Chapter 3 - How I Learned To Think This Way - You Can Too

[Diamond Website Conversion]

This chapter introduces the “So What” concept. It reiterates a couple of the points from the previous chapter: think about your audience and what they need, and don’t concentrate so hard on what you’re trying to say that you forget the purpose of communicating. It also introduces another strategy for developing the So What mentality: be genuinely interested in the listeners. Take that interest and use it to present to them the things that they will find most useful or pertinent about your product.

The So What question means to ask yourself before you say or present anything “What does this mean to my audience? Why will they care?” Think about something that you have presented lately (a page on your website, a piece of direct mail, or even just a conversation) and see if you answered those questions. Highlight the portions that are most relevant to a reader, and gauge what percent was merely wasted space. Do you think that you can redesign it with the customer, rather than the product, in mind?

[Shelby]

The "So What" concept is coming in handy in the social media work that I do. I think it will greatly help how I communicate with potential leads. I started to intentionally implement this concept and it seems to be working!

[Marty]

The So What principles apply not only in front of an audience - but also to client situations.

Focusing on the client and really listening to what they are saying to you - determining what's going to be important to them - it's a real art

Most people are just waiting for you to stop speaking so they can make their points - becoming a good listener is probably one greatest skills a person can develop

[Anne]

How great that curiosity is encouraged. How great that it is curiosity about the customer's needs as opposed to how many different ways I can describe the benefits of my products.