Are You Telling Another Story?

Guest post by: Gail Diggs
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How Much Copy Is Too Much Copy? - By Gail Diggs

If you're telling stories, I'm thrilled for you!

Now before you call your mother and tell her that I'm encouraging you tolie, let me explain.

Stories get attention and telling an interestingstory is one of the best ways of gettingyour sales messageacross. Just consider this scenario...

You're at a networking event and you meet a man who mentionsthat he's inneed of someone to complete his taxes. You're a tax preparer,sothis is music to your ears. Now, take a look at the following two ways you might respond:

Response #1: "I've been doing taxes foryears and I'm very good at it. Iused to work atthe IRSso I know what can and can't be done, and I know how to get to the most currentrules and regulations. I love what I do, have lots of happy clientsand, quite frankly, you won't find a tax preparer who is more thoroughthan I am. Would you like to schedule an appointment to see me next week?"

Response #2: "Funny you should mention taxes because I just got a thank you note on yesterday from a woman whose taxes I did earlier this year. She had come to me in a panicbecause she feared that she would owe money this year. Thankfully, I was able to pull from my years of experience, including my work with the IRS,and when I was finished she didn't owe the government a penny!In her note she thanked me over and over and said that I was the best tax preparer she'd worked with. That really made my day.Would you like to schedule an appointment to see me next week?"

Which response would you prefer to call your own?

Not onlywould the story told in the second response be more interesting to hear,but it also allows you to get your point across without sounding like the boastful salesman in response #1. In essence, you let yourcustomer toot your horn and do the selling for you.Smooth move!

Here are 3tips for finding and telling a good story...

Testimonials are great story-telling tools. Don't be shy about asking your happyclients for them and use their testimonialsas often as you can.
I love and appreciate email as much as the next guy, but good stories are often uncovered in "real-life" conversations - the kind where you can hear the joy, fear, or stress in a person's voice and where how you say things matters as much as what you say. Toward that end, call and/or visit with your customers occasionally just to check in and to determine if there isanything you can do to help them. During such casual conversations, you'll often identify great fodder you can use for your next story.
When telling your story, leave out intricate details that aren't key and get quickly to your point. It would be a shame to allow the delivery to ruin a good story.

Some experts say that even your "elevator speech"should include a short story.If you decide to do so, besure that the story is consistent with your brand.Don't make a promise in your elevator pitch story that isn't consistent with the promises made in your other marketing materials.

Storytelling has been a part of life since thebeginning of time and there's no reason youshouldn't be using them in your business.The big guys are telling stories, and so should you.

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How Much Copy Is Too Much Copy? - By Gail Diggs

About the Author: Gail Diggs

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Gail Clanton Diggs is president of [GCD Writing and Marketing Solutions http://www.gcdwritingandmarketing.com]. GCD is a full-service company dedicated to providing clients with high quality writing and marketing assistance. “I love this work”, says Gail. “I enjoy listening to the visions of my clients and then working with them to create strong, current web site copy, write press releases, create ads, develop brochures, and more to help ensure that their professional dreams come true”, she said. Gail has almost 25 years of experience and her happy client base includes health professionals, women’s ministries, financial experts, and authors. While her experience is broad, much of her recent work has revolved around initiatives related to health. She takes seriously her responsibility to each of her clients and sees their success as intricately tied to her own. She has a BA in Communications from the University of Dayton and a MA in Journalism from University of Maryland, College Park. To learn more, visit her [web site http:www.gcdwritingandmarketing.com] or email Gail at gail@gcdwritingandmarketing.com.
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