We all know that telling stories is a great way to connect with people in daily life and in sales. However, it is hard to know how far to go with a story, how long the story should be, and if the customer or client finds the story interesting. To understand this more, I looked for a formula of how to incorporate stories into sales in an appropriate and interesting way. There are 5 things to keep in mind when telling a story to a client or prospect: know your client, keep it specific, don’t improvise, use imagery, and give a disclaimer.
Firstly, knowing more about your client or prospect will enable you to know their interests and previous experiences. If you know those things, it is easy to tell a story that relates to them. Also, if you know some of their pain points, you can tell a story regarding a similar pain point which will allow your client to see that you understand that pain and you’ve had experience dealing with it. This will build trust between you and your client or prospect.
Secondly, being as specific as possible when telling a story enables the client to get invested into the story. Once a person is invested in a story, they are more willing to hear statistics and facts because they take those more personally. Being vague with anyone will lead people to wonder what you are saying and can lead people to leave a conversation without taking anything positive away from it. Telling a vague story is impersonal and confusing.
Thirdly, don’t improvise. It is a terrible idea to make up a story or add parts to a story that are not true. There is a chance that a client will ask about the false parts of the story which will leave you in a tricky situation. Also, it is easy to forget or keep track of what you made up. Trust is built on a solid, honest foundation. Flashy yet false stories will only get you so far for so long.
The forth point is to use imagery. Imagery allows the story to come to life. A client will be able to picture the scenario and feel more connected to the story. It is also a good way to get a person’s attention. If the person can imagine what you are talking about then that will also lead them to be invested in the story.
Finally, you should give a disclaimer. If you are giving a scenario instead of a real life story, then it is important to make that information known. A client may take a scenario as a real life situation which can be misleading. Just be careful to distinguish between the two.
Attached is a website that gives examples for each of the 5 steps. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/telling-a-sales-story-2917227
BoweryJE22
This is a really good point to examine. Story telling is essential and an ingrained part of our humanity, but being able to fabricate a story that appeals to a and diverse audience can be extremely hard. A lot of times when using a story to sell an idea you may need to be able to tell the same story about 20 different ways. Your prospect may understand and value different aspects of your offer so it’s really important to know how to tell a story that reaches them.
I think storytelling is a great way to connect to people in general and additionally in a sales environment. It definitely puts the prospect at ease if you are able to tell a relevant, truthful, and engaging story to them in the midst of the sale! I think your framework for storytelling in a sales situation is very helpful and gives a basic outline of the most important functions of storytelling in sales, thanks for sharing.
Several of these tips boil down to the basic value of honesty in a seller-customer relationship. A story should be true, and when a salesperson describes a hypothetical scenario he or she should be sure to explain that it is a scenario and not a true story. Nothing deteriorates trust more quickly than dishonesty, so salespeople should make it a point to be 100% honest with customers.