Tweet

Telling Your Story

Guest post by: Marshall W. Northcott

Article Overview: Do you know your company story? Are you leveraging the story in your sales presentations to make a stronger connection with prospects and customer? Learn it, know it and use it!

Telling Your Story

Early in my sales career I was exposed to the practice of telling the company story at some point early in the sales interaction typically after I had first listened to the prospect and taken the time to gain some understanding of their business and the positioning that they had in the market place that they served. Is this something that you normally do as part of your sales presentation? It's impressive when sales professionals can explain the corporate history and how they became involved with the organization and turn it into a very enthusiastic part of the sales process. There are those people who are just naturally talented at telling stories. Then there are some of us who have to work a little harder at it in order to perfect the art. Over my selling career I've witnessed some very successful sales professionals whose whole approach from start to finish can be described as an interactive story telling presentation. Mind you these people are tremendously good at it and know how to effortlessly entertain their customer to the point where they want to buy from them. "Telling your story" serves many purposes during the prospect's initial introduction to your company or in those instances where this has never been done, a wonderful reintroduction to your organization. People love a good story and when it is told with pride and enthusiasm, it stimulates client interest. As you paint a picture of your corporate history and future vision for the prospect you gain an opportunity to introduce key individuals, departments, technological capabilities and the customer focused attitude within your organization. You are establishing your credibility, growth within the industry, in addition to your corporate and personal track records, which will give the prospect the confidence they need to do business with your organization. You lay a foundation that distances you from other vendors in the market place by sharing examples that clearly reflect your ability to provide creative customized solutions that are imaginative and indicate your willingness to meet the demands of an ever evolving market place.

If your industry uses special technology this is your opportunity to explain how the ideas were first invented and then developed over the years to improve efficiency, reduce costs and move beyond the trial and error phase of your business model. By simplifying things for the client in this manner you can offer a historical explanation, avoid insulting their intelligence and offer them a vision into the future that strengthens their belief and makes them more excited about partnering with you and your company.

"Telling your story" is an essential building block in the sales process. It provides a broader peripheral view which makes it difficult if not impossible for a client to boil you down to a mere commodity, a straight forward product or service and a price that is comparable to another. It's an integral part of the rapport building process because it sets the stage for an initial meeting as well as for future interactions. You're helping the prospect to understand that you are a real flesh and blood individual, part of a team that was founded by someone that in many ways is much like themselves. This makes the whole interaction very real for them.

You are establishing a comfort level with the prospect by making them feel like they are connecting with something bigger than just yourself, and part of it, rather than an outsider. It helps the prospect to identify with your company and with us as individuals. It does so by making your company come alive. Adding faces and names of the people who work along side you, makes the sales presentation more personable. This forms a mental picture in their mind of a group of people rather than a corporate entity. People buy from people, not from companies.

Watch the prospect's body language to be certain they are enjoying what you are saying. Engage them to assure they are tuned in. Make it interesting so that it comes to life. Use pictures or illustrations in your presentation to magnify the impact of the story. Add some humor if it is appropriate, keep it lively and tell it with flair.

Not every competitor takes the time to do a proper job of introducing their company and explaining why doing business with them is a great decision. You gain an advantage by taking ownership or the company story. Embrace the corporate story, as if it were your own, practice telling it and you will create a unique distinction that makes it difficult if not impossible for customers and prospects to pigeon hole you with the other options that are available in the market place.

"While we read history, we make history." - George William Curtis

Related Articles
  The Awesome Power of Story
  Watch Me Tell One of the Best Stories in Never Eat Alone
  Telling an Authentic Story About Your Brand
  Presentation Secret: Tell a story
  Trust is a Story
  Using The Power Of Stories In Your Marketing Letters
  Story-Telling is Brand-Building
  The Art of Storytelling
  How To Tell Your Marketing Story
  Make it New, Now
  Are You Telling Another Story?
  Public Relations as the Heartbeat of Your Organization
  How To Make A Fortune With A Love Story
  The Power Of Telling Your Story
  Start your Marketing with a User Story
  From Tupperware to Bookkeeping
  Great Story Tellers
  How To Tell Stories That Help You Sell
  A public relations coup
  The Most Important PR Secret

Article Tags: Building Credibility, Building Rapport, Company Story, Essential Sales Skills, Sales Presentation Training, Sales Presentations



Related Forum Posts
Re: Social Media Marketing - Corporate Vs. Small Business - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":y4tmwxf6]Telling your dorky friends at school you are having a big party does nothing...having the coolest kid in school tell some people about your party is all it takes...that is Social Media Marketing. Jeff[/quote:y4tmwxf6] Hi Jeff, So what recommendations do you have for influencing the most popular "kid in school" (i.e. the person with the most influence in your related industry) to promote your products/services?
Favorite Christmas Movie - Hands down- for me it's the original (black & white) version of "Miricle on 34th Street" and I have seen the colorized version, but still prefer to watch the B & W version. Coming in second is "A Christmas Story" which is set in the 1940's where the little boy wants nothing more than a BB gun for Christmas. And last, I would say it's a wonderful Life (with Jimmy Stewart).
Business lesssons from movies and TV - There's a new book out on doing business the Sopranos way... that's a TV show I never watched and I'm not interested in the book But sounds like a fun idea... Movies and TV do teach us things, even if only subliminally ... Toy Story is a good example of leadership styles between the "old way" Woody the wooden puppet and the "new way" Buzz the charismatic space ranger...(and one of my favorite movies...) Mission Impossible the tv series (not the abominable movies) would be great for plannng intricate operations and being prepared for anything...
Book: The System - [quote:3e8ncw28]What was the name of that book -- the high finance murder mystery?[/quote:3e8ncw28] Sorry for the delay in answering this question. The book is: The System: A Story of Intrigue and Market Domination Terry Waghorn Perseus Piblishing 2002 Jacket description: In a world where competitive advantage is temporary at best - and illusory at worst - there is nothing more important to the business enterprise than creating a robust strategy and executing it with Steve. In The System, Terry WAghorn illustrates this universal theme through an action-packed adventure.
Re: What I'm reading this weekend - Mar 4, 2011 - Hi Evan, Thanks for the latest list. I don't plan to do too much online "reading" this weekend as I'm hoping to keep up the momentum of developing and promoting my upcoming online business podcast service... However, when not online, I always find time to read books. I'm pleased to report that my "three-books-at-a-time" pattern has organically reestablished itself. I have nearly finished reading all three: 1. Breakfast reading: The Story of Philosophy, by Bryan Magee. (One of those Dorling Kindersley illustrated books, so not too heavy going!!) 2. Tram/train/out & about reading: Renaissance Self Fashioning, by Stephen Greenblatt. 3. Bedtime reading: Saint Joan of Arc, by Vita Sackville West.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

4 Steps To Hypnotize Your Business Prospects

20 MORE Must-Have Search Engine Marketing Tools

The Pure FUN of Learning & Using NLP

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.