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One of the best
ways to sell is to use a narrative format, which
is a fancy way of saying tell a story. Stories are engaging and
enjoyable, so they don't feel like a sales pitch. Plus, if done well, a story will prompt prospects to convince themselves to take the action you want. This is because compared with more direct attempts at persuasion, well-crafted stories allow readers to draw the conclusion you want on their own, and people rarely second-guess their own conclusions. |
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There are many types of selling stories. Here are a few examples:
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Retelling a news story that naturally supports your sales positioning.
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Telling a personal story of overcoming an obstacle that your prospects face.
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Using a historical anecdote to create an analogy to current market circumstances.
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Sharing a customer success story in the form of a case study.
Sticking with the fourth
example, one of the best ways to craft an engaging case study is
with a hero story.
A hero story is a narrative where one of your customers or clients
is featured as solving a problem, and your solution is the crucial
supporting character.
A step-by-step guide to writing a hero story that sells
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1. Just
the Facts The first step is to collect the elements of the story you want to tell. Who is the main character (hero) and what happened? Put your storyline together before you begin to write, so you'll have a roadmap that will keep you on track. 2. Nail the Headline As with any other piece of writing you want people to actually read, the headline is critical. You can usually focus on revealing how certain results were obtained as the beneficial promise to the prospective reader. |
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3. Set
the Stage You know how important it is to open strong and hold the reader's attention. Your opening also sets the stage for rest of the story, so try starting in the middle of the action to accomplish both goals at once. 4. Is This the Solution? A possible solution appears, but is it the right one? Will it solve the problem? If your hero tried other solutions before yours, feel free it throw in a red herring in order to increase dramatic effect. |
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5.
Tension Builds
Make sure you build tension even after the hero adopts your solution. Everyone is apprehensive before something actually works and solves the problem, and acknowledging this in your case study ads credibility and enhances the emotional payoff.
6. Climax Relieves
It worked! The hero resolves the problem thanks to the major benefit provided by your solution.
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7. Happy
Ending Don't forget to touch on the ongoing benefits and positive changes that the hero enjoyed going forward. It's okay to leave most of this to the reader's imagination, as long as you close the story by pointing the reader in the right direction. 8. Call to Action If the reader related to your hero, then it's quite possible that reader is imagining herself as the potential hero who solves her own problem with your solution as well. The connotation of the story did the selling, but you must expressly ask for the next action-to call, email, opt-in for more information, etc. |
Choose a relatable hero and tell a compelling story, and you can let the connotation do the selling.
Image
Credits:
1. Ualani
2. Xurble
3. Christopher
Woo
4. Discoe
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