Watching the American Pickers recently, I was struck that the value of an item increased when the story behind the item was known. The guys were willing to pay more when they had a story that they could pass along to the next owner. They frequently said, “This item has a great story. I’ll pay more because of it.”
Since all humans like stories, that makes sense. We retain information better when we receive it in a story form. We feel a personal connection with the story teller, too. Stories offer commonalities. They are powerful.
That’s why great speakers use stories. Great preachers do, too. The best salespeople are excellent storytellers. Do you give your customers information in a story form?
You can do this several ways. You can use stories about how other customers use a product or service. These stories can be directly from a customer via testimonials that you make available on YouTube, your Web site, another video site, or all of these. You can tell who invented the product and for what purpose. You can share what prompted your company to offer a service. You can help others relate and picture themselves using the product or service.
The stories must impart content relevant to the customer. They must tell the customer what’s in it for me to buy this product or service. An irrelevant story such as telling about how a business got started and how many years it has been in business usually is not important to the customer. The focus of the story must give the customer information that the customer will find helpful in making a decision or using the product or service.
One of my clients owns an appliance store and weekly has a live commercial on the radio. She has found the best success telling stories during this commercial. The story about how a washer was used to clean cucumbers prior to their pickling brought a great deal of feedback. One lady even drove past several other appliance stores that were closer to where she lived to shop at my client’s appliance store partly because of that story.
Here is the story I share about naming my publishing company Monarch Tree Publishing. Have you ever heard of a Monarch Tree? I ask potential customers. Usually they say, “No.” I then explain this is a tree that at some time was covered with monarch butterflies. I have such a tree on my property. One beautiful fall day a medium-sized oak was full of monarch butterflies. Their bright orange color was quite a contrast to the still green oak leaves. I later discovered that Native Americans hold such a tree sacred. The unusualness of this event and the distinctiveness held by the Native Americans prompted me to name the publishing company Monarch Tree.
What does that have to do with my customers? Most readers are interested in learning something new. This story gives them information about the existence of a monarch tree and the Native American view of it. The story assigns meaning to the name Monarch Tree Publishing and makes it memorable.
Remember to employ stories in communicating with your customers. You will find better retention of the information you give them.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What story have you heard or used in communicating with customers? E-mail me your answer.
Elizabeth K. Fischer
E-sessions help you make your marketing profitable
Since all humans like stories, that makes sense. We retain information better when we receive it in a story form. We feel a personal connection with the story teller, too. Stories offer commonalities. They are powerful.
That’s why great speakers use stories. Great preachers do, too. The best salespeople are excellent storytellers. Do you give your customers information in a story form?
You can do this several ways. You can use stories about how other customers use a product or service. These stories can be directly from a customer via testimonials that you make available on YouTube, your Web site, another video site, or all of these. You can tell who invented the product and for what purpose. You can share what prompted your company to offer a service. You can help others relate and picture themselves using the product or service.
The stories must impart content relevant to the customer. They must tell the customer what’s in it for me to buy this product or service. An irrelevant story such as telling about how a business got started and how many years it has been in business usually is not important to the customer. The focus of the story must give the customer information that the customer will find helpful in making a decision or using the product or service.
One of my clients owns an appliance store and weekly has a live commercial on the radio. She has found the best success telling stories during this commercial. The story about how a washer was used to clean cucumbers prior to their pickling brought a great deal of feedback. One lady even drove past several other appliance stores that were closer to where she lived to shop at my client’s appliance store partly because of that story.
Here is the story I share about naming my publishing company Monarch Tree Publishing. Have you ever heard of a Monarch Tree? I ask potential customers. Usually they say, “No.” I then explain this is a tree that at some time was covered with monarch butterflies. I have such a tree on my property. One beautiful fall day a medium-sized oak was full of monarch butterflies. Their bright orange color was quite a contrast to the still green oak leaves. I later discovered that Native Americans hold such a tree sacred. The unusualness of this event and the distinctiveness held by the Native Americans prompted me to name the publishing company Monarch Tree.
What does that have to do with my customers? Most readers are interested in learning something new. This story gives them information about the existence of a monarch tree and the Native American view of it. The story assigns meaning to the name Monarch Tree Publishing and makes it memorable.
Remember to employ stories in communicating with your customers. You will find better retention of the information you give them.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What story have you heard or used in communicating with customers? E-mail me your answer.
Elizabeth K. Fischer
E-sessions help you make your marketing profitable
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