April 20, 2021
“You gotta tell more stories to connect with your customer.”
“Storytelling in sales is key.”
“You need to tell your company’s story to stand out.”
If you work in a customer facing job, you’ve probably heard some iteration of these phrases.
In recent years, more and more sales organisations have started training their teams on storytelling.
But, how come?
What’s so important about storytelling that sales organisations have made it a priority?
Let’s look at four reasons why storytelling matters in sales:
Often, when we talk about our company, we say something like:
“We are the market leader for XYZ. We have 200 branches and sell our products to 30 different countries. We also invest 10% of our sales in R&D.”
Well, that’s great. These are important facts and you should say them.
But think: How memorable will that be for your customers?
Most people go on autopilot when they hear something like that.
Why?
It’s because they hear very similar stats from your competitors.
If you truly want to stand out and want your customers to remember you, you need to add a story to your facts. A story that gives your company personality, something unique.
Chip Heath, a Stanford University professor and author of Made to Stick, ran a few experiments to evaluate the importance of stories.
In one of his lectures, Heath gave his students an assignment to create a one-minute speech that talks about crime.
During their speeches, the majority of his students bombarded the class with facts and stats – typical.
Only a few (~1 in 10 students) told a story to explain crime.
Once everyone had given their speeches, Heath asked the students to try to recollect the speeches.
Here’s the result:
63% of the whole class remembered the story while only 5% recalled the numbers and stats.
That’s a huge difference!
Hence, if you want your clients to remember you and your offering, include a few stories in your conversation.
In July 2009, Rob Walker (a journalist) and Josh Glenn (an author) ran an experiment.
They spent $128.74 purchasing ordinary objects from random thrift stores and garage sales. Some of the things they bought included a bottle opener, a pink toy horse, a wooden mallet, a meat thermometer, a jar of marbles, a Santa Claus nutcracker, and other random items.
In total, they bought 100 objects for an average price of $1.29 per item.
Then, they invited a group of volunteers to write short, fictional stories about each item.
After this, the two experimenters placed the items for sale on eBay.
But instead of typing the plain, simple description of the product, they added the fictional stories the volunteers had written.
How much do you think the items were sold for?
The items were sold for a price that was 2,800% higher than what they had initially paid.
With this, they concluded that stories have the potential to transform objects that are insignificant into significant ones. Another way to put it is that a good stories can make average products seem valuable.
Stories are more than simple creative words put together to make imaginary scenes.
They can be neural.
Paul Zak, a neuroeconomics pioneer, performed a series of experiments and found out that stories can trigger oxytocin (aka the love hormone). Oxytocin is the hormone making people feel connected and empathetic.
By sharing a story, your client’s brain releases a property that makes him or her trust you.
Note that only “good” stories trigger that hormone.
Your brain is less likely to release oxytocin for stories without a clearly defined beginning, end, or middle. This is because a story is supposed to transport you from where you are into another world while changing your mindset and brain chemistry. A story lacking a structure is less likely to have an effect on your brain chemicals.
Some words have become cliche.
As a seller, you have likely come across statements like “We value integrity” or “We always put the customer first”.
These big promises are not only boring (because we have heard them too many times) but they are also too ambiguous.
What do you mean by integrity? How do you put customers first?
Without explanation, these statements do little to help the customers understand what you are truly about. They are blank, abstract, and without much meaning.
Instead, you can help customers understand what you truly stand for by telling a story.
For that, you can pick a value that you want to communicate.
Is there a moment from your past (work or leisure) that underlines this value?
If you can’t think of any moment, interview your co-workers and see if they have been in any situations that support your value.
Once, you’ve identified a moment that underlines your value, craft a story around that value.
This story will show your client what you truly stand for.
Do you want more guidance on how to master the art of storytelling? Check out our storytelling masterclass in which you’ll learn how to find, craft, and deliver powerful stories.
Storytelling is a powerful tool in sales.
It can make you more memorable, increase the value of your products, and help you earn your prospect’s trust.
The next time you meet a customer, give it a try.
Include one or two stories in your meeting and notice the impact.
If you’re not sure how to tell great stories, you may also want to check out this article, in which you’ll discover the 5 steps to tell great stories.
Enjoy!
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