How to Tell Stories that Help You Sell
Great post by Lisa Sasevich
Lisa at the Speakers Summit09
Think back to the last presentation you attended. If you remember anything specific that the speaker said, chances are it was a story that was told.
Stories, told well, are powerful tools in your presentation because they make an impression, they convey benefits better than a list ever could, and they open people up to seeing the gap between where they are in a specific area in their life versus where they really want to be. They connect people to their heart and intuition. And, as I’ve written before, you want your audience to trust their intuition and buy from their heart, their best, highest source of information.
To achieve that connection, you have to craft your stories well, and a big part of that is preparing them in advance to make sure that you love telling them and that they touch your audience in the way that you intend. If you’re not passionately engaged in telling your story, your audience won’t be engaged either.
Here are a few guidelines that will help you craft a powerful story that will not only touch your audience but inspire them to invest in your offer.
1. Have a Point but Only ONE Point to Your Story.
When you’re chatting with friends, meandering through a story may be fine, but when you’re up on stage, be very clear about what you’re trying to communicate. Your clarity will help you stay on track and also keep your audience’s attention. Also, decide on only one point to convey. If you try to cram in more than one point, you run the risk of overcomplicating your story and diluting its power.
2. Use Material from Real Life versus Hypothetical Examples.
We are interested in each other’s lives. Haven’t you ever found yourself reading about or listening to a story about the awesome results of someone you’d never heard of before and, by the end of the story, you’re inspired by that person? The same is true for your presentation. Use real material and your audience will connect and see those results as possible for themselves too. Their hearts will open to new possibility…and that’s what you want!
3. Think BEFORE and AFTER. Broad to Specific.
When you’re telling a story, you want it to pop; you want your audience to remember the powerful transformation that occurred in your client’s life as a result of your program. The best way to do that is to start broad, generalize about what life was like for your client before she started using your program, and then end with a specific outcome.
For example, let’s say you teach people how to better organize their lives and offices. Here’s the broad, generalized before: “In the past, my client used to really struggle with organization. Her home office was so filled with clutter that she wasted hours looking for stuff.” And here’s the specific after: “After using my program, her office is now so well organized that she’s cut her work time in half AND doubled her income.”
4. Does the Story Communicate?
Choose friends you feel comfortable with and practice your story. Watch to see how attentive they are and ask for feedback. Did you make your point? Did it significantly increase their interest in your program or service?
In the end, that internal emotional connection that your audience makes, seeing the gap between where they are and where they want to be, is what it’s all about, and nothing elicits that better than a story. So craft your stories until they do the job of painting a new possibility so clearly that you get excited by them. Your results will be well worth the effort!
What has been your experience with telling stories from the stage? Let us know on our blog.
To learn more about how to craft your own powerful story and specifically how to use those stories to create hunger and desire in your audience, join Lisa LIVE in San Diego June 10-12, 2010 for her brand-new Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp. In this action-packed, 3-day training, she will take you by the hand and show you exactly how to craft a Signature Talk you love, Irresistible Offers that sell, and you’ll walk away with the confidence that comes with being ready! To learn more and grab your seat, click here
Sales-from-the-podium expert Lisa Sasevich has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold! If you’re looking for simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime, get your FREE Sales Nuggets now at www.theinvisibleclose.com.
