If You Answer This One Question You’ll Be More Persuasive. – with Mark Magnacca
on Jul 22, 2009 - 7:00 AM PSTSo What? Answer that one question when you talk and people will instantly care about you and what you have to say.
Mark Magnacca came to Mixergy to teach you how to make this small change in the way you present your ideas so you’ll become more persuasive. If you use what he taught, you can write more influential ad copy, be more convincing in business meetings and get people to pay closer attention when you talk.
The FULL program
Video excerpts
About Mark Magnacca
Mark Magnacca, is the author of So What? and President of Insight Development Group, Inc, a business building coach, keynote speaker and author. Mark’s mission is to help sales professionals get greater results in less time by teaching his clients to put all of their communications, verbal and written, to the So What Test. (Some of the information Mark talked about in this program can be found on SoWhatBook.com)
3 “So What” lessons from this program
How the “So What Filter” can land you new business
Imagine if you sat through an investment salesperson’s presentation and it sounded like this:
“My company was founded in 1858, and we now have more than 5,000 employees worldwide. We also recently won a customer satisfaction award…”
Boring and meaningless, right? But haven’t you heard people talk about their companies that way?
Now, see how different it is when the “So What?” question is answered:
“My company was founded in 1858. That’s important because we’ve survived recessions, depressions, earthquakes and more, and we kept every promise to our clients.
“We have more than 5,000 employees worldwide, which makes us big enough be a serious player, but not so big that we don’t know who you are.
“We won a customer satisfaction award. The reason that’s important to you is because your calls will be answered with 30 seconds, you’ll talk to a real person, and that person will usually know the answer to your question the first time.”
Can you see how much more persuasive you can be if you use this approach to connect what you offer to why people should care? Listen to the full interview to see how this transformation helped Mike land more meetings and how it could help you grow your business.
Answer these 3 questions and you’ll be more persuasive
In the program, Mark introduced us to the “So What Matrix,” a set of three questions. If what you say answers these three questions, your message will be more convincing.
1. For What? Explain why you’re giving the presentation.
2. So What? Explain why what you’re saying is important to the listener or reader.
3. Now What? Explain what happens as a result of your presentation.
The magic formula for answering, “What do you do?”
This can also be used to tell people what your web site does or your company does or anything else.
It’s a simple, 2-step formula.
Step 1: Get their interest by asking the question, “Do you know how [insert undeniable problem here]?”
Step 2: Explain how what you do answers their problem, by saying, “Well, what do is [insert your compelling solution].”
Here’s how one person used this formula:
Mark: What do you do?
Floyd: Do you know how many people don’t like the process of buying a new car because they don’t like dealing the salespeople?”
Mark: Yes.
Floyd: Well, what I do, for $295, is take people through a 15-point process designed to help them determine the exact right car for them, and then I go with them to the dealership to negotiate the best price.”
If you listen to the full program, you’ll see how well Floyd’s technique worked on me. Mark gave me an unexpected quiz to see if Floyd’s message stuck. You’ll also see how YOU can use this formula to make your message memorable.
Full program includes
- Learn how YOU can design a memorable answer to “What do you do?”
- See how YOU can make yourself so memorable that people will tell others about you and what you do. It’s a simple process and you’ll see Mark use it in this program.
- Hear how YOU can get people to say, “I like it. I want it. I’ll buy it.” about what you’re selling.
Suggested comments
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View Comments to “If You Answer This One Question You’ll Be More Persuasive. – with Mark Magnacca”
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July 22nd, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hey Andrew you've really outdone yourself with this interview. Knowing how to sell can definitely come in handy and this interview really taught me a lot of things on how to be more persuasive but also showed me a great way to sell something to someone.
Really loved the interview. Keep it up! :)
Cheers,
Emil Hajric.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:32 am
I appreciate it. I was wondering how people felt about me doing interviews
with people outside the tech industry.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Well having watched the interview I can tell you that I must have learned more in this interview, with a non-techy guy(no offence) than any other interview. If it has a point then it really doesn't matter what industry they are from, that's what I've learned from your interviews.
Tip: You should def. consider doing more “how to sale/persuade” interviews.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:54 am
One of your better interviews ever. Just about his book
BTW, you are so much better than Charlie Rose, Larry King, etc. I hope yo are not hired by a TV network :)
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Haven't watched the video yet, but the excerpts are compelling. I've been waiting for a show like this…
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:23 am
There is a TON of value for newer entrepreneurs in this type of content. I can't count how many great entrepreneurs perform so BADLY in sales! (and the founder has to be the best sales person).
There isn't really anything groundbreaking in the So What concept – but it's all in how the person needs to learn how to market/sell. Empathy, knowledge, benefit-oriented….all very important. Passion should be assumed to exist for an entrepreneur..:)
I recommend that entrepreneurs read more traditional sales books – like spin selling – to understand what the buying process really is and how to *react* (proactively ideally) to it. There is a lot of crap out there however…
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I think I will need to watch some of your interviews live Andrew. I loved this interview and it really made my rollerblade enjoyable.
I'm buying the So What? book tomorrow and can't wait to do the 21 day challenge. I know this will help me properly construct my elevator pitch, and help to better articulate my business and what it does.
Thanks Andrew and Mark for this gem!
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Wow, this was a great interview. Lots of energy, lots of clever tools and tipps i'm gonna use. thanks!
for what? so what? now what? – awesome questions to answer to anybody who listens!
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:15 am
Perfect Score! Mark and Andrew, Thank you!
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Andrew, best interview ever! I love your work – asking myself SO WHAT? definitely changed how I think. 10/10!
July 24th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Outstanding interview Andrew. I've battled with the “What do you do?” question for years and still do to a point. Mark's advice has me thinking and puts it in such simple terms.
Interested how other people who work on more than one business answer the question. Do you generalise or mention one of the businesses that most suits the audience.
July 25th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
This is a great interview. I bought a copy of the book and i look forward to reading it. Andrew your advise on this blog is helping me greatly in my life and business and am about to go live with some Upstarts heavily influenced by Mixergy. Oustanding performance from you and Mark.
July 26th, 2009 at 11:35 am
This was a very informative lesson for me. One of the overall concepts that I received from the interview is the necessity to know ones audience. Know what makes them tick, their likes, dislikes and aspirations, and then convey how you can benefit them.
The Do You Know How/ Well What We Do process was the greatest lesson within the interview and can help me craft my elevator pitch to spark the interest of my audience.
Thank you very much for the insight and willingness to help!
Best,
Max Gibson
July 26th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
My only complaint about anything I've watched on here is the video player… I can't seem to fast forward to any part of the video I want.
For what? (haha) Sometimes I can't sit for a whole hour interview, and want to come back, or (like just happened) I accidentally clicked a link that took me to another page.
So what? I should be able to fast forward to where I was rather than wait (with my relatively slow connection, for it to load all the way to that point again. Would save you on bandwidth as well, and make it a bit more user friendly.
Now what? Go fix it! haha
Especially since I just checked and none of the local bookstores have it in stock! (which bodes well for his sales, so congrats. heheh
July 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
[...] Video Interview mit Mark Magnacca auf Mixergy.com (Mitreißende Präsenationen und Elevator Pitches) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "HowTo: Mitreißende Präsentationen und Elevator-Pitches", url: "http://www.patric-schmid.de/blog/2009/07/26/howto-mitreissende-praesentationen-und-elevator-pitches/" }); You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Tags: Mixergy, Pitch, Präsentation, startup [...]
July 26th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Great interview Andrew, i appreciate your hustle to get these great thought leaders. I was literally applying what he was saying to my business concept and how i am going to pitch it. Right now time is not my friend and i needed the best ways in which to formulate my pitch, i think i have found it. just bought the book on amazon and i cant wait to put this into practice
July 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanks. The interview I did with Leo Laporte, which I'll post soon, opened my eyes to how the web can be bigger than a network. What he's building on twit.tv is bigger than TechTV, where he used to work.
Of course, what I'm doing here only works if you keep seeing results in your business. So I need to keep improving.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I especially like to hear that because I didn't do the excerpts this time. Looks like Paola is getting the hang of this.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
You're right. I need to do more interviews on the basics.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I need to get on a regular schedule with the live shows so you can add them to your calendar. I'm working on it.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
That's what I like to hear. Thanks!
July 27th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
That's great! Thanks.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Wow. This is so good to hear. Thank you.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I know what you mean. It can be such a missed opportunity if it's not answered clearly.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Thanks. Let me know what you think.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Yeah. Did you see how excited he got me because he spent some time studying what I do first? That's one of the best messages from this program, but I couldn't communicate it in the text. I think you have to hear the interview to see the power of simple research like that.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
That's a blip.tv issue. I have that same complaint with them.
You actually can fast forward, but you need to let the video load a bit first. It really stinks. Sorry.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I love hearing that. I want my work here to be actionable.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Most value-packed interview thus far!
Nice sign-off line, Andrew: “…I'll see you in the comments.”
July 27th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Wow. This opening my eyes to new kinds of programs that I should do here.
Thanks for the feedback.
July 27th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Cool – great job on this site! Very glad to have discovered it via a buddy. Can't wait to see more!
July 27th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Also two things, Where is the retweet button on here to spread the word about interviews like this and lastly you mentioned teaching us viewers how to read faster. I would love to know what tactics you have to accomplish this?
July 27th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
“….. I was wondering how people felt about me doing interviews
with people outside the tech industry.” – Andrew
I was hoping for just that – you would go beyond the thech industry people and include us – modest non-silicon valley viewers. Otherwise most of the Mixergy interviews that I saw was:” …really interesting! but SO WHAT ;-)… I can’t apply it to my non thech biz”
Thank you for doing it this time and we need more…
Katya
July 28th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Great interview Andrew, enjoyed it.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Loved the interview. So simple! So powerful. Only complaint–Can you make it possible to go forward and backward in the interview to fast-forward to or repeat important sections? Very frustrating.
August 8th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Great video. Makes me rethink whether I need to reinvent my pitch.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Glad you found my work. Looking forward to seeing you here.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
- The retweet button should be fixed now.
- Hmm. I didn't think anyone cared about my speed reading method so I
dropped it. Guess I was wrong. I'll think of a way to teach it.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Thanks for telling me. I'll do more of these programs then!
August 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I appreciate that. Thanks.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
That really is frustrating. The issue is with blip.tv. It needs to buffer
before it allows you to move forward and backwards. I hope they fix that.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Let me know if you do because of this program. I'd love to hear how it
influences you.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Looks like disqus is 4 levels max..;)
I bought that Ignore Everybody book after the interview here. Seems like a different kind of dude – which often means it's much more interesting.
August 10th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Thanks. That's one of my favorites!
August 10th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Thanks. That's one of my favorites!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Mark thank you! One thing I have always struggled with is explaining what I do. This gives a clear and easy to use template. I got your book after reading hearing this interview and I found it very useful.
Its great to see someone from the Boston area on this program!
Andrew another great interview. Keep them coming!
August 15th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Excellent interview Mark! My partners and I were going through this exercise of coming up with what we truly offer our clients and the content you delivered helped us streamline our messaging in more concise way. Keep over delivering Andrew!
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
This format is a huge help.
I've been using it a lot myself.
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I'm going to see Mark for dinner next week. Looking forward to talking to
him about comments like this.
Thanks!
August 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Andrew, I've got a few ideas to share with you as a follow up to this interview-l look forward to seeing you this week-
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Looking forward to it. See you Wednesday.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Marc, you are the Man! Thank you Andrew, by watching the techniques I learned on Mixergy.com I was able to bootstrap my way into a conference worth over $700.00 – Funny thing is, they think they are getting a deal. When I show up, I know they are going ask me, “What do you do..?”
I'm going to think of this interview and say, “Well, You know how…” BAAAM! lol
Put this guy in the Book!
October 15th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Correction. Mark Magnacca is the Man!..mis-spelled in the previous post.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
[...] P.S. if you want to see the interview I saw on Mixergy.com here’s the link. [...]
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Andrew, thanks for reposting this interview otherwise I would have missed out on this great interview. i am going out to buy “so what” right now. :)
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Hi Andrew,
I'm fairly new to the site and so far I'm enjoying and learning a lot. I'm going to start my own social networking website but I want to start it from the ground up, and advice???
January 12th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
the most important business insight of my life Andrew
i thank you so much
keep on selling as much as you can because you serve a great goal and this book helps it : improve our life
you are a great interviewer as you go deeply in the explanations and summarize them well
i did that 1 year as tv host of an economic shovt tv programm
keep doing that mister Andrew Napoleon Warner Hill
It doesn't matter if the interviewees belongs to the internet industry if their insights are useful
your selection is clever
Best from Paris
Kamel
styleandthecity.com
January 13th, 2010 at 2:42 am
the most important business insight of my life Andrew
i thank you so much
keep on selling as much as you can because you serve a great goal and this book helps it : improve our life
you are a great interviewer as you go deeply in the explanations and summarize them well
i did that 1 year as tv host of an economic shovt tv programm
keep doing that mister Andrew Napoleon Warner Hill
It doesn't matter if the interviewees belongs to the internet industry if their insights are useful
your selection is clever
Best from Paris
Kamel
styleandthecity.com