Do you know how to use storytelling sales techniques to soulfully inspire people to work with you?

We’ve previously talked about why storytelling is important to selling more soulfully and business storytelling examples that move people to action.

In this blog post though, I want to delve into the HOW of using storytelling in sales.

This is the part where I want to give you something tangible to implement. A way for you to inspire simple, everyday stories you can share to move people closer to a sale.

We hear so many people talking about “your story” and “the hero’s journey”, but this often leads to business owners becoming so attached to this story that they miss the everyday stories that people connect with daily and that inspires them to take action.

I’ve put together a shorter version of my full Storytelling Map for you to download and start working on to craft YOUR stories.

I’ve put together a shorter version of my full Storytelling Map for you to download and start working on to craft YOUR stories.

Download your copy here

What Do You Need To Demonstrate?

The quickest and easiest way to find the most persuasive stories to move people from being a fan or a follower to a paying client is at each stage of your marketing pathway you need to ask

“what do I need to demonstrate to my most aligned clients to get them to say yes”

This is a question I heard Dan Kennedy ask once and I thought it was a perfect sentence to get you to stop and really think about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

• That might mean saying yes to:
• clicking through to read a blog post,
• signing up for a free resource to get on your email list,
• clicking the buy button on your sales page or
• picking up the phone to book an appointment.

You’re “selling” to get them to take these actions. So don’t just think about storytelling sales techniques simply to get people to buy.

That leads us to the stories we tell…
… For example, if you’re sitting there, staring at this screen, ask what would I need to demonstrate to you on Facebook, in a free resource, in an email sequence or on a sales page to get you to work with me – or at least take the next step.

You might think:

I don’t know if she’s credible. In a previous blog post on storytelling I shared my story about my history, my backstory and my why. I’ve been weaving that throughout this storytelling blog series. In webinars, I have a slide dedicated to my “why” and credentials, as you see above.

I don’t know if I can trust her. In this series and throughout my blog I’ve shared the story of working with clients like Nutrition for Weight Loss Surgery, Fairbrother Constructions and Angela Raspass, who I’m guessing might be similar to you in what they’re struggling with and what they want to achieve. I’ve also referenced other female entrepreneurs you might already know which, through association, helps build trust for my brand. Right? I hope!

I don’t know if she can get me a result. I constantly share testimonials and stories of my clients on Facebook, Instagram, on a dedicated testimonials page, in the PS of emails and on sales pages. Even better is if I can get my clients to share their story about working with me on their own platforms. This is an example of an image I shared on Instagram and Facebook. Get creative about the “way” you share these stories.

I don’t know if I like her. This is as simple as being personal. This is a story of how I lost my second dad – my father in law – on Father’s Day last year. And how the beauty of having set up my business with systems meant when your world turns upside down, like it did that September, my business didn’t fall apart. Sharing that story and being vulnerable attracted new clients for me, because people related to it. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable online. This was originally a newsletter and was turned into a Facebook Group post – showing the power of leverage.

As you can see, each is wrapped inside a story you can tell that also demonstrates why they should choose you.

What stories did this inspire for you?

4 Storytelling Sales Techniques To Use In Online Marketing

So, thinking about that question, I want to share 4 storytelling sales techniques to tell stories on social media and within your online marketing to move your most aligned client towards a sale.
You can use a mix of these stories in all of your marketing so you don’t become one dimensional, as we spoke about earlier in this post.

I’m going to use Facebook, but you can use this on all platforms.

Humanise Your Brand

There are many ways you can humanise your brand, but a great one is to show behind the scenes of what you do. Whether it’s in your office alone, working with team mates or something you’re working on. Here’s one of my clients, lightworker Michelle Capper-Fay, who shared how what she does weaves into her own everyday life.

Here’s another client, healthcare business strategist Jody Bund, who always has such beautiful, polished branding throughout her site and social media. But, considering her client – a healthcare professional – is all about our health, she did a great job of revealing behind the scenes to fitting in fitness in her own life and the benefits. And she did it complete with gym gear! This just makes her even more likeable. Perfect, business-suit style photos – and videos – might be fine for a page on your website, but on social media it’s about being authentic.

Share Your Brand’s Story or Why

I’ve already shared a few “why” stories through this storytelling series, but here’s a simple example on LinkedIn from what I call a more “boring” business (Shadforth Financial) that highlights its strong business opinion on a topic that was in the media that it disagreed with. This is a powerful post with a strong call to action.

Tell Others’ Stories

Here are two examples. One is Wollongong and Shellharbour beauty salon, Skin Correctives, showing a before and after image, which is super powerful storytelling when you’re working in the space of providing a physical transformation. This also works well for graphic designers and website developers. But even if you don’t have a product or visually exciting business, you can still share a story about the transformation you’ve been able to provide for someone.

And another is if you’re looking to bring on new staff, telling the story from a staff member’s point of view about what opportunity the business has opened up for them is a fantastic way to attract new people. I love this piece!

Embrace Emotion

Two vastly different examples here. The first, humour, is told in the image itself and makes me want chocolate! Perfect for a chocolate business. Humour is a great way to grab attention and get people to like you.

The second is from one of my business and mastermind friends Emma Grey who runs a business called My 15 Minutes and has a book out about finding 15 minutes in your day for yourself for the important things. She lost her husband last year at the same time I lost my father in law and now is a single mum of three kids.

Here, it’s just before Christmas, she’s in the doctor’s waiting room and trying to finish some work while at the same time waiting to get her heart checked – something her husband hadn’t had time to do the year before and was the reason he wasn’t here anymore. Doesn’t that motivate you to want to learn more about what you can do for yourself and pick up a copy of their book?

Capture The Stories When Inspired

When inspiration strikes you, ensure you capture that story in the moment.

Look out for the opportunities in each day to share a story and carry a notepad or even use the notes section on your phone to capture those stories to share later. There are stories everywhere once you start looking for them. They don’t have to be your stories either, as you can see from the many examples above.

Steve Jobs was one of the great storytellers, sharing the story behind every product Apple released. We didn’t buy the company or the product, we bought the story.

Stepping forward as the face of your brand, being authentic and sharing more of yourself online, allows you to sell in a more soulful way and allows people to believe in you and your product.

We’re all in the business of helping people by solving their problems. But to even have a chance at solving those problems they first need to believe in us. Storytelling creates belief.

So remember, in business you get to choose your own adventure. Just make sure you’re telling a good story along the way.

Developing Your Storytelling Sales Techniques Further

I’ve put together a shorter version of my full Storytelling Map for you to download and start working on to craft YOUR stories.

Download your copy here

If you’d like to dive deeper into the stories you have to sell more soulfully without pushing, but can’t wait until The Online Marketing Mastermind opens again in September 2018, be sure to book a time for us to chat to work together in the 1:1 Storytelling Half Day Workshop.