Are you like many people, reluctant to tell your backstory? The investigation found that their reluctance can be attributed to many reasons. For example, you may fear appearing weak, boring, internally focused on the negative parts of your story, or perhaps feel unrelated to the business. Whatever the reason, you are cheating yourself and your clients by not sharing the precious gift that shaped your life and your business or career. Consider Stevie Wonder’s words “Life makes sense only in struggle.” His message was to share his struggle to help others find meaning, purpose, and thrive.
What the experts say
People, including your customers, want to know that their business can improve and that they can live a fuller life. So sharing your backstory, what you’ve learned from your failures, and how you overcome your challenges can be of great value to them, even life-changing. Peter Guber, President and CEO of Mandalay Bay Entertainment believes that storytelling is in our DNA. He says: “There is a treasure to be discovered, and it is within you.”
Sharing your backstory effectively
How do you tell your story effectively? Reflect on your life and the triggering events, people or moments that changed your life and put you on the path to success. You may have been in a dark place, failed at something, or experienced what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. Don’t discount those negative parts. In order to connect with your listener, you need to relate their backstory to all of their associated pain, frustration, obstacles, and fears or sadness. However, a key differentiator in telling a success story is following up on that pain with an account of how you overcame obstacles and how what you learned helped you succeed. Your backstory can give your clients a glimpse of what you are and what you may be in the future. Such stories can propel listeners into action.
stories as a tool
Stories are a great sales tool and your backstory can be helpful and compelling. The stories act as simulators and allow people to experience the process and the mental and emotional outcome. Not only do they allow them to simulate the experience, but research also shows that they activate the same area of the brain as those activated by the actual experience. The more vivid the image you create, the greater the impact on the listener and their desire to act.
Where and how to start
By telling your backstory and moving customers into action, the opening of your story should allow them to relate to you or your main character. If they can’t relate, they won’t care what happens next or how the story ends. Just like the movies we love, great stories have the right imagery and sentiment to reach the emotional side of the listener’s brain. You want to connect with her heart first, and then with her mind. As you tell your story, be sure to include specific, concrete, and relevant details to draw your listener into your story. The amount of detail you include depends on your client’s personality and the situation. In any case, it should contain enough elements to create a compelling vision.
MIT
My other tip today is to make sure you focus on the main point or, as MIT history coach Doug Lipman says, THey METERhost Iimportant THing. Before launching into his story, he must be sure of why he is telling the story and the point he wants to get across.
meaning and purpose
It is the meaning and purpose to which Mark Twain referred when he said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born… and the day you know why.” Sharing your backstory can help your client find their purpose and help you experience yours. Therefore, it is critical to your success to be clear about the goal and point of your story. You may have more than one point you want to highlight in your story, but don’t overshadow the main point with the secondary point(s). It’s easy to go off on tangents, so write down your story and practice telling it to a friend or family member before telling it to a client.
Authenticity = Inspiration
Authentic personal stories inspire customers to take action, so be sure to be honest as it will come through in your voice and body language. Your story can also help your client understand information that he is not familiar with. As a result, your story will help them make a decision. Remember that facts and figures inform, but stories inspire. So inspire your audience with your backstory.
