As I mentioned last week, Lucas Mack with 4th Avenue Media presented to a group of my clients and me recently. The first thing I wrote down that day was,
“Telling a story is telling the truth.”
He went on to say that we have to define why we do what we do. We have to be able to answer the question, “So what?” So what does it matter if you do what you do? So what happens if we don’t do this?
He reiterated a well used sales expression, “People buy based on emotion and back it up using logic.” Let’s face it, only a minute percentage of us make a spreadsheet of the facts to make buying decisions. Most of us find what we like, make a mental decision to get it and then look at the facts.
I like to say that, assuming a solid relationship is present, a buy-sell deal can happen when the buyer sees where he or she can add value. If the buyer (or seller) sees that the buyer can fill the exact same job description as the seller the reaction is usually, “ho-hum.” If the buyer sees that they can add growth-oriented strategies they’ll make an emotional decision to get the business.
Your story tells people what makes you tick, how you can benefit them and why they should buy from you. Get in the habit of telling stories (giving examples or case studies). When you make an emotional connection you’ll have more and better customers. When you can tell these stories when it’s time to exit you’ll excite business buyers and have a more successful sale.
[After the US World Cup tie with Portugal] “I believed that we would win. Now I believe that we need gin.” Jason Gay (Wall Street Journal)
