We need to talk about this one business lesson I’ve internalised over a couple of years ago. I see it lacking in many of the clients I talk to.
Not many people know about this. And it's honestly bizarre.
When people talk about things that aren't as popular as they used to be, some will say walkmans, some will say mullets, and some will even say radio stations.
Of course radio stations are still prevalent in the world today… But there’s one station in particular that is worth listening to.
Especially if you want to get more sales for your business.
What Exactly Am I Talking About?
The radio station you need to listen to is:
WIIFM
These 5 letters stand for What's In It For Me.
This is what everyone is thinking when you are talking to them. When you call them. When you meet them. Or even when they read an ad.
As a business owner, I get a lot of questions that will go something like this:
“Hey, I have this really cool business idea. And the only way it would work is if you send me some money. Could you do that for me?”
Now this is exactly how not to act when doing business with people.
It breaks the WIIFM rule as it reveals that you care more about yourself than the other person.
It is clearly a childish way to act.
When you do business with people, you need to realise that the only thing they care about is themselves.
So it doesn't really make sense to talk about yourself all the time.
Imagine I went up to you and asked:
“I know you're really busy and stressed about work. But could you give me $1000 for this side project I'm working on?”
When you translate ‘businessnese’ to English, it would look something like this:
“I don't care if you're busy or stressed. Just give me money.”
Looking at the translation, you can clearly see that I don't care about you.
This is not how you sell.
How Do I Fix This?
You need to start appealing to people's self interest.
No one really cares what you’re selling until they know that YOU care about them.
By remembering the five letters, you will begin to ascend towards a higher plane (not metaphysically). Your sales and marketing will improve drastically.
But the reason why this rule is so important is because of how much it benefits you outside of business.
When you approach every situation thinking about what can I do for the other person? Or how can I improve their life?
It can serve you very well.
In the bible, it says “As you sow, so shall you reap”.
It’s basically saying if you want to get something, it’s up to you to take the first steps and sow the seeds.
Notice how it’s not “As you reap, so shall you sow”.
That’s not how the world works. There’s a very definitive order when it comes to giving and taking.
The law of reciprocity is real.
If you do something for people, they want to reciprocate. Very rarely will you do something cool for people and not have them want to reciprocate in some way, shape or form.
So the right way to approach anything in life (especially business), is realising that whatever you’re saying, the guy listening to you has turned on the radio station “WIIFM”.
Talk soon,
Bryson
P.S - Some people won’t reciprocate back. These people are called psychopaths.