I've been reading about the new Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 and came across a feature comparison chart
This reminded me of one of the reasons why I dislike marketing people. Here are 10 rules “How to create a favorable comparison chart“
- Pick your competition wisely. If possible, compare to unrelated products
or products marketed for a different niche
- Try limiting your comparison to only those features that exist in your
product. Never mind the competition has something that you don't - you are
playing on the home field and you are setting the rules.
- Never hesitate to use meaningless "features" as sales points. "Only our
product is built on the powerful XYZ technology". So if the competitor used ZYX
technology, that's his problem. We are not here to discuss whose technology
is better. Suffice it to say that they did not use ours.
- Be charitable. If you can throw in a few features that exist in all
competing products do it, but do it sparingly. You are not going to look
good if there are too many of those.
- "New!" next to the feature description works very well. It is especially
good when done in red bold font with a little star ornament. And no, you do
not have to explain that "new" refers to something that is new to this
release of *your* product, even if competition had it for ages.
- It really helps to compare your almost released product to competitor's
last year release even if they just announced a new version. After all you
haven't seen it - it may very well not exist. Remember, other people create
vaporware - we have bold plans and imminent upcoming releases.
- If you can't think of 10 rules, make it 6.