7 replies
We're often so tempted to give people advice...

But the real secret to connecting with people (i.e selling) isn't communicating advice - it's communicating that you understand.

People don't care how much you know until they know much you care. And in many cases, that's what stories give you the opportunity to do.

As humans, we want to hear about ourselves - we want to feel understood. If you write about your problems and it's exactly what someone is experiencing or something they can relate to, you're almost guaranteed to have their attention - even if you're not even talking about a solution.

Also, it's very important to note that people perceive someone as more authentic when they reveal their shortcomings and failures. Of course, there's a right way to do that in order to preserve credibility but the fact is that it just flat out works.

US Weekly and OK magazine make a fortune on this principle alone. People love reading about the challenges of successful people.

I once sent something to a Billionaire requesting that he take a look and review it. He finally wrote back and the one piece of advice he gave me was to use more stories to illustrate the points.

Simple, profound and pretty much exactly what I needed to hear.

That's why Trump's books become bestsellers. They're a giant collection of interesting stories - including his failures. It's also a big reason why the Bible is the best selling book of all time.

A great book to read to see this in action is "The Last Lecture". It's a very powerful book because it's filled with detailed stories that all indirectly teach. It's interesting because as soon as the author tries to directly give advice I almost tend to tune out a little. But when he's just recounting an experience I tend to be much more receptive.

The book does have a little bit of "it's spiritual to be broke" nonsense but I know it's written with good intentions and I highly recommend you read it if you want to learn how to write in a way that connects with people.

Amazon.com: The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch,...Amazon.com: The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch,...
It's also a very inspiring book.
#sell #stories
  • Profile picture of the author dorothydot
    Absolutely! Stories are non-threatening to readers; they can identify with the hero, but it is all removed so the judgement-ization process is greatly reduced.

    And everyone loves to read a good story. When it rings with something they themselves feel or experience, then the tale sucks them in all the more. No better way to get someone's attention!

    Then you have their interest and trust quickly because you "understand" what they're going through. So when you come to the happy ending, the readers are all set to believe your solution big-time.

    Stories rock in copywriting and selling!

    Dot
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    "Sell the Magic of A Dream"
    www.DP-Copywriting-Service.com

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  • Profile picture of the author freefor15.com
    yes for some reason people and myself included love to hear about failure and then success because it is almost always the way things work out. So we like to have something to relate to and give us hope
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert_Rand
    Originally Posted by Matt Jutras View Post

    Of relevance is a book called "20 Master Plots And How To Build Them" by Ronald Tobias (available on Amazon...sorry...can't post links yet.)
    Thanks for the recommendation; I just picked it up.

    Here's the link for anyone who may be interested:

    Amazon.com: 20 Master Plots: And How to Build...Amazon.com: 20 Master Plots: And How to Build...
    Nice avatar pic by the way
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  • Great recommendation Matt...definately buying that book!
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  • Profile picture of the author Pat-Graham
    Stories really do sell. I am a ghostwriter and one of my best clients has slowly moved from the usual sales hype you can read everyday in a thousand emails or forum postings. She is prefacing her sales pitch with a story about her childhood and the use of her product by her family and the villagers where she was raised. Her sales have increased considerably and I like writing the stories.
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