Branding

Tell Me a Story

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

23 Jul 2008 • 1 min read

There may no more powerful communication tool than a story well told. A story is not a PowerPoint presentation or a canned pitch or a memorized speech. It is as it sounds: a plain English parable with a beginning, middle, and end.

Stories help people understand and make sense of what you are selling. A compelling story can make the abstract understandable. Ditch the product specifications and data sheets. Instead, share your favorite experience with the new product.

Top salespeople can build trust and credibility while overcoming skepticism by talking about how another customer solved a problem by using a product or service. A good story can address an objection or concern before it is ever brought up by the customer. Done right, the story well told makes the story teller appear sincere and trustworthy.

Sales presentations are the quickest way to lose a sale since there may be nothing more obvious or obnoxious than a canned pitch, better known as death by PowerPoint. Shut down the laptop and build the relationship with your customer by sharing your stories.

Connect with a customer’s emotions by talking about past experiences with other customers. Stories can be a great way to break the ice with a new customer and ease the natural tension in a sales call. For the existing client, the well-told tale can enrich the relationship and reaffirm the business.

Generally, customers can identify with story and can picture themselves as a part of the story. This emotional connection helps them remember the story while they may never remember the fact or figures, let alone the features and benefits of your product. Stories should have a simple theme or value; if the tale is too complicated the message could get lost.

The mechanics are simple. A good story’s opening is clear and engaging. The sequence of events must be easy to follow. Don’t be too clever or you might lose your audience. The story must have a clear ending and must have had purpose.

If done right, the story lives on in the memory of your customer. Story telling can achieve things that marketing brochures can’t.