OMG, Sheryl. That’s so mean!
Don’t worry, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sure you have family, friends, and possibly a furry creature or two that loves you. When I say that no one cares about you, I’m talking about in business.
That’s not much better.
Fair enough. But, I’ve had this conversation three times in the past three days: once with a ghostwriting client, once with a book coaching client, and once in a networking meeting… so I think it bears mentioning.
We, humans are self-centered creatures. I’m not being offensive here. We are the center of our own universes. Everything that happens in the world gets evaluated based on what impact it will have on our lives. Sprouts hours of operation change… how will that affect me? Taxes go up… how will that affect me? Global warming… how will that affect me?
What does this have to do with business?
Actually, the question you really want to ask is, “What does this have to do with me?”
The answer: it should guide every conversation you have, every marketing piece you write, every page of your website, and most importantly… every story you tell.
Marketing Expert Daniel Decker calls it the WIIFM Factor, “What’s in it for me?”. I call it the “No one cares about you unless you are famous like the Kardashians and even then your audience is interested in your story because they want to know how they can use the information to change their own life” Factor.
In retrospect, I probably need a better name for that.
Regardless of my poor titling moment, it’s true. When you sit down to write a book, realize that you are not a Kardashian (seriously, how did those people get famous!?!) so your audience is expecting to gain insight into their own lives, and preferably some action steps they can take to implement change in their world. This holds true for speakers, writers, consultants, and just about any service industry that exists to solve problems (hint: that’s every single industry).
Sheryl, I have an actual product to sell.
Wonderful! I don’t care.
You are in the business of solving problems. The difference between you and a service industry… you’ve got something tangible to share.
Let’s use an example: I have a problem. My problem is keeping up with my roots because my hair grows very quickly and I don’t want it to fall out from dyeing it every 2 weeks.
I don’t care if you sell:
- safer, faster, less messy hair dye
- shampoo that gradually softens the existing color so the difference isn’t so drastic
- a machine that changes the atomic makeup of my hair follicles
- vitamins that encourage the pigments to start growing again
- trained baby chipmunks that will use their furry bodies to cover up my grays
All I care, is that I’m not going to have gray hair. (To be fair, if those chipmunks were an option, that would probably be my choice… as long as they were rescues).
People aren’t buying your product or service, they are buying the solution to the problem they are facing. They want to improve things in their world.
Sheryl, don’t you talk about telling your Why Story so people get to know you?
I sure do. And I believe it’s incredibly important for people to get to know you before they do business with you. However, if they don’t see the value in working with you (WIIFM), they’ll never make it to the “getting to know you” stage.
So what’s in this post for me? How does this affect my world?
Just remember that no one cares about you. (Sorry!)
When you sit down with a potential customer, introduce yourself in a networking situation, create marketing content, speak to an audience, write a book, or interact with anyone in any way, focus on what problem of theirs you can solve, and what value you bring to their universe. Once you’ve established that they will get a solution to whatever ails them, then you can tell them who you are, why you do what you do, and what makes you so darn special.
And please, if you have a process to train baby chipmunks to do anything, I’d love to know about it.
About the Author
Sheryl Green is a keynote speaker, author and writing coach. She works with organizations to improve their visibility, favorability, and profitability using the power of story and teaches businesses how to utilize Cause Marketing as a tool in their sales toolbox.
Sheryl is the author of Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life and Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling in Sales. To hire Sheryl or buy
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