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Recently, I came across an ad that was selling a service. Unlike most ads, it started with a story about a father and his son. They began a tradition of writing down stories and memories so they could be remembered in the future. The ad then transitioned to what their product was: a service that combined memories into a keepsake book. Because they introduced their product with a story, I was more willing to check it out and still remember it today. Undoubtedly, the art of storytelling is a valuable skill for effective selling. Many who work in sales would likely agree. In fact, if you google “story telling” the first website is an article by Bronwyn Fryer in Harvard’s Business Review: “Storytelling That Moves People.” Fryer makes a salient point, stating, “Too often, [customers] get lost in the accouterments of company speak: PowerPoint slides, dry memos, and hyperbolic missives from the corporate communications department.” Clearly, this traditionalist form of selling is boring. How can we then excite customers? The answer, fryer suggests, is stories. If you think about it, this makes sense. We all love stories, evident through our culture’s consumption of entertainment. Movies, books, and tv shows easily attract our attention because of their use of stories. Of course, a sales pitch will never be as entertaining as a movie; however, modeling it after one may make customers feel more comfortable. Stories can also be communicated in less time and in more mediums compared to other sales techniques. They can be presented on a video, graphic, billboard, and more\u2014something a PowerPoint cannot always do. Most importantly, stories inspire. Customers may be more willing to select a product introduced by a story to feel like they too are a part of the narrative.<\/p>\n
Here is a video to learn how to use storytelling in sales:<\/p>\n