How to make your business pass the So What test?

By Rebecca | January 4, 2022

New year, new you, new resolutions, new goals.

But all in the service of what, exactly?

As you start the new year – or any new day – make sure you know why you do the things you do and why others should take interest.

Make sure your business passes the so what test.

What is the so what test?

The so what test is the explanation of why something matters.

Passing the so what test means that your business is focused on actions and items that truly add value, both to you and your clients.

Remember when we discussed the distinction between features and benefits? That is an example of a so what test.

Features are facts about your business.

Benefits are why they matter.

The explanation connecting those two is the “so what” factor.

Try it for yourself.

Take a piece of paper and fold it down the middle or open a new document and create a two-column table.

On one side, make a list of facts about your business. Leave extra lines between each fact.

Then, next to each fact, answer the question: so what.

You will have multiple answers for each fact (which is why you left extra lines, you need more space in your right-hand column).

Start with facts about your service for clients.

On a new page work on facts about your business plans and goals.

And finally, work through facts about your process and operations.

And you will have covered all three pillars of happy employees, business goals, and loyal clients.

What are your strongest values? And does everybody know?
Where do you need more work? That’s your area for improvement: use material on this blog and elsewhere to address the weak spots, and contact me to run a so what test on your business as a whole.