How to use story format to connect better with your customers
Every salesperson can help their customers by using a powerful story. The secret to a successful story in sales follows a format. These are not just fun or amusing stories that go on and on randomly. No! Your selling stories need to have a clear structure and purpose for telling them.
In several previous articles, I discussed the importance of storytelling in sales.
Most of those follow the story format that I teach in my sales training sessions: Similar Situation Selling stories. When trying to convey the benefits of your products to a customer, you need a way to tell customers how it might actually work for them. That’s where story comes in. Stories are 65% more likely to be remembered than statistical information. So, tell me data and technical info on your product, and I am 95% likely to forget it. Tell me a story about a customer like me who used your product and had success with it, and I am 65% more likely to remember it.
Recently, I came across another story format. It’s a little more involved than Similar Situation Storytelling, but worth the effort. This format will set you apart from your competition as it focuses on becoming more than just a product provider. It sets you up to be a trusted advisor to your customers.
Sales Story Format:
- Step 1: What is the biggest customer problem that you solve?
- Step 2: What do most of your customers “think” the problem is or is caused by?
- Step 3: What is the real problem that they are unaware of?
- Step 4: What is your unique solution to that problem? Or- How should your customers truly look at solving that problem?
- Step 5: What is your authority for telling this story?
- Step 6: The Story: Tell me about a time when you did this. Or, what are some results of customers who solved the real problem?
How about you? Can you walk a customer through this series of questions to arrive at your very own unique storytelling format?
Here is mine. See if it helps you uncover your unique, powerful selling story
Step 1: What is the biggest customer problem that you solve?
Confidence in their ability to sell. When done with training or coaching, each person will have the confidence that there is a process to selling. That process doesn’t have to be followed to have a sale, but it gives salespeople a path to follow and improve upon.
Step 2: What do most of your customers “think” the problem is or is caused by?
When it comes to sales training or coaching, most salespeople think they need a powerful closing technique. They struggle to get past objections and the ability to get customers to see their product’s benefits. When they finally get the nerve to ask for the sale, they run into either rejection or one of the many indifferent answers such as: “Let me think about it” or “I’ll take a look at it and let you know”. So, they want me to work with their team on “closing more sales”.
Step 3: What is the real problem, which they are unaware of?
The problem isn’t the close, it’s the open! The salesperson never found a customer problem to solve. They called on their customer or prospect – didn’t ask a lot of questions – gave their sales presentation on the most current product they are promoting-maybe they asked for the sale, but maybe not-ran into an objection and shut down because they had nowhere else to take the conversation.
Step 4: What is your unique solution to that problem? Or- How should your customers truly look at solving that problem?
Focus their energy on learning to ask better questions! Get into the objection handling process way before the objection ever happens.
Step 5: What is your authority on telling this story?
33 years of using the methods I teach and having success with them in the same market segment my customers sell into.
Step 6: The Story: Tell me about a time when you did this. Or, what are some results of customers who solved the real problem?
Confidence they have a proven method of working through a process with customers versus just winging it on a sales call or worse, they “don’t try to sell when calling on a customer. They just get to know them.”
While coaching this with salespeople, I see them get further into the relationship with prospects and customers than before they knew the process. This saves time by eliminating those customers who were not going to move forward with a sale. It also allows more time on those customers who are moving forward with a sale.
Now, it’s your turn. Can you fill in the steps above with your product selling approach?
Maybe you sell a biological product and have certain customers who don’t see the effectiveness of them. Walk through the story process above to determine how your unique approach or products help customers solve the real problem with using biologicals.
Maybe you are a small or medium-sized tractor salesperson. Many of your walk-in customers think they know what they want. However, they are mistaken in how they determined the horsepower and capabilities needed. Plug into the story to demonstrate how you solve for the real problem and ideal solution with customers.
Lastly, what do you do with this story once you have it figured out? Tell it! When you speak to prospects or customers who might be misguided in their purchasing desires, tell the story. When asked about what you do for a living, share a shortened version of this story. When talking with internal salespeople and managers, tell them your story. When a customer asks why they should buy from you versus your competition, tell the story. You have figured out a key insight on how to help customers. Tell it!
Don’t keep it a secret. Tell it!
And dare I say, if you are really bold, tell it on whichever social media outlet that your customers will see.
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