Thursday, July 16, 2009
The One Question You Must Answer
All Results Drivers (customer, constituents, followers, employees, members) want the answer to one question.
Do you know that question? It's only 2 words.
Ask yourself the question about everything you do on the internet and your results will improve. No doubt. Guaranteed.
A quick intro to help get to the question, so you can begin to make sure you answer it. I recently took a class where a gentleman named Jim Kukral was one of the instructors. Jim's a big personality with a lot of great insights. He always has a look on his face that makes you think he is going to bust out laughing. A smile not quite contained. You should add Jim to your list of people to get good stuff from.
Jim likes to say there are only 2 reasons people use the internet. 1) to be entertained or 2) to solve or get an answer to a problem.
Think about it for a minute & I bet you'll agree.
For this discussion, I might suggest that can even be distilled further. People use the internet to have needs met. (I can't help them with some of those needs, to be sure. :-) )
People - your Results Drivers - judge whether what you are offering satisfies their needs and wants by asking this question about everything you do.
The question? "So What?"
Ask yourself that simple question until you get to the fundamental final answer. The answer which, for your business or activity, is the last answer you can give. That answer will be the benefit your Results Drivers get from that offering.
Really simple example: You say, "We're offering new software"
So what?
"Um.. It's faster."
So what?
"Well... you get your results in less time..." (getting closer)
So what?
"Faster results mean more time for you to do other things"
Ah... So your software means the user will have more free time. That might actually meet a need or want.
Now that you have that answer, you can frame it back into your relationship with the user - in the spirit of Billy Mays - as a question to find out if it really matters. [An aside...speaking of Billy Mays, if you didn't watch the first season of Pitchmen, do catch the reruns - it's quite educational AND note that Discovery Channel has renewed the show for another season. YEA!]
"Are you tired of wasting time waiting on your old software?"
It's sound rudimentary and terribly obvious for that example. Who wouldn't do that for a software product? But, how often do we forget it or think we can ignore the concept in another context.
Do all the elements of your Growth Engine (sign up for Grow! - the eCourse for definition) answer "So What?" for the Results Drivers you engage there?
Does your blog entertain or offer usable bits of advice? Your website? Your Twitter stream? Your Facebook page? Your storefront or shop? Your YouTube channel?
Go back & double check.
Then... Let's Grow! Wes
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Do you know that question? It's only 2 words.
Ask yourself the question about everything you do on the internet and your results will improve. No doubt. Guaranteed.
A quick intro to help get to the question, so you can begin to make sure you answer it. I recently took a class where a gentleman named Jim Kukral was one of the instructors. Jim's a big personality with a lot of great insights. He always has a look on his face that makes you think he is going to bust out laughing. A smile not quite contained. You should add Jim to your list of people to get good stuff from.
Jim likes to say there are only 2 reasons people use the internet. 1) to be entertained or 2) to solve or get an answer to a problem.
Think about it for a minute & I bet you'll agree.
For this discussion, I might suggest that can even be distilled further. People use the internet to have needs met. (I can't help them with some of those needs, to be sure. :-) )
People - your Results Drivers - judge whether what you are offering satisfies their needs and wants by asking this question about everything you do.
The question? "So What?"
Ask yourself that simple question until you get to the fundamental final answer. The answer which, for your business or activity, is the last answer you can give. That answer will be the benefit your Results Drivers get from that offering.
Really simple example: You say, "We're offering new software"
So what?
"Um.. It's faster."
So what?
"Well... you get your results in less time..." (getting closer)
So what?
"Faster results mean more time for you to do other things"
Ah... So your software means the user will have more free time. That might actually meet a need or want.
Now that you have that answer, you can frame it back into your relationship with the user - in the spirit of Billy Mays - as a question to find out if it really matters. [An aside...speaking of Billy Mays, if you didn't watch the first season of Pitchmen, do catch the reruns - it's quite educational AND note that Discovery Channel has renewed the show for another season. YEA!]
"Are you tired of wasting time waiting on your old software?"
It's sound rudimentary and terribly obvious for that example. Who wouldn't do that for a software product? But, how often do we forget it or think we can ignore the concept in another context.
Do all the elements of your Growth Engine (sign up for Grow! - the eCourse for definition) answer "So What?" for the Results Drivers you engage there?
Does your blog entertain or offer usable bits of advice? Your website? Your Twitter stream? Your Facebook page? Your storefront or shop? Your YouTube channel?
Go back & double check.
Then... Let's Grow! Wes