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.