4/22/2024-“Wanna hear a good story?”

Storytelling is a natural talent for about 1% of the population, so don’t be intimidated if you aren’t a good storyteller. Remember, your buyer only has an attention span that runs about 90 seconds!

Today’s quote is a line you should frequently use with your customers. It’s better than, "Hey…do you want to hear a good value proposition?"

Before your prospects and clients decide to buy from you, they first decide to listen to you. (You know when they’re not listening.)

What do you think works best: the raw delivery of stats, data, case studies, sterile product descriptions…

…or stories that include stats, data, case studies, and product descriptions?

(Pick B!)

Today, take a moment to reflect on a work experience you recently had that can be packaged into a story.

And then, build and practice your story according to this traditional formula:

1. Intro/set-up

2. Conflict description.

3. Resolution.

4. Payoff translation and segue: what should the buyer take away from your story? How does the story relate to value for the buyer?

Business storytelling need not be intimidating…your stories are merely your experiences packaged into anecdotes. Throw in some of your natural charisma and charm, and you’re on your way to engaging even the stiffest of your customers.

The key to good storytelling is how you frame the points you want your customer to remember. Take your value prop, for example. You could recite it as a script – just as it was handed down to you – or, you could package some of its salient points into a story about another anonymous client who is experiencing the same challenges as the prospect you’re pitching.

One thing is for sure: Your stories won’t get good unless you practice them. And because they’ll only run for about 90 seconds to two minutes, you can practice waiting for the light to turn green while out running errands.

Think of all the things that occur with your customers and challenge yourself to re-tell them with a bit of pizazz thrown in. Do they sound compelling to listen to if you were the buyer? Remember, each time you tell the same story, it’ll change and get better!

Few are born good storytellers. So don’t freak out if you have trouble telling stories.

Watch Adam Driver beat himself up while trying to tell a story…(whoa, that’s a big swing and a miss Adam).

On-demand storytelling is pretty darn hard. But it gets easier if you create a cache of stories that you can push the play button at any time.

Personal stories can be as effective as business ones, too…building trust and creating a bond is the goal.