The following piece is an excerpt from my new book Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling in Sales. The book is now available at www.onceuponabottomline.com.
Before you set out to write your first word, you’ll have to answer an all-important question:
“Who is your audience?” Who does your product or service help?
If you are human, your first answer was probably an overly enthusiastic, “Everyone!”.
BUZZ (that’s the sound of the game show buzzer).
I’m sorry. You are incorrect. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. You are the weakest link. Goodbye.
I know, it’s very tempting. You aren’t even saying that to be coy or full of yourself. You truly believe that your product can change lives… all lives. That’s a beautiful thing. It means you are passionate about what you do and you want to make the world a better place.
Unfortunately, you can’t help everyone. But even more importantly, you can’t market to everyone. When you try to speak to the world, no one will hear you. Imagine you are the hot dog guy at a baseball game. There you are, standing on the field with your backpack full o’ hot dogs. You want to get the attention of everyone. You scream. You wave your arms. You jump up and down. To no avail. The roar of the crowd is impossibly loud and no one is even batting an eyelash at your screaming.
Now imagine that you are in the same stadium, same bag o’ hot dogs. You scream and wave your arms, but this time it’s different. First, because you are walking through the sections, directing your calls to one group at a time. Second, because there is a hungry person in a seat not too far away. He’s got a problem (he was late leaving work and didn’t have a chance to eat dinner) and you’ve got a solution (hot dogs and maybe some chips or whatever else hot dog guys carry in that backpack). Hungry guy hears your call, you send a soggy-bun-covered dog his way, and you both continue on your merry way having made a connection that is positive for both of you.
Storytelling for sales is a bit like that interaction. You need to know who you are looking to talk to (your ideal client), and they have to be willing to listen (because they have a need). Head back to the stands for one more minute. Here you are screaming to Hot Dog man for a snack. You may be talking directly to him, but the people around him can hear you too. In fact, one of them happened to have a granola bar on him and decided to offer you an alternative, healthier snack.
When you “speak” to a specific person, to an ideal client, other people still hear you. They aren’t going to say “Well you know, he wasn’t really talking to me so I probably can’t go buy his (insert whatever you sell here). If your product or service is useful for them, they will buy it.
I’ve heard this described as an ideal customer, a buyer persona, an Alex, and about a million other names. Whatever you call it, you need to have a picture of your perfect customer in your head, and whenever you open your mouth (or put pen to page or fingers to keyboard), you need to speak to them. It will change the tone of your story and the words you use. Don’t believe me? Go volunteer at the library to read to children and bring along a copy of Fifty Shades of Gray.
Wrong. Audience.
(OMG don’t do that! I’m just making a point here. Please do not get arrested because of this book).
Now it’s not a story, but I just got an email from Chewy.com. I ordered some food for my dog and just received one of the best emails of my life. They gave me the information I needed about my order and then closed out the email with:
Give us a bark if there’s anything else we can help your furry pal with. Sending paw-sitive vibes Akasha’s way.
Tail wags & kibble bags,
Ummm… wow. If they didn’t nail the tone for their ideal customer (pet parent who adores their fur baby and may or may not sing lullabies to them at three in the morning when they’ve had a nightmare – don’t judge me), I don’t know what possibly could.
The coupon was nice, the food I can get almost anywhere, but they just wowed the crap out of me with three sentences. Wouldn’t it be nice to know your audience that well?
About the author:
Sheryl Green has always enjoyed writing, however, it wasn’t until a divorce shook her world, that she discovered the power of story. Having penned three novels, she now brings her penchant for storytelling to non-fiction and content writing, working with businesses and individuals who want to position themselves as experts in their field. She leverages the power of story through speaking engagements, book coaching and ghostwriting, blogging, and website content,
She is the author of “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Story for Sales” and “Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life.” Learn more at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com.
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