Embrace Storytelling and Gain More Sales (Here’s How)

I’ll never forget my second big speaking gig; I was barely in business a year and was having a major case of impostor syndrome.

I was so nervous to speak to women entrepreneurs from New York City!

What could I teach these women CEOs about branding their businesses through social media?

But all I had to do was embrace storytelling and I was able to meet four women who have since asked for, or sent me, business.

And trust me, you can too.

Start With Their Story

If it’s possible, I like to ask questions before I ever open my mouth.

I mean, how many times have you listened to someone drone on and on about their stuff? On the daily, I’m sure!

Encourage them to embrace storytelling first — it not only shows you’re interested in what they do, but it’s rare these days.

While this isn’t always possible, it certainly helps to understand the person/people you’re speaking with.

For instance, my tone may have changed a bit if I was speaking to a room full of CEOs who were men versus women.

Call me sexist, but I wouldn’t speak to those groups in the same way.

Here are some great lead-in questions to ask your audience

• What are your likes?
• What are your dislikes?
• What are your responsibilities?
• What interests you about [your industry/what you’re selling/what you do]?

If we’re speaking directly to sales, think about asking questions like:

• What does a “win” look like for you?
• How does your company define success?
• What differentiates you/your company from competitors?
• What does your company do that no one else does?

[Questions source: Action Selling] Ask these 8 questions and better your sales pitch.

If you put yourself in your customer’s shoes and start answering those questions, you can see how they give you a keen insight into how you should tell your story.

Telling Your Story

If you have to tell your story first, consider your audience.

In my situation, with a room full of women CEOs, I decided to get heartfelt AND give an “anyone can do social” pitch.

I did this by telling my (very true) story of coming to fall in love with social media as a non-profit fundraiser who was tasked with creating an event that young professionals would want to attend … all in under six months.

And how I did this by utilizing Facebook to spread the word and get in front of a younger audience.

Which led to 7,500 attendees and nearly $60,000 in raised funds.

For me, Facebook was saving lives. For you, it may save your brand or business.

BOOM.

The key wasn’t that my story was a bit of a tear jerker. The pivotal “ah ha” moment came because:

• It was a true story
• I had authentic passion telling the story
• The story had actionable results
• The steps to success felt repeatable/within reach

When formulating your sales story, try to hit these 5 crucial points

1. Get emotional (not that way … create desire)
2. Get real (use a real story or real-world example)
3. Show the steps (or at least, make it easy)
4. Don’t forget your call-to-action
5. Embrace storytelling as an interactive event

Let’s dive into #5 and interactive storytelling a little further.

Embrace Storytelling In An Interactive Way

What I mean by storytelling in an interactive way is to make sure your sales pitch story is a two-way conversation (another rarity!).

I asked questions during my story with the women CEO group like …

“Has anyone heard of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation?” (few had)

“How many of you are actively involved with charity?”

By doing this I was tying them to the story and attempting to make an emotional appeal.

I also kept it interactive and pushed the “reset” button on their attention span — hopefully, no one was wandering off, but if they were, a quick Q&A session with me and the group should have recaptured their awareness.

Remember to take pause while telling your story and ask questions that can help you better understand your would-be customer or tie them to your story’s outcome.

Revisit the sales questions we started with and see how you can use those.

Here are a couple of examples:

“… so that was my BIG win for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation using social media. Have you had a big win with your comany and social yet?”

“… The Foundation defines new event success as making at least $5,000 your first year, but we hit over $50,000! How do(es) you/your team/this project define goals and tie those to successes?”

The Best Sales Pitch Story Tip

Use your emotional appeal to get remembered.

Because in a sea of sameness, that’s the one thing people (and competitors) can’t rip off, steal, or take from you: your story.

How will you embrace storytelling this year? With sales or branding (or otherwise!)? I’d love to know! Give me a shout out in the comments below.

Read more: Fall In Love with Social Media (Again)