It’s likely you will be with family over the holidays.
Great times. Reunions. Happiness. Tears of sadness and joy. Great food. Gifts. People you love. People you kind of love. And did I mention great food?
Most people (not you of course) add to their waistline during these times. I’m going to share a few strategies that will fatten your wallet.
Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, families will gather and talk about old times. Growing up, vacations, past holidays. They all start out, “Remember the time that…” and they go on to tell a funny or poignant story. These stories are gold.
In your presentations and informal meetings, telling and exchanging stories are at the core of rapport, relationship building and creating a buying atmosphere.
These golden lessons and stories are all around you, and many of them fit your selling situations. Real stories make you seem real - more human, approachable, relatable and even (if the story is right) trustworthy.
Now that I’ve whet your holiday appetite, let me give you the strategies and details of story collecting.
First, get the stories rolling:
• Start by asking everyone to tell their most memorable story.
• Then ask about best times or best lessons learned. Request people jog down their memories for stories they learned lessons from, whether they were mistakes, embarrassing moments, funny responses or successes.
Listen with the intent to understand (this means don’t interrupt):
• Listen for incidents where a lesson was learned.
• Listen for funny events or responses that are yours to retell at the appropriate time.
• At the end of the story, ask questions or request the person to elaborate or fill in missing details.
• Look for the reaction of others. It’s a hint as to how your customers may be impacted.
• Take notes as you go. Don’t let the lessons, the lines, the humor or the any of the stories get lost in the heat of the moment. You will never remember everything without taking notes.
As the stories are being told, listen for the lessons behind the endings.
Once you have the story, and can see it fit into your style and delivery, then it’s time to convert it to your sales presentation.
Get the story to fit into your presentation to overcome an objection, create common ground and justify price.
When retelling the story, keep it short and sweet: one to two minutes of you’re telling it to a customer one on one or two to three if telling it to a group.
Don’t set it up, just tell it. Tell it at the right moment – you’ll know – don’t force it. Put passion into it. Have your lesson or point at the end, not at the beginning.
Stories are original. For years, I have preached against telling jokes. Stories are yours – no one else can tell them. You are assured the customer or prospect hasn’t heard it before. And it can have a long-lasting effect.
I have told stories about chasing my dog, where I grew up, how I dropped out of college, going to sporting events, big sales, lost sales, flying, traveling, hotels and restaurants. I have featured my parents, brother, children, grandchildren, teachers, mentors, servers, sports heroes, doctors, customers, close friends, partners and past wives.
When I am in a sales presentation, or giving a seminar, every story I tell has impact.
Every story I tell conveys a lesson or makes a point. Many of the stories I tell make people laugh. Many have been collected from holiday gatherings. All of my stories are personal to me. They are original.
The secret to storytelling is your enthusiasm. If you’re talking to one or 101 people, each person must feel like it’s your first time to tell it, even though you may have told it 100 times before. The passion of your conveyance will lead to the emotion of their purchase.
Now that’s something to celebrate.
Jeffrey Gitomer, author of “The Little Red Book of Selling” and 11 other titles, is president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Buy Gitomer. He gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings and conducts Internet training programs on sales and customer service at Gitomer.com. He can be reached at salesman@gitomer.com.
