According to legend, a young queen named Scheherazade told stories to Sultan Shahryar to save her life. Each night she related tales, stopping at the most exciting part so that he would have to wait until the next night to learn what happened. After 1,001 nights, the sultan granted Scheherazade her life. Her compelling stories included Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Sinbad the Sailor, and Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.
If a young queen could sell the sultan on saving her life through the telling of stories, couldn’t we use some of the same narrative magic to close that sale we been working on for a “1,001 days?”
Fast forward to the present – storytelling is key in business. For example, in his carefully stage-managed appearances, Steve Jobs used visual narratives and storytelling to sell the world on the latest Apple magic.
It’s still true today. In complex sales, success always comes down to keeping your eye on the customer. Translating that principle into action can be achieved by subscribing to this simple idea: ask, listen, and then talk. Unfortunately, in too many customer interactions, people talk too soon and too much, listen too little, and don’t ask enough questions.
If you explore just the talking part, it’s hard to imagine saving your life or winning that big sale by doing a feature pitch. When it comes to presenting a compelling narrative about your solution, a well-crafted story of a case example told in a manner the customer can relate to is one of the most powerful techniques for bringing to life the value of your solution. So what are some tips for crafting that story?
It’s all about the customer. Know the customer well enough so you can populate the story with people and situations with which the customer can identify.
Plan the story. Never tell an unplanned story. Effective stories have a beginning (introduction to the situation and characters), a middle (clear statement of the problem), and an end (results of the solution to the problem).
Timing matters. You never want the customer to be thinking, “Why is she telling me this story?” Tell the story when the point being made is important.
Connect the dots. Make sure the customer knows the relationship between the story and the rest of your narrative.
Keep it short and use appropriate humor.
Whether a story is from the Arabian Nights, Aesop’s Fables, a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, or a compelling presentation by Steve Jobs, great stories have endured the test of time as a powerful communication device. So make a difference – tell a story. It might not save your life, but it could save the sale.