16 Thirty-Second Variations: WIIFM?

Success is the sum of detail.

—Harvey Firestone

No prospect will agree to talk with you for longer than thirty

seconds because of the fascinating things you have to say. It isn’t

the statements you make that will pique their interest. It’s

the questions you raise. They have to be questions for which

prospects actually want an answer—for their own reasons, not

yours.

The summary and flip at the end of your thirty-second

speech has to make prospects think. And what they must

think is, “Hm, maybe there is something in this for me” If they

don’t think that, the call is over.

As you remember (don’t you?) the summary and flip is

where we flip the conversational ball to the prospect with an

open-ended question about his needs or concerns. The

“bridge” questions—or “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) questions—

with which we lead up to the flip are crucial because

they prime the thought pump. If one or more of our WIIFM

questions don’t hit the prospect exactly where he lives, at least

they should start him thinking about a related question that

does keep him awake nights.

So let’s look a little more closely at WIIFM questions.

WIIFM Questions

Why do we make such a point about framing these as questions,

not as statements? Because statements neither encourage

thought nor invite conversation. Questions do both.

“Mr. Smith, you are probably wondering:

_ How can I speed up my time to market?

_ What’s the best way to maximize revenues from my

distribution partner?

_ How can I help my sales team get better at calling at

higher levels of customer organizations?”

“Yeah, I do wrestle with those questions,” Mr. Smith

thinks, “but I think about them in a slightly different way. And

that first question is more important than the others because

. . . .”

See? The prospect has begun to think about his own concerns.

That’s all any prospect wants to talk about with a salesperson

for longer than thirty seconds. Now, when you flip him

the ball, he’ll be ready to catch it.

Variations on the standard WIIFM questions in your

thirty-second speech can arise from three general areas.

1. Your Homework. If the homework you have done before

calling on this prospect suggests some specific or unusual

WIIFM questions, use those instead of your generic queries.

2. Things You’ve Done in the Past for This Prospect’s

Company or for Companies Like This. If your past experience

with this company or with a particular industry gives you any

ideas about how to zero in on WIIFM questions that hit specific

hot buttons, tailor your questions accordingly: “Mr.

Smith, when I worked with Ms. Jones of your company, she

had questions like . . . .” Mentioning your prior connection

also gives you added credibility. You aren’t a total stranger,

you’re someone who has worked with Ms. Jones.

3. Issues Geared to the Prospect’s Role in an Organization.

For instance:

_ Sales managers are always concerned about forecast

accuracy.

_ Senior executives are always concerned about risk

and time.

_ Accounting people are interested in the accuracy

of the numbers and how long it takes to get them.

_ All businesspeople are interested in value, action,

and time (see Chapter 10 on VAT).

TIP: The closer your WIIFM questions can come to

nailing the Big Question that is actually on a

prospect’s mind, the more willing he will be to start

guiding the conversation when you hand him the

steering wheel in the summary and flip.

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Success is the sum of detail.

—Harvey Firestone

No prospect will agree to talk with you for longer than thirty

seconds because of the fascinating things you have to say. It isn’t

the statements you make that will pique their interest. It’s

the questions you raise. They have to be questions for which

prospects actually want an answer—for their own reasons, not

yours.

The summary and flip at the end of your thirty-second

speech has to make prospects think. And what they must

think is, “Hm, maybe there is something in this for me” If they

don’t think that, the call is over.

As you remember (don’t you?) the summary and flip is

where we flip the conversational ball to the prospect with an

open-ended question about his needs or concerns. The

“bridge” questions—or “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) questions—

with which we lead up to the flip are crucial because

they prime the thought pump. If one or more of our WIIFM

questions don’t hit the prospect exactly where he lives, at least

they should start him thinking about a related question that

does keep him awake nights.

So let’s look a little more closely at WIIFM questions.

WIIFM Questions

Why do we make such a point about framing these as questions,

not as statements? Because statements neither encourage

thought nor invite conversation. Questions do both.

“Mr. Smith, you are probably wondering:

_ How can I speed up my time to market?

_ What’s the best way to maximize revenues from my

distribution partner?

_ How can I help my sales team get better at calling at

higher levels of customer organizations?”

“Yeah, I do wrestle with those questions,” Mr. Smith

thinks, “but I think about them in a slightly different way. And

that first question is more important than the others because

. . . .”

See? The prospect has begun to think about his own concerns.

That’s all any prospect wants to talk about with a salesperson

for longer than thirty seconds. Now, when you flip him

the ball, he’ll be ready to catch it.

Variations on the standard WIIFM questions in your

thirty-second speech can arise from three general areas.

1. Your Homework. If the homework you have done before

calling on this prospect suggests some specific or unusual

WIIFM questions, use those instead of your generic queries.

2. Things You’ve Done in the Past for This Prospect’s

Company or for Companies Like This. If your past experience

with this company or with a particular industry gives you any

ideas about how to zero in on WIIFM questions that hit specific

hot buttons, tailor your questions accordingly: “Mr.

Smith, when I worked with Ms. Jones of your company, she

had questions like . . . .” Mentioning your prior connection

also gives you added credibility. You aren’t a total stranger,

you’re someone who has worked with Ms. Jones.

3. Issues Geared to the Prospect’s Role in an Organization.

For instance:

_ Sales managers are always concerned about forecast

accuracy.

_ Senior executives are always concerned about risk

and time.

_ Accounting people are interested in the accuracy

of the numbers and how long it takes to get them.

_ All businesspeople are interested in value, action,

and time (see Chapter 10 on VAT).

TIP: The closer your WIIFM questions can come to

nailing the Big Question that is actually on a

prospect’s mind, the more willing he will be to start

guiding the conversation when you hand him the

steering wheel in the summary and flip.

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