In my last post, I indicated that the secret to good storytelling lies in making an emotional connection with buyers. But, I am not naive to think that this is an easy thing to do for most of us, regardless of our position in the company. The challenge, as I have learned in life personally and professionally, is that making the connection means earning the other person’s trust. And that my friends means making ourselves vulnerable. And further more we have to take the Nestea plunge first in order to get the other person – our buyer, our boss, our partner, our children – to open up, listen and respond.
Now I know what you are thinking … sounds way too “touchy-feely” to me. And what does what have to do with business, content marketing and telling good stories. Well folks it has everything to do with having another person open up and listen to what we have to say.
The key takeaway for all of us is that we need to have the courage to be vulnerable first to encourage our buyer to be vulnerable too. Mike Bosworth in his new book, “What Great Salespeople Do” ( see my recap post on Mike’s new book), discusses the importance of vulnerability in a story he relates from an early career mentor:
“Bob used to say that there is a ‘veneer of bullshit’ between two strangers, and as we all know, that’s especially true with a seller and buyer. Until you break through that veneer of bullshit, he’d tell me, you have no chance of selling anything.”
To get a better idea of what i am suggesting here, watch this very entertaining and compelling TED-talk story by Dr. Brene Brown.
