What? So what? Now what?
That’s five words with three questions inside them, and I’ve been using them to explain how you get someone’s attention, and keep it, for about a decade now.
Russell Brunson calls it hook, story, offer in his book DotCom Secrets, and mine covers the same ground in words I find easier to say out loud.
Why should I stop what I’m doing?
The “what” is the hook. It’s the bit that grabs attention. Whoever’s on the other end is asking what this is and what it’s about. Why should they be looking at it, listening to it or watching it? Why should they stop what they were already doing and give their attention to you?
So what is it you want? What have you got to say?
Why should I care?
The “so what” is the story. What’s in it for me? Why do I care? This is where the background comes in, the why behind it, the person a bit like me who I reckon I can learn from. It’s the reason this matters today, in this moment, right now.
What am I supposed to do next?
The “now what” is the next step. You’ve told me what this is and you’ve made me care about it. You’ve made me uncomfortable, or got me excited, or both. So now I’m in that emotional flux, or I’ve got that logical belief... what am I supposed to do? What’s my first step?
Kids already know how to do this
I don’t only think about this as a business thing. When I explain it to people I’m thinking about life just as much.
Think about it. If your kids want something from you, what story do they tell to reel you in? And do they wait until the end to ask, or ask halfway through and handle all your objections up front?
Kids are natural salespeople, whether we see it or not. And yet somehow life has a way of taking that skill away from people as they grow up.
There’s nothing shameful about knowing what you want, going after it and asking for it. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t believe in hurting other people in the pursuit of my own goals. It’s almost like the old medical rule, “First, do no harm.” And the best goals lift everybody anyway, us included.
So take the thing you most want right now. Could you answer all three questions about it, in one sentence each?
