Every pilot has said something that didn’t quite land. You gave clear instructions and used the right tone, yet somehow the message was missed.
Why?
Because the other person wasn’t hearing you, they were listening for themselves. That’s the secret behind the WIIFM formula, aka What’s In It For Me.
Every person you speak to is tuned into one frequency: how does this matter to me?
The moment your words answer that question, everything changes.
Key Takeaways
- Stop Talking, Start Relating: The biggest communication mistake is making the conversation about you. Shift the focus to the listener and their challenges.
- Use the WIIFM Formula: Every message should answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”. That’s how you turn attention into connection.
- Go Beyond Features: People buy relief, confidence, and identity. Speak to what your message makes them feel.
- Alignment Beats Persuasion: When your message feels personally relevant, trust builds faster, decisions come easier, and relationships last longer.
Why Talking About Yourself Loses the Listener
Many pilot-turned entrepreneurs fall into a familiar trap. They make the conversation all about themselves.
Things like their experience, their systems, their background. It sounds credible, yet it subtly distances the listener. This is one of those mindset myths that quietly limit success.
The truth is, credibility doesn’t create a connection. Relevance does.
When every sentence starts with “I,” the customers begin to tune out, thinking, “That’s great, but how does this help me?”
In fact, according to a study by Salesforce, 66% of customers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations before offering a solution. The moment your message fails this test, trust drops.
Secret Shift That Stops Clients from Tuning You Out
All of us have faced a moment when, mid-conversation, the client’s eyes glaze over. They’re polite, they’re nodding, but you can feel it. You’ve lost them.
It’s because the human brain is wired to tune out anything that doesn’t answer one silent question:
“What’s in it for me?”
This is where the WIIFM formula changes everything. It transforms your communication from noise into value. Instead of listing what you do, you speak in a way that makes every word feel personally relevant to the listener.
When you ask things like, “What’s your biggest challenge right now?” or “How would solving this impact your operations?”, you instantly pull them in.
You’ve moved from monologue to meaning.
Four WIIFM Layers: How to Speak So Your Message Actually Lands
WIIFM is a complete mindset shift that changes how people respond to you. It turns your message from “here’s what I do” into “here’s how this matters to you.”
As leadership expert Simon Sinek once said, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it and what it means for them.”
That’s the essence of the WIIFM model. Let’s break it down more.
Layer 1: Problem Relevance
If your solution doesn’t cover the problem that’s keeping them up at night, it won’t matter how great it is. The first layer of WIIFM is about relevance. You need to describe their challenge better than they can themselves.
When you say, “You mentioned, your team makes costly mistakes under pressure. That must be frustrating for someone who values reliability,” you’re showing empathy and awareness. That’s when trust begins.
This approach works across industries, whether you’re turning aviation credentials into a consulting business or exploring new business ideas.
The following layer is about building relevance and not selling anything from the get-go.
Layer 2: Solution Fit
Once your ideal customers or clients understand the problem, they’ll ask the unspoken question: “But can you really solve it my way?”
This is the layer where you can adjust your approach according to the situation. Rather than generic pitches, use language that mirrors their environment, their pace, and their pressure points.
For instance, you say something like, “For your situation with rapid-fire decisions during market volatility, you need a system that works when there’s no time to analyze every variable.”
The client will see it as you demonstrating your understanding of their needs and knowing exactly what to do.
Layer 3: Outcome Relevance
Even though facts look attractive, the clients are always looking at the outcomes. Most professionals stop at “what” their solution does.
However, WIIFM demands that you move to “why it matters.”
When you say, “You’ll sleep better knowing your team can handle crisis situations without you,” you’re no longer selling; you’re providing emotional relief. That’s what every decision-maker is truly buying.
As per Stanford, emotions are a major driver for up to 95% of decisions, both in personal and professional contexts. This highlights the importance of building an emotional connection to ensure your clients choose you every time.
Layer 4: Identity Enhancement
The deepest layer of WIIFM goes beyond results and speaks to identity. If you haven’t heard this before, keep in mind that people buy versions of themselves and not the solutions, particularly.
Framing your message around who they’ll become taps into the most powerful motivator of all: pride.
Saying, “You’ll feel confident taking on larger challenges because your systems can handle the complexity,” turns a transaction into a transformation.
This is where influence meets inspiration. And that’s how conversations stop being sales pitches and your business starts to grow.
What Happens When You Master WIIFM?
What do you think happens once you master WIIFM? Something powerful.
Your words stop sounding like persuasion and start feeling like alignment. Moreover, you’re no longer selling, and that subtle shift in mindset completely changes how people respond to your questions.
Here’s what you’ll notice when you apply the WIIFM formula:
- Trust Builds Faster: When clients feel understood, credibility becomes instant. They believe you “get” their situation before you even pitch a solution.
- Resistance Fades: Because everything you say feels relevant, they stop questioning and start engaging naturally.
- Decisions Happen Quicker: Clear personal relevance removes hesitation, making “maybe later” turn into “let’s do it.”
- Price Matters Less: When value feels personal, cost takes a back seat. Clients buy impact, not numbers.
- Referrals Increase: Clients share your name easily because you solved their problem in a way that felt tailor-made.
Do You Have Three Minutes For Yourself?
Every conversation you have from today can either strengthen your connection or cause you to lose it. The WIIFM formula is about learning to speak in a way that makes others feel seen, heard, and valued.
That’s what real influence sounds like.
So here’s a simple challenge: give yourself three minutes. Just three. If you can do that, you can start shifting how you think, listen, and lead.
Take our Life After the Sky Checklist to see where you stand.
You’ll also get the exact steps on what you need to do to stand out from others. Take the first steps towards success today.
Invitation to Join Our FREE Strategy Session
Most pilots are one honest conversation away from clarity. This is that conversation.
Complete our “Life After the Sky” checklist, then join me for a FREE 15-minute “Strategy Session” via Zoom.
This session has been created for pilots who want to take ownership of what comes next.
Those who want action, not just to talk about it.
In just 15 minutes, we’ll:
- Review your checklist results
- Identify the one obstacle holding back your reinvention
- Translate your checklist results into a clear starting point
Start your pre-flight assessment for the next chapter of your journey by Booking your free strategy session here!
