3 REASONS WHY STORYTELLING IS A MUST-HAVE SALES SKILL.">
Since the beginning of time, storytelling has been the vehicle with which humanity has passed information from generation to generation and this has been well-documented throughout our history.
In recent times, it has been scientifically proven that when we hear an impactful story, chemicals flow through our brains and lighten up the parts that evoke empathy and shared association.
The London School of Business did a study on this and it confirmed that people retain 65 to 70% of information shared through stories while only 5 to 10% of information is retained through a dry presentation of data and statistics.
What this means for business is when facts and data are framed within a compelling story, you will hold the listener’s attention and help them connect bits and pieces of your story to their own context.
Let me explain why:
1.Storytelling is humanising.
In the sales business, in particular, the use of a topic-related narrative is more likely to humanise the product or service, as well as the salesperson
leading the transaction. A potential customer will be able to form an emotional connection with a salesperson if they can for some reason relate
to the story being told within a sales pitch. This emotional connection is far more likely to lead to an investment.
In another blog, I have also pointed out the importance of prospects seeing the person and not just a salesperson during a pitch.
2.Storytelling is engaging.
When we consider our era of information overload where the average consumer processes 100,500 digital words daily, there’s even more validation for
putting together sales pitches that engage and motivate our listeners. A good sales story will engross your listener to tap into his/her subconscious
to make an emotional connection with you and the product or service you’re offering.
If you’re wondering how to get started, I always advise that a good sales story should ideally have the following components:
- -A Hero – the main character the prospect can relate to because he shares some traits with the prospect or finds himself in similar situations to what the prospect regularly experiences.
- -A Stimulus – something that pushes the hero to find a solution to their own problem or changing the situation for the better.
- -Conflict – problems, struggles, trials and dangers the hero needs to overcome to reach his goals.
- -A Crossroad – the moment of decision where the hero needs to choose a path to bring him to the solution.
- -The Moral of the Story – where the hero’s problem is solved by the solution he or she found.
3.Storytelling is inspiring.
“A sales pitch driven by storytelling is a narrated journey that will transform your prospects’ perceptions.”
Think about what could be absorbed by your prospect both mentally and emotionally from your encounter. The kind of cues that will spark them to remember your conversation and influence their future thoughts and activities surrounding their problems and your products or solutions.
Whatever method you choose, your story should inspire your customers to change their lives for the better (with the help of your products/services off course).
Follow these group-focused steps to come up with such (inspiring) tales in your business:
1.Collect potential stories from all staff members.
2.Review all stories from a sales perspective and consider what might be missing.
3.Edit these stories to make them product/service relevant.
4.Test your set of stories among less significant prospects and collect an inventory of their success.
Across just about all business interactions, personalisation and familiarisation are essential elements. Thus, storytelling that arouses, connects
and convinces should be factored into all businesses’ sales and marketing strategies.
Predictable Success can examine your sales processes and deliver an accurate roadmap after determining where you’re on track and where you need a course correction. Predictable Success can provide a cost/benefit analysis and expert recommendations to improve your sales performance on every level.
