Tell me a story

Don't sell me a Timeshare, Tell me a story!!!!!

Everyone loves a story: kids like it at bedtime and the best conversations at the bar will always come from the storyteller.

When someone talks to you about an event in their life, they are sharing a story. Sounds simple, but what happens is that while they tell you what happened, your memory banks are looking for something similar that happened to you too. Then you take your turn in the conversation. As the other person listens to you they are doing the same thing, often they get excited when a thought or memory occurs to them, that they may interrupt you. This is engaging your clients.

Basically, stories contain elements - usually specific words that trigger memories in people. If I tell you about my experience stuck in a traffic jam coming to work today, I am setting your mind to drift off mentally into thinking about a time when you were stuck in a traffic jam - not a good story to tell when selling a timeshare! However, if I tell you about my honeymoon and staying in a 5 star hotel with a room with amazing ocean views, your mind tends to drift into a more positive thought - maybe your honeymoon or the last time you stayed in a room with a fantastic view.

I talk about lunch and if you have not eaten, your mind will think of food. All this is fantastic news for you, because by the way you tell stories you can control the mood and feelings of your clients.

MOST IMPORTANT IS TO YOU USE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS. TAKE WHAT YOU HEARD EARLY ON FROM YOUR WARM UP TO MAKE SURE YOUR STORIES FIT THE SITUATION.

BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU SAY AS YOUR WORDS ARE CAUSING ACTIVITY IN YOUR CLIENT'S MIND.

You do not want to be telling stories about honeymoons, say, if they are in a 2nd relationship and not married to each other, any talk about honeymoons may trigger past thoughts about an “EX.”

The top Sales Professionals will ask the right questions, listen and then use a story later in their presentation to trigger the right emotions to create the right atmosphere to move the clients towards a “yes” today. You want your clients to be thinking in a positive way. Keep them focused on what they get from your product or service and keep them focused with a story that reminds them of their wants. As you are reading this, your mind will start thinking of stories that you tell clients on your presentation.

"It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear"
Italo Calvino