Records and how to understand if your WIIFM really is in it for them, or if you're just pushing something they don't want

We've all been told that we have to focus on WIIFM when we're talking to people about records management (What's In It For Me?).

The problem with WIIFM, is that generally it could be paraphrased as "we've built this huge thing, we didn't ask you whether you wanted or needed it at any point, and now we're going to pretend that we did it for you to try and get you to use it."

Which is pretty close to all the bad experiences people have had with salespeople who don't listen to them - but keep telling them WIIFM (how great their thing is) - because they've also been told to focus on WIIFM - no matter how tone-deaf it makes them seem.

The big question, is how do you know the difference between WIIFM (selling our stuff) and something that's really going to help people?

The answer is deceptively simple.

Take your WIIFM, deliver it - and then say "if that sounds like something you'd be interested in doing, please give me a call about it" - or words to that effect.

Then go away.

If the WIIFM you delivered was compelling, and solved a real problem for someone - you'll get a call.

If it wasn't compelling, and didn't solve a problem, they won't call.

And that's a signal.

The "no call" signal says "we're not interested in what you're offering."

At that point, you've got two things you can do -

1. Change what you're offering.

2. Double down in the face of evidence that the organisation doesn't want it.

In my view, records has been doubling down for quite some time now.

And organisations have been telling us that we're doubling down on things they don't care about by continually rewarding us with fewer resources, and continuous reductions in compliance rates.

To me though, it's not records as a discipline that's the problem, it's what records aims at in most organisations.

Most organisations actually don't care about archival compliance.

It's important to realise that they don't care about standards compliance either - our standards are meaningless to them, and often present a barrier to doing good records work.

While they mostly don't care about compliance or standards, they can't find what they need, and the information side of their business processes is a bit of a mess.

What does this leave them thinking?

“If only there was a group of people in my organisation who could help with find-ability and information processes (ie. record keeping).

This is the point at which you have to realise that the WIIFM applies to HOW you solve a problem as well as what problem you choose aim at.

I mentioned compliance standards earlier because if we decide we can't do records work unless it's in a standards compliant system, we're putting a barrier up that might mean our WIIFM isn't delivered in a way that people are interested in.

We need to be clear that the effect of this isn't that people continue on without solving their problem.

The effect is that they take their record keeping and management problem to someone else - who helps them solve record keeping and management problems - but calls it something else - and does it in a way that they can accept.

What happens to records management when the core work of records is being done by someone else and called something else?