When talking with clients and prospects, too often distributors are selling rather than storytelling. The distinction: When selling, the product is the hero; when storytelling, the angle switches and the client becomes the hero. That was the salient point of “Storytelling: Share Your Story, Convince Clients, Convert Leads,” a professional education session at the ASI Show Orlando presented by Bobby Lehew.

Bobby Lehew, commonsku

The right story can move buyers and lead to additional sales. Lehew, who is chief content officer at commonsku, cites examples from heavy hitters like Apple (hasn’t changed its marketing message since its inception), Disney Pixar, UPS and more. And, while it can be difficult to master, virtually any distributor can become proficient at telling powerful stories.

As Lehew put it, all stories have the same components. Indeed, what worked for Star Wars can work for your brand, too. Throughout the presentation, Lehew peppered his “7 Enchanting Secrets” of storytelling: 

1. Connect product and authentic experiences. The hero of the story should be the client, not the product. “When we tell our story from the client’s perspective, where they’re the hero and not the product, they get it,” Lehew says.
2. To do this, we change the perspective. It becomes easier to engage with clients old and new.
3. To find the story we solve the problem. And frankly that’s what promo products do. Find the story and the problem will unveil itself.
4. Solving the problem leads to discovering the transformation.
5. You can then piece together the story by building the momentum with motion and meaning.
6. The flame is emotion; without it, it’s a boring case history. Connecting to the emotional aspect of the story helps draw people in. Storytelling is a bridge; it helps people get from one point to another. “We typically make decisions based on emotion not rational thoughts,” Lehew says.
7. Stories are everywhere, stories are everyone’s responsibility. Storytelling can be a challenge. But like anything, regular practice can make you adept. “Sometimes inspiration thunders and comes to pros in no time,” Lehew says.