Tell me a Story

Who doesn’t love a good story? Well, no one really. I mean if the answer was no one loved a good story, then there would be no books, no magazines, no movies, etc. Everyone love’s a good story. And that’s why it is important to tell a good story when you are interacting with potential customers or clients. I am NOT talking about lying to them, I am NOT talking about that kind of story. I am talking about a good old fashioned relatable tale that they can connect with. Simple as that.

One of the most visited pages of most businesses websites are the case study pages. Why do you think that is? Well, it is because a case study is nothing more than a story. And what the person or site visitor is looking for is a story or case study if you will that they can connect to. A story that tells them that this company, or man or woman can help them because we they have helped someone like them or a similar situation before. And that is why we encourage our clients to use case studies on their websites. Of course it gives them a good deal of that lovely content I am always going on about, and lots of wonderful keywords, but more importantly, it is giving a potential client a chance to kick the tires if you know what I mean. It is giving providing a certain level of comfort that you know how to help them because this is not your first rodeo.

Another benefit of a story, particularly if you are in front of the prospect, is that you can specifically make comparisons from a past experience to their circumstance. Pointing out the differences in the situations and perhaps illustrating why they may not be as bad off as this other company that you helped was, or how the situation was similar yet different at the same time. And how you went about solving that problem, and why that wouldn’t necessarily work in this situation. You want to be able to show that you are not a one size fits all organization and that one solution isn’t the only solution. But by telling the story you can illustrate that better than by simply stating it.

People relate to stories better than they do to generic sales pitches. They want to be able to identify with someone else. They don’t want to feel as if they are they only one to ever be in the situation they currently find themselves in. This is another advantage of telling a story. You have absolved them of mistakes that they may have made that got them to where they presently find themselves. Because, hey, he is not the first guy you’ve dealt with in this situation, and he most likely won’t be the last. “It happens, don’t beat yourself up, I’m here to help.”

The bottom line is, if you can tell your prospect a soothing story that relaxes them and gives them confidence in your abilities to help them and what you are telling them is true and correct, then you have discovered a very effective tool to sell your services. And if you like this story, I have a few more on my Case Studies page you may enjoy just as well.