People love stories. More importantly, people love to hear stories of triumph and perseverance. And furthermore, people love to hear stories that they resonate with that give them hope that their struggles will soon end. As an entrepreneur, you no doubt have a story, a powerful story to tell. I am often asked by entrepreneurs two questions when it relates to telling their story:
- How much do I have to share?
- How do I share it in a way that will lead to more paying clients for my business?
Both are excellent questions and both are important to the overall trajectory of your business revenue. You see, people like to buy from those they know, like, trust and believe can solve their problem. One sure-fire way to get people to know, like, trust and believe in your ability to help them, is to tell them your story.
I always share this caveat here. You only need to tell the part of the story that is congruent to the end result they want to experience. Period. If there is a part of your history that has nothing to do with why you can help them solve their problem, you don’t need to tell it.
Go ahead, take a deep breath. I know I just liberated many of you.
The thing is this; you want for people to understand that you know what they’re going through right now because you’ve been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt. When they feel like you “get it,” you will get “it”, and “it” in the last case is their business.
People like to know that everyday people just like them figured out the magic little secret that will lead to the biggest breakthrough they’ve ever experienced in their life. And how, do you ask, do you help them to see you as that person?
I’d like to introduce you to something I like to call the “Why Story.” I didn’t originate this concept, I must admit, I first learned of it when I was in Mary Kay Cosmetics. In Mary Kay, your “I” story was designed to help others understand why you started your Mary Kay business.
While I am no longer in Mary Kay, I loved the concept so much that I made some important tweaks and now apply it to my marketing message for my business and what I show my clients how to create so they can enjoy the same result. At the end of the day, your goal is to get “me, toos” from your prospective clients. You want them to identify with you so strongly that they say, “oh my goodness, me too!” And more importantly they say, ‘If she is just like me and she used to struggle with what I struggle with now and she got out of it, then I know she can help me get out of it, too.”
And that, Incredible One, is the golden ticket.
So, while this story still answers the question about why you decided to start the business you now run, it more importantly helps to ensure that you generate the “me, toos” from the audience. Your “Why Story” in my newly created form includes three (3) components:
- Your Robert Frost Moment
- Your Sam Cooke Moment
- Your Harriet Tubman Moment
Your Robert Frost Moment – In his poem, The Road Less Travelled, Robert Frost discusses a crossroad of sorts. Many of us, including you, have found ourselves at a similar crossroad. Usually it is the choice we make at this crossroad that becomes a defining moment for our lives and businesses. What is that moment for you? How did you recognize it? How did you decide which way to go? What happened that made you take the first step toward change? And how was that moment pertinent to those you are sharing it with today?
Your Sam Cooke Moment – Sam Cooke is the singer of a beloved classic, a Change Gone Come. It’s about recognizing the moment that you connected to the changes you’ve made in such a way that they inspire you to take consistent action in a new direction of that less travelled road. What was it that created the need to change and follow the steps it would take to complete the cycle of change? How can you relate the work that you now do to that all important change? What were the steps you followed that produced the results you’re enjoying today? And, how will they help others?
Your Harriet Tubman Moment – Upon getting to the other side [solving your own problem], why did you decide to go back to help others? All of us, once we get a taste of “freedom” desire to help others experience it as well. While you may need need a pistol to force people to flee their bondage and join you to experience freedom like Harriet Tubman did, your desire is the same as hers. To fee as many people (your ideal clients) as possible. When did that moment happen for you in the timeline of your business? How did you know it was time to tell others? Did you formulate the steps you took into any proprietary system? Did you test your theory and get some success stories?
When you create your “Why Story” to include these three elements, you will produce an authentic and compelling reason why you are the expert you claim to be and that, when paired with an incredible follow up strategy ,will add more ideal prospects to your sales funnel and ultimately to your business.
Happy Story Telling!!!
©2012 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Speaker, Business Coach and Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for helping entrepreneurs create a 6 figure business in record time. For more information and a FREE audio download “How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients” visit https://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com
