A contributor from the Association for Consulting Expertise advises a reader on how and why to turn presentation-giving into storytelling.
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Q: I just delivered a carefully prepared, 20-minute PowerPoint presentation to a client prospect, sharing product metrics, specifications, and pricing information. The prospect’s representatives nodded politely and thanked me for my time. I thought I did well, but I’ve heard nothing since. Any suggestions for next time?
ACE Advises: If you launched right into a product description, you missed a golden opportunity to engage your prospect in a story, the most natural form of human communication. In business, we assume that facts, figures and logic alone are persuasive, and forget the power of storytelling.
According to Roger Jones, international sales consultant and author of “The Storytelling Pocketbook,” no sales story should be more than two or three minutes in length, and each story should have one of three objectives: One, to engage the listener; two, to differentiate your offering; and three, to enroll the customer.”
To engage, you should tell a story that resonates with the prospect to build rapport and trust. Stories explaining why you do what you do brings your business to life and can be used to build engagement.
To differentiate your offering, tell a story of how you’ve helped a client or customer overcome a challenge.
To enroll the prospect as a customer, you can develop stories that will overcome objections to the sale. This is called story closing or similar situation closing. You can put the prospect in the picture or tell a story about someone in a similar situation, helping them understand the consequences of inaction. This makes the situation more personal and real to the prospect.
Good luck!
For more on this topic, see “Story Closing” at consultexpertise.com/blog/12183499.
Bob LaBrie of LaBrie Training & Consulting, has over 30 years’ experience in sales and self-motivation. He is based in Gorham, and can be reached at bob@max-po-nlp.com.
