From Yawn to “Tell me more”

How to Get Your Prospects, Clients, and Audience to Care More About What You Have to Say By Using Stories

He was killing me.

His non-stop description of the service he provides and all the details, background research, etc. was putting me into a coma.

Not wanting to be rude, I politely listened, but tried to indicate with vigorous head nods and quiet  “Yup…got it…” comments that we could move on to the next point.

Oblivious to my signals–or perhaps because he didn’t know an alternative approach–he continued to root around in the weeds.

At one point, he said something like “I don’t want to bore you with all the details” and then continued to do so.

I bet you have been on the receiving end of this type of sales conversation and you know how painful it is.

Have you been on the other side?

Have you been “that guy”?

If you are not using stories to show how your product or service helps people like your prospect and businesses just like your prospect’s, you probably are losing people that you could otherwise help.

 

Why Should You Use Stories in Your Sales and Consulting Conversations?

1. We all love interesting stories. Ever notice how you perk up when a speaker tells a story rather than talks about concepts and ideas at an abstract, 30,000 foot level?
2. They involve people at a more visceral, emotional level than if you just share facts and talk logic, which make your points far more persuasive and your message far more memorable.
3. Because of points #1 and #2, when you tell stories well, you and your ideas become FAR more interesting to other people….which makes you a welcome guest wherever you go.
4. They enable you to answer the “What’s in it for me?” question going on in your prospect’s head in a far more fascinating and powerful way…again…because it connects with them at an emotional, easy-to-relate-to level.
5. They enable you to challenge someone’s objections or perspective in a respectful, non-confrontational way (after all…you’re just sharing a story about a conversation you had with another person, or an experience you had).
6. They enable you to make complicated, difficult-to-understand, or industry-specific concepts and practices understandable to someone not in your field. Remember a confused mind loses interest and chooses inaction.
7. When you tell the right story and tell it the right way, you are able to communicate how good you are in a subtle non-Donald-Trumpish way.

Two Stories You Must Master

While there are a number of story genres you can use to become a more compelling and influential communicator, let’s get you started with two.

Whether you are talking one-on-one, presenting to an audience, or writing, you want to use Pain stories and Pain and Promise stories.

I opened this post with a Pain story.

Rather than open with an admonition that you need to tell stories if you want to engage prospects, clients, and audiences more effectively, I shared a story of what happens when we don’t.

I shared that story because I wanted you to recall how you feel in those situations and therefore understand at a visceral level why it’s critical to “not be that guy.”

Pain stories are also a great way to start off a presentation. They immediately hook your audience into the pain that would motivate them to listen to your ideas and to your proposition.

The Pain and Promise story starts out with the pain, and then describes what happened once you helped that person or business with their source of pain. It communicates in a non-salesy way “Here’s what can happen to you if you work with me or buy my product.”

 

For More On How to Use Stories to Become a More Interesting and Persuasive Communicator

If you want to learn more about how to use stories to make your message come alive, come to upcoming seminar:

 

Tell a better story. Become more interesting. Grow your business.

 

When: June 24rd · 12:45PM-1:45PM

Where: O’Maine Studio, Portland, Maine

A Maine Startup & Create Week Partner Program

For more information