The One Question All Customers Have

Most salespeople can explain what their solution is or even does; however, not many can help their customers understand why it matters. The difference lies in the clarity of benefits and how customers perceive value.

A simple question to ask yourself is: So, what? Prospects view every claim you make through the lens of WIIFM, which means what is in it for me. If you do not help them understand that they will do it on their own, they might not perceive the value you intended.

When you ask yourself, so what, long enough, customer motivations usually fall into four primary categories: saving or making money, saving time, comfort in the form of increased pleasure or reduced pain, and health, safety, or wellness.

Saving or making money

• What does this reduce or prevent in dollars?
• What revenue does it protect or create?
• What line item, margin, or cash cycle improves? Give language that the buyer can repeat internally. This helps them sell your ideas internally to colleagues within their organization.

Saving time

Time benefits may include automation, fewer steps, less work, faster quoting, shorter lead times, quicker onboarding, and faster problem resolution.

• What gets done faster, and by whom?
• What decisions become easier?
• What fires stop happening, and what is the impact? Reduced friction often increases throughput and reliability.

Promoting comfort by increasing pleasure or reducing pain

Comfort is confidence, simplicity, predictability, and less stress. It also includes fewer complaints, fewer surprises, and less tension between teams.

• What becomes easier for users and managers?
• What frustrations disappear?
• What uncertainty is removed from daily work?
• When you can name the pain precisely, customers feel understood.

Promoting health, safety, or well-being

This includes physical safety, compliance, quality, cybersecurity, environmental exposure, and brand protection.

• What hazards are reduced, and what is the consequence of one incident?
• What compliance burden is eased, and what is the cost of failure?
• What reputational damage is avoided?

List your key features and differentiators. For each, ask so what until you can place it into one or more of the four categories of benefits with specific outcomes. Then tailor the message by stakeholder. When you consistently answer so what from the perspective of your customer, your value becomes easier to understand, explain, and defend.