“So what?” is the first question to ask in business
Business owners must ask the basic question “So what?” if they are to grow and flourish, according to the experts behind Scotland’s premier entrepreneurial development programmes.
According to brains behind The Business Map, which is delivered by leading Business support organisation the GO Group, business owners must step back from the day-to-day running of their organisations in order to properly evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and plan for the future.
Harry MacDivitt, an expert specialising in business strategy and marketing, who has been working with entrepreneurs for over 30 years, says: "One of the most effective ways for entrepreneurs to get a handle on their business is to ask themselves, "So what?"
"The question is very simple but has great analytical power. I'm not always popular when I ask businesses owners to answer that question - and often I have to ask them over and over again! The responses we get to begin with do not concentrate on what really matters - the customer. It is about getting down to the nub of the business, what the business owner is doing and why - and what this means for the customer. The responses that this question evokes are very indicative of what the business owners' priorities are and show how they should move their business forward."
MacDivitt believes that, in order to be truly successful, business owners must think about what they are offering and understand why this is of value to the customer.
He added: "I've worked with hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs and have seen their visions get clouded time and again. My advice to any business owner would be to stop, step back and really asses what is important."
And The Business Map approach works, according to Graham Rowan, Managing Director of Select Appointments, one of Scotland's leading recruitment companies. He took part in The Business Map earlier this year and has been asking the question 'So what?' regularly ever since.
He said: "'So what?' was one of the first exercises on The Business Map and it is certainly one that will stay with me.
"Harry asked for a typical feature of our service and asked "so what" after each previous answer, over and over again! It became clear that we all assume too much about how clearly we articulate the benefits of what we provide. It forces you to think about the impact of each point on your customer and how it helps them generate value for their business.
"I think that in business it is all too easy to get caught up in what is happening behind the scenes and forget that the customer is actually what is important. 'So what?' is a simple but effective exercise that I will continue to use both inside and outside the company to keep our services relevant and valuable to our clients"
For more information on The Business Map please visit www.thebusinessmap.co.uk or call 0845 606 6372. The GO Group run a wide range of learing and development master classes and workshops, for further information please visit www.thegogroup.co.uk or call 0845 602 1249.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Jo-Anne Hamilton
Senior Account Executive, Axis Media Group
0141 242 2802
07595 203 502