How a better brand story helps you make more sales
2 July 2019 | Storytech Team
Concepts like ‘brand’ and ‘story’ can seem like fluffy marketing concepts to sales-focused people and companies. And done wrong, they almost certainly are.
But when the right brand story creates heightened confidence and increased customer focus, it can supercharge sales.
Mary Crampton is a director of Magnify Consulting, a company specialising in sales strategy and growth for business development in New Zealand. Mary spoke to us about how a strong brand story helps companies make more sales.
“When you know who you are, you don’t have to compete,” says Mary, quoting Bernadette Jiwa, one of Smart Company’s ‘Top Business Thinkers’ of 2018.
“Businesses who have a good brand story are much clearer about who they are and the value they deliver. They pitch their offering with more confidence.”
Sales, of course, has a lot to do with confidence. But true confidence isn’t about bravado and big-talking – customers are smart enough to see through that.
Genuine confidence – the infectious kind that customers gravitate to - comes when businesses have a true ‘sense of self’.
“Clarity about who you are means you can confidently stand out in a crowded marketplace and attract the kinds of customers you love, and who you deliver the most value to,” says Mary. “Which means you’ll have more fun, and grow your sales as a natural result.
“The one thing that hasn’t changed is that people still buy from people. Knowing your brand story and sharing it effectively strengthens that people connection.”
Magnify Consulting Director Mary Crampton
And that clarity comes from understanding your story. “Digging deeply into your business story, uncovering your passion for what you do and the way you’re delivering your value, is what really captures the hearts of your future customers,” says Mary.
And it’s those customers that we need a single-minded focus on when it comes to sales.
“When you’re not clear enough on your brand story, it’s more tempting to look at the competition and try to adapt your offering to be like theirs,” she advises. “Without a good story, you’re lost in a sea of sameness, with other samey-samey companies all swimming in circles. Without a good brand story to light your way, you’ll be missing some vital keys to competitive advantage that could make sales so much easier to achieve.”
“The clarity and confidence that a good story gives your whole team is a huge advantage in your business development.”
And as the sales landscape becomes more global, that advantage is increasingly challenging to come by.
“Having a good story has absolutely become more important to the sales process,” says Mary. “The internet has removed most of the old business barriers. New Zealand companies aren’t just competing internally for customers, they’re often competing with lower cost options, in countries where labour costs are much less.”
“A good story is the one vital tool that can help to turn this around – empowering you to sell based on the value you deliver and the reason why you do this.”
Ultimately, she says, a strong story works because sales is a human endeavour. “The one thing that hasn’t changed is that people still buy from people. Knowing your brand story and sharing it effectively strengthens that people connection.”
In just a day, Storytech will get you and your team to a clear and compelling story for your business. “Taking time out from your standard busyness story to work on your amazing business story is completely worth it,” says Mary. “Storytech focuses your whole team on the critical elements of your brand story, it’ll transform the way you sell.”
And once your story’s done, why not ask Magnify for their help in turning your story into a winning sales strategy.
. . . . . . . .
