That’s Our Story
I was on the phone last week with a potential client who was interested in our company when I realized that what we sell is not a service, but a story.
Even though this person has a great practice with lots of potential, they were drowning in debt and extremely discouraged.
So I told her stories.
I began to tell her about other clients who were in the same position. I began to tell her why we thought her practice had so much potential and why we were excited to work for her. I told her where we thought she could be financially in the next two to three years.
Most of all I talked to her about success, belief and optimism.
The reason I made the sale was partly because of the service we are selling, but it was more about the way she felt on the phone.
We don’t sell a service or a program.
We sell financial independence and freedom.
We sell “anybody can be successful beyond their dreams.”
Most of all we sell peace of mind and quality of life.
That’s our story.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
hey josh…kind of off topic, but spurred by what you said in your post. It’s something that I’ve been thinking over recently. In most everything in life I live Quality over Quantity, but it hit me the other day that as Christians is there really anything Biblically foundational about “quality of life”? Is this something as Christians we should even involve ourselves?
I differentiate it two ways…quality of life in the sense of doing whatever Christ calls us to do (i.e. a quality life of a missionary serving in the slums of some African village) vs. the quality of life that most would consider the potential of any American.
Just a sideline thought, though not the intent of your post.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 am
I don’t know if it’s necessarily a “either/or” issue. I think it’s more “both/and.”
I don’t think living quality over quanity is a balanced life and I don’t believe living quantity over quality is either. I think in the end we are responsible for both.
Example: as a father, I can’t skimp on either quality or quantity with Caden.
With that said, I think it’s the same with your question. I think you have to have both: quality of life in what Christ calls us to do and quality of life in an American cultural sense. I think in the end we are responsible to Him for both - what we do with our stuff.
That’s my quick short response. Obviously, that’s a conversation that would take some time to unpack.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Josh, good thoughts on the power of story. I keep hearing of entreprenuers who basically get people so convinced on the story, they get people to join their firms without even asking what the package is! I wonder what happens when we stop giving testimonies and start telling stories?