So What? | The Marketing Tactician

Marketing

A simple question yielding powerful results. The question "so what?" can reveal what really matters to your target audience - the benefit. So you have a flashy new web app that can refresh logos - so what? A feature you just launched will be useful for clients making up less than 20 percent of your revenues - so what? Your company has assembled the most experienced team in your industry - so what? These features are meaningless to your audience without a benefit. Asking the question "so what?" helps you get to benefit for your customers. It gets to your customer's "what's in it for me?, " and "why should I pick your product or service instead of the alternative?" thoughts in their minds. For example, the benefit of employing the most experienced team is better illustrated in your customers' eyes by explaining how an experienced team will help clients avoid costly pitfalls and speed the launch of important projects. The "so what?" line of questioning forces you to speak in client-benefit language and cut out insular feature-laden language. Determining the benefit statement you craft for your clients and prospects takes time and often probing conversations with your customers. It can be challenging to identify something unique and compelling. However, after a few iterations of truly identifying the answers to "so what?" your message can be effectively molded into benefits that are music to your customers ears. So, the next time you think you have the answer, take a step back and ask the "so what?" question. Be sure you are answering the right question and speaking to the benefits your audience needs to hear. Now all you need is for your customers to listen to your song.