Mark Mondoka

The “So What?” technique is a powerful way to stress test and improve your product value messaging. It forces you to go beyond listing features and dig deeper to articulate the real, tangible value for customers.

Why Use the “So What?” Technique?

When communicating our product’s value, we often rely on assumptions. What seems obviously beneficial to us may not resonate with customers or decision makers.

Asking “So what?” repeatedly pushes us to answer the critical question: “What’s in it for the customer?”

It ensures we always tie messaging back to outcomes the buyer actually cares about, rather than just listing specs.

How the Technique Works

Let’s walk through an example to illustrate the “So What?” method in action.

Imagine we’re marketing a new AI-powered analytics platform. Here’s a typical value prop before applying the technique:

“Our AI-driven analytics engine processes data 50% faster than traditional methods, with automated reporting and an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.”

Now let’s challenge it:

• “Our AI-driven analytics engine processes data 50% faster”
  • So what? Why should the customer care about faster processing?
• “With automated reporting”
  • So what? How does automated reporting actually help the customer?
• “And an intuitive drag-and-drop interface”
  • So what? What tangible benefit does an easier interface provide?

Asking these questions, we realize we need to better connect features to real value.

Here’s the improved messaging:

“ABC Analytics helps your team make data-driven decisions in half the time.

• So what? Faster decisions mean you adapt to changing market conditions before competitors.

Our automated reporting frees up 10 hours per week for your data analysts.

• So what? Your experts gain back 25% of their time for higher-impact, strategic work.

The intuitive interface empowers even non-technical users to explore data.

• So what? You turn every employee into a data-enabled decision-maker, driving company-wide innovation.”

See how much more impactful the value proposition becomes when we push beyond features to outcomes?

Applying the “So What?” Technique

Take your current product messaging and put each claim through the “So what?” test. Be relentless in pushing for meaningful, customer-centric answers.

Consider:

• How does this feature translate into tangible benefits for the buyer?
• What higher-level business outcomes does it enable?
• What would compel the customer to care about or pay for this?
• How does it make their job or life better in a meaningful way?

Examples Across Industries

This technique works in any domain where you need to communicate value:

• Cybersecurity:
  • “Our threat detection uses machine learning”
  • So what? “…to block attacks 5x faster, preventing costly breaches.”
• Healthtech:
  • “Our platform integrates with all major EHR systems”
  • So what? “…giving doctors 30% more time with patients vs. managing data.”
• Fintech:
  • “We provide real-time portfolio analytics”
  • So what? “…alerting investors to risks immediately, preventing losses.”

The key steps are always the same:

1. State the feature or capability
2. Ask “So what?” to push for the real value
3. Articulate an outcome the customer cares about

Pro Tip

Get in your customers’ shoes and read the messaging from their view. Better yet, test it with real customers and note their reactions. Do they mentally ask “So what?” at any point? If so, take note and revise.

The Bottom Line

By rigorously applying “So what?”, we force ourselves to anchor messaging in real, meaningful value for customers. It’s a small but mighty technique to communicate our product’s true worth.

Happy Building!