I was recently thinking about Halloween. I know, an odd thing to have on the mind in the spring but stick with me here.
Halloween is a time when kids are so excited. My stepdaughter Danielle has blessed me with a ten year old grandson, and I just love getting to relive things through his eyes. Especially Halloween. My other daughter is 20 and she’s pretty much over all of the fun childish things at this point. She’s much more into hanging out with her friends and I’m just there for her when it’s convenient.
But, my grandson, he’s just the perfect age. A few years ago, I had him over with some friends for a fun, spooky dinner followed by some trick or treating.
Since my daughter was old enough to dress up and go trick-or-treating, we’ve had a very specific Halloween tradition. I serve a very disgusting dinner. The menu is riddled with gross, and the kids just love it. Growing up, my daughter would tell all her friends and they’d all want to come over for dinner. And my stepdaughter, who moved in with me when she was 13, started telling her friends who also wanted to come over. So, this whole thing has become a pretty big production over the years.
Try to hold on to your stomachs while I share with you this disgusting (or is it delectable?) menu:
Drinks – Blood with worms (it’s actually organic strawberry, watermelon fruit juice with gummy worms in it) and I serve it in vampire-like wine vats.
Dinner – Vomit, bloody brains, bones, maggots, and intestines (aka – sloppy joes, tater tots or French fries, baked beans, and mac-n-cheese)
Now the kids just go wild for this! They sit there and giggle and they tell these fun, spooky stories.
And it was the way our girls told these stories about our spooky dinners that made me look at business and sales in a new light. It reminded me of a sales technique that I heard about years, maybe even decades ago.
Hundreds of Ways to Sell
Now, as you know, there are hundreds of thousands of ways to sell. There are different styles and different techniques. Story selling is one of those ways. Lapping up metaphors and including stories in your sales presentations is an amazing way to go.
Bottom line is, in today’s world, competition isn’t just other businesses like your own, it goes a lot deeper than that. There is so much out there vying for our potential clients’ time, energy, focus, and money. From similar products to, household expenses, to business expenses, to their kids, to the economy, to current events. Frankly, their own stories and their own mindset, too.
The Art of Storytelling
For me, storytelling has become a widespread and key necessity in the sales, marketing, and fundraising toolbelt. There’s truly no better way to make a connection and communicate your offer’s advantages and benefits, than telling a story that your prospective client or consumer can relate to.
Stories allow you to make a personal connection with your potential buyers.
People buy from people. Bottom line.