5 Simple Steps to Stories that Compel and Sell
Numbers.
You are inundated with numbers. 4 out of 5 dentists prefer Crest. The national debt is 17.2 trillion dollars. The ROI on an investment is 150%. Forty percent of Americans swear while on hold for customer service (thanks USA Today – glad I’m not alone).
The fact is that numbers don’t sell people on your product or service. Numbers provide great supporting evidence. They show that your product or service solves a problem or impacts a bottom line, but left to their own devices – numbers are sterile, boring and dry.
No one has ever been startled by a statistic. Rarely, anyone has made a purchase because of a plethora of compelling numbers. People buy on emotion. We buy when we feel it’s the right decision.
Great marketers don't make stuff. They make meaning. -Seth Godin
Mr. Godin is correct, and I would venture to say he would agree that great salespeople don’t sell stuff. They sell meaning. The best way to create meaning, elicit feeling and entice emotions is through story.
Human beings are storytelling creatures. If the audience your presenting your pitch to can see themselves in the story you tell, you can sell them your idea, service or product.
Does that mean you should abandon those boring statistics – absolutely not – remember:
Stories + Statistics = Successful Influence
Numbers need context otherwise they're abstract constructs your mind can't grok. Stories provide that context.
Stories that sell are everywhere. The best stories for you to use in persuasive pitches are the true stories of your customers. You have a niche market. You know them better than anyone else. Use their stunning success stories.
There are universal themes in the stories we tell. This means that your client’s success stories will appeal to those who are interested in what you are selling. Craft a story that sells from your best case studies.
How do you tell a great story? I’ve put together the 5-step SPARK process so that you can captivate audience, instigate influence, and sell more.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Set the stage
Just like any great novel, you need to setup the situation. Ever so briefly describe to the audience the people involved and the place where the story takes place.
It's not enough to mention that Acme Company loved your product. Humanize the company. Tell the audience about Bob, the innovator whose bag under his eyes told of the sleepless nights he spent working passionately on Acme companies new widget.
Those small details allow an audience to connect with Bob, to see themselves in his journey and ultimately relate his story to their own plight.
Now you're not talking about some faceless corporation, but a real human who strives to do something great.
Tip 2: Probe the problem
This is the easy part (especially if you use the Presentation Sweet Spot to develop your presentation strategy) – the problem should be one that your service or product solves. The hard part is building the tension and emotion around the problem.
You need to build the problem to its natural climax. Stories are rooted in struggle. An obstacle needs to be overcome.
There’s a big difference between:
Acme Company struggled to get the word out about their new widget.
Vs.
Bob and his dedicated team knew they had a great widget. They put all of their heart, passion, and manpower behind creating it. Their excitement when it debuted was palpable and their disappointment when they failed to sell one after the launch was heartbreaking.
Which one did you like better? The second, one right? Could you identify with Bob and his team? The second takes us on an emotional roller-coaster of building enthusiasm to the agony of their defeat.
It’s vivid. It’s human and if you did your homework on your prospects, your audience is going to see themselves in that story.
Tip 3: Activate action
After you take the audience on this ride, it is time..not to sell but help. Give a tip that can be immediately implemented after your presentation.
You've got to earn your pitch.
After you've created that crazy, sexy value now it's time to talk about what you are selling. What was the solution that was proposed to solve the lack of widget sales? Tell them what happened how your amazing product really helped Bob out.
Step 4: Recognize remarkable results
Here’s where the numbers come into the picture. Tell your audience what results were witnessed after buying from you. How much more money did they earn? How many units were sold?
Show us the numbers!
However, don’t just focus on the dry numbers. Connect those to an emotion. Talk about Bob could finally get some much-needed rest because things were going so exceedingly well. He could sleep at night know the company was getting a 100% ROI. In fact, the next time you saw Bob he looked 10-years younger!
Remember – statistics + storytelling = successful influence!
Make your audience feel for Bob and his team!
Step 5: Know your killer call to action
The story that you tell should flow naturally to your killer call to action. You’ve got them hooked with the story and the numbers support your point, but you must ask for the sale from the speaking stage.
Be clear in your call to action. Give the audience only one option to choose from. Too many options inspire paralysis from analysis and undermine the impact of your story.
Bonus tip: You service, product or widget is not the hero of your story. You are not the hero of this story. It was Bob, the savvy decision-maker who decided to hire you. He’s the hero as he was smart enough to see how you had the solution he needed. Your potential client sitting in that audience is empowered to be the hero.
The SPARK formula is a powerful way to construct stories that sell and invoke emotion. Don’t lose the blah, blah boring number entirely, but you’ll have more influence with statistics if you intertwine them into a great success story.
Trouble writing the call to action or figuring out what tip to give away for free? Download my new free guide, The Sweet Spot: Create a Presentation SO Good Your Audiences is Moved to Take Action.
