Telling a Story Can Get You Business

I had the privilege of attending an event yesterday that simply blew my mind. First off let me tell you that as a business owner, I hate answering the question “What do you do?” You know that one, the one you are always asked when attending networking meetings or anytime you’re face-to-face with a potential new connection. My answer always just seems so standard and impersonal and though I have an “elevator speech” (which I hate,) I find myself constantly trying to change how I answer the question to seem somewhat differentiated from everyone else in the room who is going to spew out their 30 seconds of “We do blah, blah, blah.”

Then I got to listen to my new friend Bill Whitley.  Bill is the author of the book “The Art of the Rainmaker” and is a successful serial entrepreneur three times over (literally… that many successful businesses!) Now Bill hates elevator speeches just as much as I do and what he did was to come up with a new concept for how to attract new business and new clients by engaging them initially as prospects with what he calls a “Customer Attraction Story.”

The basic definition I would give to this new concept: “It’s your elevator speech on steroids!”

We All Grew Up Listening to Stories

Now why would think that if the person in front of you barely wants to listen to your 30 second spiel about what you offer, that they would listen to you tell a whole freakin’ story?

Well, we want to be engaged don’t we? We would rather be entertained than simply spoken to right? The most followed bloggers on the web and the best professional speakers all tell stories don’t they?

Let’s face it, we just like stories!  We especially like stories about heroes who faced a challenge and overcame it to a “happily ever after ending.” Hercules, Achilles, Oedipus, Perseus & Andromeda anyone? (OK, so I’m partial to ancient Greek heroes… keep reading!)

The point is there is something engaging in stories that captivate our attention and make us focus on the characters, what they went through, and how the story ended. So if we are that captivated by stories and what you want when explaining what you do to others is that same level of attention, then why don’t we use stories to communicate what we can do and have done for our clients (our hero) to our prospects?

Start Pumping the Story-telling Juices

Bill’s concept behind this “Customer Attraction Story” focuses around the fact that instead of talking about “what you do” as a list of your products, services, and how you operate; you instead tell a story about one of your clients that faced a huge challenge, how you provided a brilliant solution to that problem, and what amazing results came from those actions.

Now doesn’t this make sense?

You are telling a prospect an engaging and detailed story about how someone just like them faced a challenge that could be very similar to their own and you show them how you did something that helped them overcome the situation to some form of a happy ending.

Do you see it now?

While your client (the hero) is the focus of the story, you are shown as what pushed them over the hurdle and that communicates your value clearly and effectively to your prospect. Then, it follows that up with stating how it made life so much better for the hero!  At the end story to potentially get the reaction you desire from your listener, all you have to do is say, “So what about you? Can you face that challenge?”

Let Bill Tell You Himself

Bill put together a great video explaining this concept in his own words. Check it out and get his book!  If you can, attend one of his interactive workshops. I promise it will help you turn your pitch into a powerful story that will start attracting new business!

Watch Bill’s Video »

Connect to Bill on LinkedIn »