During my career as a salesperson, trainer, and corporate event planner, I have learned that people think and remember most in stories and defining or memorable moments. They buy from people they know and like. So, what is the best construction of these elements? How do they fit together to make an extraordinary combination? A powerful combination that wins sales and creates loyal employees and customers? Let’s look at each element.
Stories
The popular and inspiring speaker, Simon Sinek, says the most engaging and memorable stories are the opposite of most PowerPoint presentations. Typical presentations tell what you do. But, memorable and engaging stories are about you. They explain why you do what you do, then how you do it and finally what you do. Today, people are tired and skeptical of marketing messages, especially those that are manipulative. They want authenticity and integrity. Stories provide those characteristics. They also connect with the emotional side of the brain that makes decisions and the logical side that justifies those decisions.
Every company or person has a unique story. So, your story sets you apart from the competition. Stories put your product, service, or cause in context, and they connect the dots for both employees and customers. They provide connection and meaning to the things you do. Stories stir the imagination, which enables innovation, growth, and increased revenue. So, stories need to be a part of your presentation.
Memorable Moments
A 75-year study at Harvard found that people are happier and remember the most memorable moments, people, and relationships. I just finished reading the Chip and Dan Heath book, The Power of Moments. Some of the advice they give is to include moments of insight, pride, and connection in your customer engagement. Stories can help you provide all three of these to make your presentations memorable. You can also include their fourth element elevation by doing what they call breaking the script.
The Heaths explained that it means doing an unexpected positive thing. They provided the following example in their book: A child accidentally was heartbroken because he left his favorite toy, a giraffe named Joshie at the Ritz Carlton in Florida. His mother called the Ritz and explained that she told the child that Joshie stayed behind to continue enjoying his vacation and would be home soon. Employees at the Ritz not only found Josie, but they also took photos of him around the resort enjoying activities such as around the pool and at the spa. Then they mailed Joshie along with the pictures home to the little boy. The employees did all that for a guest that already checked out. However, when you do unusual things like that, the story gets told and retold. It provides excellent PR and advertising as well as increased revenue from the returning guest and story listeners.
You don’t have to do something like the employees in that story did, but you can make the presentation memorable with moments of elevation, insight, pride, and connection.
Events
Presentations are events in the day of the customer no they are not typically the same as a Super Bowl or a concert, but they are still an event. I’d like to include here the synopsis of the of a story I received while gathering input for the book I wrote on project managing events.
A friend of mine was asked to present a proposal for a corporate event. He wanted to stand out from the other vendors, so created an event for the proposal presentation. The theme they chose was mission impossible. He asked to have the conference room for one hour before the meeting. His team decorated the room as a mission control center as those seen in the movie. He positioned two employees in suits with badges and earbuds on either side of the doors leading to the assigned room. He arranged the presentation time to be aligned with a heavy traffic time in the lobby and had the handouts delivered by an employee with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. All the other details fell in line with the theme. During the presentation, he told a vision story of what the event experience would be like for the company and the attendees. Since his financials and other elements meet the bid criteria, he won the job hands down. People in the industry often tell the story of his presentations as they are all unique moments.
Again, you don’t have to go to this extreme, but you can include stories and elements that will make your presentation memorable.
I hope this article inspired you to become imaginative and to incorporate the suggestions of the Heaths. Also, consider learning more and adding business storytelling to your toolbox, and you will beat the competition and increase your business growth.
About the Authors:
Phyllis Mikolaitis and her business partner John Switzer are speakers, sales coaches, and training developers, each with over 30 years’ global experience. They are dedicated to helping you learn the latest persuasion techniques incorporating insights and stories to win the sale. check other posts on our site: https://salestrainingsolutions.com/blog