Effective Story Telling

Most of us have heard the old adage that Facts tell, stories sell.

Sometimes when we hear something that sounds a little cliché, it makes it difficult to take seriously.  However...It’s something to take very seriously.  Simple facts are great.  We need the facts to help us make decisions.  But…it is how the facts are presented that make the difference.  A fact is only one part of the story.  A story without facts is really only a fairy tale.  However...a story blended with facts, emotion, conviction and testimonials that are brilliantly presented can be one of the greatest sellers of all. 

What is a story?  Webster’s defines a story as an account of real or fictional events.

In the case of telling stories that lead to effective sponsoring or business development (action in your group), the stories must be REAL.  Learning how to become a powerful story teller can lead you to lots of new distributors…however, only if you learn to tell the TRUTH!  The truth is the most powerful commodity of all when it comes to story telling…real, factual, non-fiction...THAT is the stuff that great stories are made of. 

A story can either be boring or exciting, real or fictional, energizing or draining, and productive or non-productive. 

A story can produce a result if told properly.  Not all stories are designed to produce results.  However, story telling in network marketing is done with a common goal in mind:  to create greater curiosity and interest in our products/services and business opportunity and to persuade those that we are in contact with into joining or buying.

Your objective is to tell an exciting, real, but truthful story that energizes your prospect and leads to a decision in your favor.  

Historical examples:   

Think about how powerful a good read is from an outstanding author.  A book that is so enthralling you can barely put it down.  How about a scary campfire story told with just the right tone and timing, or a box office hit that keeps you laser focused on the screen waiting for more.  Stories told with powerful emotion, inflection and words mingled together can be truly mesmerizing.  For example, my cousin Kip has a way of telling stories about experiences in his life that has the entire family gathered around in a circle, listening and laughing hysterically.  My friend Dan, who is a million dollar a year earner in the network marketing industry has a way of creating incredible interest and activity within his organization because he has mastered the art of effective story telling.  His ability to share his story IS what has led him to fortune in this industry. 

Components of a great story:  The right words, mixed with emotion, proper pace and effective tone, powerful facts, real life examples, and testimonials,

A Story (as used in network marketing) is really nothing more than a well crafted and executed marketing message.  Your purpose for telling a story is to produce a desired result.  Your story must create AIDA...Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

The most important element in the creation of an effective story that produces desired results is the delivery.  It’s ALL in the delivery.  You could have all of the facts, words and other components together, but if you fail in your delivery, your story will fail to produce results.  It’s important to understand that if you plan on mastering the art of effective story telling that you must be firing on all cylinders.  You’ve got to put it all together.  It’s like a great recipe for something where instead of using ALL of the ingredients, you leave one or two out.  What do you get?  A bad taste in your mouth!   

The foundation of the story must always be based on:  truth

There are three major types of stories you will be telling in your network marketing business.  Each has a different purpose and desired end result.

1. Money story:  Very simply, this type of story is to help people understand the reality and power behind network marketing and our perspective opportunities.  It is to help people begin to understand the difference between what it is that they are doing and what network marketing CAN and WILL do from a financial standpoint if they choose to engage in our opportunity. 

2. Product Results story:  This story is designed to attract customers to try our products and/or services.  Let’s call it the "retail story", because the primary objective here is to generate sales of our products/services to end users. 

3. The Big Picture:  This is the most commonly used type of story which is used to do exactly that, paint the big picture of your opportunity to a prospect…providing them with exciting your program

Why learn to tell a story?    If you really want to be effective at producing new business and motivating your group, learning how to craft and tell a story is a critically important element.  Don’t expect to attract lots of super quality people to your frontline if you don’t learn how this skill.  Telling stories allows people to visualize and "picture" in their mind what CAN happen if they join your business. 

How is the skill of story telling acquired?

Education:  In order to really tell the Big Picture story well, educating yourself on the network marketing industry at large should be a relatively high priority for you.  The more educated you are about our industry, competition, trends, and so forth, the more powerful you are when telling your story. 

Practice:  as you begin to put together in your mind or on paper the information you will be telling in your story, practice it out loud, with your spouse, significant other, or business associate.  Record yourself telling your story. 

Implementation:  You can’t get good at something without actually doing it.  So...you’re going to need to get your feet soaking wet…dive in and begin to share your story with people.  The more you tell it, the better you get. 

Knowledge:  Effective story tellers are full of knowledge.  The more you know, the better off you are.  Wouldn’t you agree that its better to know that not to know?  If you are putting information into your story about your company, products, comp plan, management team, trends, growth patterns, success stories, and so forth…make sure you really KNOW what it is you’re talking about.  There’s nothing worse than being called to the carpet about something you shared with someone and really not knowing anything about what you were just sharing! 

What TO do, what NOT to do:

- Always tell the truth

- Gather and put together all of the information you want to share prior to sharing it

- Have fun, enjoy it, and be enthusiastic and animated in your story telling

- If you’re not sure about how to tell or what to tell in your story, ASK!

- Be fully prepared.  Don’t be lazy.  Take the time to learn.

- Don’t ever exaggerate or lie. 

- Don’t make income claims that aren’t real easily validated. 

- Tell your story often!!!!

- Don’t ever stop telling your story

The five elements that affect delivery and receptivity of your story other than emotion are: 

1. Tone (modulation of voice to express emotion)

2. Pace (speed)

3. Volume (loudness)

4. Timing (pausing and continuing at the right times

5. Inflection (pitch)

HOW you deliver your story makes all the difference in the world.  The right combination of words, coupled with proper tone, pace, volume, timing and inflection will make or break it for you.

Always be telling your story!