Re: Use Stories To Sell Anything!!

Everyone loves a good story. Most of us hunger for them and have since
our earliest years. Author Elie Wiesel wrote "There is something in the
story which is almost eternal.

God created man because he loves stories..."

Stories help build a connection between buyer and seller.

Stories help clarify the value or use of something through verbal
illustrations and examples. Stories smooth the path by making something
more familiar when previously it was unknown to another.

And stories make your benefits more believable by putting them in a
context that can be better understood and appreciated. Who can argue
with a story?

Truth is... no one can. They might not willingly accept your selling
points, but they can't very well reject the story because they have no
basis to do so.

It's a story - nothing more, nothing less - and as such, it bypasses
critical analysis. Your story is accepted as true by association. So too
are your selling points.

When buyers stumble across your auction, yours is just one of many other
listings. Competition for the viewer's time and attention is unlimited
on eBay and at any given time you're only a split second away from
losing what could be a high-price bidder.

Without a good story accompanying your item, price becomes the primary
concern by default. A good story can warm up a cold audience fast and
make you a seller worth doing
business with.

A story helps bring your product to life. You can share some of its
history... or at least your knowledge of the industry at large.

Imagine that you're selling a cup and saucer set. If you've had it for
years, you might have some "inside" information you could share. If not,
you could do some research on the
piece and find out where it was made, when and what methods were used.

Doing so adds charm, interest and value to the item and it makes you a
more interesting and knowledgeable seller -- and that's never a bad
thing.

What kind of information can help you build a story?

Consider something that was done with the item... somewhere it's been...
something it's helped you accomplish.

How did you come upon the item? What impact did it have on you? What
gave it value in your eyes? Is there a big event that you can connect to
the item? Is there something unusual or rare about this piece?

There is a story that will help build interest, find out what the story
is and use it!!