People may not say it out loud…
but they are thinking it.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Answer that clearly…
and you have their attention.
If people are not saying:
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
you can be fairly sure they are thinking it.
It applies almost everywhere.
Business.
Marketing.
Relationships.
Conversation.
Products.
Services.
Ideas.
Opportunities.
And today…
people want the answer QUICKLY.
There was a time when one word grabbed everybody:
FREE.
Put FREE on something…
and heads turned.
But people learned.
Free does not always mean valuable.
Sometimes free means:
hidden cost,
wasted time,
extra trouble,
or something nobody wanted in the first place.
LOL.
So the question remains:
WHAT DO I GET?
THE REASON CAN BE ANYTHING
If you are selling a product or service…
people want to understand the benefit.
Fast.
Maybe the answer is:
PRICE.
A bargain.
Maybe it is:
CONVENIENCE.
Maybe:
QUALITY.
Maybe:
SPEED.
Maybe:
STATUS.
Maybe:
COMFORT.
Maybe:
SAVINGS.
Maybe:
A BETTER EXPERIENCE.
Whatever it is…
the benefit has to become visible.
People do not buy features merely because features exist.
They buy what those features DO for them.
That is the difference.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Do not make the customer perform detective work to discover the benefit.
Tell them.
CLEARLY.
PERHAPS TO BOAST
Now move outside of business.
Why do two people start talking?
Something attracted one to the other.
Interest.
Curiosity.
Shared experience.
Knowledge.
Humor.
Purpose.
Maybe one person simply wants to be heard.
Maybe they want to share something they know.
Maybe they want recognition.
Maybe they enjoy teaching.
Maybe they enjoy listening.
There is still an exchange taking place.
Something is being given…
and something is being received.
That does not automatically make it selfish.
It makes it human.
THIS HAS TO BE
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME sounds selfish.
But the question itself is not necessarily selfish.
It is practical.
Why would someone:
go somewhere,
spend money,
invest time,
join something,
listen,
participate,
or change behavior
without seeing some kind of value?
There has to be a reason.
Even charity contains a personal return.
The person may receive:
meaning,
satisfaction,
connection,
gratitude,
or the knowledge they helped somebody.
That is still something.
VALUE DRIVES ACTION
People move toward what they value.
That value may be:
material,
emotional,
social,
intellectual,
spiritual,
or practical.
But some form of payoff exists.
The better you understand that…
the better you communicate.
The mistake is assuming that what YOU value…
is automatically what THEY value.
That is where businesses get into trouble.
YOU LOVE THE FEATURE…THEY LOVE THE RESULT
A company may say:
“Our software has twelve integrated modules.”
Fine.
The customer may be thinking:
WILL THIS SAVE ME TIME?
A Realtor may say:
“I have 25 years of experience.”
Fine.
The client may be thinking:
WILL YOU GET MY HOUSE SOLD?
A restaurant may say:
“We use an imported oven.”
Fine.
The customer may be thinking:
DOES THE PIZZA TASTE GOOD?
LOL.
There it is again.
The user wants the RESULT.
SOME DO IT BETTER THAN OTHERS
Strong marketing gets to the benefit quickly.
Billboards have seconds.
Business cards have little space.
Small ads have little time.
Elevator speeches are short for a reason.
The message has to answer:
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
The best ones do not bury the carrot.
They put it where you can see it.
SAVE TIME.
SAVE MONEY.
FEEL BETTER.
SELL FASTER.
LEARN MORE.
LIVE EASIER.
Whatever the promise is…
make it visible.
THEN PROVE IT.
DO NOT OVERSELL THE PAYOFF
Now another warning.
Telling people what is in it for them does not mean exaggerating.
Do not promise:
GUARANTEED SUCCESS
when you cannot guarantee it.
Do not turn a useful benefit into fantasy.
Good marketing clarifies real value.
Bad marketing inflates it.
There is a big difference.
Trust is lost quickly when the promised payoff and the actual experience do not match.
ASK THEM…DON’T ASSUME
If you want to know what matters to somebody…
ASK.
What are you trying to accomplish?
What matters most to you?
What problem are you trying to solve?
What would make this worthwhile?
Now you have something useful.
You stop selling blindly.
You begin connecting the benefit to the person.
That is much smarter.
THE CUSTOMER’S QUESTION IS YOUR ROADMAP
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Instead of resisting the question…
welcome it.
It tells you exactly what needs answering.
Why should I buy this?
Why should I listen?
Why should I join?
Why should I hire you?
Why should I care?
Those are not hostile questions.
They are invitations.
Answer them well…
and you may have a customer.
Ignore them…
and somebody else probably will not.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
Do not tell me everything your product HAS.
Tell me what it DOES for me.
Another:
People do not resist value.
They resist unclear value.
And one more:
If I have to ask five times what’s in it for me…
your message needs work.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Value becomes persuasive when the receiver can clearly see where they fit into it.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“What is offered becomes meaningful when it meets a genuine need.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Release the extra explanation and make the benefit plain enough to be understood.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
People make decisions based on perceived value.
That value can include:
utility,
price,
convenience,
status,
emotion,
trust,
or expected improvement.
Strong communication identifies the benefit early and connects it directly to the person receiving the message.
The practical rule is simple:
FEATURES explain what something IS.
BENEFITS explain why someone should CARE.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR BUSINESS…TALK TO THE POINT.
A clear benefit gets to the point.
It also connects with USE TECHNOLOGY…DON’T LET IT USE YOU.
If the customer cannot quickly understand the value…
the system is getting in the way.
And BRANDING YOURSELF…THIS IS HOW YOU ARE KNOWN reminds us that the experience itself must support the promise.
FINAL SAY
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Good question.
Necessary question.
Do not be offended by it.
Answer it.
Quickly.
Clearly.
Truthfully.
Show the person:
what they gain,
what problem gets solved,
what improves,
what becomes easier,
what becomes better.
Then let them decide.
People want value.
They have always wanted value.
And they are not going to stop.
So if you are offering:
a product,
a service,
an idea,
an opportunity,
or simply your time…
make the benefit easy to see.
Because the person standing in front of you is probably already asking:
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Be smart enough…
to tell them.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you