What's Your Story?
What's Your Story?
The power of effective testimonials
by Michael S. Clouse
Below please find the note I used to record this month's Leadership
Call. For maximum benefit, please refer to these notes while you're
listening to the recorded call.
Every weekly business briefing—and so too with larger events—need to
include powerful, effective testimonials, or stories, during the
presentation for the benefit of both distributors and new guests alike.
These stories should be divided 50% product and 50% money, or lifestyle,
stories.
So how can you ensure that your events contain power and effective
stories? Well, if you will immediately implement the following four
suggestions you'll be well on you way to understanding why the right
words, at the right time, are exactly what your new prospects came to
hear...
1) Every distributor needs to create their own testimonial—or
story—regarding the product and the money.
2) Write it down. Your story should include: your name, where you live,
your background or occupation, followed by your product or money story.
3) When it comes to your product story, again make sure you have one,
write it down and practice giving it until you can cover every point in
30 to 45 seconds.
4) When it comes to your money story, again make sure you have one,
write it down and practice giving it until you can cover every point in
30 to 45 seconds. However, I would like to suggest that you consider
converting your money story to your lifestyle story...
Let me explain: Why would someone who is already making $10,000 per
month want to join your business? Because of the lifestyle!
Not fighting the traffic is lifestyle
Being home with your kids is lifestyle.
Doing work that brings you satisfaction is lifestyle.
Waking up after you're finished sleeping is lifestyle.
Instead of earning $400 in your home-based business, ask yourself what
are you doing with the $400? And if the answer if that you are buying
back your life (instead of retiring at 65 you're going to be able to do
so at 55) that's lifestyle.
What sounds more impressive? I earn $700 per month in my home-based
business, or with the extra money our business provides, we were able to
take another dream vacation to Aruba!
Take the time to prepare your product and lifestyle story. Write it all
down and practice both until you know them like you know your own name.
Then make sure you inform your local leadership team that you've got two
powerful and effective stories, and you're ready to let the world
know....
Creating Your Story Outline
Keep your story to 30 to 45 seconds!
What is the goal? To relate, relate, relate, to as many people as
possible.
Your Name, your location, your background, how you were introduced to
your business, or why you decided to become a distributor, and what this
business has done, or is doing for you... Remember relate, relate,
relate!
Example: My name is Michael Clouse... My wife and I have two grown
children and live in Seattle. Prior to becoming an Associate with The
XYZ Company, I had gone from an Account Executive position with AT&T, to
Editor-in-Chief of a business magazine, to a small business owner...and
then this home-based business thing just kind of fell in my lap. Well, I
took a look, liked what I saw, got involved—and using the system they
taught me, went to work on very a part-time basis… Today, just about
four short years later, I'm earning over $100,000 a year, take a
vacation with my family every other month, and I'm still only working
about three days a week! The bottom line is that getting involved with
this company continues to be one of the single best decisions I have
ever made. A total of 41 seconds!
This story relates to: Seattle, married, children, white collar worker,
sale person, technology, journalism, small business owner, there is a
system you can follow, part-time, six figure Income, travel/vacations.
Because if everyone would just take a few minutes and work of this
simple and yet vital aspect of your business, together we'll all sponsor
even more guests at the events... And after all that's what we all want
isn't it?
All the best,
MSC
Copyright 2002 by Michael S. Clouse.
_______
Michael S. Clouse
Editor-in-Chief, Nexera e-News™.
Former Editor-in-Chief, Upline® Journal.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Certified Network Marketing Professional.
Author of Future Choice, Building Your Empire,
Seven Prospecting Secrets, Business Is Booming!
Prospecting 101, and The TeleCoaching Workshop.