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When delivering a sales presentation, the key ingredient has always been to include a case study to cement the message that you have done this before. Managers, trainers and coaches all subscribe to the “tell a case study to anchor your credibility” practice.
The challenge with delivering case studies is that they are often you-focused and not client-focused, and more importantly, they are limited in their ability to influence the listener.
When delivering a sales presentation, it is a battle to influence the mind of the listener.
A case study or example delivers the bare facts to show a level of competence, to show that you have had success with clients in the past and you share those successes with an outline of the facts that occurred and the outcome that was achieved.
These case studies are very important; however, they are limiting the impact based on the methodology of delivery. Case studies do not impact with the listener emotionally and can easily be misconstrued as untrue.
So, what can you do that influences the listener to say yes and to choose you, and why should you stop using case studies?
The answers are in neuroscience. Case studies only engage a small part of the brain, and they rely on the listener being influenced by facts and figures, a logical decision-making process.
But when you replace case studies with stories, you become memorable and have real influence over the listener.
There is a massive difference between case studies and stories, and more importantly, the impact they have on the listener. Case studies rely on the frontal lobe of the brain to decipher the information. When you tell a story that involves people that we care about and tell them in a manner that evokes emotion, you impact on a greater area of the brain that engages its sensory part and the one where it reacts emotionally.
When stories are told in a compelling way, “neural coupling” occurs. This is when the same parts of the brain light up in both the teller and the listener. The other reaction is that the body releases oxytocin, the hormone of connection.
The three key elements to a compelling story are:
- Describing the characters in your story and using names.
- Describing the problem that they encountered using emotional words.
- Relive the story, don’t retell the story – this allows for greater visualisation.
Now that you know the science behind stories and the importance of telling stories and not sharing case studies, when and what stories should you be telling in every presentation?
There are two client stories that should be shared on every listing presentation:
- A client story that is relevant to the clients in front of you – similar situation (recent)
- Your “why” story – an emotional story that has the greatest impact on your clients and you (at any stage of your career)
A client story is the one you tell earlier in the presentation that cements your credibility and can be a great way to overcome an objection to price, marketing etc. Describe a past client situation and the characters in detail using dialogue. For example: “And Bill turned to Mary and said, we think our home is worth more than that.” This is your case study told in a story format.
In your why story – “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”, according to Simon Sinek. Potential clients have one key question in their head: Why should I choose you? Sharing a powerful why-you-do-real-estate story based on an incredible outcome and reaction from a past client, and how you realised why you love doing what you do, is a great way to close out the presentation and win over the hearts and the minds of the potential client.
All humans are hardwired for story, and when you master the art and science of telling compelling stories, you will win more business.
Warren Tate is Harcourts Victoria's performance coach.
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