Most authors I know hate to sell. I hate to sell. And luckily, none of us have to in order to have a thriving business. In fact, it’s the worst way to try to grow a business because people want to buy but they don’t want to be sold to. So, what’s the alternative?
Storytelling.
Whether you’re writing a book, talking to a prospect or client, doing a Facebook live or a webinar, you should be telling stories.
But it has to be storytelling with a purpose. According to Pixar (the film company that tells great stories) your story must answer the following questions:
-Why must you tell THIS story?
-What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of?
-What greater purpose does this serve?
-And, what does it teach?
As a business owner, creative, or change-maker, you want your stories to explain what went wrong or wasn’t working and how you fixed it, and the lessons learned, how it felt, and what others can learn from it.
And believe it or not, people want to hear it. They want to root for you! People love an underdog. And if you’ve ever had a set back (who hasn’t?) Or, you’ve ever struggled to reach a goal, guess what? You’re not alone.
But, we tend to think the destination is what we are trying to get to, so we tend to skip over the details and the emotion, but it’s really more about the journey that we’ve taken than the actual destination! (If you really “get” this, your storytelling will improve 100%.)
Overcoming great odds, having our back against the wall, that is what makes a great story! And sharing the depth of the experience is what draws people to you.
So, remember to always include stories to get your points across and to give more meaning to the points you are trying to make.
In the next installment, I’ll share why it’s not enough to share your story and what you have to do in increase it’s effectiveness.
You can now read the next installment at www.booksopendoors.com/stories-that-sell
