One thing I learned about working in selling tickets very early on is that it doesn’t matter what the exact location is most of the time, as long as you know how to tell a story to the person on the other end of the line.
You can get someone that calls you and says, “I need to sit right behind homeplate for the Yankees’ game on Saturday.”
What happens if you don’t have those seats? You can’t sell him something you don’t have, right?
That’s where being a storyteller comes in.
Instead of just telling the guy, “Hey man, I don’t know anything directly behind homeplate”, ending the call, losing the sale and maybe never getting a chance to do business with that person again…you have to ask questions, which are going to give you the material to tell a story.
Questions like this:
“Are you a big Yankees’ fan?”
“Is Saturday a special occasion?”
“Who are you going to the game with?”
From the answers, you are going to get the material to tell your story.
Hypothetically, the guy isn’t a big Yankees’ fan, but he is taking his 3 year old son to his first ball game. And, because it is his first ball game, he wants him to be right behind home plate, because that is obviously the best….isn’t it.
Armed with this, you can now tell an entirely different story….one that allows this client to buy from you and probably building a relationship that will stand up over time.
How’s this?
“That’s pretty awesome. I bet your son is going to be excited? Now, from my experience, home plate won’t be the best for a kid going to his very first game. He is going to want a better angle to see the players coming on and off the field, maybe have a chance to think he can get a foul ball, or even have one of the players toss a ball into the stands. I do have some seats that are right next to the Yankees’ dugout…I think that your son might like them a lot better.”
If you are a client, what just happened? I told you a story. I got an idea of what you are looking for, what your needs are and I took my specialized knowledge and crafted that into a story that made you see the opportunity that I was giving you. Now you called about home plate, but got the Yankees’ dugout and a vision of your kid having a chance to get a foul ball.
I’ve obviously simplified this for you, but think about this for a second.
What stories are we telling or seeing everyday? As I sit in Starbucks on the UWS of Manhattan, I see any number of stories. I am in Starbucks, so I have obviously bought their story of the ‘3rd Place.’ I’m going to Picholine for lunch, so Kathryn and I have obviously bought a few stories: that Restaurant Week is a good reason to get out and go to lunch on a Friday afternoon; that Picholine is a romantic and great place to go for Friday afternoon lunch; and the story that French equals romance.
Now take this into your own world…
Professionally, what kind of story are you trying to tell? Are you the most competent? The most up to date on newest trends? The most creative? The best presenter? Or what?
Personally, what story are you trying to tell yourself and your family? Are you a loving person? Ready to settle down? Taking the reigns of your health?
Think about this. Then, over the next few days, try and build a story that can narrate what you are attempting to do with yourself and your life.
Because we are all storytellers, so we should be telling a story that reflects what we want our story to be.