5 Dead-Simple Steps To Tell A Great Story That Makes Your Customers Take Action

A great story is worth a thousand talks.

But the problem is most people don’t know how to tell one.
They don’t inspire or make others feel involved in the storyline.

And this is what we’re exploring today.

But before we dive in, see how accurate the following affirmation is.

The creator of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Abraham Maslow, once said:
“The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.”

Indeed.

One of the fundamentals of success is to believe in your own skills and abilities first.

If you don’t, why would you expect your customers to do so, right?
And here comes the art of storytelling.

Telling a great story is by definition about inspiring others to reflect and take action.

So, let’s see how you can build a story your customers will remember for many years to come.

And it only takes 5 easy steps you can apply immediately:

1/ Set the scene

Start with the current status. Describe how things work today.

Don’t talk about theories or unrealistic scenarios.

Give real-life examples instead.

Let your customers identify with what you describe and see themselves in action.✌️

2/ Identify the pain

Customers don’t care about your company unless you can do something for them.

So, talk about the issues they must overcome in practice.

Bring in some emotions and show them how these problems affect them on a personal level.

Lead your narrative by asking yourself the following questions:

• So what?
• What’s in it for them?

And this is critical.

If you don’t make them feel the pain, they won’t believe in your ability to solve their problems later in the process.🤝

3/ Put salt on the wound

Now that you described the pain, insist on the challenge and amplify its consequences.

Tell them things will get worse if they don’t take action.

Paint the picture of the worst-case scenario that your customers need to avoid at all costs.

Why?

Because we all want to stay away from danger, kill the pain first to feel better, and enjoy our lives.

So, the more you describe the pain, the easier it will be for you to introduce your solution.🤓

4/ Introduce the solution and its benefits

And here comes the painkiller.

Describe the benefits first before asking for your customers’ buy-in.

You told them how painful their issues were.

Now tell them how easy it is to solve them.

Paint the picture of how it was before, and how it can be now if they take action today.

Never ever talk about the product features, but only what’s in it for them and how it can help transform their lives.💡

So, this brings us to the final step.

5/ What’s in it for them?

Make a bold and direct call to action.
Now that you answered the reasons for change, guide them through the next steps of action to take.
It should be an easy one.
Something they can do right now for a quick win without planning for months.
And voilà!
As a general rule, always position your customer as the hero of your story.
Remember: you are the guide helping them get where they want to be.
If you follow these steps, you’ll win their attention, trust, and confidence. I guarantee it!🎯

About you

This week, I’ve had the pleasure to interview Delia Visan.

She’s been a consistent reader of my newsletter every week for 7 months and I can’t thank her enough for her support.

So here we go. The stage is yours, Delia!

Where are you from?

I am Romanian, currently living in Bucharest, Romania.

Your career path 

I have 14 years of experience in customer-facing roles. 

My career started in 2008 with a part-time job.

It allowed me to pursue my classes at the Foreign Languages Faculty in Bucharest.

Besides my native language, I speak four foreign languages.

Then I had different roles in several industries. I worked for large corporations such as Microsoft and Oracle. Also at start-ups such as Glovo and most recently, Bright Spaces today.

How did you join Customer Success?  

It was the expected trajectory of my career.

After all these customer-facing roles, I felt that Customer Success was the next step. And I was right about it.

I joined the Oracle Customer Success team in 2021.

I love Customer Success! Because the main idea is that your customer’s success is your own success.

Moreover, it’s fulfilling.

I enjoy seeing my customers succeed, which is the greatest satisfaction.

And I am all into walking the extra mile to support and partner with my customers on their journey. 

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

My biggest wish is to continue on this Customer Success journey.

I enjoy sharing knowledge and best practices from my own experiences. 

And I am willing to help develop this incredible community of specialists.

What are the things you are most passionate about? 

I love reading Psychology books.

Besides Customer Success and Career Development, I am passionate about Communication.

What are your top 3 priorities at the moment? 

My health, self-care, and personal/professional development.

I am an Executive MBA student at the moment.

Why did you join my newsletter? was it helpful? what was the impact on you? 

I joined your newsletter because of all the valuable and exciting content you share.

Best practices that can help any CS specialist on their journey.

You also share information to help develop CS-related skills and more.

It’s inspiring.

And thank you for that!

What are some unknown facts about you?
I am a writer. Both poetry and novels.
And I love singing. I am currently taking canto lessons.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to always trust and stay true to herself.
And to keep going because she rocks!

How can we contact you?
Please feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin

And my website ww.deliavisan.com

Thank you so much, Delia, for this great interview!

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