A few weeks ago, I boarded a Southwest flight to Minneapolis. As is my habit, I took the window seat. Soon, a woman in her mid-30s came along, pointed to the aisle seat, and asked, “Is this taken?” I told her no, and she sat down. Nervously, she smiled at me and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not weird.” “I’m sure you’re not,” I smiled. She continued, “It’s not like I’m a serial killer or anything.” Well, that’s an odd thing to say on a plane, so I said the only thing I could think of. “Of course you’re not. What would be the odds of two of us meeting like this on an airplane?”

If you’re anything like the live audiences I’ve told this story to, you’re laughing out loud right now. Good. The point of the story was to grab your attention and get a reaction. Depending on what speech I’m giving, it could have a few different uses. Right now, the point is to illustrate the power of story in customer dialogue. If your presentations fall flat, perhaps this article will help you find some ways to liven up your presentations.

All too often, our sales presentations are filled with facts, figures, and contentions that we hope add up to a buying decision on the part of our customer. All too often, they do not add up to a buying decision – because the customer isn’t involved, or our contentions aren’t ‘real.’ From the time I started selling, I started storytelling as part of sales – or “Storyselling,” if you will. It’s a natural in sales because we’re constantly meeting people and collecting stories. The bad part is that we only share stories over the watercooler with our co-workers or over a beer with our buddies. What if you collected stories and then used them as part of your sales dialogue? Here are three ways to use stories:

1. For a little humor. The old saying, “If I can make a customer laugh, I can make him buy,” is at least partially true. Too many salespeople, however, take the low road. They tell jokes. First of all, jokes are hackneyed and false, even in the best of situations. Second, they’re lowest common denominator humor. Third, oftentimes, they can be offensive. We’re salespeople. Funny things happen to and around us all the time, and well-told, those stories will get a laugh out of your customer as well.
2. To make your customer comfortable. Remember my mantra: “Comfortable Customers Buy.” There’s a built-in tension between salespeople and their customers, and one way to break that tension down is to tell a story that illustrates commonality, either between the salesperson and the customer, the customer and the salesperson’s company, or the customer and other customers of the salesperson.
3. To show past successes. One of the best uses of a story is to show how the salesperson (or the company) has helped a past customers succeed in an area where the new potential customer has a need. These kinds of success stories can (and should) pepper your conversation – in introductions, in presentations, and in general dialogue with your customers. As they say, “Nothing succeeds like success,” and a success story can and will win business.

In a future edition, we’ll talk about how to tell a story that will sell – from constructing it to delivering it. For now, start thinking about the stories that you have to tell, and start writing them down.

Oh, and the woman on the plane?  She looked at me for about ten seconds.  Then she quietly picked up her bag….and changed seats.  I don’t think I stopped laughing until we landed.