What’s Your Story?

Are you a good storyteller? Are you able to keep customers interested in what you have to say while presenting them with stories that drive home the points you’re trying to make?

Storytelling is a distinct skill, and it’s one that you should practice to perfect because people will forget facts and figures the moment you walk out of their home. However, if you can make the same point with a story, they’ll remember it forever.

Stories stick with us because our brains are hard wired for stories. We thrive on emotions and sensory information and that’s what stories provide and what facts lack. A list of bullet points about why your company is the best doesn’t have any emotions for the homeowner to grab onto. As a result, they won’t internalize or remember them. But if you can present a story about how your company provided outstanding service or how you backed up your guarantees, they’ll remember it. Not only will they remember it, they may tell their family and friends, too.

While stories are an important element for success when you’re selling in the home, that’s not the only place where they can have an impact in your company. As the owner or manager, it’s important that you grasp the concepts of stories and put them to work for you too.

For starters, what is the story of your company? When you are talking to members of the community at an event or simply out on the town, do you have a story prepared of what makes your company great?  Remember, facts aren’t memorable, so simply having a bullet point list of what you offer isn’t the same as having a compelling story about what makes your company great.

This is a great way that you can use a story to help your company stand apart from the rest. Create a story based around a service call where one of your team members went above and beyond the call of duty. Create a story based around a time where you stood behind your guarantees and made sure that the client was satisfied with the service you provided. That story will be much more memorable than just telling someone that you have a money back guarantee.

People buy based on emotions and knowing a story about the company they choose will make them emotionally invested in that company and its people. Get them invested in you by crafting a compelling story about your service.

But as the owner or manager, the clients aren’t the only people that you want invested in your company. You want your team to be invested too, and stories can help you sell the vision of your company to your team.

Where do you want your company to be in five years? Whatever your vision may be, you’re going to need your team to help you get there. But they have to want to get there too, and getting them to buy into your vision starts by creating a story of what that vision looks like.

Instead of just saying, we’re going to have three locations in five years, you can create a story about how their lives will change in five years when you have three locations. How will the town be different? What will people say, and what will people do? Stories have characters, dialogue, details, and a lesson, so create one that drives home your vision, and your team will be on board. Plus, they’ll have a story to remind them of the vision as the years go by.

Those are just a couple of examples of the difference that storytelling can make beyond the home. It’s an important element of sales that your team…and you…should master!