The #1 way to create rapport and emotional connection is…..to become a GREAT storyteller. It’s one of the most powerful communication tools to grow your business quickly. Whether you present your offers 1-to-1 or to groups, and whether it’s online or offline, a story will capture attention like nothing else.
Here’s an example
One of my clients, Patty, was a financial planner and mindset coach. She was feeling burned out by her marketing efforts. They weren’t working and she was waking up wondering if it was all really worth it. Do you ever get like that?
She was close to calling it quits. Then we worked together to explore her purpose, her mission and her WHY for doing her business. Through questioning and introspection we were able to dig down to her core purpose. That alone revived her motivation. Then we explored her “back story” on her purpose that she could share with prospective clients.
Her mission, purpose and WHY was to free people from worrying about finances so they could enjoy their lives and relationship so much more. Then I asked her to tell me her “back story” on that. I asked such questions as,
- What happened to make that true?
- Why have you chosen this business focus over all the other ones you could have chosen?
- What happened in your childhood, or during your formative years?
- What was a challenge you overcame that made you passionate about this?
She started telling me about coming from a family that argued when money was tight. Sound familiar? When money was good, they were happy together. Her parents got along, the kids got attention, and they did outings together. When money was tight they argued, the kids felt neglected and they didn’t do anything fun together.
As a child, she made a strong decision that she would grow up to be financially free. That way those negative experiences wouldn’t happen to her. Guess what happened? When she started her own family, she noticed a similar pattern. Arguing when money was tight, and happiness when money was good. She then realized that it wasn’t so much the money, as the feeling behind the money. That was about feeling secure, and like she could live the life she wanted.
A mentor taught her that in addition to learning how to run a profitable business, she needed to learn how to run a prosperous mind. Patty learned how to generate feelings of security, choice and abundance and noticed that helped attract the actual life of prosperity she wanted. It was such a revelation to her that she taught this principle to her family. It made a difference. Then she taught it to her clients, and it became her differentiating factor. Her tagline became We help families become financially free inside and out.
Patty wrote out and memorized a version of that story, and started telling it to people individually and during public speaking opportunities. She also used it on her website, in blog posts and in her social media profiles. Instead of being just one more financial planner, she was not highlighting this unique focus. It attracted like-minded people, so her business filled up with people who had similar values and were open to mindset expansion. Her passion ignited a passion in others, and her client base exploded.
3 benefits of WHY Stories
#1 – Prospects like, know and trust you more: Because your WHY story includes your mission, values and purpose, they tend to like, know and trust you more. That is, of course, if they are a good fit for your offerings.
#2 – Stories help bypass people’s objections: Stories bypass the discriminatory, judgmental mind. Most people have their guard up when listening to offers from salespeople. When they listen to your story they listen from the imaginative part of the brain. That way they are less likely to overlay a previous bad experience with someone else, onto you. In addition, it makes them more open to new possibilities for their life.
#3 – Stories make you more memorable. Have you ever been to a business presentation that was all facts and theories — boring, right? People hear facts from the logical part of their brain, where the short term memory resides. They hear stories from the imaginative part of the brain, where the long term memory resides. Your prospects don’t need to know every single fact and feature. They want to know WHY they should take an interest. When you tell them your WHY story, it stirs their imagination so they can see themselves getting the benefits of your offer.
How Can I Create a WHY Story?
Here’s some first steps. By the way, you can create a WHY story on more than one aspect of your business, such as one on a particular product or service, and one on your overall business mission.
Ask yourself 3 questions.
- Why do you love the products or services you offer so much?
- What made you choose to focus so much time and attention on this business as opposed to all the other possible things you could be doing with your time?
- What is your ultimate vision that this business is helping you achieve? What is at the deep core of what drives you?”
Make notes, and then pick one of those WHYs: the one that has the biggest importance for you today. Now this is still in concept form and my question to you is “what is your backstory on that?”
- What happened to make that true?
- Why have you chosen this business over all the other ones you could have chosen?
- What happened in your childhood, or during your formative years?
- Was there a challenge you overcame that made you passionate about this?
Are you now excited and can’t wait to start telling people your WHY story? Or, is something is holding you back? Maybe you are afraid that your story won’t be good enough. Maybe you have never done anything like this before and you just need more help to get it done.
No worries, help is on the way. Check out my FREE webinar on:
7 Tips for Increasing Your Referrals, Income and Success
Here you will find a step-by-step process for creating your WHY story, and how to use metaphors, examples and anecdotes to magnetize ideal prospects.
You can do this! Learn how to reach people’s heart with your story and your business will flourish. Choose today to create one new story, and you will be so thankful you did.
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Do you already have a great WHY story? If so, how do you use it and how as it helped your business grow? If not, what questions do you have about this topic? Feel free to add your comments below.