Task 6 powerful tales

Telling the right story in the right way can be a powerful sales tool to demonstrate to a potential client that you are sincere, says Frank Carillo, president of the Executive Communications Group, a New Jersey-based company that offers consulting and seminars on effective communication.

Carillo explains that using stories to sell is a form of persuasion. Relating a compelling anecdote illustrates the point you wish to make more powerfully than simply stating the point. This method appeals to your customers' emotions and can give you a decisive edge in closing a deal.

While stories may be great closing tools, they also can be useful at other stages of the sales process. However, Carillo believes that using stories works best as an icebreaker or rapport builder in the initial stages of contact.

For example, an advertising account executive used a story to win a client’s cooperation before landing a big account. He told about wanting a tree house more than anything else for his 10th birthday. His father was less than convinced that a tree house was a good idea. Consequently, he asked his son a half-dozen times if he was sure he wanted a tree house. Each time the boy would more confidently reply, "I'm sure." Then on his birthday he asked, "Daddy, where's my tree house?" His father took him into the back yard where the boy expected to see a gigantic tree house. But all he saw was a pile of wood, some nails and a hammer. His father then pointed to all those things and said, "Son, if you really want a tree house then let's build one together."

The prospect got the point immediately. To create a successful campaign, both companies had to work side by side. Sale closed. Cooperation assured.

"With so many similar products and services on the market today, the only way to stand out from the competition is through superior salespeople and customer service," says Carillo. Using stories in selling represents one way for salespeople to differentiate their company, their selling style and their products.

According to psychologist Dr. Donald Moine, president of the Association for Human Achievement, in Redondo Beach, CA, the easiest way to get people to accept a new idea is to link it to an idea or concept they already know and understand.

A salesperson selling a service contract might tell a story about getting a car fixed: "Imagine for a moment that last weekend you took your car to get new tires and while you were there your mechanic noticed your muffler was coming loose. You asked if he would tie it up for you, but instead he sent you down the street to Midas Muffler. Then while your muffler was being repaired the technician noticed a crack in your windshield. Once again you asked if he would fix the problem, but he said no, they didn't provide that service. So you got in the car once again and drove to the body shop, and before you turned around your whole day was shot because you didn't have someone who would take the entire responsibility for your car."

Stories create a mental vision in your customer's mind. Mr Carillo says the best stories are to the point and audience-specific.

A cellular phone salesperson could use a story about how buying a phone for a child creates a feeling of security and safety. A salesperson selling swimming pools could tell a story about family fun and bonding. No matter what the situation, a story can help clinch the deal.

These are just a few examples of stories that have proven successful for other salespeople, but the best stories come from your heart.

Carillo teaches his clients to search their memory banks for personal stories with a lesson that their prospects can relate to. First, think of a topic and write down all the stories you can remember related to that topic. Second, think of a theme -generosity, gratification, responsibility or trust – and come up with a story that relates to that theme. Carillo likes to tell a story from his own childhood. The experience taught him a life lesson he never forgot.

One day his grandfather asked him to grab a handful of nuts from a bowl in the kitchen. When he returned, his grandfather counted the nuts, "One, two, three, four," and asked if he could get more than four nuts into his little fist. "How many?" asked little Frank. His grandfather suggested, "How about eight?" Frank went back to the bowl, dug in his fist, but as hard as he tried, he could never get more than four nuts. He got so frustrated he was tempted to throw the nuts across the room. But as he reached in one last time, he realized that he was shoveling out more than eight nuts. He was excited and ran over to grandpa who had been watching him the whole time. His grandpa said, "Let that be a lesson to you. You get a whole lot more out of life with an open hand than you do with a closed fist."

A story is like a crystal – transparent and multifaceted. It focuses reality in a fascinating way that mesmerizes the eye, stirs the emotions and moves the mind. Stories can make your sales more memorable and more fun, and they can help advance prospects toward the sale.

from Selling Power magazine, June 2001.

Task 7

Answer the questions.

1. What, according to Mr. Carillo, can be used as a powerful sales tool?

2. Why are stories more persuasive than actual facts?

3. What is the easiest way to get people accept the new idea?

4. Have you ever heard from a salesperson a story, which helped you to make up your mind and buy the product or service?

5. Why should a salesperson be creative and resourceful?

6. You’ve just read several stories used by salespeople abroad. As you see, these particular stories reflect foreign mentality. Think of a similar story, which would fit Russian mentality.