During my sixteen-year sales career, much of my success came when I sold the "features and benefits" of a new product. No matter what the product might cost, if I could assign enough of the product's features, and the benefits those features provided to the end-user, I could usually get the sale..
According to the front page article in this morning's N&R, the City is going to propose a $20M renovation/expansion of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. My first reaction was, "no way", because the main thing I got from the article was the price tag. To pour in an additional $20M to a facility that loses around $1.5M per year just seems like something that votors are going to resist.
If I consider making a purchase of a new product I want to know what it will offer me (the features), I want to know how those features will make my life better (the benefit) before I hand over my money. If the features and benefits outweighs the costs, I'll write the check.
Deep in the article, the benefits of the proposed expansion are alluded to: "...Council members say the thousands of visitors it brings to the city pour millions of dollars into the local economy." This statement is probably true, but we don't know for sure. These "millions" should be easy enough to demonstrate to us feeble minded voters with some simple math.
Expected extra out of town visitors because of $20M investment = Fan#. Average dollars expended by each Fan# = Fan$. Collected local taxes on each Fan$ = Fan$Tax.
Fan# x Fan$ x Fan$Tax = Money in the bank
If the yearly money in the bank exceeds the amount it costs to pay back the bonds issued... its a good deal. If not, its a bad deal.
Selling such a bond package to the voters is not rocket science, its more like... brain surgery.
8:33:06 AM 
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