8 Storytelling Plots of Customer

The mind of the customer is known to be creating stories in their own mind about the products and services that they delve to buy. Once your product enters their consideration set, a lot of storytelling happens in the potential customers mind.

What kind of story telling does the customer do to himself?

Let us look at some of the plots of stories that customer starts telling himself.

Bad Salesman

1. This salesperson will methodically loot me.
2. This salesperson is trying to sweetly outsmart me.
3. This salesperson looks similar to the one who fooled my cousin brother once.

Stupid Customer

1. Everyone will laugh at the customer for being fooled into paying a high price.
2. A friend proves that he is a smarter purchaser.
3. A friend was able to purchase the same product at a better price (better deal)

Product fails to perform

1. The product could not perform.
2. The seller could prove that the product failed due to customers mistakes.

I am sure that once you think deeper into this topic, you will be able to come up with many more such plots that customers come up with and start storytelling in his own mind.

What should the salesperson do to handle the customer’s stories?

Probing Skills

1. Answer the questions of customers with a relevant question.
2. Practice the 5 levels of “Why?” to relate the cause and effect.
3. Use the Fishbone diagram process to reach the cause behind what the customer is saying
4. Become hungry to know the 5W1H scenario of every discussion with the customer.
5. Learn to arrive at the truth. Do not be in a rush to tell the truth.

Decode the Story

1. Understand the plot of customer’s story.
2. Reiterate your understand to the customer with empathy.
3. Create your character in the customer’s story.
4. Play the good man character in the customer’s story.
5. Attack the “Cause”. Do not waste time in dealing with the “Effect”.

Now that all of us are aware that a customer will create story to himself it is important for all salespersons to learn how to decode customer’s story and weave the deliverable into a complementary story that he will tell to the customer. Remember customer’s think about a story and salespersons tell a story which complements the customer’s thought process of an apparent story.