Ever wish you could tell one great story that when you finished, prospects would say “Wow!” then buy your product? You can. In fact you probably have several stories that would take your sales presentation to the next level from sales presentation to sales performance.
Paul Homoly, business development entrepreneur and master storyteller has developed a powerful and persuasive sales breakthrough called StorySelling.
“StorySelling blends the images and appeal of storytelling with the logic and intention of selling,” says Homoly. “You take the benefits and features of your product and tell a story about them. The value of telling a story is that it projects images and appeal onto the critical selling dialogues. The concept is simple but powerful facts and benefits are forgotten, but stories are retold.”
What stories are you telling your prospects that compels them to buy?
You may think you don’t know great stories, let alone one that would rock the prospect to his socks. Wrong. Everyone has great stories within them. Your challenge is uncover them and then tell them with appeal and prospect focus.
Here’s a six step formula to help you discover (rediscover) your great sales stories:
- Start a StorySelling MasterMind group. Three to five intelligent energetic people who’ll participate and urge the process on. It’s best if they’re all sales people.
- One at a time, each of you tell about a customer from a sale you made. Select those who had outstanding success with your product or service. Use minimal written notes or scripts tell your stories from the heart. (Record each story.)
- Be sure to include any trouble you had with the sale. Any reluctance to purchase, previous bad experience, etc. Great stories have highs and lows.
- As one person finishes, each of the listeners ask questions about the sale. These questions represent information your listeners wanted, but your story didn’t answer. You’ll find these questions, when answered, enrich the story. You’ll also notice one story will remind the group of other stories, each building on each other. (Now is the time to take notes.)
- The listeners must also comment on the part of the story that would have made them buy the most compelling part(s).
- After everyone’s had their turn to tell and hear comments about their sale, retell each sales story with the additions inspired by your listeners questions and their stories. Record the second story and compare it to the first.
Discovering your stories is a growth process. Let your stories evolve into their final form. Don’t set your expectations such that you’ll have great stories after one session. This process will lead your group to creating stories that illustrate each step in the sales process.
You have a choice as you sell: you can use the traditional method of telling facts and benefits or you can tell a story about their successful use. StorySelling captures the imagination of the prospect from beginning to end. Here’s some examples of areas to tell stories within the selling process:
Getting The Appointment Story
Rapport Story
Credibility Story
Overcoming The Odds Story
Satisfied User Story
Amazing Results After Purchase Story
Objection Story
Closing The Sale Story
Testimonial Story
Followup Story
Referral Story
All of us tell stories. The key in sales is to tell compelling, relatable, true stories that capture the prospect’s interest, and creates a buying atmosphere. This sales strategy will separate you from your competition by miles and orders.
Free GitBit:
A StorySelling worksheet to help build your story and a bonus story self-assessment to make sure your Sales Story is on the money! Just go to www.gitomer.com, then click Access GitBit ,register and enter the secret words, “StorySelling”.
