Are You Telling Another Story?

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

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

Stories get attention and telling an interesting story is one of the best ways of getting your sales message across.   Just consider this scenario...

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

Response #1:  "I've been doing taxes for years and I'm very good at it.  I used to work at the IRS so I know what can and can't be done, and I know how to get to the most current rules and regulations.  I love what I do, have lots of happy clients and, quite frankly, you won't find a tax preparer who is more thorough than 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 panic because 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 only would 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 your customer toot your horn and do the selling for you.   Smooth move!

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

1. Testimonials are great story-telling tools.  Don't be shy about asking your happy clients for them and use their testimonials as often as you can.
2. 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 is anything you can do to help them.  During such casual conversations, you'll often identify great fodder you can use for your next story.
3. 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, be sure 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 the beginning of time and there's no reason you shouldn't be using them in your business.  The big guys are telling stories, and so should you.