BOOK
SUMMARY (20)
So What?
“The net result of
reading this book is that you will instinctively know the best way to
communicate your message to engage your audience so that they want to follow
you.” So What?, page 5
How often do you need to influence someone?
Think about it. It starts the moment you wake until you lay your head back
down. We influence and persuade all day long. But how much thought do you put
into how you do that? How much faster, easier, more satisfying would your life
be if you could influence others more effectively?
Mark Magnacca studied the communication
successes and mistakes of people and companies who have changed our world and
those who should have. He shares their examples with us to illustrate how the
So What Question was integral to their success. All the successful influencers,
he says, focused on what was important to their audience. They asked themselves
‘so what?’
He not only shares the examples, but then
makes them tangible by teaching us ten ways to make them happen. His ideas help
you change the way you communicate with people from ‘here’s what I have and want’
to ‘here’s how you can
benefit’. The result? You learn how to engage your audience’s
interest and influence them.
Golden Egg
The So
What Benefit
“Every single time you communicate, you must ask yourself
what’s important to your audience. Have you thought about the key points of
your presentation from their perspective or could they be saying ‘So what?’”
So What?, page
137
Do you know your So What Benefit? What is
important to them? If you don’t know, Magnacca suggests you simply ask!
Specifically he suggests you ask a member of your target audience to complete
the following sentence:
All I really care about is _____________.
This will move you away from the logical (and
less influential) ostensible benefit to the emotional (and more influential) So
What benefit. For example, did you buy an iPod for its “portability”
(ostensible benefit) or because you will have 1000 songs that you want in your
pocket (So What benefit)?
Emotion drives decision making, not logic.
The So What Benefit helps you connect to that emotion. Move away from the
benefit that seems like the reason people buy your product and move to the so
what benefit that causes them to say “I love it, I want it, I’ll buy it.”
GEM #1
Prepare
the Soil
“Neil, here’s the simple reality. This game
was over before it began. This audience made up their mind that it was not
useful to listen to you even before you started talking. Let me tell you why.” So What?, page 57
Does your audience or customer have a
preconceived notion about who you are and what you do? Does that lead them to
believe you might just waste their time? How are you preparing the soil so that
your seeds or ideas can germinate?
One of the ways Magnacca suggests that you can
prepare the soil is to position yourself just like you would your product or
service. Understand what is important to your audience and then focus on those
benefits that bring meaning to them in the form of a personal biography. You
can think of it as a document that answers the questions most people have
before they agree to work with you – but are uncomfortable asking.
While this isn’t a new idea (as far back as
Napoleon Hill, the idea has been suggested) it has not been implemented as well
as it could. In short, it should include:
·
Who you are
·
Your character, competence and
common ground
·
What makes you unique
Want to make one for yourself? Magnacca
offers 7 steps to help you create your biography and examples at
sowhatbook.com.
GEM #2
It’s
about them, not you
“The quickest way to reduce nervousness is to focus on
the needs of your audience rather than be concerned about how you look or sound
in front of the audience.” So What?, page
136
Sometimes we get so focused on what we have
or what we want to tell them that we forget what they need or want. For
example, people don’t go to the hardware store because they want to buy a
quarter-inch drill. They go because they want to make quarter-inch holes. Are
you too focused on your quarter-inch drill that you’ve forgotten all about what
they wanted the drill for?
If you concentrate too much on what you want
to tell them, you may forget their needs. An antidote? Develop an inquisitive
mind to discover the needs and a genuine interest in meeting the needs of your
audience.
There are many ways to improve how you
influence others. Magnacca offers one significant way that he calls the So What
mindset. This will help you clarify your thinking and communicate what matters
most to your audience. He proposes that if you help enough people get what they
want, by showing them how what you have can benefit them, then you can have
anything you want.
While this sounds seductively simple,
Magnacca admits it is difficult to apply. He therefore offers, as a bonus after
reading the book, his 21-day challenge to reinforce the ideas, recondition your
thinking and develop the So What Mindset. Brilliant!
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