MODERN LEADERSHIP
Selling with Success Stories
By Shawn Callahan
Six months ago , a couple – let ’ s call them Sally and David – sat in the office of a broker finalising their first home loan . David worked in construction and Sally was a stay-at-home mum . Their two highly energetic daughters , aged four and two , bounced around the office as the paperwork was completed . The broker , Angela , strongly suggested Sally and David take out mortgage insurance . At first the couple resisted . They felt a bit annoyed at the idea of being hit with yet another fee . But to Angela ’ s relief they eventually agreed . Everything was now set for Sally and David to move into their new house .
Four months later Angela received the phone call she dreaded . It was Sally , and she was beside herself : David had been killed in a workplace accident . Angela could not take away Sally ’ s pain , but she could ease it a little by reminding Sally that she had taken out mortgage insurance . After Angela had explained that the family home was fully protected , Sally just said , ‘ Thank you ’.
I heard this anecdote while I was helping a group of mortgage lenders find and tell stories to help their clients understand the importance of what they were being offered . To begin with , the lenders didn ’ t think they had any stories to tell . But soon they started to remember the successes they ’ d had over the years , which they could now share with their customers .
The experienced , successful broker , in fact any effective seller , intuitively shares personal experiences and anecdotes . It helps them connect emotionally with clients and inspire action . I remember working with a group of financial advisers to identify the traits of the most successful among them . Two things set the best apart from the rest : they proactively contacted their clients when there was bad news – novices avoided their clients when bad things happened – and they freely shared their experiences , their stories , as lessons .
46 ModernBusiness June 2016