What Makes a Great Word of Mouth Story
Thursday, 04 February 2010 20:20
You want more referrals.
You want more people to talk about you in a positive way. You want great 'word of mouth'. You need GREAT STORIES!
They say 'facts tell and stories sell'. If you want to be the topic of conversation when potential introducers and prospects come together in your absence, you need to tell great stories.
All of my work is dedicated towards helping people in business become the number one choice for what they do. A big part of that is your story!
If you want more referrals and more lucrative networking, you need to create a reputation around compelling, memorable stories.
Here are the seven critical components of a great word of mouth story for networkers:
- Make them memorable. Whether you make them funny or unusual, they need to have something about them that people will remember.
- Make them real. Made up stories are great for fairy tales. For great word of mouth and more referrals, you need real people with real situations. It adds credibility and believability to your stories.
- Make them relevant. Tell the right stories to the right people. If your audience is wrong, your wonderful story will fall in deaf ears.
- Make them 'pass-on-able'. If people are not inspired or equipped to repeat your stories, you've got little chance of creating word of mouth. Don't overcomplicate them.
- Make them short. No need for a saga! They should be punchy, snappy and brief.
- Make them do something. Good stories should make people think or act.
- Make them work for you. They should feature examples of your brilliance. Evidence for your supremacy. They should illustrate great things you've done for your customers and clients. Problems you solved and pain you relieved.