had trouble convincing other people that they should ‘follow your lead’, to
get them to do what you want them to do? Most of us Humans like to be liked, we
like to please, but whether consciously or unconsciously, we have an internal
drive to satisfy our own needs and concerns too. ‘What’s in it for me’ –
otherwise known as a ‘WIFM’, will form part of my decision to support you or
WIFM’s. Powerful things, WIFM’s. They’re the reason I get out of
bed in the morning, bother to answer the phone, react to Customer demands, write
articles for Journals like this one, try to keep to the speed limit, and attempt
to lose weight. There’s Something In It For Me. Sounds selfish, but look in a
mirror and ask the questions of yourself – ‘why do I do things?’, and at
the base of it all is one or more WIFM’s.
So, if you’re trying – and maybe failing – to get other people to
see your point of view, to take up your idea, or simply carry out your
instructions without you having to ‘ride shotgun’ over them, perhaps this
article will help. Yes, you CAN try this at home folks. It works for Humans
everywhere. Kids too.
Grab a sheet of paper, and identify clearly what you want, writing it in
common language. Then consider each person, creating a list of WIFM’s, for
each Individual. Then do another list of WIFM’s for the Team, and for the
whole Organisation. You will need those sorted out – they’re your ‘ammo’
in this War of the Wills.
Here’s a Model I want you to try using (Dale Carnegie published
this way back in the 70’s – I have no idea where he got it from).
Usually rolled together, but they are separate elements since you can get
my attention with a flash-bang, but after my ears have stopped ringing and my
eyes are working again, you’d better say or do something really interesting
– to me, I mean – otherwise you’ll lose me to some other thing of
interest. Like murdering the idiot who threw the flash-bang. Some of the WIFMs
(What’s In It For Me) get used here – at least one or two powerful ones.
OK, so you’ve got my attention and my interest, now you’ve got to
‘hold me in there’ by talking about why I should listen, why I should care,
where are your facts, give me some evidence, reassure me that what you are
saying is true, that what you are promising will happen, will actually happen or
is likely to.
Less about facts, more about emotion – inspire me, make me want to
support you – more WIFM’s get chucked in here, and some WIFM’s for the
Organisation, along with how personal WIFM’s are linked to the Team &
4. Close: Simply an attempt to get commitment – a
response, one way or another – and comes in three forms:
a: Assumptive Close:
Gives them some choice, as in ‘Shall we start now or leave it until
Friday?’ ‘Should Blue team head it or Green team?’. ‘Should we do it on Hire Purchase or Lease it?’ If they
make a choice then and there, you’ve got your commitment. If an argument
ensues, you’ve still got commitment – they’ve decided it will happen,
they’re now just arguing over which is the best way.
b: If/Then close:
Used for dealing with Objections. Take the Objection, turn it into a
question, then propose a deal: ‘If I can sort this out to your
satisfaction, then can we go ahead?”
“We don’t have funding for that” answer = “If I can show you how
we can fund it from somewhere else, then can we go ahead?”
don’t have time for that” answer = “If I work with you to see how we could
restructure your workload so you will have time, then can we go ahead?”
c: Impending event close:
(or maybe not) used to threaten some kind of loss or threat or missed
opportunity. Here are two examples:
“As we sit here talking, money is being wasted and jobs put at risk –
if we act now and make these changes, we will be more competitive and our jobs a
bit more secure.”
“We need to get moving on this – before someone else does and we lose
I usually start with the Assumptive close. It’s laid back,
no pressure, and works in 50% of cases. If that hasn’t worked, I escalate to
the If/Then close. You need more WIFM’s, and good listening skills so
you can turn the objections into the questions they really are. For example, the
question: ‘Why do we have to learn this new system’ might really be ‘Can I
learn this new system and what happens to me if I can’t’.
For the really stubborn, the Impending event is your last
shot. If it doesn’t work, there’s nothing left, which is why I leave it to
the last. Here are a couple of real Impending Event examples I use:
“As you sit here looking at me, one of your workers has just been
crushed in a compacting machine. He’s on his way to Hospital, but will die on
the way. The Dept of Labour will investigate, and find you to be the person
primarily responsible since you transferred that worker but didn’t provide
training on the new equipment. The Employment Court agreed and has found you
-not the Company, you personally- guilty, awarding a $300,000.00 fine and
6 months in jail. You have to sell your house to pay the fine. You’ve lost
your job as well. Where will your Family go?
Now, if I’ve got your attention and interest – can we go on to
talking about Hazard Identification?”. Here’s another one:
“Oh, OK, you don’t see the need to learn about Disciplinary
& Termination?. Well, here’s a fact – two-thirds of Grievance claims go
against the Employer – that’s you, the managers – and of all of those
successful claims, two-thirds of them are caused by procedural error. Because a
Manager, just like you, took short cuts or plain didn’t know or care about
correct procedures. And the result?
The bad employee you thought you’d got rid of, is back at work, driving the
new car he bought with the $20,000 your company had to pay him. Imagine how good
that’s gonna look on your CV. Imagine what it does to your career prospects.
Imagine what the rest of the staff think of you now… So, shall I carry on?”
Rough stuff, which is why I leave it as a last resort when the first two
have failed. The threat has got to be real, or believable. But it works.
Steve Punter ANZIM, Dip Bus (PMER), FHRINZ, GNZATD
Staff Training Associates Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
© Steve Punter 2003 All rights reserved by the author.