By Randall White
Business Edge News Magazine
Storytelling has been the foundation of understanding the world around us since the earliest days of mankind. Storytelling has been used to educate, entertain and shift human emotion throughout history and is still an integral part of our societies today, whether the format is verbal around the fire, hard copy or the latest in digital and social media.
Purchasing decisions are based on many things, but among the least important are the obvious “features and benefits” of products, especially regarding lifestyle products. When you see someone driving a convertible in Edmonton, you know that this decision was not based on practicality but on satisfying important emotional drivers (pun intended).
Watching an advertisement for a high-end convertible, it is obvious that they are working emotional needs. Viewing the overall marketing of the companies illuminates the relationships they build with the customer, and fulfilment of their needs extends that relationship.
The resort real estate industry has a preponderance of buyers from the legal, medical and business worlds – the so called “hard facts” buyers – yet based on hard numbers, these are not considered “good investments”. Once again, it is the emotional drivers that shift consumers from interested to sold!
Does your marketing have magic? Are you building relationships that significantly improve your clients’ perceived satisfaction of life? Or are you selling features and benefits?
Do you have a story that engages clients on a short, medium and long-term basis? Are you selling houses or dream homes? Cars or dream machines? Suits or status?
Developing your story and that of your product and then utilizing the magic of storytelling to engage, excite, educate and finalize a sale while building a relationship that elicits gratitude from your clients will lead to deep and enduring success for your business. Simply creating advertising that shouts out features and benefits and “Buy Now!” may lead to some sales, but that approach leaves you well short of what could be achieved.
Evocative language used effectively in storytelling creates a relationship that is the foundation of your business’s success.
Storytelling, creatively and articulately told, is the magic that moves your suspects to prospects to clients, and moves you to a brighter bottom line.
That is the tale to the sale!
Randall White, founder and CEO of Wise Guys Sales & Marketing Strategies, has achieved record-setting success in project sales, resort development and senior executive level work in various industries. He can be reached at mobile (236) 868-6868.