by Ann Evanston | May 8, 2014 | Speaking Strategy
Storytelling when you speak, makes perfect sense doesn’t it! Anyone can tell a story. And many people can tell fun, inspiring, memorable stories. Telling a story that does those things AND helps your ideal client become a buyer of your service is a whole new level of storytelling to learn.
I find that many of my clients struggle with this. They have been told how inspiring they are. They have been told how great their stories are. They have been told how funny they are when they speak. And those people are just not buying their offer. That’s because storytelling when you speak to sell is a skill set to learn.
As a matter of fact, I struggled with this strategy in storytelling. But I will tell that story in my blog next week! See telling a story that attracts the buyer, one that allows the ideal client to think: “wow, I need this.” is different. Storytelling when you speak that attracts the buyers to actually give you the money for your program or service is a different kind of storytelling.
This storytelling requires that you strategically think about THE POINT of the story. Many adult learners in an audience are skeptical to begin with. And if you are there as the speaker to teach them something and then you tell a story, they are thinking: “what’s the point?” “Why is she telling me this?”
To make your stories truly powerful tie them to a point that makes sense to the audience. And if you really want to be masterful at telling stories that attract buyers you make the point related to what you sell.
Okay, wait a minute, did that just get a little harder?! This is what I teach my clients to do. Of course t requires that they have organized their knowledge in a way that stories can be tied to a teaching point (knowledge) verses a sales pitch. When ties to a sales pitch, you missed the point!
So consider:
What stories do I want to tell when I’m on stage?
How do those stories wrap up with an important point for my ideal client?
Can I tell one story that I weave throughout my entire presentation that educates the audience, makes the story relatable, and helps potential buyers see value in what I offer?
Can I tell stories that the point directly connects back to a step in my brand resource (I teach what that is in step 2 of COMPEL. Speak. Sell)?
Storytelling when you speak takes some planning. Focus your efforts not just on “great stories”. Ask yourself, why you are telling it and why it matters to the audience…then magic happens!
by Ann Evanston | May 7, 2014 | Mental Mind Shifts
I remember learning how to ride my bike. I was in love with my bike when I got it. Lime green, it had a basket on the front with beautiful flowers and colored tassels that flew off the handle bars. I so wanted to learn how to ride.
Of course like most children I started with training wheels on the bike and I could ride. But it wasn’t the same, I wanted to go faster I wanted my ponytail to fly in the wind! So I knew it was time to take those training wheels off.
Suddenly I couldn’t ride my bike anymore. Every time I got on it I lost balance and fell down. I had skinned elbows and knees and it was a mess. So then I had to have my dad’s help. Which meant waiting for him to get home from work so that he could hold the back of the banana seat and help me stay on the bike because being successful mattered in our house. He would push me I would peddle… it would feel great, and then he let go.
And I’d fall off the bike.
This went on for days, seemingly for weeks. I was in tears every day. My dad was frustrated because I was in tears every day. He told me we might have to give it a break. But I did not give up. I was determined to learn to ride that bike.
With all of my frustration I felt a sense of giving up though and one day I thought: “I need to go and give it everything I can and learn how to do this.” I went out there without my dad one afternoon and got on that bike, and fell off that bike. And got back on that bike, and fell off that bike.
And then I got on that bike and I peddled and I rode up the street, and down the street. And up the street, and down the street. And I cried tears of joy. I didn’t want to get off. I was so afraid that if I stopped, the next time I got on I would not be a little ride it again!
It’s funny, because life can be like this. There are so many times when we NEED to push through, and not give up. When we need to keep peddling through tears of sadness or even joy. Right now I am going through times when I could give up…but I am getting on that bike…I will ride to success again. This story reminds me that being successful is hard work.
Do you have a story like this in your life? How does it encourage you in being successful?
by Ann Evanston | May 5, 2014 | Influence Factor
Your Monday Mindset for Success is all about baundaries. A critical step to business success, and staying sane is setting healthy boundaries.
Where do you need to set boundaries in your business?
If you enjoyed this video blog, can you do me a HUGE favor? Will you please share it on Facebook or twitter? That is how we spread the entrepreneur love! Thank you!
by Ann Evanston | May 1, 2014 | Speaking Strategy
The first step in COMPEL. Speak. Sell. is to build a brand story. It probably doesn’t surprise you that when speaking from the stage, storytelling would be important. As a matter of fact some of you might skip reading this blog because you think you’ve got it down. Being funny, or inspiring isn’t enough if you really want to grow your sales funnel and have more amazing clients. There are important components to storytelling. This blog will cover 3 types of marketing stories to consider.
Of course we want to tell a compelling brand story because:
- They inspire
- They ignite
- They align
- They create vulnerability
- And ultimately buyers are attracted to a story.
There are there are marketing critical components of masterful selling from the stage that must be present in your storytelling for it to work. As a matter of fact, if you have been told that you’re extremely inspiring and motivating yet don’t seem to be closing as much as you desire, this may be the common problem.
When you are building a brand story I want you to understand a key marketing concept which is to create vulnerability. Vulnerability is critical because we do business with people we know, like, and trust. That means when crafting a story for when you speak you want it to achieve the marketing goals Stories can help the audience:
1-about our lives so they know us,
2-learn things about our passions so they like us,
3-understand things that show how truly relate-able we (“been through it”) are to our ideal client, so they trust you.
All 3 types of stories are important in order to build vulnerability when you present.
You will need all 3 types of marketing stories; about yourself, your life and your passions, and relate-able stories in order to just inspirational and have sales. Begin by looking at yourself and how you can tell stories that will really matter long term. Then connect the audience with you and your passions.
Next week I will share the ONE component often missing from stories when you want to speak to sell.
Which of the 3 types of marketing stories do you find easiest to tell? Hardest?
by Ann Evanston | Apr 30, 2014 | Mental Mind Shifts
Needless to say, I am a bit of a mastermind junkie! I have realized that my true power is in bringing a collective mindset together to create growth and creativity. One of the masterminds I run is actually here at my home. It’s called Women, Wine, and Wisdom. It’s a monthly networking mixer, with a great class of wine! And part of the evening I pose a question in the spirit of mastermind. Each woman answers openly, and honestly, and we all learn together.
My recent mastermind question really showed the power of the spirit of harmony in a collective mindset. The question was: “what has been taxing on you spiritually or emotionally that you need to let go of?” Many of the answers were related to running our businesses as entrepreneurs; several answers were about personal relationships, some about how our lives have changed as we’ve aged, others about our own self-worth and value. The sharing alone was powerful.
Interestingly, before this event was I was working with my COMPEL. Speak. Sell. MasterMind clients. I was teaching Step Four in the system: Brand Sales. We were talking about the importance of being connected yet still detached from the outcome in the sales process.
As Women, Wine and Women unfolded that night, I realized that the same mindset was important and all of the answers I was hearing. So I shared with the group the concept of “connected yet still detached”.
Honestly it was quite mind blowing for all of us how that theme kept coming up as different women shared! We were all learning that there are places where we are overly connected and that is stopping us from getting to the next place that we want to be.
“Connected yet still detached” is that something you might need to do with something that’s taxing on you spiritually or emotionally?
Storytelling when you speak, makes perfect sense doesn’t it! Anyone can tell a story. And many people can tell fun, inspiring, memorable stories. Telling a story that does those things AND helps your ideal client become a buyer of your service is a whole new level of storytelling to learn.
