Don’t let your claims get caught in the ‘So what’ trap.
The claims you make about your product or service are so important. Whether you are writing an ad, or a post, making presentations, video or creating an elevator pitch – there is one golden rule. Steer clear of making a statement to which your customer can think, ‘So what?’
Generally this happens when you’re busy talking about yourself or your business. You are rightfully proud of your history, what you have achieved, and probably of some clever developments. But, although your customers may listen politely they are truly only interested in what you can do for them. That’s where the acid test – the ‘so what‘ test comes in.
Check your pitch, your claims and statements critically – and if you are not making really clear the undeniable benefits you offer, perhaps you are falling into the trap.
And this applies to more than words – check images too. Businesses often show pictures of their factory, or packing line – or perhaps some component normally hidden deep in their product – they are proud of these images – but do they directly contribute to the benefit as the customer sees it?
It’s not just about money
It’s true, that the benefits of doing business with you are commonly to do with making income or saving costs, but those are not the only ones. People make choices for less obvious reasons, such as lifestyle, identifying with or conforming to groups, creating a sense of identity, environmental or political stances. These are emotional benefits and can be very powerful, but often the claims need to be more implicit than explicit. You need to ensure they align with the customers’ needs – not yours. So apply the ‘So what?’ test when reviewing your claims to steer clear of this common trap.
Turn ‘so what?’ into ‘tell me more!‘
