"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time... " is the best way to hook anyone's attention. It has been proven throughout multiple case studies that your ability to engage an audience or customer in whatever it is you are trying to say or sell, is directly proportional on your ability to share compelling stories.
Ever since we were young, once we heard “Let me tell you a story”, or “Once upon a time”, we learned how to lean in and focus our attention on what was about to follow. It is a subconscious reaction that has been programmed in ourselves ever since we were born, and our automatic response to it, is to give it our attention and lean in.
Here is a quick walk through on how to tell a compelling a story:
First you need to have a message that you want to convey, and it should be related to your targeted audience. It has to be something that they will hear and will make them say “Yes” in their minds, or “That’s right”, or “Aha! I didn’t know that”. Overall, it has to have the approval factor.
Second step is to make it personal and real. Your inspiration should come from your experiences and your journeys. This doesn’t mean however that you have to be the hero in the story. It could be something you observed, or something you participated in, or something or someone that was very close to you. Making yourself the hero in your story automatically triggers a “This person could be lying” mechanism in the mind of the listener.
Lastly, keep it simple. Make your story so simple, that even a four year old can follow it. Don’t use unnecessary details, and rather take it from point A to point B with as little turning as possible. It’s always the simplest of stories that are easy to recall, and easy to interpret. That’s why children love stories and that’s why we do. They are not complicated, they have a message, and they are easy to follow. When it comes to your audience, customers, participants, by sharing your story it automatically makes them think also of their story, especially if your story has a powerful meaning.
Telling stories is no joke. It is a powerful tool in any great sales person’s arsenal. Having the ability to put together a compelling story that catches that attention of your prospect, audience, partner, children, employee, can go a long way into what it is you are trying to convey to them. It is in our programming, to pay attention and to most importantly remember stories, so try to use that to your advantage.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. All comments and feedback are welcomed, so please leave yours below.
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