When I was in fourth grade, Miss Sawyer, an otherwise stern teacher of multiplication tables, history and geography, would start each day with a story, a chapter from the book she was currently reading to us. We worked our way through the school year with Nancy Drew, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and the now un-PC Song of the South with it’s stories of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox. It exposed us to some great stories. But looking back it was probably how Miss Sawyer engaged our attention, calmed us down and got us ready to focus on lessons for the rest of the morning.
Stories still work to engage the attention of adults. I love stories. When I hear that The X Company had a problem, similar to mine, and that they successfully solved that problem by using your widget, you better believe I’m paying attention. I’ll be asking lots of questions. I’m engaged in what you are saying. I’m thinking how your widget or your service could perhaps solve my problem. Solving my problem means you just made my life easier, made my company a little more profitable, and prevented me from making an expensive mistake.
Stories also humanize business by creating connections. They turn you from “that rep with that widget company” to “Jo, who really had some interesting ideas and a great product”. Stories make your product accessible by increasing the understanding of what you do and how you – and, oh yes, your product – can benefit me and solve my problem.
Illustrate your story. Charts and graphs with circles and arrows can, as Arlo Guthrie once related so vividly in his famous story, make more real the invisible. Videos, photos, client testimonials, highlighted quotes can all add texture to your story, making it more real.
Your story has to be true. It has to be positive – putting down the competition will not help your cause. It doesn’t have to be elaborate – a sentence or two will usually make your point, and you can add details as the prospect asks for them.
So – what’s your story?