ENOUGH WITH THE STORYTELLING!

Well, not really.

But since I brought it up, I do have a slight pet peeve with all of the self-proclaimed storytelling gurus out there telling us how important it is to incorporate stories into our sales pitches, our presentations, etc.

First of all, let me be clear, I absolutely 100% agree that storytelling is critical in sales and business success. It is actually one of my 7 Secrets in my book.?

But telling someone to simply tell more stories is basically akin to telling a five-year-old to go ride that bike.?

With no instruction, no helmet, and no knee pads.?

Storytelling is an art form, something that needs to be practiced and understood. Not just, "go do it."

A good story, a story done right, will captivate, will sell, will make you memorable.?

A bad one will simply make people roll their eyes.?

But then when you see one of these gurus pontificating about telling more stories, and you actually want to learn HOW, you have to sign up for their free seminar that will eventually cost you $997.

So here is my FREE public service post to get you started on the "how" part of storytelling.

These are two quick tips from me on how to take your normal sales conversation and add some storytelling to make you memorable and likable, without having to take a 12-step course on how to do it.

Anyone can start doing these, immediately.

Oh, and you will sell more.

1. USE ANALOGIES AND METAPHORS

It's no secret that when I ask people who their favorite teacher was when they were a kid or in college, they will regale me with great memories of this particular instructor, not because of what they taught, but because they REMEMBERED what they taught.

Why? Because they, in all likelihood, told stories using analogies and metaphors to drive home their lessons. You see, the best teachers, orators, leaders, teachers, salespeople, get their points across, become more likable, more understandable, by simply using an analogy or metaphor.

I used one myself earlier about telling a kid to go ride that bike.

So, the formula is simple really...doing this ???? ???????? doing that. Or, this ???? that.

One of the most famous analogies ever is:

"Life IS LIKE a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

Imagine if Forrest Gump said "Life is unpredictable." Would you remember that line?

When I sold Andersen windows, I would tell homeowners after inspecting their home that "the windows you have now are like having a bowling ball-sized hole in your wall, 365 days per year."

Instead of, "your current windows and woefully inefficient."

Which statement has more impact?

Analogies also can help describe something technical and make it more understandable, or less scary.

"Using this software is like drinking a warm cup of cocoa on a cold winter's day. It's that feeling of comfort every time you use it."

So use an analogy to help drive home your point, help you become memorable, which will make you more trustworthy, more interesting, and ultimately, someone they want to do business with.

2. INCORPORATE A STORY WITH SOCIAL PROOF

This one is easier than the first. Simply talk about past customers (who ARE LIKE your current prospect) so that current prospect feels more comfortable doing business with you since you've already done business with someone similar to them.

But do it in story form.

And there's a formula for this.

• RELEVANCE - your house/situation reminds me of...
• PROBLEM - another house/situation just like yours that had a similar problem...
• DECISION - so they contacted us and we helped them do...
• RESULTS / SUCCESS - and now, they have a beautiful (result)...
• RECOMMENDATION - so I would say let's do the same thing here and...

So what would that look like?

"So Mrs. and Mr. Smith, your house reminds me of two other customers of mine, similar to you as they were also working professionals. Their house also had a 30-year old roof, and so they decided to have us out to take a look. Well, what we found was their roof still had about 3-5 years of life left, but they decided to replaced it anyway with our gorgeous architectural 50-year shingle.

"Now, they have a beautiful new roof in the color they've always wanted, and don't have to worry about it anymore. So as I said, you guys are in a similar position as you can get a few more years out of your roof, but I would recommend to do the same thing they did and replace it, just to give you the peace of mind of not having to worry about your roof anymore."

This is not salesy, it comes across as very helpful (as you are the expert recommending what to do) AND, they will feel much more comfortable because people like them did what they want to do.

So give these s shot, right away.

I guarantee you will see results.

End of story.

#allanlanger #the7secrest #storytelling #storytellinginsales #stories #sales #selling