True story:
Back in June, 2014, I did my first real public speaking thing. It was in front of 1,000 or so people from the MLM niche. And, they gave me around 50 minutes. But, because I thought giving hard content was what people wanted in a talk (hint: they don’t, cries for “VALUE!” notwithstanding) I remember asking the guys organizing it:
“Do you guys want me to cut my story out and maybe do more of the teaching?”
Their answer:
(Paraphrased, obviously)
“No! Don’t do that. Tell your whole story. That’s what’s going to get people bonded to you. That’s what’s going to get people to realize you’re a real person and you’re not just up there lecturing them.”
The point?
It’s all just communication.
Whether you’re talking about talking in front of a lot of people… writing an email to a list… creating a video… doing a podcast… selling on a webinar… or selling something face to face (or on the phone) — stories do the bulk of the persuasion.
Why?
For one, they’re natural entertainment.
And, two, they build vision.
And three, because I said so.
(Do you really need any other reason than that?)
The problem is, a lot of storytelling guru types complicate it to the point where people get paralyzed by the process — when it’s something our brains naturally do (and naturally like receiving as info) as kids.
When you were a kid at school did you need a 50-point storytelling checklist?
Did you need to know the 7 kinds of plots (or however many there are)?
Did you need to have the hero’s journey (whatever it’s called) explained to you?
Did you need to attend a $900 seminar on storytelling?
Were you tongue-tied when telling stories to your little friends?
Of course not.
‘nuff said.
If you still insist on needing help with using stories to sell, check out the bonus included with the July “Email Players” issue which goes to the printer soon. There are quite a few nuggets (and a big fat example to model) of how to tell stories that give people almost no choice but to keep reading.
Very simple.
Very non-complex.
And, yes, very profitable…
Here’s where to subscribe:
Ben Settle
