Do you recognize this? You are at a meeting and standing talking to a fellow participant. You ask what he or she does and you get the answer, "I'm in the ... business and I work at ... in the role of ... (position). And yes, here it comes ... Your interlocutor asks, "What do you do?
Often a polite question, and at the same time an opportunity for you to hook a new customer! So what do you do? Do you answer in the same boring, meaningless way? This would be a missed opportunity, but comfort yourself; most people waste an opportunity like this. So the thing for you and your people to do from now on is to do it differently and, more importantly, better.
7 golden rules of a compelling commercial story
Rule 1: Always be the first to ask what another person is doing.
People love to talk about themselves. They release so much information that you may be able to do something with. It gives you the opportunity to qualify your conversation partner and fine-tune your own story to his situation. Because at some point your interlocutor will ask, "What do you do?
Rule 2: Start with a catchy "one-liner.
Surprise your interlocutor with something that sticks and demands explanation. For example, I once had a student who, when asked, "What do you do?", came up with the answer "I sell sleep!" and no it wasn't about beds or a sleep aid. He was in security. This one-liner ensured that weeks later everyone still knew what he was selling.
Rule 3: Make it immediately clear what you can bring to the table.
And I don't mean what product or service you are selling, but what the bottom line is. Every person and every business strives for four things: gain, convenience, pleasure and security. The more of these points you manage to subtly incorporate into your introduction, the better.
- Gain Are you coming to bring money in the form of increased sales, margin or cost reductions? Gain also includes personal gain, such as status-enhancing items.
- Convenience People don't like complicated, they like easy. For example, when you take work off their hands or make things clearer. Many of us want to show that we know a lot about something and therefore use 'technolatin'. Leave out the jargon!
- Pleasure In our modern society today, we spend more money per month on things that have nothing to do with our existence. 'We wanna have fun' and we want to have a 'feel good' feeling. This is a tricky one in a B2B environment, but with a little creativity it can be done.
- Safety Fear is one of the strongest emotions there is. Can you reduce risk with your product and service? If you have children, you probably recognize the following example. You are going to buy a car seat for your first child. Prices range from €100 to €700. Should you meet a somewhat skilled salesperson, there is a good chance that, although you walk in for the cheapest seat, you will walk out with a much more expensive one. You have your offspring's best interests at heart, don't you?
Rule 4: Practice the psychology of persuasion.
One of the most concrete tools is Cialdini's principles. The more you use these, the more likely you are to actually convince your interlocutor. These include the following psychological drivers:
- authority;
- social burden of proof;
- consistency;
- scarcity;
- reciprocity;
- sympathy.
Rule 5: Show a purple cow.
The term "purple cow" comes from Seth Godin. He emphasizes that you need to show something that is or appears unique. You can do this even if you are in a commodity market. Don't say what you can do like your competitors, but emphasize what is really different about you. Do not use superlatives like best quality and good service. Be very concrete and use words like 'we are the only ones who ...'.
Rule 6: Provide evidence.
Sales and marketing organizations make all kinds of claims toward the marketplace, but often the burden of proof is lacking. For every claim you make, provide a concrete example. Tell it in story form, along the lines of, "Let me give you an example. Just last week I was at ..., there they were struggling with ... It scared me and we then ..." Make the story as visual as possible. Give persons in your story names and characters. Put some emotion into it. Follow a good story line. When you do this well, it sticks.
Rule 7: Provide a clear structure.
Keep it short! Remember that your interlocutor needs to be able to reproduce your story for himself or herself or to others. "Less is more! Give your interlocutor clear and easy starting points that he can stick to. For example, conclude your story with: 'So our customers prefer us for three reasons: ..., ... and ...' In the download you will find more useful tips for your story.
Practice makes perfect
The previous seven golden rules are, well, the rules that apply to every persuasive story. When introducing yourself, giving a presentation or making a sales call. They are applicable in commercial, business and personal situations alike. Successfully applying the seven rules requires practice, practice and more practice. But that applies to everything you want to become really good at.
~H. Ben Mastboom, helps companies as a frequent speaker, consultant,
coach and trainer how to become the preferred choice and excel
Note: This article has previously appeared in SalesManagement trade magazine
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