Leveraging Data and Story to engage Decision Makers

How comfortable are you incorporating story into your data to engage and retain decision makers?

Clearly, data is frequently used by sales teams to justify initial purchase of your organization’s products and services. However, what’s the story behind all that data?

Does your data, on its own, drive client engagement and customer experience? 

Do you anticipate the unasked questions which engage decision makers in productive and profitable conversations?

In addition, technical experts brought in to validate the technical ROI of the sale, rely on data to “speak for itself.” Consequently, these experts omit the experiential value of end-user stories, to engage decision makers on value.

When decision makers feel short-changed in the experiential value of presentations, they disengage from your data-dependent presentation. 

As a result, the story-based connection between software, processes, equipment and people does not fully engage decision makers.

The more data and discipline-specific acronyms you throw at decision makers during presentations does not necessarily equate with how convincing your presentation actually is. And the more discipline-specific acronyms you sprinkle throughout your conversations may not have the “Wow” factor you think. Ask yourselves:

• First, can data stand alone, without story-driven context, to engage decision makers and acquire new clients?
• Next, are client teams engaged in questioning data sources, as well as analyses, used to derive results?
• Then, how comfortable, conversant and confident are you in transitioning, back and forth, between data and story to engage decision makers?

There is an art and science to leveraging both data and story experiences to engage, acquire and retain clients. Are you ready to take your next steps to improving business growth?

Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset® Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers speaking programs leverage purpose-driven value differentiation through storytelling, to create and retain successful employees and clients. How can these programs serve your association or organization? Click here to discover the answer.

Find out more about Babette’s professional story here. Babette is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of communication hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile is on the espeakers platform. Contact Babette here.

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