My life is a series of stories. I peed on Teddy Roosevelt’s bedroom carpet at his Sagamore Hill home (age 3), I was petrified of going on a tour under Niagra Falls (age 4) and I was mostly big and brave starting kindergarten (age 4.5).

Of course, I can only remember those because of the stories my family told.

But stories aren’t just for memories.

They help buyers relate to how your organization functions.
They create emotional connection and care.
They show how your skills, brand, product, service transforms results.

Business story begins with your experience and ends with a deeper connection with the person listening.

Here is the formula:
Beginning: Obstacle/Challenge/Dilemma
Middle: How you overcame/moved forward
End: Results others can enjoy too

Let’s say you sell wedding space. Or meetings. Or security systems. Or pharmaceutical products. It doesn’t matter because you have stories that buyers can relate to.
Beginning: What is the biggest obstacle for the wedding couple/meeting planner/buyer/doctor/patient that you know exists?
Middle: Here is what happens differently with the product/service you offer
End: This is how that made a difference to others happiness/success/safety/confidence/wellness

Here is another way to look at business storytelling:
X happened. Y and Z were learned. This was the great result you can enjoy too.

And still another:
Why are you doing what you do? What challenge did you have/want to overcome?
How did you overcome?
What new outcome/success resulted from your hard work/knowledge/new tools?

Of course, there is more to storytelling. But it isn’t complicated. If you want to connect and convert, whether communicating by email, Zoom or F2F, story is the key to your prospect’s attention.

BONUS
Keep it short.
Maybe that should have been the lede. No one needs ALL the details.

Make them the hero.
Okay, once in a while you can be, but seriously, no one wants to hear about every mountain you conquered.

Be you!
Story isn’t all serious! Infuse your personality – and your brand, too!
MGM Resorts told one of the best business stories ever: “Humankind was not meant to be bored! Welcome to the show! Their final line: “We are in the holy sh*t business!” (Obstacle = boredom; Overcome: Welcome to our show! Results: Holy sh*t moments!)

Be purposeful.
Why are you telling the story? For your satisfaction, to impress, to brag? (Wrong reasons)
What do you want your prospect to know or understand by sharing this story?
It’s okay to tell a story just to make someone smile, if that is your goal. Maybe you want to inspire them to act or feel confident or ?

Let your show start now!

Before you go…

Looking for practical, specific ideas to position your team for success when recovery comes? Sue provides engaging, fully customized virtual training that will energize your team – and their sales results.

To learn more about virtual training possibilities custom fit to your needs, please email Sue@SpeakerSue.com or call (+1-480-575-9711). Your team will thank you for giving them the tools they need now.

PS. What comments, ideas or stories do you have to add to today’s post? You can do me a huge favor by adding your insights and comments, or forwarding the post. Thanks for your help!

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