What Do You Mean, “Use Story in Messaging”?

The word ‘story’ means many things to many people. The most useful way of thinking about ‘story’ in sales messaging is to compare it to its opposite, which is data. The differences can be subtle. Data is, “the queen and king died.” Story is, “The queen died and the king died of a broken heart.”
Let’s start with an example that lives in the world of sales messaging.

Data – Corporate Visions was founded in 1986. We have 25 employees. Over 10,000 students have taken Power Messaging. Here is our list of clients. We believe that what sets us apart are our values. We believe in being ‘in service’ to our customers.

Story – Rather than hit you with a list of figures about our company, probably the easiest way to explain who we are, would be to share something that happened a couple of years ago at a company Christmas party. The party was at the home of our founders, Chuck and Karen. They own a beautiful home on Lake Tahoe. One of our employees brought a date to the party. Unfortunately, his date accidentally spilled red wine on Chuck and Karen’s beautiful white carpet. Not surprisingly, she was terribly upset and embarrassed about it and started crying and sought out Chuck to apologize to him. When Chuck learned why she was so upset, he took his own glass of wine and poured it over the top of her spill. He smiled and said to her, “There. Now it’s my stain, not yours. Please, go back to enjoying the party.” That instinctive reaction from Chuck is wired into his and Karen’s personality. And it’s their values that are in the DNA of the company and everything we do.

So, what are the differences between these two examples?

Data takes less time to deliver than a story. The data explanation consisted of 41 words, while the story explanation used 178 words. When you’re using story to communicate your message, you’ll find things that you used to zip through take longer to communicate. You need to be aware of that issue as you transition to more storytelling. Don’t let this increased length bother you. Story will shorten your overall sales cycle, which is the most important thing.

Story has emotion; data doesn’t. Part of what makes a story so effective in messaging is the emotion it evokes in the audience. When you use a story, it’s important to remember the emotional landing point you are shooting for. Otherwise, you can get lost in the weeds of telling the story and forget your point.

Story is more memorable than data. If you were asked to recall this data and this story tomorrow, which would be easier to remember? It’s the story that’s easier to remember. It has to do with the way your brain is wired. Everyone remembers story better than data.

Showing versus Telling

Professional writers of books and movies understand the power of ‘showing versus telling.’ Showing involves the reader/viewer/listener in the actions of the story, so that they come to the conclusion you want. Telling is simply handing out the facts. Here’s how science fiction writer, Robert J. Sawyer describes this:
What’s the difference between the two? Well, “telling” is the reliance on simple exposition: Mary was an old woman. “Showing,” on the other hand, is the use of evocative description: Mary moved slowly across the room, her hunched form supported by a polished wooden cane gripped in a gnarled, swollen-jointed hand that was covered by translucent, liver-spotted skin.
In the exposition/data example, you get the facts: Mary is an old woman. In the showing/story example, you know that Mary is an old woman, even though it’s never explicitly stated.

In sales messaging, you want to use story in the same way. Rather than say, “We are a market leader.” Instead, share a story about a way you helped a client that clearly establishes that you are the market leader without you having to say it. Rather than say, “We are customer-focused.” Share a story that leads your prospect to that conclusion, without you ever having to use those words.

Two final tips: First, not everything needs to be wrapped in story. Inconsequential points, assuming they absolutely have to be mentioned to a client – like, we are already on your approved vendor list – don’t need to be messaged through story. Second, practice delivering your message out loud using the stories you come up with. This will let you know how it affects the timing and flow of your presentation.

Remember, stories take longer than data, but stories are far more memorable and they create the emotion you want in your customer. In final analysis, it doesn’t matter how good your message is if your client can’t remember it when they go to make their buying decision.

By Erik Peterson, Consultant, Corporate Visions Inc.

Story in Business

A Fairytale Life

“You’re living in a fairytale.” That is probably not true, but you do live inside a story? Your story is the window through which you look at the world. It’s the context that you have created in your mind that defines your existence. It influences the decisions you make and how you make them. Your story has been evolving since birth. It’s formed by your experiences and knowledge as you go through life, and it’s critical to your survival. Let’s say that in your story, you believe the earth is shaped like a table. You likely would not sail your ship far out to sea for fear of falling off the edge. Your story defines how you see yourself fitting into the world around you.

Not only do you have a story, your family also has a story. Communities have a story. Political parties have a story. Countries have a story. Religions have a story. All of the greatest social movements in mankind’s history have been fueled by a story. Martin Luther King: “I have a dream!” John F. Kennedy: “We will put a man on the moon in this decade.” Companies also have a story. A company story tells how and why they were founded and what they do that creates value in the world.

A Broken Story

One of the challenges facing companies today is that they have lost control of their story. It happens with changes in leadership, mergers or acquisitions, or with rapid growth or downsizing. It’s easy to recognize the symptoms, but the cause is not often linked to a broken story. Symptoms of a “story-less” company are:

• High turnover in your employees
• Eroding brand loyalty and receding market share
• Diminishing profitability
• Poor analyst reviews and stock performance
• Difficulty with recruiting new talent
• Poor communication across departments or functional areas

Each of the above challenges are greatly impacted by your story.

Inside Your Story

Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with one of the world’s largest sales organizations, approximately 38,000 sales representatives around the globe. During a sales forum in Boston, where 300 sales reps had gathered, I asked the question, “What’s inside your corporate story?” Their answers were impressive. Comments I heard were, “Our heritage”; “Our mission and vision”; “Our passion and commitment.” One person said, “It’s our soul.” Now, there is a sales professional who understands the power of story.

I liken your company story to your corporate inertia. It’s how you attract top talent and turn them into loyal employees. It’s how you attract venture capital and shareholder investment. It’s also how you attract prospects and turn them into lifelong customers.

Central Character

“Who is the central character of your corporate story?” is the next question I asked my audience. They unanimously answered, “We are.” “Our story talks about us, our company, our solutions, our customers and partners. Our story is all about what we do.” Take a look at your corporate brochure. Go to your website. Read your annual report. Take a look at your product brochures and advertising. Collectively, they tell a story about whom?

“Who should be the central character of your story?” “Our customers!” was their answer. How do you make your prospect the central character of your story? Like a major motion picture, your client’s story has a plot and there are subplots. How do you create your story with your prospect as the main character and you as best supporting actor or actress? Give them the main plot while you take the subplot that enables theirs to become a reality.

Inside Out vs. Outside In

The reason this concept is so important is this: If you are trying to sell a Global Positioning System (GPS) to a sailor who believes the world is flat by telling him “You can sail your ship due west and discover the new world.” How successful will you be? If he buys your solution, he believes you will KILL him! Rather you should ask, “What if you could sail your ship along the coastline with greater efficiency? What if you could avoid many of the risks you face today out on the open ocean? Imagine if you could get to your destination in half the time it’s taking you today?”

By telling your story from an “outside looking in” perspective, you will make it easier for your prospects to choose you. Why, because they will feel safe.

The First Step

Look at your sales messages as a subset of your story. Do a search on all the words “we” or “our” and replace them with “you” or “they.” Then go through and fix all the grammar and sentence structures so that the content makes sense. Here is a before and after example:

Before:

We have been in business for 50-years.
We help our clients maximize their investment by…
Our broad set of solutions makes us the leading provider for this type of service.

After:

Customers come to us because they want the assurance they are working with a vendor who has been solving these challenges for over 50-years.
What’s most important to them is maximizing their investment by…
What if you had the broadest set of solutions from a leading provider, ensuring you receive the highest level of service possible?

Summary

Your corporate story is critical to your growth and long-term success. It is a good bet that it needs rejuvenation. How well is it being told by your field sales organization? Who is your story about? Does it capture your passion and commitment? Is it simple, clear and focused? Does it represent what is unique about you and why your prospects would care about that difference? Does it tell the story of how you are changing the world?

If you would like further insight into the Power of Story, or would like to understand how you can renew your story, please contact us at…

~ Dean Schantz, Corporate Visions’ Consultant

From Russia, With Love

Recently, I conducted a Power Messaging workshop in Moscow, Russia.  I am aware that Power Messaging techniques are sometimes looked upon as “western ideas.”  It usually takes some time for our techniques to soak in and be accepted.  This normally happens soon after a student is exposed to the Old Brain research and begins to understand what influences the Old Brain and helps it make decisions. By this time in the workshop, students understand that it does not matter what part of the world you are from; we are all wired the same and make decisions through the same process.

 

On day two of my workshop, I covered the Power of Stories; along with Objection Reframes, concentrating specifically on Stories, Metaphors, and Analogies.  I know that Stories are embedded in every culture, and I felt that my new Russian friends would adapt quickly to this technique.

 

The stories they shared were wonderful and fun to hear at the same time.  One of my students, Olga, was introducing a new technology that was going to have a huge impact on her customers, while at the same time being difficult for them to comprehend because of this impact.  She was challenged with how she could introduce this to her customers without them being overwhelmed and immediately push back on something so innovative.

 

Olga began her presentation with a story about when she was a child during the winter in Russia.  She explained how bitterly cold it was every winter and how frustrating it was to bundle up for simple tasks like going to school or just going outside to play.  She explained the many layers of clothing that her mother would put on her:  long underwear, trousers, shirt, sweater, two pairs of socks, snow pants, heavy coat, mittens, scarf and cap (and a few other things I couldn’t quite understand).  Every time she would go back inside, she would have to remove each layer which was quite an undertaking. Next, she said to the audience:

 

Do you remember when coveralls were introduced? Do you remember what an unbelievable breakthrough that was?  Do you remember how warm they were and how easy it was to slip them on and off without having to go through the frustration of the layers of clothing every time you wanted to go outdoors?  Well, that’s the same level of advancement in technology you are about to see today.  The technology you are about to see will have an equal impact on your business as the coveralls had on all of Russia.

They understood and relived the pain that she had described. They were captured by the story and the relevance and impact on their culture.  They were all well prepared for, and looking forward to, the impact her new technology was going to have on their business.

Stories are an incredible way to deliver value, open closed-minds, change perceptions, and sell without resistance anywhere, anytime, with any audience… even in Russia.

 

By David Lane, Consultant, Corporate Visions Inc.

Accelerate Understanding

Recently, my wife and I went to visit our financial advisor, David Hawkins – a necessary meeting to ensure that I don’t have to work until I’m 80-years-old.  We currently have two children in college and two more to go, so we definitely need to plan well. We want to take care of our children and help them as much as possible to get a good start in life.

In our meeting, David focused on our life insurance and our retirement account. My wife was concerned about some of the changes he wanted to make in reference to where to put our money.  She kept saying, “So what if something happens to us; what about the children?” It was obvious that David wanted to make some changes that my wife perceived as counter-productive in planning for our children.

Finally, David leaned back in his chair, looked at my wife and said, “You’ve flown in an airplane haven’t you?”  My wife answered, “Yes.”  David then asked her, “What is the first thing the flight attendant tells you to do in case of an emergency and your oxygen masks are deployed?”  She answered, “That you need to put your mask on first before helping others.” “Exactly,” David exclaimed.  “You need to take care of YOURSELF first, so that you are capable of taking care of others.”  “You also need to set a good example for your children by showing them that they need to take care of their financial future first.”

As I watched my wife’s brow unfurl and a smile cross her face, I thought – wow!  What a great example of using a story in the form of an analogy to simplify the complex. My wife was not able to see what was already so clear to David.  By using the simple analogy of the oxygen mask, David quickly accelerated my wife’s understanding of his point.

In a sales presentation, your audience is often lagging behind in understanding the meaning of your message, especially when your message is highly technical.  Stories, metaphors and analogies are effective ways to simplify your complex technology and accelerate your prospects’ understanding.

Now, in case you didn’t notice…this article is also an example of how a personal story can be used to effectively articulate your point.

-David Lane, Corporate Visions’ Consultant