July 26, 2023
How story telling impacted our lives
It is no surprise that storytelling has the influence to motivate action. If we really think about it, how have we learned about the values that we hold so dearly – a lot of it came from stories. Stories about other individuals doing something wrong, or something right and the consequences or rewards that followed. A good example of a story that forewarned us about the importance of not trusting strangers is “The Little Red RIidng Hood”. It is my belief that these types of stories that have consequences that help children (especially) to visualize what can happen if they are not careful. On the other hand, a story that may elicit a positive or curious emotion is the story of the “Tortoise and the Hare”, where the moral of the story is to do things carefully and steadily instead of doing it carelessly and fast to ensure success.
Using stories in sales
Stories have the power to change the minds and perspectives of individuals, so how can we use that to our benefit in our professional or personal lives? Taking the customer through a storytelling journey can help with them visualizing their own success. An example of this can be sharing a success story of a previous customers. Going through the initial journey and challenge, what they wanted to do to fix it, and the results that came out of it. The beginning, the journey, the climax, the result, these are the crucial elements to a story.
Collecting a buyer story
Sometimes we don’t take the most rudimentary things into consideration, it can be simple yet very effective. Collecting buyer stories is crucial for your social proof. One way you can do this, is during your sales process, in the closing stages you can ask the customer for a case study or testimonial. You can also tie this in with a possible discount you’re giving the customer. “If we were to give you this discount can I get your commitment on a short case study?”
Conclusion
Overall, using storytelling as a device to engage your customer is a tool that is often overlooked. We’ve evolved through stories and we should, as salespeople, professional, and individuals harness the skills of stories to connect with people.