.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
It’s likely you will be with family over the holidays.

Great times. Reunions. Happiness. Tears of sadness and joy. Great food. Gifts. People you love. People you kind of love.

Most people (not you, of course) celebrate by adding to their waistline during these times. But I’m going to share a strategy that will fatten your wallet.

Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, families will gather and talk about old times. Growing up, vacations, past holidays. They all start out, “Remember the time that …” and they go on to tell a funny or poignant story. THESE STORIES ARE GOLD.

In your presentations and informal meetings, telling and exchanging stories are at the core of rapport, relationship building and creating a buying atmosphere.

These golden lessons and stories are all around you, and many of them fit your selling situations and relationship-building process. Real stories make you more human, more approachable, more relatable and even (if the story is right) more trustworthy.

Now that I have whetted your holiday appetite, let me give you the strategies and details of story collecting.

First get the stories rolling:

• Start by asking everyone to tell their most memorable story.

• Then ask about best times or best lessons learned. Request that people jog their memories for stories where they learned lessons from mistakes, embarrassing moments, funny responses and successes.

Listen with the intent to understand (this means don’t interrupt):

• Listen for incidents where a lesson was learned.

• Listen for funny events or responses that are yours to retell at the appropriate time.

• At the end of the story, ask questions or request the person to elaborate or fill in missing details.

• Look for the reaction of others. It’s a hint as to how your customers may be affected.

• Take notes. Don’t let the lessons, the lines, the humor or any of the stories get lost in the heat of the moment.

As the stories are told, listen for the lessons behind the endings:

• Lessons from parents, teachers, siblings.

• Lessons you learned as a child. Playing with others, school, winning, losing, getting hurt.

Often the lessons are the result of something extreme:

• The time you got into major trouble.

• The game-winning score.

• The fire, the illness, the loss of a friend.

Once you have the story, get it to fit into your presentation:

• To overcome an objection (“The same thing happened to my mother”).

• To create common ground (“The same thing happened to me”).

• To justify price (“My uncle told me a story about his dealings with …”).

When retelling the story, keep it short and sweet:

• One to two minutes if you’re telling it to a customer one-on-one.

• Two to three minutes if you’re telling it to a group.

• Tell it at the right moment – you’ll know – don’t force it.

• Put passion into it.

• Have your lesson or point at the end, not at the beginning.

The secret to storytelling is your enthusiasm. Whether you’re talking to one or 101, each person must feel that you’re telling it for the first time. The passion of your conveyance will lead to the emotion of their purchase.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2008 Jeffrey H. Gitomer