Move people through stories.......
Today people are overwhelmed with state of the art presentation technologies and mounds of data. People are moved and attracted more by a simple story. It does not matter whether your title is sales or not, remember we're all in sales. The very best way to connect with anyone and influence them is still to tell them an engaging story which appeals to their emotions. To win people over to your way of thinking or a desired result, become a great story teller.
More specifically, get really good at crafting and then delivering "purposeful stories". These are stories with a purpose or a mission in mind. Think of the way Volvo sells to the consumer. It is simply a vehicle. It goes to point A and gets you to point B. Every manufacturer tries hard to sell us a vehicle. It is those who tell us a story that sticks with us. What is the one thing you think about when you think about a Volvo? It's one thing, SAFETY, they tell the story over and over again. It's still a vehicle, people will buy compelling stories, every time.
If you can learn to prepare and then deliver purposeful stories well then you'll have no problem moving people! Whether you believe it or not we are all in the emotional transportation business. To stand out, those stories must be memorable, which drive emotions and transport people. Our story becomes their story and then it becomes contagious!
"For too long the business world has ignored or belittled the power of oral narrative, preferring soulless PowerPoint slides, facts, figures and data. But as the noise level of modern life has become a cacophony (that's his word ?) (I had to look it up- it means; sounds without harmony). The ability to tell a purposeful story that can be truly heard is increasing in demand. More over, in this age of acute economic uncertainty and rapid technological change, it's not the 0's and 1's of the digital revolution, but rather the oohs and aahs of telling to win that offers the best chance of overcoming fear or compelling listeners to act on behalf of a worthy goal.
As I look back on my four decades in business, I see that persuading customers, employees, shareholders, media, and partners through telling to win has been my single biggest competitive advantage. Don't rely on state-of-the-art technologies to connect. It's the state-of-the-heart technology that's the game changer when you tell your story in the room fact-to-face."
-Peter Guber
You have a great story, we all do. We don't have to create them, they are right here. Make sure your motive for telling a story is authentic, humble, honest and real. If it's not that's not a story, that's a lie. Stories move people, stories moved you, now go tell stories to move other people...........
Have a great day!
Scott McGohan
