Gail Anderson - Executive Agent Magazine

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FROM TOLD TO SOLD!
Leverage Your Stories To Resonate With Prospects and Customers
By Craig Harrison
Have you ever heard a story that could have been
about you Ever heard a story that reminded you
of another one What about a story that sounded
vaguely familiar Welcome to the power of story.
Unlike facts and figures, that often leave us cold,
stories connect! And they connect deeply, often stirring
us emotionally at a heart level. That’s what makes them
memorable, and powerful as a sales tool.
The Prevalence of Stories
We’re wired for stories! And since birth we’ve
been conditioned to respond to stories. It’s how we
learned about our family and environment, culture and
country, our religion, strangers and the world at large.
We remember stories, and we tell ours and others,
repeatedly. And stories aren’t just transmitted orally.
They are fed us in and out of school, through books,
you tell a story that echoes an archetypal theme your
listener nods in agreement on multiple levels. Think
about the stories you tell as you sell. Do they mimic
traditional themes that represent the human experience
For your stories to connect, I recommend they allude to
one of various familiar archetypal themes:
- The hero’s journey
- Coming of age
- The acquiring of wisdom
- Pacts with the devil / fooling the devil
- Tricking the tricksters
Using The Archetypal Advantage to Connect with
Customers
Consider some of these story genres and motifs for
your use in selling products, services, and loyalty to
brand affiliations and organizations.
Cautionary tales are stories that warn of danger
or harm that awaits you if you do or don’t
follow a particular course of action.
radio, newspapers, opera, television and even through
the Internet.
Stories in Sales: Story Tell, Story Sell
I’ve written before about the use of short success stories
to help you sell. I prefer a three-part story, utilizing a
Setting-Situation-Solution format. Using this format, you
soft sell a listener on what you did for past clients, what
you did on past projects, or the difference a product or
service of yours made in solving a problem, overcoming
a challenge or generating a favorable outcome.
The Power of Archetypal Stories
Your stories can work on both conscious and unconscious
levels with prospects and clients. When
Cautionary Tales
Cautionary tales are stories that warn of danger
or harm that awaits you if you do or don’t follow a
particular course of action. Think of the boy who cries
wolf one too many times and was no longer trusted.
Or the story of the three little pigs. These tales are
great for selling products and services. Perhaps you
tell your story about the client who didn’t back up, buy
insurance or create redundant systems.
The Achilles Heel
From Greek mythology we know the tale of Achilles,
the great warrior with a fatal flaw. If your story involves
a competitor’s product and its fatal flaw, we’ll nod
knowingly in light of Achilles’ fate.
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ExecutiveAgent Magazine