Why Facts Tell, And Stories Sell!
by: Daniel Levis
Since the first caveman figured out how to tie a sharp rock to the
end of a sturdy stick with a piece of vine, and hack off slabs of
mastodon meat with it for fire roasting, storytelling has been the way
knowledge has been passed from one person to another.
Around the campfire blaze, the tribal members would gather, the
little children gazing cautiously out from behind their parents, their
eyes shining wide like silver dollars, listening. The grizzled old
witch Doctor-can you hear his crackling voice, as he spins a yarn of
bygone days?
There is learning in the story-how to surround and kill a wholly
mammoth, the cunning exploits of the ancient clansman, how the old man
survived a vicious storm. There are stories of love and war, of the
discovery of magical potions and incantations, of the wicked cannibals
to the east.
Since the dawn of time, stories have been the conduit of learning.
the sacred baton, passed from one generation to the next. without
which, human development would stand still.
We are creatures of story.
Just the other day I was reviewing a lead generation campaign a
client sent me for critique. He had also sent me some of his
competitors marketing materials, and I looked at them too.
My young marketing friend had taken the same lifeless approach as his
opponents. He had begun as most corporate advertisers do, with a
lifeless litany of meaningless platitudes. It was about as interesting
as warmed over oatmeal gone cold.
"Suppose you were the customer, " I said to my friend. "Be him for a
minute. Realize that he faces stacks of these things, they're piling
up to the ceiling in his office, these dry institutional marketing
pieces he must read on his employer's time. No wonder he hates sales
people and marketers. He is drowning in their paper excrement. Can you
see him? He wants to burn the piles up.
Suddenly something snaps...
He goes mad. He grabs the brochure on the top of the pile, rips off
the top sheet, lights a match to it and now, laughing, slobbering all
over himself, he feeds the little fire, a page at a time.
He drops the burning marketing package to the floor, and adds others
to it until he has a large fire roaring in the center of his office.
You can see him madly feeding the flames with sales letter after sales
letter until he comes to yours. He picks it up. It's the last one
left. By this time the drapes have caught fire and the place is
turning into an inferno. He stops for a moment to read the last sales
copy he will ever see. And what does he read?
XYZ Company is a leading communication solutions provider with a
world-class portfolio of Connectivity, Infrastructure Management and
IT Services. Because your thoughts, ideas and business requirements
are entirely unique, XYZ Company believes our role is to equip your
business with leading-edge communication solutions specific to your
goals. XYZ Company collaborates with you to better understand your
business, its challenges and how it operates. Not until then do we
determine what you need - and what you don't. Our three main areas of
business are:
"Can't you see that poor sod?", I said. "With your sales letter in
his hands he lets out one last horrible scream, throws your stuff into
the fire, and is about to jump in after it when, just in time, he is
rescued by a big burly fireman who smashes down the door to his office
and rushes in... Why not save the poor man's life in the first place
by beginning your sales letter with a benefit riddled story?"
I could have said to my client, "Your copy is too formal and
traditional and somewhat lacking in originality." He would likely have
forgotten all about it the next time he sat down to write. But he
will never forget the story of the mad purchasing agent burning his
office down.
Telling stories and listening to stories are the behaviors that most
distinguish us as a species. We discriminate as adults, in many ways,
based on our primary experiences-the stories of our childhood. They
are forever implanted, in both our conscious and unconscious. The
drama of movies, TV, and the theater are storytelling. Jokes are short
stories. The parables of the Bible are stories.
Storytelling is in our blood. So is listening to stories and relating
to them. Ergo, story is the most powerful structure you can possibly
use to build any sales argument.
When you open your copy with a story, you disarm your prospect's
natural aversion to being sold, and engage them in a way "ad speak"
never can. This in turn dramatically increases the odds of having them
actively consider the reasons why they should want your product, and
moves you dramatically closer to making the sale.
Copyright C 2006 Daniel Levi
About The Author
Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response
copywriter based in Toronto, Canada and publisher of the world famous
copywriting anthology "Masters of Copywriting" featuring the marketing
wisdom of 42 of the world's greatest copywriters, including Clayton
Makepeace, Joe Sugarman, Joe Vitale,
Bob Bly and dozens more! For a FREE excerpt visit the link http://www.Sellingtohumannature.com/Copywriting-Secrets.html" target="
_blank">http://www.Sellingtohumannature.com/Copywriting-Secrets.
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