I have noticed that good sales people are often great storytellers. They have the ability to find the right story to resonate with your situation.
They speak from experience and you know they know their stuff. They can paint a picture that is your picture and get you visualizing success in partnership with them.
They seem to be able to connect disparate situations, events or feelings and find the common thread that binds them all together – together for you to connect with. And even if the story they are telling is not directly relevant to your business or market, the situation or person they describe feels familiar.
There is something comforting in knowing that other people experience what you experience even if they are not related to you. This goes along way to building empathy, connection and trust.
However the world is littered with people who are very good at promoting themselves, telling grand stories to amaze. These people are often the great raconteurs holding court or keeping everyone mesmerised with their daring do. The story is all about them.
However these are not the people I am referring to.
The sales people I am talking about don’t tell a story until they have first understood your situation, your views, your challenges and your goals. And they are often quite unassuming, yet when they connect other experiences with yours they help you understand the world a little better. Their stories educate and illuminate. Their stories are based on substance and can be verified. It was worth listening to the story.
Here is a quote I found that illustrates my point:
“No man is great enough or wise enough for any of us to surrender our destiny to. The only way in which anyone can lead us is to restore to us the belief in our own guidance.”
Henry Miller
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