Immerse Yourself in Stories to Become a Great Storyteller per Steve Hall, Ep #321
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Steve Hall emphasizes that storytelling is an important skill to possess in both life and business. Stories are an essential part of life. Stories move people to go to war, make peace, and fall in love. And stories can help salespeople stir emotion and create action in their customers.\\xa0
Steve believes that the more you immerse yourself in the world of good storytelling, the better you will become at the craft. He shares some tips and strategies to become a better storyteller in this episode of Sales Reinvented!\\xa0
Outline of This Episode
- [1:01] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
- [1:58] Can anyone become a great storyteller?
- [3:13] The ingredients of a great story\\xa0
- [4:38] The attributes of a great storyteller
- [6:55] Resources to improve storytelling
- [8:27] Steve\\u2019s 3 storytelling dos and don\\u2019ts
- [10:38] Stories are the best way to illustrate a point
Become a great storyteller by immersing yourself in stories
Steve believes that anyone can learn how to tell a story. Those that are naturally gifted at storytelling enjoy listening to, watching, hearing, and reading stories. The more you expose yourself to other people\\u2019s stories, the more you unconsciously pick it up.\\xa0
Steve has also found that great storytellers are avid readers. The more widely you read, the more likely you are to have empathy for people. When you read fiction or watch a movie, you tend to put yourself in the role of the character (protagonist).\\xa0
When you identify with people from different races, backgrounds, and sexes, you build empathy that allows you to personalize a story. You tend to pick up the moral and ethical characteristics of the characters you identify with.
Steve\\u2019s 3 storytelling dos and don\\u2019ts
Steve points out that salespeople love to use case studies. But the problem with case studies in sales is that they make the salesperson or the company the hero. Instead, you need to share what great success a customer had with you as the guide. What else should you do? What should you avoid?\\xa0
- You need to get the listener to identify with the story and keep it relevant.\\xa0
- Be aware of universal themes such as love, loss, the hero\'s journey, etc.\\xa0
- Build in corroborating details so people know your story is true.\\xa0
- Don\\u2019t make it about you or boast about yourself. If you\\u2019re in the story, include mistakes that you\'ve made and overcame.\\xa0
- Don\\u2019t waffle or go off on tangents.\\xa0
- Be honest\\u2014don\\u2019t make things up.\\xa0
Listen to this episode for more great advice from Steve!\\xa0
Stories are the best way to illustrate a point
Buying ERP software is a large risk for companies. It\\u2019s not only costly, but it can be disruptive to install and implement. And once you\\u2019ve chosen it, you\\u2019re stuck with it. So you have to trust your supplier implicitly.\\xa0
Steve\\u2019s company was a small developer competing with the giants of their time. And because Steve\\u2019s company was small, he was always asked how he\\u2019d be able to take care of customers after implementation. So Steve would tell a story.
His company had signed a customer whose IT Manager had developed the previous system from scratch. After they chose Steve\\u2019s software, the IT manager resigned and left them in a lurch. They couldn\\u2019t run their company.\\xa0
So one of Steve\\u2019s coworkers learned the existing software so he could install their software and help them continue to run their business.\\xa0He slept on a cot in their office for six months. That\\u2019s an example of the level of dedication they give to their customers.\\xa0
If someone asks you a question, you can answer the question straightforwardly. But if you can illustrate how you\\u2019ve done something in the past, it\\u2019s far more convincing.
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with Steve Hall
Connect With Paul Watts\\xa0
Audio Production and Show notes by
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