so most marketing-related models are also related to human nature. Therefore, FAB can serve as an excellent recommendation mental model—sharing recommendations with friends, promoting yourself, or encouraging others can all apply the FAB framework.
For example, in the past when you shared something with friends, they would just mumble a vague agreement and then nothing would come of it. This may be because your description failed to move them—in that case, try using the FAB model to make your recommendation. "This is one of the rare professional books in recent years. What makes it special is that it gives readers a whole new understanding of the industry. Aren't you planning to enter this field? Then you should read it—it will help you a lot." Doesn't a recommendation like this have more power to spark someone's interest?
If you want to use the FAB model well, you need to add two letters in front of it: T and C.
T stands for Tag, which means identifying the characteristics of the person you're recommending to or the specific customer.
C stands for Choice, which means selecting the corresponding product attributes based on their most prominent personal characteristic.
Choosing which attributes to describe based on the interests and needs of the consumer or the person you're recommending to—thinking this through is more crucial.
Two people both apply FAB to sell toys
A: "This toy is well made and very sturdy—kids can't break it." After hearing this, the customer's reaction was lukewarm.
B: "This toy is made of great material, very eco-friendly, and safe for kids to play with." After hearing this, the customer placed an order right away.
The difference is that before starting the FAB, through the customer's attentive care for her child, the salesperson perceived that this mother cared more about her child's health, and thus chose to build the recommendation around the material attribute.
Combining the earlier TCF steps, this is the process of identifying the recommendation target and digging out the benefit they care about most. Each customer has different concerns about the same product; only by first recognizing the other party's characteristics and uncovering their points of concern—that is, only when the TCF process is done correctly—can the subsequent FAB be effective. TCFAB is the complete logic of the model. To win someone's approval, you must not only showcase your own excellence but also see what the other person wants more. To defeat an opponent, you must not only demonstrate your own strength but also see what the other person fears more.