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Marketing Strategies: Selling with Storiesby Mark Satterfield Send Feedback to Mark Satterfield marketing strategiesMore Details about marketing strategies here.
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In the early 1990s Fortune magazine decided to do an article on selling. The question they set out to answer was: Why were some people so good at selling while others so blatantly bad? To find out the answer the writers interviewed 24 top sales performers across a broad spectrum of fields. Among those who were interviewed were financial advisors, insurance producers, executive recruiters and a wide variety of consultants and high-value services providers. Here is what they learned. The most successful sales people sell without it ever being apparent that they are in fact, selling. There was nothing obvious or obnoxious about their presentation. No Trial Close, Ben Franklin close or Take Away closes. They sold, but they sold invisibly. Moreover the Fortune article concluded that the more you are marketing and selling high-value services the more important it is to be able to sell invisibly. So what exactly does this mean? How did the top performers go about building trust and credibility? How did they overcome often deep-seated skepticism? How did they persuade others to their point of view? The one thing in common was, they all told stories. Lots of stories. Stories that demonstrated how others had successfully achieved results by using their services. Stories that preemptively addressed objections or concerns. Stories that made it easy for others to refer them to their friends and colleagues. Stories that built credibility and reduced skepticism. So why do you need a marketing story? You need them for your brochures, sales letters and your website. You need them for your face-to-face sales presentations. However, we believe that the most important reason to have a marketing story is It differentiates you from your competition and establishes your brand. Ultimately, the stories you tell about who you are, your uniqueness, the results your clients achieve, are what will establish you as a unique player in your field. Excellent marketing stories don't scream, "I WANT TO IMPRESS YOU." They don't scream, "BUY MY SERVICES NOW." Rather, the gifted marketing storyteller takes the reader or listener on a journey. And if the story is well constructed, at the end of the journey, we are going to be impressed. We are going to be interested. We are going to want to take the next step in the sales process. And that is why the most successful marketers tell stories. So, what is your marketing story?
Mark Satterfield is the founder and CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing LLC. Since 1992 he has advised consultants, financial advisers and owners of small businesses on marketing strategies, and strategies for developing new business relationships. In addition to his consulting work, Mark has written over 250 articles on professional development which have appeared in publications including the Atlanta Constitution, the Los Angeles Times and numerous professional, trade and technical journals. He is also the author of five books, including Power Prospecting: How to Gain Access to Key Decision Makers, How to Negotiate the Raise You Deserve, and Career Etiquette. Find out more at www.gentlerainmarketing.com
Keywords: marketing planning, marketing implementation, marketing planning and implementation, money talks, selling with stories This article has been viewed 269 time(s).
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Train Them to Open Your Emails In order to train people to open your emails, you must develop a relationship with them. I have found that the best way to do this is to offer valuable content in a brief, personal manner. Most people have their finger poised to "delete" while reading email. If they know your message will be helpful and won't take ten minutes to wade through, they're more likely to open it. If your message has a personal flavor, you're enhancing that online relationship and increasing trust.
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