Here at All Good Tales, we are all about storytelling. But what makes a good storyteller?
Telling your story to a prospect can be a tasking challenge, especially when you’re in the middle of making a sales pitch at that. But if you can maintain an appropriate balance of storytelling and silver-tongued sales language, you may find yourself drawing up more contracts than you expected! But what is that award-winning combination? What parts ‘storytelling’ should you add to the mixture? and most importantly, what techniques can lead to more sales?
Anecdotes
You can be the most charismatic storyteller out there, but if you can’t get the prospect to relate to what you’re saying, you have already lost the battle. Anecdotes are the key to getting someone to remember your product. By telling an anecdote, even if it’s that one about your crazy family member on your last holiday, this allows the client to understand you and better yet, relate to you on an emotional level. The anecdote also creates a link to your brand that the client is subconsciously making, acting almost as a trigger.
Metaphors
Making your story come to life so that a consumer can better engage with your brand is key and metaphors are the way to do this. Keep your story descriptive through metaphorical language. Metaphors are a powerful tool in storytelling as it can help bring a story come to life, allowing the consumer to visualize your story. Metaphors are a great persuasive tool to further engage the consumer.
Balance
Even though the anecdotes are a key part of any sales pitch, like everything in life, there has to be a balance. Don’t forget that facts and figures can speak volumes in any sales pitch. If you have the data there, use it! Combining the emotive and relatable aspect of the sales pitch with the facts and figure is the perfect storytelling cocktail.
Be Clear and Concise
Sometimes a storyteller can go off on a tangent and lose track of their initial storyline. Ensure that you are clear and concise with your storytelling. Avoid making it overly complex and long-winded as this will only disinterest the consumer.
Practise
The final tip is one is an old reliable – practise. It may seem obvious but it is sometimes something that is often forgotten. You can have all the anecdotes, metaphors and facts in your pitch but if you are unable to deliver it then everything becomes redundant. The more you practice it, the more the story will become ingrained in your mind, as if it is part of your DNA, enabling you to deliver a convincing sales pitch.
