Don’t just sell your product, sell your story

We can all relate to storytelling back in our childhood, when part of the daily routine was to fill our tummies and ask our parents to tell us a story. Stories have a way of getting us to sit back and listen attentively and relate to what others have to share. In business, when we engage with our customers, we usually try to convey what we are selling with the features and benefits of our product, tied in with our confidence and belief in the product we are promoting. However strong and effective storytelling can set us up for successful selling.

Using this skill to help you sell, brings in an emotional and psychological element, in that, while you captivate their attention with your story you are also able to get potential customers to buy into your product. Here's how:

Speak to both fact and logic –entice with emotion

Often we come across customers asking "why should I buy from you?", "what makes your product different?", in this instance, there are facts that we can mention, for example, "We are the number one selling e-recruitment brand in South Africa", or "our quality and competitive pricing sets us apart". These facts are great when we want to imprint the benefits of our products in our customer's mind. But, if we want to inspire our customers to act quickly, we can bring in an element of storytelling, where we share previous scenarios when decision makers didn't act quickly enough to try and entice the customer.

When we tell a story they come from a sacred place which is unique to each of us, this comes across to the customer so they can relate to you, your story and why they should buy from you.

Why tell a story?

They are personal

The customer is the main character in this story. So your story should be personal in the sense that they can relate to it. Your company then, is the supporting character which offers the tools to solve the problem.

They can increase revenue

Organisations are based on numbers, and data dumps and spreadsheets can sometimes overwhelm customers. When storytelling becomes part of your presentation to customers it puts the customer at ease and brings in a human element which helps to drive the bottom line.

Brand awareness by word of mouth

People never forget how you made them feel, especially customers that are happy with the solutions you've offered and the stories you've told. These customers and decision makers, will inevitably go on to tell their colleagues, friends and other decision makers, and so this word of mouth creates awareness for your brand.

You can be authentic

Even though storytelling can be a cost effective means for advertising amongst your customers, it does require some skill and craft. This is an opportunity for you to unite ideas and emotions which creates a one on one relationship basis with your customer. By understanding how your customers feel, you will be able to bring about an authentic view of your product content.

Have a look at the stories our clients have to tell about us!

Contact the The Working Earth for information on how we can help your e-recruitment and talent needs.

Article by Waseemah Patel, E-recruitment Sales Consultant