Since our caveman days, we’ve been hard-wired to pay attention to stories. The spell-binding story of how Uncle Thog avoided being breakfast for a saber-toothed tiger taught us how to avoid a similar plight. If we listened and paid attention, we lived to share the story with others.
Granted, you may not be facing many saber-toothed tigers, and yet, having the dreaded sales conversation could be equally frightening and intimidating for you.
What can you do? You can transfer your story-telling skill and ability into story-selling. That’s right, you can use a story to sell your product or service. It facilitates your prospect seeing:
- Other people having the same dilemma as they do
- There is a solution and that’s your product or service
- By investing in your product/service, their pain/problem will disappear
Story-selling is the art of leveraging your uniqueness, your experience and your solution without using pushy, in-your-face selling approaches that leave you feeling icky and easy for your prospect to say no thank you.
How do you use stories to sell? The emphasis is on the story and when done right, it creates a connection with your prospective client that appeals to both their intellect and their heart. Stories, when told in an engaging, compelling voice, become a huge client attractor. Why? Because we love stories – especially stories that have a happy ending!
When you think of selling as facilitating a solution and Uncle Thog’s story as a solution, it’s easy to see how you can share a convincing, compelling story that leads your prospective client to saying “yes” without you having to use any strong-arm tactics.
Stories are a powerful means of sharing knowledge, exchanging information and inviting your prospects to experience the emotion of resolving or avoiding pain and travel the path to success or the pleasure of overcoming the obstacle.
A transaction between you and your prospect isn’t because you’re greedy or because your prospect is inept. Your prospect is looking for a solution and they’re willing to give you something you want (money) in exchange for what they want (your product/service) and, if it’s fast, that’s even better!
Story-selling is the vehicle for your prospects to shift from their current struggle to the probability of pleasure in the near future.
The Magic Story-selling Formula™
There are 3 parts to the formula:
- What it was like: this is the pain/struggle/problem your prospective client is experiencing.
- What happened: this is the solution your product/service provides.
- What it’s like now: this is where you share the outcome or resolution your clients are experiencing and enjoying as a result of your program/service.
Let’s look at some super short examples:
Your niche: owners of dogs that are unmanageable
What it was like: your client, Maggie, comes home after a grueling day at work only to discover that Fido, again, has been busy chewing up another piece of furniture, or uprooting the flower bed she’d just planted on the weekend or the neighbors complaining about Fido’s insistent barking and growling.
What happened: Maggie purchased your 3-week training program
What it’s like now: Fido is well-behaved, and Maggie looks forward to coming home each day with the house and garden intact and happy neighbors.
Your niche: women in the midst of a divorce
What it was like: For years, Sharon made excuses, hoped things would improve, even tried couples counseling, all to no avail. She was so weary of the fighting and yet scared about what her life would be like as a single parent. She was worried for herself and her children.
What happened: She hired you for 6 months to coach her through the stages of divorce, be her confidant and support.
What it’s like now: As a result of your one-on-one coaching and her participation in your twice-monthly group program, Sharon has discovered the inner-strength and courage to take charge of her future and create a life that’s healthy and happy for her and her children.
These examples are provided so you can see how easy it is to use the Magic Story-selling Formula™ to connect with your prospective clients, use a story to connect with their emotional pain as well as with their mental consternation.
The magic of the story-selling formula is that you’re introducing your solution to your prospective client without using intimidating, icky, forceful tactics or antics.
If your still feeling hesitation or doubt about your ability to engage in effective story-selling, then I invite you to answer this question: Are you 100% confident in the solution you’re offering?
I ask this because, in my 15+ years of working with entrepreneurs, I’ve discovered that even though you may be super passionate about your offering, you could have doubts about it being the best solution for everyone.
If you’re nodding your head in agreement, terrific! Why? Because your product or service is not the be-all, end-all for every person in your niche! Let’s say you wear a size 8 shoe. Not every size 8 shoe fits you correctly, not all styles are conducive your needs, and then there’s color! You may try on several pair of shoes before you make a purchase.
The point: your product or service is the right solution for your prospective clients who are looking for your solution. If you’re shopping for an beige, gladiator shoe, the black oxford isn’t going to meet your need.
And that brings us full circle to the first post in this series – including your unique attributes, characteristics, and story in all aspects of your marketing, so you can attract and retain ideal clients that want what you have.
If you found the The Magic Story-selling Formula™ valuable and you want to discover how you can use your uniqueness to become a client magnet, then you’ll want to schedule your risk-free, no strings attached Explore | Embrace | Enrich discovery call with me so you can start attracting more clients with ease and confidence!
Comments? I’d love to hear from you –