Let’s begin this post with a short story…
A young man was walking down the street and saw a sign that read:
Walk on the other side of the street.
He thought: “Why should I cross the street? I’ll just need to cross back over later.” And he kept walking the same path.
One block later, a large spray of water came from the top of a building and soaked his clothes.
A few feet later, another sign said:
Told you so.
Do you think he was the only one who didn’t follow the sign’s instruction? Most likely not.
Many people will not change their path, or take any action unless they know why or What’s in it for Them (the WiifT “whiff-it”). Heck, even if they know why, they may still question the idea, instruction, or suggestion before acting on it.
That’s why we must, yes must, connect every What (any request, information, instruction, suggestion) that we share with our buyers, customers, and employees to the WiifT (the reason why it matters to them).
I call this the What to WiifT connection.
Connecting why the information is important to the buyer or customer:
- Makes it easier for them to see the value of the information (or solution)
- Speeds up the sale or customer service request resolution
- Helps them act or decide to do something more quickly
- Keeps your competitors away
Making the connection for the buyer or customer may take some effort on your part. And the attention you receive, the ease of gaining agreement, or the compliance to the request or instruction will be well worth it!
Circling back to the beginning story, if the sign had said:
Walk on the other side of the street so you don’t get doused with water ahead.
Do you think the young man might have followed the instruction? Most likely so. If not, he deserved to get wet.
Make your Whats to WiifT connection relevant for Them and stop your buyers and customers from getting soaked!
Your Turn: How do you ensure your requests for information or action are supported with the What’s in it for Them? What do you say or do to make the reason why very clear? Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Conversations That Sell.
Nancy…
I enjoyed your post…
While your advice makes a lot of sense and could be good general advice for a lot of sales people, I think true sales wolves only put their sign out for prospects that represent their target persona.
Most people can read a sign but for us, few can execute the way we expect our Clients to execute.
We have learned the hard way after countless hours of banging our heads against the wall that some prospects do not get us. Few prospects understand the value we offer while others never will and try to get us down on price. We have gone so far as to show a prospect their future if they continue along the “street” – show them get drenched – show them losing – show them hiring salespeople who cannot sell – show them the heartache – yet they keep going because they are lemmings.
Know thy target persona and make sure the sign ( their why) message scratches an itch for the prospect – or scares the hell out of them.
Rock on!
Chris Young