ACTION 1: EXPLAIN YOUR SOLUTION BY CONNECTING WHATS TO WIIFTS
Your solution presentation is more powerful when you connect the information about your solution to what you learned in the Investigate step, that is, when you connect your solution to their specific POWNs. This connection makes the information both relevant and valuable for Them!
Begin by explaining what your solution has or what it does for them and then connect those details to the benefits or What’s in it for Them. I call these “Whats to WiifTs.” Whats to WiifTs keep your buyers from having to make the feature-to-benefit connection themselves and ensures that they understand the value of your solution. If you only present features of your solution, buyers can get distracted, become indifferent, or start feeling that they are being sold to.
What + WiifT = Value
Don’t assume the value for Them is obvious just because you have described what your solution has or does. It takes energy and effort to make these connections, so we need to make it easy for the buyers and make the connection for Them. Busy buyers won’t necessarily make the connection or that they will sort through the information to specifically identify the value they will receive from your solution.
“Whats to WiifTs” sound like this:
• “Our solution includes 24/7 support so that you never have a delay in accessing the help system.”
• “The solution provides real-time data reporting that gives your team current information when troubleshooting customer issues.”
State What Your Solution Has or Does
The Whats are the features and attributes of your solution. They describe your product or service. For example, “experts on staff,” “thirty-day turn-around,” “leather seats,” “twenty-four-hour support,” “competitive pricing,” “local representation,” and “12-gauge steel” are all Whats.
The details of the Whats of your solution (the features) are readily available in sales materials, on your website, and shared in training sessions. The problem typically isn’t knowing enough Whats; it’s relating the correct Whats to each buyer. The most relevant Whats to discuss are those that directly address the buyer’s POWNs.
For example, if you sell home improvement services and the buyer’s POWNs are an updated kitchen, the relevant Whats to discuss are your ability to remodel a kitchen, not details about how good your company is at creating a spa-like master bedroom or installing a fence.
Answer “So What?” to Connect the What to the WiifT
Connect the Whats of your solution to their POWNs to demonstrate that you heard Them in the Investigate step. Make it a seamless connection by using a connecting phrase that includes the words “you” or “your.” This phrase becomes a spotlight illuminating the person, the value, or the benefits. It sends the message, “Hey, pay attention, this is about you!”
To identify relevant WiifTs, imagine that as each What is presented, the buyer is thinking “So what?” or “So what does this have to do with me?” To answer the “So what?” question, connect a relevant WiifT to the What to focus Them on what is important:
• Our wireless timekeeping systems are run by GPS, allowing you to always have accurate time so that your records are legally compliant.
• We will develop a custom hiring process that provides your company with a streamlined and cost-effective process.
• Our customer service department is open 24/7, so you will never have to wait to contact us if you need help
• The weather station provides constant monitoring of the environment so you can make adjustments within minutes, saving your crops from damage.
• The annual financial review includes a comprehensive report of the transactions of your investment accounts, which will save you time during year-end tax preparation.
Other connecting phrases you can use include:
• For your situation . . .
• What this means for you . . .
• So you will be able to . . . or, So that you . . .
• This allows you to . . . or, This allows your team to . . .
• In your situation this means that . . .
You will find the connection phrases that sound and feel right to you as you make Whats to WiifTs connections. Not only does personalizing your phrases keep you from sounding phony and rehearsed, it allows you to vary the way you explain the information throughout your conversation.
Whats to WiifTs is an easy concept, but we need to use our knowledge skillfully to connect the right WiifTs. In your preparation, identify relevant WiifTs by specifically identifying how your solution:
• Solves their problems.
• Captures opportunities for them.
• Fills their wants and needs.
• Ties into each buyer’s specific situation.
Your answers will allow you to share powerful, relevant WiifT statements for different buying situations.