Tag: Story Telling

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What makes a good story?

My wife, son & I are big fans of Mr.Harold Finch, Mr.John Reese, Ms.Root, Ms.Shaw & Mr.Fusco.

These people save people who are in danger by risking their own lives. They are selfless, true patriots, good at heart, efficient & fast. We will not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

We finished watching the last episode of the last season of #PersonOfInterest on Prime yesterday.

That’s, only the second time so far. With Covid-19 still restricting our social lives, that’s not a surprise.

We love the series. Yet, we are unhappy with certain parts of the story. We wanted the team of protagonists to win all the time. I hope #JonathanNolan takes note of this. 🙂

Here’s the snapshot of the #Story:

Harold builds “The Machine”, an AI that gets its feed from the Gov data, public cameras et al. It watches people, sees violent acts of terror, identifies the danger to people & then segregates those numbers [social security] into relevant & irrelevant [b’cos gov considers them so], sends relevant numbers to the Gov & irrelevant numbers to Harold’s team, who then get into the act of saving them.

The storytelling in this TV series keeps you on the edge of your seat & is definitely worth emulating in our marketing stories, to capture our customers’ attention.

Dissecting it further, I think, the framework for a story is:

  1. You need a purpose. [borrowed that term from Harold].
  2. You need problems to solve.
  3. You should become God. Ok, you become a saviour of sorts.
  4. But let them be the hero of your story. Or identify themselves with the hero.
  5. Show proof, maybe case studies.
  6. Be honest. Let truth be told. Flaws can remain. We are just humans after all.

Happy Storytelling!!

#HappySelling!!

#b2b #sales #marketing #business

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Are you a great Storyteller?

The good news is: You can become a great storyteller even if you are not one currently. I will give you the framework & guidelines for the same.

  1. Have a unique style. And don’t imitate other storytellers.
  2. People like to hear interesting anecdotes. So, sprinkle some here and there.
  3. Let the story be original and true. No fiction.
  4. Pump it with loads of energy. Nobody likes to hear a story that sucks energy.
  5. Make your audience think, imagine, visualize. May your story cause them to think in terms of pictures.
  6. Add humour. People like jokes. They forget themselves when they laugh.
  7. Create a community.
  8. Give them a peek into your life, your difficulties, how you solved them. Show them that you are human just like them. Connect with them.
  9. Speak about what you see in everyday life.
  10. Do not have any theme. But have a message in every session or each story you narrate.
  11. Don’t get stuck to any ideals. That is utopia. It doesn’t sell.
  12. Be creative.
  13. Be bold.
  14. Don’t be shy. Even if you are shy, it is just fine. Most of us are shy. But that doesn’t have to stop us from becoming a great storyteller.
  15. There is something unique in the way you see, perceive and think. Speak about that. That will make a great story.
  16. Try connecting with the local events or the big news of the day or the season.
  17. Just be you.
  18. Engage the audience depending on whom you are addressing. In Sales, we call it target segment.
  19. Don’t reveal the climax too soon. Let your audience get ready for it,
  20. Deliver value, for sure. You need to do your homework on this.

Happy Storytelling!!

Happy Selling!!

#sales #storytelling #crm

Contact: sales at zignalytics.com

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It’s Transformation, which your prospects seek

Creative Stories

Your Prospects are not seeking a Commodity but are seeking Transformation. The route to the transformation does not matter much as long as the Transformation is guaranteed in a specific time frame. Transformation means “a marked change in form, nature, or appearance.” A metamorphosis, in essence, is what your prospects are seeking. For ex, from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Whether you sell products or services or both, it is not that which you are selling that your prospects are seeking. Instead they are seeking transformation and if your product / service guarantees that, then you have a deal. Please get this.

Your prospects have some dreams and are vigorously chasing them. And if your product / service helps in realizing those dreams, then they will buy. Say for ex, if you are selling cars and your prospects dream is to acquire a status and if one of your vehicle categories satisfies that and you are able to communicate visually how that will improve his or her status, then you have a sale. Prove it to them that it helps them realize their dreams and they are going to have a transformation. And a lifetime achievement. And let them know how they are going to break records and create new ones.

How to sell a dream. Here are some tips:

  1. Story Telling: You should look deeper and you will have a story to tell. Make it appealing with plenty of visuals. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Somewhere, in the story, there should be a connect to the dreams of your prospect and how you can help realize that.
  2. Focus on their dreams and the transformation they are seeking.
  3. Highlight the losses if dreams are not realized.
  4. Focus on the benefits of the transformation.
  5. Connect your product / service at this instance and prove how it is going to help in the transformation.
  6. Visualize the transformation and clearly communicate that vision to the prospect.
  7. Use metaphors to make the prospect experience it, in his / her subconscious mind.
  8. State and then Repeat the salient features. But only through stories.
  9. Create characters in your story that the prospect can identify with.
  10. Be human. Not a robot. Because you are talking to humans and not robots.

Happy Selling !! err Happy Story Telling !!