Storytelling is a good way to make yourself more memorable. It is a very effective way to sell professional services. I heard a very informative presentation about that this morning at the Cambridge home group of ProVisors (my great business networking group.)
Michael Ashley gave us some very practical tips on how to be more effective at telling stories that resonate. According to Michael (who is a former Disney screenwriter, professional speaker, and best selling author), good storytelling involves pain.
Michael gave us the acronym C.B.O. (Create the hook, Bring the pain, and Offer the reversal). He then showed us how popular Hollywood movies use this technique to get us hooked.
So if you want prospective clients and referral sources to think of you when they have a need , come up with some case studies that demonstrate how you helped your clients get past pain.
You have 8 seconds to grab someone’s attention. Come up with an intriguing first line, ask a question, or make a surprising claim (more great tips from Michael Ashley).
This can be hard for lawyers who are accustomed to delivering the technical details when describing their work. But selling requires an appeal to emotions. Dry technical lingo does not accomplish that.
P.S. This image came from the website of a theater company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which seems to have a great story! Servant Stage began unofficially in 2011 as a group of friends donated their time and talents to rehearse and perform concerts for local retirement communities.
