| If there is one problem that perplexes business owners | | | | remembered amid all the noise that exists in the world. |
| more than others, it's, "How do I differentiate my | | | | Stories help enormously in that regard. |
| business from the competition?" This is a particularly | | | | However, stories go far beyond simply increasing the |
| challenging issue for services businesses. | | | | likelihood that people will remember who you are. The |
| So how can a consultant, advisor, or other services | | | | true power of stories is that they intrigue people and |
| provider differentiate themselves from the | | | | make them curious to learn more. By engaging this |
| competition? What's the best way to stand out in an | | | | natural curiosity, sales stories motivate readers and |
| ever increasingly competitive world? For many of the | | | | listeners to want to learn more. This is what is often |
| most successful companies the answer is increasingly | | | | referred to as selling invisibly. |
| to focus on telling stories. If you want more referrals or | | | | Here is an interesting example for how this actually |
| word-of-mouth buzz, telling stories about who you are, | | | | works. The sales letter that is credited with generating |
| what you do and the benefits your clients receive by | | | | the largest amount of revenues is one that was |
| working with you, is one of the most powerful | | | | written well over 40 years ago for the Wall Street |
| marketing strategies you can implement. | | | | Journal. This is how it began: |
| Unique sales stores can be used on your website, in | | | | "Take two men. Both graduates of good universities. |
| your sales letters and your stay-in-touch | | | | Both hardworking and ambitious. |
| communications. One of the great benefits of | | | | Flash forward twenty years and one is in the corner |
| marketing using sales stories is that you can reuse one | | | | office commanding the attention and respect of |
| story multiple times without it losing its effectiveness. | | | | hundreds. The other toils amid the legions of middle |
| What the companies that receive the greatest amount | | | | managers in a largely obscure position. Why did one |
| of referral all have in common is that they are adept | | | | ascend to great heights and the other plateau so |
| at developing and disseminating stories about their | | | | early?" |
| business. | | | | What made this letter so effective? The answer is |
| What makes stories such powerful tool if your goal is | | | | simple. It told a story. As a result it creating curiosity |
| to generate more referrals for your business? The | | | | and engaged the imagination of the reader. They want |
| primary reason is that stories are so much easier to | | | | to learn more. They sincerely want to learn the |
| remember than facts. If I tell you that an architectural | | | | answer to: "Why did one ascend to great heights and |
| firm has offices in Atlanta, St. Louis and San Diego, | | | | the other plateau so early?" |
| that information is likely to go in one proverbial ear and | | | | Not surprisingly, this is one of the most widely copied |
| out the other. | | | | sales letters. It has been used to sell everything from |
| However if I tell you a story about how the Atlanta | | | | consulting services to copiers, to higher education. |
| office successfully bid on a project by drawing from | | | | So what types of stories could you tell about your |
| the talents of one of their team members in the St. | | | | company? What are the success stories that others |
| Louis office who had worked on the venerable St. | | | | would be interested in learning more about? |
| Louis arch, and another from the San Diego office | | | | Creating excellent unique sales stories is both an art |
| who had an intimate understanding of environmental | | | | and a science. It is certainly far more than just simply |
| design from work she had done at the San Diego | | | | sitting down and starting to type. There's a process |
| zoo-the dynamics have changed. | | | | and system that makes stories interesting and |
| First you are much more likely to actually remember | | | | memorable. It takes a bit of an investment of time and |
| the story. This is crucial. Not surprisingly the first step to | | | | education in order to create stories that aren't flat or |
| getting referrals is having people actually remembering | | | | lifeless. However, for virtually all business owners it is |
| what it is that you do. Although this sounds simple and | | | | an investment that is well worth making. |
| obvious, it's actually pretty difficult to get your business | | | | |