 |
 |
 |
| toll-free 866.494.1911 |
| Free
Stuff Meeting Planners |
Your Story is Worth a Million DollarsDear Colleagues, Did you hear the one about…? Let me tell you a story about the time I… You want to hear a great story? Everyone loves to hear a good story. Could your story or stories be worth a million dollars? Could your story help you sell more deals, create better customer service or even motivate your employees to work a little smarter? The thought of telling a story to increase your sales may not even seem plausible to you, but think about it for a moment. People love to feel comfortable with the people they buy from. When a salesperson exposes their own imperfection, or relates a humorous event in their life, doesn’t it make them seem more real and personable? Later in this article, I will tell you the components of how to tell a good story, but first let me relate a customer service story that happened to me fourteen years ago. I had just finished a remodeling project in which my company installed a new powder bathroom under an existing staircase area. We completed the project, collected the final payment and moved on to other jobs. Two days after the project completion, the homeowner called to inform me that their toilet was flushing boiling hot water. In their words, "Using the toilet was pretty uncomfortable." It seems that the plumbing contractor had criss-crossed the hot and cold water lines in the foundation. Ouch!!! That was a very embarrassing moment. It seemed so unprofessional and very rookie like. The only consolation was that the homeowner was not upset or angry. They were more curious than anything else. Fortunately, we knew exactly where the water lines were located and were able to cut the concrete foundation and reverse the water lines to correct the situation. We got on this little challenge and completed all of the work, including the clean up in less than two days. I didn’t hear from those customers for a long time. They had moved away to work in another part of the country and we lost contact. Thirteen years later, that customer called again. They had moved back to town and wanted to completely renovate a home they had just purchased. The new project was well over $200,000 worth of work. They didn’t call any other contractors or take any competitive bids. According to them, that toilet water experience was convincing evidence that my company was committed to great customer service. Could that story be worth a million dollars? Well, I know that it is worth at least $200,000. The truth is that I have told that customer service story many times over the years to my prospects. It reveals that I am imperfect and that sometimes people make mistakes. More importantly, it underscores that I take care of my customers, although what was I going to do, leave them with boiling hot toilet water? Thirteen years later, I have an even better twist to the story. I can tell my prospects that those customers came back to me for more work. Storytelling can, and should, be an integral part of your selling process. Here are a few tips and pointers for telling a story that will help you make more sales and create better rapport with your customers. 1. Keep it real. The best stories are the ones that are factual and that really did happen to you. It is true that reality is better than fiction. Use real names, real people, real events, real outcomes, real places, real times and real situations. The best stories are nothing more than a slice out of your life. 2. Mix in the humor. Can you imagine if that boiling toilet water story had happened to you? You can make up all the jokes and witty lines you want with that situation. And believe me, through the years, there were times when the story got funnier and funnier. The facts remained the same, but people would add their own humor to the story and I would run with it. When people laugh, people buy. 3. Make it relevant. If your stories are going to help you sell more deals and make more money, they have to relate to the selling situation. Make your stories fit the occasion. Your stories have to make a point to your customer that will help you sell the deal. If your story is cute, but not relevant, your customer might think you are just flapping your jaws and wasting their time. 4. Keep it short. A short story that is interesting is much more effective that a long drawn out boring set of events. It is like watching someone’s home movies of their family summer vacation. The only one that is really interested in the details is the person who took the pictures. But if you give your customer the basics and relate them in a memorable way, you will increase your likeability factor with them. 5. Stories are everywhere. Great stories to use in your sales are everywhere. Every day, you have events that happen to you in your business that can turn into a great sales story. Be on the look out for those stories. Sometimes they don’t even have to be your stories. They can be stories that you have read or stories that you see on the evening news. They could be stories that your friends or co-workers have had happen to them. Tell a story and sell more deals. Tell a story and improve your customer service. Tell a story and inspire your employees to be more effective. Tell a story and improve your attitude. Just tell more stories. Until next time, take great care.
|
July 24, 2002
"America's Construction Industry Motivator" Watch for more information about the Annual Contractor Academy in San Antonio, Texas
"101 Power Strategies"
|
|
Thanks for your interest. Please feel free to forward this E-Zine to anyone you know that is interested in professional and personal development. Copyright © 2002, Success Concepts, Inc. This content may be forwarded in full with copyright intact. To Subscribe to This Free E-zine, Click here |
