What's in it for me? (WIIFM)

In my last post, the focus was on clarity, alignment, and communication. As an extension, here are some common-sense thoughts on how to improve your results in marketing, sales, change management, or any interpersonal experience.

FYI - This principle about What’s in it for me, is another one of my pet peeves.

How often do we think only about what we want, and totally ignore the needs of the person in front of us? (and are unconscious and not aware)

Clients often hear me exclaim, “It is not about YOU.”

Instead, always think like a customer, and as a customer ask, “What’s in it for me?”

This principle or framework is a key mindset. Focus on results for each person or company. It is critical to have the right mindset and apply to connect, build trust, and develop sustainable relationships.

Why?

It really is logical. People are interested in themselves. Each of us wants to be seen, heard, and understood.

As human beings, it is our personal wants, needs, and motivations that can supersede everything else.

Then why is it that many enterprises only talk about themselves – how great we are, how long we’ve been around, what we’ve done - and use such words as I, ME, US, and WE.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to use words like YOU and YOUR?

To focus on the person and his or her desires and interests.

This is obvious but most of us can get lost in our own ego and organization’s needs. We get stuck and only see what we want and need. We forget about the person across the desk or on your laptop screen.

This principle has ancient origins.

The ancient Greek philosophers like Plato explored the idea of psychological egoism, which suggests that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest.

The biblical proverbs often contrast self-serving actions with altruistic behavior. This indicates an awareness of the human tendency toward self-interest. 

In 1936, in Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, he lays out principles that indirectly apply the WIIFM framework.

Dale Carnegie emphasized that “to persuade others, you must arouse in the other person an eager want and talk in terms of their interests.”

In modern mid-20^th century business applications, the "What’s in it for me?" became a common phrase, especially in sales and marketing.

Today, the acronym WIIFM is a commonplace tool used by all types of leaders and managers to craft compelling messages, with specific benefits for their target audiences and personas. 

So, it goes without saying that addressing the audience's personal needs and motivations, individuals and organizations can capture attention, build trust, deliver benefits, and achieve better engagement and outcomes all-around.

WIIFM Quick Applications

• Emphasize benefits over features: State how your solution will solve a customer's problem or improve their life.
• Build customer personas: Better understand specific pain points, needs, and motivations.
• Use audience-focused language: As stated above, use You instead of the word We.*
• Segment and personalize: Customize and automate each group’s journey or experience.
• Show social proof: Persuade and build trust with testimonials and case studies.
• Lead and communicate: Use WIIFM to motivate employees, get stakeholder buy-in, and boost retention.
• Listen actively: Be authentic, ask good questions, and stay engaged.
• Customize your message: Highlight the value each person or business will receive.

*When writing, you can test for readability (called a “You” test). The rule of thumb here is to use at least 2x more You-words than We-words.

If you’d like to talk about optimizing YOUR organization, click here.