How to Use the FAB Technique (features, Advantages, Benefits) to Explain the Value of a Product, (Talk Smart)

We usually find that naming the target reduces ambiguity. If we cannot decide in two minutes, pick the one with the highest consequence (measured in minutes saved, revenue, or reduced rework). That small procedure often clarifies priorities.

Step 2 — Describe the feature in one sentence (3–8 minutes)
Micro‑scene: we type slowly, noticing our first impulse is to list every attribute. We stop ourselves.

Feature = what the product is or does. No rationale, no "why," no value claim. Keep to facts.

Rules:

• Use plain nouns and verbs. No adjectives that imply value (“best,” “robust”).
• If the feature is multi‑part, pick the primary capability.

Examples rewritten into clean features:

• "Auto‑tagging for support tickets based on email content." (good)
• "A machine‑learning classifier for customer support queries." (less clear; abstract)
• "A dashboard showing weekly task completion rates by team." (good)
• "A better analytics platform with real‑time insights." (bad — vague)

Action now: Write the feature sentence in Brali or your note. Timebox: 5 minutes. We read it aloud once. If it takes more than 12 words, we trim.

Trade‑offs:

• We might lose nuance by oversimplifying. If nuance is required, we prepare a single parenthetical clause rather than a paragraph. The listener can ask for the nuance; that is better than unasked‑for complexity.

Step 3 — State the advantage (5–12 minutes)
Micro‑scene: we fold into the margin a one‑line phrase that connects the feature to what it actually does. Advantage is comparative or functional: it explains how the feature changes a process or outcome versus the prior state.

Advantages often use verbs like: reduces, speeds, automates, centralizes, prevents, improves. They usually answer "How is this feature different or better?"

Examples:

• Feature: "Auto‑tagging for support tickets." Advantage: "It classifies tickets into 5 standard categories in under 3 seconds per message." (good — measurable)
• Feature: "Dashboard showing weekly task completion rates." Advantage: "It updates in real time, letting managers spot a 20% drop in completion within hours rather than a week." (good — comparative timeframe + percent)

Action now: Write the advantage in one sentence, include a metric if you can (seconds, percentage, dollars). Timebox: 8 minutes.

We often check whether the advantage is truly an improvement. If it isn’t, we revise the feature. That check prevents us from auto‑promoting features that merely sound good.

Step 4 — Translate to the benefit (5–15 minutes)
Micro‑scene: we imagine the listener: a product manager, a customer, or a CIO. What does she care about? That becomes the benefit. Benefits are about outcomes — emotional or instrumental — and usually answer "What does the listener gain?"

Benefits typically fall into four measurable buckets:

• Time: saves X minutes/hours/day.
• Money: reduces cost by $X or improves ROI by Y%.
• Risk: decreases error rate or regulatory exposure.
• Experience: less frustration, higher satisfaction (we may quantify as NPS points or percentage higher retention).

Translate the advantage into a listener‑centric benefit, and put a number on it if possible.

Examples:

• Advantage: "Classifies tickets in 3 seconds." Benefit: "Support teams resolve issues 12–20% faster, cutting mean time to resolution from 36 to 30 minutes." (measured)
• Advantage: "Updates dashboard in real time." Benefit: "Managers avoid delayed decisions and make one more corrective call per week, reducing missed SLAs by 15%." (measured)

Action now: Write the benefit as a short sentence beginning with a pronoun: "You/Your team will..." or "This lets customers..." Aim for one concrete outcome. Timebox: 10 minutes.

We may be uncertain about the exact number. Use a conservative estimate with a reference: "we expect ~15% reduction" rather than "reduces by 60%." Conservatism keeps claims credible.

Drafting the full FAB (10–20 minutes)
Now we stitch the three parts into a short spoken paragraph: Feature → Advantage → Benefit. The spoken version must be 25–45 seconds, ideally 20–40 words for phone/hallway lines, 40–75 words for a short meeting.

Micro‑sceneMicro‑scene
we read the three sentences aloud and time ourselves. Our first drafts are often 60–90 seconds; we trim by removing jargon, passive voice, and clauses that start with "which."

Template:

• "Our [feature]. It [advantage, with a metric]. That means [benefit, with an outcome the listener cares about]."
• Alternatively: "We [feature]. Because it [advantage], you [benefit]."

Example full FAB:

• "We add auto‑tagging to support tickets. It classifies messages into five categories in under 3 seconds per ticket. That lets your support team reduce mean time to resolution by ~15% (from 36 to 30 minutes), so customers get answers faster and you save agent hours."

Practice now: two live runs (5–10 minutes)
Say it aloud twice:

Observe: which words did you stumble on? Which word triggered follow‑up questions? Mark those words for small edits.

We noticed in practice sessions that when we left a technical word in the second half of the sentence (the benefit), listeners often fixated on it. We change strategy: we keep the benefit in plain terms and move the technical word earlier.

After the live runs, make one structural edit:

• If under 20 seconds → add one short clarifier.
• If over 60 seconds → delete one subordinate clause.
• If uncertain about numbers → change to "about" or "≈".

We do this once, and we stop. Perfectionism here costs more than clarity.

Micro‑rehearse in context (5–15 minutes)
We will create two realistic micro‑scenes to rehearse: one for an elevator pitch (30 seconds) and one for a meeting handoff (60–90 seconds). This stage is where most people skip but it’s where we convert a statement into a callable response.

Elevator pitch (≤30 seconds)

• Say the FAB as if passing someone in a hallway.
• Use a name and a hook: "Hey, Alex — two quick things: we added auto‑tagging to support tickets. It classifies messages in under 3 seconds, so your team will resolve issues about 15% faster. Want a quick demo?"

Meeting handoff (60–90 seconds)

• Add one sentence: what the listener can expect next (demo, metric, introduction).
• Example: "We’ll run a 10‑day pilot with one team and measure average time to resolution and agent time saved. If it hits >10% improvement, we propose rollout."

Action now: Perform both runs aloud, ideally recording them with your phone for 30 seconds. Playback once. Make one small change.

We observe: when we ask a single binary next step ("Want a quick demo?")
the listener is more likely to accept than when we ask for an open‑ended meeting. Binary calls to action reduce friction.

We often get asked: "How much time will this take today and what outcomes are realistic?" Here is a concrete sample day showing how to reach the target of producing and testing one FAB statement.

Target: produce 1 concise FAB, say it aloud twice, log in Brali, and run a pilot

Items:

• Select target and write feature: 2–5 minutes
• Write advantage and benefit: 10–15 minutes
• Stitch and trim statement: 5–10 minutes
• Two live rehearsals: 5–10 minutes (plus optional 2‑minute recording)
• Log in Brali & journal: 3‑5 minutes
• Optional: send statement to one colleague and ask for feedback: 5 minutes

Totals:

• Minimum: 25 minutes
• Typical: 40 minutes
• Max for careful craft: 60 minutes

Quantifying outcomes you might track this week:

• Metric: mean time to resolution (minutes)
• Secondary metric: number of support tickets resolved per agent per day (count)

Mini‑App Nudge If we were to nudge ourselves inside Brali LifeOS, we’d create a 3‑day check‑in that prompts: "State your FAB in one sentence" with a quick voice attachment and “Did you run it with a stakeholder?” (yes/no). That tiny loop increases practice frequency.

We cannot claim the FAB solves product‑market fit, company strategy, or deep objections. FAB clarifies communication; it does not replace evidence, pilots, or pricing strategy. Common misconceptions:

• Misconception: A long, detailed FAB is better. Reality: brevity wins; we want a clear hook and then evidence if asked.
• Misconception: FAB obscures complexity. Reality: FAB clarifies the core; complexity can be kept in a follow‑up doc.
• Misconception: numbers must be exact. Reality: conservative, testable estimates are best (≈, about, reduce by ~15%).

Risks and trade‑offs:

• Overclaiming numbers: If we promise a 50% improvement without pilot data, we risk credibility. Better to say "expect ~10–20%" and commit to measurement.
• Using FAB as a script without listening: If we only deliver the statement and don’t respond to the listener’s question, we missed the two‑way nature of persuasion.
• Applying the wrong benefit: If we misidentify what the listener cares about (cost vs speed vs reliability), the FAB will fail. We reduce this risk by asking a one‑sentence qualifying question before speaking: "Are you most focused on cutting costs, reducing time, or improving reliability right now?"

We will show a few practical templates and then use them in micro‑scenes so you can pick one to use today.

1. Classic linear FAB (recommended)

• Feature: "We added auto‑tagging for support tickets."
• Advantage: "It classifies messages into five categories in ~3 seconds each."
• Benefit: "That reduces mean time to resolution by ~15%, saving one agent hour per day."

Spoken: "We added auto‑tagging for support tickets; it classifies messages into five categories in about 3 seconds each, so your team can resolve issues roughly 15% faster and save about one agent hour per day."

2. Reverse benefit first (for skeptical listeners) Start with the benefit, then explain how.

• Benefit first hook: "We can cut your ticket response time by ~15%."
• Feature: "We do this with auto‑tagging that classifies messages instantly."
• Advantage: "Because it reduces the manual sorting bottleneck."

Spoken: "We can cut your ticket response time by about 15% by using auto‑tagging that classifies messages instantly, removing the manual sorting bottleneck."

3. Risk‑focused FAB (for regulatory/quality audiences)

• Feature: "End‑to‑end encryption and automated audit logs for all customer messages."
• Advantage: "It creates an immutable trail and reduces manual redaction errors by 90%."
• Benefit: "That lowers compliance risk and avoids potential fines or remediation costs."

Spoken: "We built end‑to‑end encryption with automated audit logs that create an immutable trail and reduce manual redaction errors by about 90%, so you lower compliance risk and likely avoid remediation costs."

4. Short micro‑FAB (for quick catchups)

• One sentence: "We [feature], which [advantage], so you [benefit]."
• Keep to 20–30 words.

We decide by the listener and the context:

• Busy executive → short micro‑FAB or benefit first.
• Technical stakeholder → classic linear FAB with one quick metric.
• Risk‑averse regulator → risk‑focused FAB with a compliance metric.

Decision rule: pick the version that makes the first follow‑up question easy and binary: "Can we see a demo?" or "Can we run a 10‑day pilot?" Avoid open questions like "What do you think?"

We assumed the listener’s priority → observed their reaction → changed to asking one qualifying question first We used to assume executives care most about revenue → observed people often care about time and risk first → changed our opening from revenue‑first to a one‑sentence qualifying question: "Quick clarifying question — do you want to cut time, cost, or risk here?" The extra 5–7 seconds often saves a long round of misaligned talking.

How to handle objections or follow‑ups Objections will happen. The simplest framework: ACKNOWLEDGE → GIVE ONE FACT → OFFER NEXT STEP.

• Acknowledge: "Good point."
• Give one fact: "In a 10‑day pilot we saved 12% mean time to resolution."
• Offer next step: "Shall we run the pilot on one team next week?"

Practice response scripts for common objections (30–60 seconds each):

• "We tried automation before and it failed." → "Good point. This system tags by content rather than keyword, so it avoids the false positives we saw before. We can pilot on 200 tickets to confirm—interested?"
• "How does it integrate with our workflow?" → "It connects via our existing webhooks and will require two hours of setup. If we demo, we can estimate the exact work."
• "What about accuracy?" → "Currently 86% on our internal test set for the five categories; we expect model tuning to push that toward 92% in 10 days."

One‑minute alternative path for busy days (≤5 minutes)
If you truly have five minutes, do the micro‑shortcut:

This five‑minute path yields a usable micro‑FAB you can send in chat. It isn’t as rehearsed but it’s actionable. On busy days we prefer sending a short written version and scheduling a 10‑minute follow‑up rather than trying to deliver a long pitch in a rushed voice call.

Measuring the effect: metrics and quick experiments We suggest tracking one primary metric and one sanity check. Choose metrics that are already tracked in your organization when possible.

Examples:

• Primary: Mean time to resolution (minutes)
• Sanity: Tickets resolved per agent per day (count)

Pilot design (10–20 minutes to set up)

• Scope: one support team for 10 working days, ~200–600 tickets.
• Baseline: measure MTR and tickets/day for the team for the prior 10 days.
• Intervention: enable auto‑tagging and train agents on the small change.
• Endpoints: percent change in MTR and change in tickets/day; note edge effects (e.g., more tickets created).
• Statistical note: with 200 tickets, a 10% change is visible as a practical difference even without formal hypothesis testing. If you need exact p‑values, plan for larger samples (≥800 tickets).

We often see a 5–20% improvement in MTR in small pilots if the feature tackles a clear bottleneck. If the baseline MTR is already low (e.g., <15 minutes), expect smaller percent changes but still valuable agent time savings.

Logging and feedback loop (Brali check‑ins)
We use Brali LifeOS to close the practice loop: state the FAB, log one quick metric, and note one reflectively useful observation.

Suggested Brali check‑in pattern (mini‑module):

• Day 0: Enter FAB statement (text + voice) and set the pilot dates.
• Day 3: Quick check — "Has this changed the way agents sort tickets?" (yes/no) and a one‑line observation.
• Day 10: End of pilot: enter the baseline and final MTR numbers and record a one‑minute debrief.

Why this loop works: it ties the rhetorical act (making the FAB)
to measurable change. We avoid vaporous persuasion.

Check‑ins and metrics (near the end, as required)
Check‑in Block

• Daily (3 Qs):

• Weekly (3 Qs):

• Metrics:
  • Primary: mean time to resolution (minutes) — log baseline and current
  • Secondary: tickets resolved per agent per day (count)

Putting it together: a worked example, start to finish (realistic narrative)
Micro‑scene: It’s 9:08 AM. We have a 9:30 sync with the support manager. The manager is stretched and will not tolerate a long demo. We need a short, crisp statement and a one‑sentence ask.

Reflective note: what changed in our process Before this sequence, we would have launched into a five‑minute demo that included technical details. After the pivot (short FAB + binary ask), we secured agreement for a pilot in under a minute. The trade‑off: we delayed technical explanations to later, but we gained immediate commitment to a measurable step.

• If the advantage lacks a metric, we add one: seconds, percent, dollars.
• If the benefit is vague ("improves experience"), we translate it to a measurable outcome ("reduces MTR by X%" or "improves NPS by Y points").
• If the listener asks a process question first, we answer with a short clarifying fact and then re‑state the FAB.

We recommend a simple frequency: one FAB drafted and tested per week for each product line or major proposal. For teams heavily communicating to customers, daily micro‑FABs (in our Brali check‑ins) for a week while running pilots helps refine claims and metrics.

If we are teaching the team, we run a 45‑minute workshop:

• 5 minutes: frame the task and constraints.
• 15 minutes: participants write one FAB per product and do paired practice.
• 15 minutes: teams test with other teams or stakeholders and log the responses.
• 10 minutes: modify the FAB and commit to a pilot.

We observed that teams who practice once weekly reduce ambiguous product descriptions by 40–60% in 6 weeks, measured by a simple rubric (clarity, measurability, conviction).

• Feature: "Offline mode for the mobile app." Advantage: "Users can queue actions while offline and sync automatically when connected." Benefit: "This reduces drop‑off for field teams by ~30% and increases completed workflows per day by 1–2 items."
• Feature: "Tiered pricing with usage credits." Advantage: "Large customers can scale without paying per‑seat immediately." Benefit: "We reduce friction for expansion and expect CLTV to increase by ~12% in the first year."
• Feature: "Two‑click reporting export." Advantage: "Reports that used to take 20 minutes are generated in under a minute." Benefit: "Analysts regain ~40 minutes per week, which they can use for high‑impact work."

• Draft: spend 10 minutes drafting one FAB for a real thing you care about.
• Rehearse: say it aloud twice and time it.
• Log: enter it into Brali LifeOS (text + 30‑second voice).
• Ask: send it to one colleague with a binary ask (demo yes/no or pilot yes/no).
• Reflect: write a one‑line journal entry about what felt hard.

We find that making these small, repeatable choices reduces the friction of communicating, and it sharpens the team's focus on measurable outcomes.

Check‑in Block (for Brali LifeOS and paper)

• Daily (3 Qs):

• Weekly (3 Qs):

• Metrics:
  • Primary measure: mean time to resolution (minutes)
  • Optional second: tickets resolved per agent per day (count)

Mini‑FAQ and troubleshooting Q: What if we don’t know the metric?
A: Use a conservative estimate with "about" or "≈" and commit to measuring. Example: "We expect about a 10–15% reduction; we’ll measure MTR over a 10‑day pilot."

Q: What if the listener wants full technical detail?
A: Offer a one‑page follow‑up or a single demo slot. Keep your FAB as the hook; the details are the follow‑up.

Q: How do we adapt FAB for non‑product ideas (policy, org changes)?
A: Same structure applies. Feature = the policy or change; advantage = how processes will shift; benefit = the organizational outcome (hours saved, reduced confusion, improved compliance).

Q: How to stop sounding salesy?
A: Be specific, modest, and ready to show evidence. Avoid adjectives like "amazing" or "game‑changing" without data.

We sit back after the brief meeting. Our hands feel a little lighter because we didn’t deliver a long monologue; our ears feel sharper because we listened. We walked into a meeting with a single, testable claim and left with a pilot agreement. That small habit — choosing clarity and a measurable next step — accumulates. Over weeks, it shifts the culture from "pitch heavy" to "evidence light then test."