Secrets to Great Stories that Sell

Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge.They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds. Consequently, stories often pack more punch than sermons. 

Want to make a point or raise an issue? Tell a story.” 

-  Janet Litherland

FIRST: Stories should be interesting and should hold our attention!

SECOND:  Stories should help us come to our own conclusions.

(Which is the conclusion the storyteller wanted in the first place.)

HERE IS THE SECRET: 

You will sell more from what people conclude from the story then from the story itself.  People will believe what they conclude on their own.

Here is are two short stories:

Gloria owns a local print shop.  When it came time for her 60 second presentation during a networking lunch, she told a short story about how she stayed at the shop three hours after closing time in order to put the final touches on a wedding invitation that she promised the bride would be done the next day. The bride wanted a tiny ribbon and bow at the top of every invitation, which had to be glued by hand. Gloria worked hard and skipped dinner that night to get it done. As a result, at 8:00 am the next day, the bride was over-the-top delighted to get her invitations exactly as she wanted them and on time.

David was an attorney.  His client was always talking about finishing his will but kept putting it off. One cold and stormy weekend night David got a call from his client’s wife. The client was hospitalized  with a serious condition. Without giving it a second thought, David grabbed his hat and coat and rushed to the hospital to serve his client’s needs. Fortunately, the client recovered, but because of David’s caring service, the whole family continued to use him for all their legal needs for years to come.

    

The first thing these stories do is hold your attention, because they are touching and interesting.

Secondly, as the listener, you have come to your own conclusions about Gloria and David. The stories paint pictures of  committed and caring professionals who are hard-working, dedicated and well thought of. But let’s say that someone just told you, without telling the story, that David was a dedicated professional or that Gloria was a great printer. You might not have been convinced. However, when you are allowed to come to your own conclusions, you believe it. People always believe what they conclude on their own.

“Stories… you’ve got to tell them to sell them.”

- Beth Davis, CEO Gold Star Referral Clubs

Now you see me, now you don't...

Lack of visibility will cost you business.   

We often speak about the importance of the Know, Like and Trust factors in referral marketing. But the formula is not complete without Visibility.

There is a common misconception that just by belonging to a business networking group you should get referrals.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

"Where did he go?"

The members of your group still need to get to know you, like you and trust you. They can’t do that if you don’t show up on a regular basis.

One doesn't generate trust without consistency. In fact, your referrals will begin to decline the minute you start missing meetings, even if you have a substitute.

There will be times of sickness and other emergencies that cause you to miss a meeting. That’s understandable.

However, when attendance is poor, the trust factor begins to deteriorate. The missing member will seem unreliable and will lose credibility. Fellow members may wonder...

· “Where is she?”

· “Is this how he runs his business?” 

· “Will she show up for my client or send someone else?”

· “I manage to get to the meetings on time, why can’t he?”

· “We must not be very important to her.”

· “Is there something wrong? What’s going on?”

As for profitability, empty chairs can’t give or receive referrals and there is always one of your competitors in the wings ready to take your business.

Great Questions to Ask When Networking

Have you ever noticed that no one ever hangs up the phone when they are doing the talking? Think about it.

When getting to know someone new, the worst thing you can do is most of the talking.

But what do you say after you exchange names and shake hands? How do you get them talking?  If you’re at a networking event, after you shake hands, the first question may be, “What do you do?” 

And then after that, how do you keep the conversation going? Here are some great questions to ask a business person that you've just met or to ask new acquaintances at a networking event. These questions will help you keep a conversation going and perhaps, even open up the possibility of a future referral relationship.

GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK:

1. “What kind of trends are you seeing in your industry this year?
2.  “May I ask, how did you get into the _______ business?”
3. “Are you doing much on Facebook? What do you find is working?”
4. “Are you networking for a specific reason today?”
5. “What’s your favorite client to work with?”
6. “Have you seen a lot of changes take place in your industry over the past couple of years?”
7. “So, tell me some stories. What’s been happening in your business lately?”
8. “What do you like best about being a ___________.?”
9. “If I were to look for someone in your business, what are the key things I should look for?”
10. “How are you different from your competition?”

AND FINALLY,

The most important questions to ask are:

 “How can I know if someone is a good prospect for you?”

“And what would you like me to say to them when I find them?”

3 Ways to Referral Success

When one is in sales, the goal is to spend most of your time in front of prospective clients. Unfortunately, most salespeople find themselves spending the majority of their time looking for prospects, not sitting in front of them. Wouldn't it be nice to have referral sources who supplied you with everyday leads and referrals? 

There are 3 solid, proven ways to get more referrals.

     

1.      Referral Groups

      A referral group sometimes referred to as a business networking club or chapter is precisely what it sounds like. It’s a group of business people that get together on a regular basis in order to form business relationships that produce sales.

       Check out Gold Star Referral Clubs, a great business networking organization and start your own group in your city. 

      There are face to face groups and online groups. An online group might be found on Facebook, LinkedIn or Google +.

2.      Clients, Customers, Patients and Connections

      A client, customer, and patient referral marketing system is a process of communicating with the intent of generating referrals. You will often hear people speak of CRM, which is Customer Relationship Management.

      In this section of your referral marketing plan, you will learn how to position your business or practice in order to attract referrals from your clients, customers, patients and connections.

3.      Strategic Alliances

      Forming strategic alliances with other business owners, CEOs and decision-makers will open a whole other world of referral opportunities.

      It’s a well-chosen business connection, who is outside of any referral group that you belong to. They will many times have a logical service or product that somehow connects people to the product or service that you represent.

     

These three low-cost high-return methods can quickly lift your profits to higher levels.