From the time we were young we have all been told stories. It is a universal human activity. The function of storytelling is much older, elemental, and superior than even Hollywood. Since stories are such an important part of our very being, applying this natural and powerful tool in business creates wonders.
What makes the great speakers shine from the rest? It’s the power of the stories they tell, it is as simple as that. Stories are how people tell each other who they are; where they are from; how unique they are and what they believe. Stories capture people’s memories of their past and their expectations for the future. Good stories can motivate, influence, entertain, educate, and convince. Many professionals are discovering the importance and influence of stories for marketing their businesses.
Be it large or small corporations, storytelling is a staple for a company to create its’ brand. Storytelling has become a part of bread and butter of the business world.
Storytelling
- A Key Strategy to Sales Success
- Connects Us
- Builds a Bond and Trust
A Key Strategy to Sales Success
Great businesses tell great stories. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your business is already telling a story. Storytelling has an extensive variety of business applications; sadly a majority goes unnoticed or ignored. In a commercial world where clients are showered by a massive amount of often conflicting stories, and where they are no longer contented with being members of a passive audience, it is more significant than ever that formal storytelling be taken on as a business tool. An efficient strategy to sales success is storytelling because it is:
- Practical
- Memorable
- Impressive
- Tangible
- Conversational
Becoming an efficient storyteller has long been a ‘make a distinction’ factor for victorious sales, and people simply take pleasure in being around someone who can spin a great yarn. Bringing that skill into practice sets you apart from the competition.
Storytelling connects us
Storytelling connects your business to your prospects and clients. When you give and deliver your best, you will not be able to stop them from talking about their “lucky find,” or sending their friends to you. You can also find them coming back again and again. Do understand that a good story can change the way people think and a grand story can change the way people behave. When you tell your story and divulge your business personality, you become impressive, enviable and desirable, thus connecting your target market with you.
“The essence of selling is to understand your customer’s needs and convincing him that you’re the best one to meet them.”
– Fred Blalek, co-founder, National Semiconductor Corp
Story Telling builds Bond and Trust
Individuals do business with the ones they like and trust. Business storytelling is one of the effective methods to build that trust and bond. Consumers prefer to buy what they want from someone who understands what they actually need. Telling your own personal and business stories make them feel like they know you. You connect their emotions thus building ‘Emotional Magnetism’.
There are FIVE methods to show how effective story telling can be in building the trust and eventually the bond.
- Stories help the consumer to know upfront that you understand what she wants and this will pave the way for the rest of the sales process.
- Stories can be perceived as offering a perfect match between your company and the consumer.
- Stories can provide the benefits that the consumer is looking for.
- Stories can make the consumer understands what your company stands for such as its culture, priorities and values.
- Stories can make build the bridge of trust.
Your story will help consumers trust you right from the beginning, their minds are open. Thus to start from the emotional level, story telling is an effective tool.
Why do we crave stories?
Right from childhood days we first began to learn through our parents’ and grandparents’ tales, or perhaps reading comics or stories narrated to us in schools or even tall tales by friends. Honestly, don’t we remember them better than the hundreds of lectures we had attended? From the time people learned to communicate, “Tell me a story” has always been an appeal of both children and the adults. Stories such as myths, epics, fairy tales, legends, and fables have been a part of human kind for eon and continue to be favorites. They can actually make a mark on the emotional level and it has always been craved for! In simpler terms, the craving for stories is an element of what it means to be human.
Telling your story
The Product is Secondary
The product always comes secondary. What comes first is to get the attention of our target market. Creating a story of interest will establish a rapport with the prospect and this must be of the utmost importance because nothing can be more vital than developing a relationship for a business to flourish. After all, a good and effective customer attraction is the lifeblood of any business, big or small. It’s a successful way in which a business can distinguish itself from the competition. In other words product comes secondary, the main intention of which is to epitomize whatever story is being sold.
Our main purpose in Sales is to ‘Tell your Story.’
Telling stories are much more convincing and better-remembered than simply information.
Apple’s CEO and master storyteller Steve Jobs, introduced the revolutionary ‘iPhone.’ The Times said: “Apple’s new iPhone could do to the cell phone market what the iPod did to the portable music player market: crush it pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority. This is unfortunate for anybody else who makes cell phones, but its good news for those of us who use them.”
On the day of announcement the share price increased more than 8%. Even before the actual shipping of the product, the response was excellent.
The reason — Apple had a very impressive and terrific story.
Feelings
The Market for Feelings, for Emotions is larger then the Market for Products.
Stories touch the emotions that convince, influence and persuade! They touch the emotions that make people buy!
By gratifying the consumer’s wants first, you make it almost impossible for them to resist your solution to their needs – when people make your story as their story; you have tapped into the influential force of faith.
Convey emotion into your own presentation -Let your story be described with all emotion and excitement.
Why do they buy?
Do they buy a valance with panels and sheers or their Dream Bedroom?
People prefer to chase what they dream. Having this particular aspect in mind the prospects are on the lookout to make their dream a reality. Convincing the prospects at that emotional level is the challenge. Rather than advertising the panels and shades, understand the prospects and give them what they need. It’s not a Herculean task. Even doing small things can make for a great story and have customers sing your praises and refer business to you. Let the consumer know that you recognize what they want and that your service/product is the best fit to satisfy their needs.
As the saying goes, ” A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it,” – so why can’t your story be their home?
You must become a Storyteller
A key strategy to sales success is story telling rather than offering empty statistics and boring facts which hardly make an impression on anyone. You will find that effective story telling easily differentiates you from your competitors thus being a key strategy to sales success. Hence learn to become a story teller- more important learn to become an effective story teller- it would take you a long way!
Definition of a Story
Stories are defined as Value Statements
Ursula Le Guin states, “To learn to speak is to learn to tell a story.”
Not subject to the same standards as Scientific Truth
We are the stories we tell. It’s more about how we define ourselves and not subject to the same standards as scientific truth. They may be stories about the cosmos or universe and humanity’s identification in it – in fact we celebrate our stories at every opportunity be it Sunday worship, family reunion or a promotion.
Stories are who we are and who the others are
In the stories, we define who we are, what others are, what the world is about and how we are to relate to the world. With stories, we study and re-affirm our essential cultural principles and ideals of time and space, reason and being, and eventually giving meaning to all characteristics of our purposes. We create our social foundations, fashion our view of the world and our ways of responding to it.
How important are Stories?
Stories are as important to us as Food and Shelter
Why are stories so important? When our stories are effective and influential, there are more customers and more customers mean more revenue. Now, aren’t stories important?
It is part of Human Behavior
Storytelling is ideally one of the earliest forms of folk-art. It consists of simple chants that praised the dawn, articulated the happiness of being alive, eased the boredom, combined in poems, music, recited in marketplace – it is simply a part of human behavior.
Stories can be our personal prison or set us free!
There is a saying which goes like, “We don’t express the world we see-we see the world we express.” Since we think in terms of words, they have the ability to either set us free or limit us. Likewise stories we narrate about ourselves ultimately become our lives. We can choose to tell healthy ones or the opposite, thus making our own personal prisons or just setting ourselves free and happy!
Stories are the spice of life!
Stories are that extra special which enriches or alters the quality of a thing, giving it zest, relish, flavor, in short it adds spice to life.
The Good Storytellers
“The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound.
I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make.”
Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate
We do know that a glass cannot alter a fine wine or spirit, however, it can and does significantly alter our perception of it. The same conception applies to story telling. Though storytelling cannot alter your service/product it can however significantly alter the perception of a prospect with regards to your product/service.
Einstein
“Imagination is more important than Knowledge”.
Albert Einstein states that knowledge is limited and imagination encircles the world. Now, isn’t that right on target? The most imperative ingredient is ‘imagination’ to create things that change the world. Adding a wee bit of imagination and creativity not only creates wonders but also is a true sign of intelligence.
The Marketplace is Emotional
Companies will treat these as facts if the consumer believes it to be so.
The market for convictions is not vulnerable to expert opinions. If the consumer believes it to be ‘a fact’ the companies will treat them ‘as facts.’
“Companies are no longer setting the agenda for what customers want. They’re finding out where the agenda is being set and enhancing it. The customers decide what’s important. Your job is to listen and respond.”
Avram Miler, Technology Consultant
To Sell Successfully….
We must be capable of listening, feeling, inspiring, and speaking the language of the heart.
By listening, feeling, inspiring and speaking the language of the heart we become solid in a way that is exceptional. One feels anchored and unyielding in conviction and certain of the words one is using. There is a steadiness and sense of mutuality and the limitations began to blur: heartfelt listening.
It’s just Boring!
Being an Interior Designer or Decorator is not your Story!
When you build your story on providing an experience of creating “lifestyle entertainment”, your prospects will recognize that you are adding value through your comprehension of desires.
Benefits of a Good Story
Finding your story gives your work more of a purpose. When you find it, you will feel more unique.
Finding your story is a major skill or strategy that is highly effective if you truly want an authentic relationship. It gives your work more of a purpose -the purpose for your business. To find a promising story is to deliver a heroic outcome for a unique feeling.
Your self confidence will soar, as you spread the word of your expertise:
If your story and message is clear, it will be received and acted upon. The word of your expertise spreads. Once it spreads your sales improves, they will soar naturally lifting your spirits and boosting your self-confidence.
“When you engage in systematic, purposeful action, using and stretching your abilities to the maximum, you cannot help but feel
positive and confident about yourself.”
-Brian Tracy
A well-defined story gives you more credibility. You will be judged to a higher degree, then others who do not have a good story to tell.
When your story is well defined people feel like they recognize and know you. It gives you more credibility and also makes them have trust and faith in you. You will be judged on a much higher basis standing out of the crowd!
Your story helps to spread the word about your company faster. People will talk about your company that has a story.
Great stories are heard, kept in mind and even retold. Since stories have a remarkable dual power to simulate and to inspire, let it be – simply great.
Your company will get noticed as it stands above the clutter. You need a story to separate you from the competitors.
How you tell your story makes a great difference! Take your time to begin to enhance your own stories that can be easily shared and understood by your audience. You may be surprised by the results!
People don’t want information, they want a story. Stories will connect because it encourages emotions.
The power of this ancient tool is just amazing. People do not information; they need something to be inspired about, something which connects them emotionally, something which they can relate to – they want stories.
People will remember you because we remember stories and not information. The best way to tell your story is to create a Niche.
Talking with an effective-story is basically getting into the sub-conscious level of a person. To make the story effective, create a Niche. ‘Niche’ is a special place within the scheme of things.
Niche Ideas
- Baby Nurseries
- Green Design
- Interiors for the Disabled
- Collectables
- Smart Homes
- Storage Expert
- Color
- Personality
The above are the Niche Ideas and let’s elaborate on, ‘Baby Nurseries,’ to make it clearer.
Baby Nurseries
- Connect with Emotional Mother
- She will show off the room.
- Relationship for generations
- Easily targeted segment
- Juicy Story content
- Great for articles, press releases, seminars
Using a Niche as a Market Strategy
There are dozens of industries that you can focus on to develop a market for your company such as law offices, medical offices, health care, hotels, restaurants, day care centers, yachts and much more. The great benefit about niche marketing is that it promotes those who indulge in it to be unique and one-of-a-kind.
By Product
Office Furniture, Kitchen Cabinets, Window Treatments, Color, Antiques, Artwork and Residential Furniture are just a few that fall under marketing with a product focus.
It’s recommended that you choose a niche product that you are knowledgeable about. In case, you’re not well-informed about the particular product, then choose a niche product that you would prefer to promote, spend some time to research on it, and you would eventually end up being a ‘niche marketing expert.’
By Style
When you sell by style, you sell based on your own unique talent. Examples of style include: Modern, Traditional, Classic, Youthful, Tailored and Elegant.
ByDemographic
You can target a certain group of the market such as: Retiring Baby Boomers, Newly Divorced, and those relocating for their work. There are quite a few things to be taken into consideration such as age, gender, education, income, ethnicity, family definitions, lifestyle, activities, etc. By defining your ideal customer on ‘demographic basis,’ you will be able to build your business easily.
By Solution
A clever way to finding your niche is through offering great solutions to common and difficult problems. It can be done after an unsatisfied customer demand is recognized. After which, marketing and reaching out ‘that‘ particular audience in the best possible way can be worked on, for your business to reach ‘skyrocketing success.’
For instance, you can specialize in: Solar Control, Motorization, Home Staging and offering Solutions to the Disabled.
Look at this as a Marketing Strategy
- This is not a “Straight Jacket”!
- You can implement several strategies.
- Niche Marketing Strategies tell a story.
By taking a straight jacket as an example, you can try to incorporate different approaches. Try not to look at it just as a straight jacket but include its importance with stories – tell a story with niche marketing strategies. You can talk on its coziness’, its style, its fashion statement in a broader sense. On the other hand, if you want to target on a more specific audience, you can concentrate on the accessories of a straight jacket such as the buttons.
Target your niche market and create messages that advance the filters of the mind, thus reaching ‘the audience‘ who ‘want‘ and ‘need‘ what you offer.
Niche Strategies
- Appealing to Baby Boomers with a message about color
- Target Realtors with Home Staging Service
- Color Consultations to Painting Contractors
- Gift of Decorating to Men
A Guide to finding your Story
Be an Explorer: Look at your current resources in your business to create a new idea.
An instance would be instead of offering cleaning services you can create niche marketing by specializing in blind cleaning services. Why should one bother about creating a niche market? The answer is ‘you’re alone.’ Small business may not be aware of your specialized niche market and the big business wouldn’t want to bother!
Example: We already help our clients with color.
Transform this resource into your Niche Marketing Strategy. For instance, we can offer this service to Painting Contractors who happen to be a great “Center of Influence”. Look for your inner Picasso.
Now, here comes the judge:
Evaluate the idea and decide how to implement it. Example: We can offer 5 Free Color Consultations to Painting Contractors in the area.
Be the Warrior
Implement your Idea! Once you have decided on a certain niche marketing strategy, implement your ideas and be persistent in what needs to be done! It is always a good idea to market by your self as satisfying truly unique needs.
Example: Send out a mailing and follow up with phone calls. By following up with your prospects and providing great customer service, you are creating a long-term relationship. Fulfilled customers are more likely to purchase your other new products in the future. Treat them with the utmost respect and go beyond the expected.
With all that your present customers ‘can do for you,’ there’s simply no cause to not to stay in regular touch with them. Use your imagination, and you can think of numerous other ideas that can help you develop a durable relationship.
How to Market your Story
- Free Report Marketing is a great way to position your business to your target market. It is simply offering a free report, based on your story, on typical problems your potential clients may have and providing effective solutions.
A major objection of many who take on market research is that information is often hard to find unless one is willing to pay. While the majority good market research is quite expensive to access, rarely there are good research nuggets that are freely accessible. Hence start your free report marketing by providing link to summaries, research reports and other practical research materials. Give your visitors the information/content they can’t read anywhere else. If not the entire content, at least a portion of it should have the original information as people will read information they haven’t read or seen anywhere.
- When you offer a free report on your area of expertise, you begin a campaign with your target market that builds loyalty because you are educating rather then selling.
If your reports help build ‘customer loyalty,’ customers will choose you over your competitors. They are likely to buy your product/service more frequently. In addition they become voluntary marketers eventually recommending you to others. Your reports and information can also provide an ultimate way to collect feedback from the customers whose views does matter the most as they could be of utmost importance. There are many trustworthy, dependable and cost effective programs that help to manage your list. They also help to create and send messages without investing in soft wares or other solutions that need to be outsourced.
- You can actually convince the buyer that your product is the best because you understand their problem and your company is able to provide the best solution.
Having convinced the customers that you understand the problem, you can eventually provide a practical solution. A winning strategy sets you apart from the others. It emphasizes your strengths and eases the impact of your weaknesses. Ultimately it matches your anticipated clarification with the customer’s needs.
Great Reasons to offer this Strategy
- You build client loyalty by becoming a trusted advisor. Those that request educational reports from you will view you as the expert.
People have various needs. If they request educational reports, it means they view you as an expert. It’s in your best interest to make them feel unique, special and appreciated. The benefits are many. “Quality of product or service leads to customer satisfaction, which leads to customer loyalty, which leads to profitability.” Niche marketers are often dependent on the ‘loyalty business model’ to sustain a beneficial volume of sales.
- You “set the specs” for the standards in your solutions. You establish the guidelines and since you are writing the report, you provide the exact solution to the common problems they are experiencing.
In other words you become your own master. You frame your own rules. You can convince then by setting your guidelines that you have the potential to resolve their issues and make them believe/understand that this is what they’ve been looking for or what they need!
SEVEN reasons why this is so effective
1. You begin the relationship on a positive note:
Developing relationship with prospects begins when you realize you get what you give. Instead of directly marketing your product, you make your target audience realize that you’re more interested in them. Your relationship starts on a positive note. When you begin ‘an issue’ on a positive and respectful note, you can’t imagine the difference it makes. You invite discussion. You look for win-win solutions to the concerned problem or issue.
2. You acknowledge to the prospect a level of respect in wanting to help rather then sell.
In asking ‘how you can help?’ you start the conversation on a positive note. You are helping and not selling. We all know that people hate to be sold. All of us have been there and faced it – we don’t like to be sold. The minute we realize that we are being sold, we often want to get away – fast. Don’t we?
On the other hand, if one feels they are sincerely trying to be helped they will relax and open up to you. Though it is a simple perspective it is quite powerful and very effective with prospects.
3. When you educate, you project a better relationship.
Once you understand the prospect’s issues and problems and try to resolve those, it shows you’ve started a relationship. The prospect will find you approachable and much at ease. Focus on educating and delivering insightful content. Coaching your prospects gets that rapport established. You’re educating your prospect, in short your helping yourself by helping him/her. Customer has to make a decision, “Do I prefer building a long-term relationship with you?” Long term is what every business wants. You surely don’t want a ‘just one time customer‘ and they really want a ‘just one time – buying’ relationship.
4. Prospects will buy from companies that put their clients first.
Once the image that ‘you care for’ the prospect reflects that there’s no turning back for him/her. Show them that you care for their needs rather than their money. It’s basically creating an environment where each gets what they want. As we all know, customer service is important in each and every business, and at each and every stage of delivery process. A professional tries to solve a client’s issues/problems and make efforts to prevent future ones. If your attitude towards your prospect is with interest and thoughtfulness, you can be sure your prospect will give you the same reaction.
5. You “set the specs” and this makes you the perfect solution.
What can you say that no one else can say?
What can you say that the market will act in response to?
Well, that’s the hush-hush of positioning: a successful approach will enclose the debate so that your solution is the only good solution. It compels potential prospects to think and react about their issues on the same terms as you do. With a good market insight, figuring out how to talk about a solution in the way your prospects want to take notice of is a whole lot easier thus – ‘your solution is the only solution.’
6. You are recognized as the expert in the field.
Expert status is one of the prime factors that turn ordinary business into extraordinary business. When you’re considered to be an expert in a particular area, audiences with an interest in the concerned niche will follow you because it gives them what they want.
As you become an acknowledged expert, people tend to believe in and act on your recommendations. When they act on your recommendations, your business increases. It all starts with offering your free marketing report!
7) People love free stuff, it works! :
If there is one that people in general enjoy is getting something for free – people love to get free stuff. First is the fact that free is so influential. Not to mention in business, the most effective word is free. It drives prospects to its source and as a matter of fact everyone comes as a winner. The prospects benefit as they get something which they don’t have to pay for and the business benefit as they end up promoting their bottom line. By giving free stuff you are giving your prospects a reason to hang on to it now and in the future.
Using your Story in Networking
When you go to Networking Events, you will be remembered and referred when you tell story:
The use of networking is to develop relationships so you will get leads from someone who knows you. When you attend a networking event the main reason is to meet business people from different industries to get solid exposure and publicity.
The key to thriving promotion of a business is consistency – informing the same message very often in different places. Repetition is critical to becoming remembered by your desired prospects where story plays a major role. Thus a great method to incorporate storytelling is networking. When your prospects have a chance to refer you to their contacts they can tell your story. A brilliant story shared with a new prospect creates a mark in their mind about you and your offer. That simple association can help generate a new liaison with someone influential which might prove beneficial for your business. The advantage of building relationships with an effective story will result in new leads for your business.
We’ve all heard stories about the executive who showed up and solved a huge problem at our offices or homes. It works the same way. Your network is out admiring your capabilities to their contacts, and there the connection is made. The key is to use words and images that capture your prospects impact and prompt them to want to tell your story to their listeners. Finally-don’t give up. If you have a good story to tell, keep trying to tell it in all possible ways!
However, one should understand that networking is not a place to sell. There is no point in collecting around 50 business cards, eventually to get piled up in a box. It is about the quality of your contacts and not quantity. Let it be a platform to introduce your self with an effective story and not a sales pitch.
The 10 Second Intro
You have to hook them!
It’s VERY CRUCIAL to create the right impression about you and your business straight away. That’s where a 10 second introduction comes! The more this introduction stands out of the crowd, the more likely your new prospect is to remember you. You have a matter of seconds to grab your prospect’s attention hence NEVER blow it with a weak opening. Presenting your story in a truly unusual light will turn out to be a grand investment in the long run. One way of making your introduction stand out is to put an unexpected twist right at the start -the point is to be instantly recognized and remembered by your acquaintances. For example, “Hello I am Joe Albert, here to make you an expert.” Now that’s an introduction that grabs everybody’s attention – and leaves them with wanting to know more. So their next assignment goes to you instead of the person who just said, “Hello I am Harry Dane and I am a designer.”
The 30 Second Story
- Use in Networking
- At the beginning of a presentation.
Be it in networking or at the beginning of a presentation, remember that what we really need to do to get people excited is to start with a gripping story. Just be sure to keep your audience in mind and make sure it relates with them, no matter how you chose to tell it. Always think – Will others find your story interesting? Try to develop a story as you would like to have it told.
The 30 second story is really a powerful introduction that converses your unique selling proposition in just a matter of few seconds. To make it less complicated, think about your introduction in terms of it being a headline or few bullet points that portray who you are to others. Try to best sum up yourself in this 30 second introduction which is commonly called as the 30 second drill.
Just keep in mind that your story is generally the first and foremost step to making the initial contact. A powerful first impression takes you to high levels of success than you ever imagined. Let your story be a RESOURCE for people wanting to know more about your offer and that includes basic information such as your mission, services, programs, your accessibility etc.
So, to recap, a great 30 second story needs:
- A method to introduce your business that will grasp the listener’s attention.
- A brief description of your USP and benefits.
- A Guarantee that people can trust you.
Get all these essentials together and you’ll notice the difference: how your audience will remember you, talk about you, refer you – and give you their business.
Don’t Be Boring!!
No one cares that you are an Interior Designer or a Decorator.
Why be boring when you can be…
- The Green Decorator
- The Nursery Designer
- The Solar Man
- The Motorization Expert
In order not be boring create a niche. The best thing about a niche business is that you are not struggling to fight against numerous other marketers. Your ‘niche’ is unique and one of its kind. Many are under the impression that niche marketing restricts their ways of offering service. The good news is that it is exactly the opposite in choosing a niche market- it will free you to be the biggest, most reliable, most authentic and most complete method possible.
When you look at niche in this percept, you will find that your perfect niche market is a platform where you are most readily accessible to the people who are most likely to benefit from your work. It is the right place in the right ecosystem and you have a natural competitive advantage. What’s more is that you can experiment and put to use your talents, skills and expertise.
People will find it interesting if your offer is different and unique apart form the same old story that, ‘I am an Interior Decorator.’ Be interesting, have something to say, do something exciting, make your readers/listeners worth the time. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t hold your own attention if you were in your prospect’s place. Ultimately, DON’T BE BORING! Be UNIQUE, attention-grabbing and one of its kinds.
Bringing back the principle of Pinocchio: learn to be a story teller. Yes, Pinocchio landed in trouble because of his stores but when it comes to business they are a major ‘stepping stones’ for a career.