An invitational business story welcomes clients.
You invite them to become part of your organization’s world. And, the focus is way beyond the short-term gain of closing a contract.
How impactful and inviting is the business story you tell, today?
- First, invitational stories generate a sense of community.
- Next, these stories change client perception. Customers sense that, by working with you, they become part of something bigger than just the initial sale of a product or service.
- Then, the invitation is open-ended: it works both ways. An invitational business story clearly indicates you are co-invested in the long-term well-being of each client you serve.
The goal of creating these invitations is to transition your own focus. You move one millimeter beyond viewing clients as transactions. Instead, you perceive the purpose of your role as transformational to the business growth of clients. Regardless of whether you sell or take care of clients, post-sale. Regardless of your job title, pay grade, level of education or generation.
Because one of the best ways to retain customers is by selling the future of your co-invested relationship, from day one.
Are you telling an invitational business story that welcomes?
Consider how your current business story “reads” on your website, for starters. Because online content is the first place prospective and current clients go to validate their interest in doing business with you. Before they allow you to have a conversation with them.
Do you tell a story that welcomes? Or, do you tell a story about the stuff you sell? And, when clients read more of your online story, in professional profiles, what type of story do you tell? A chronological history of all the stuff you have sold for various employers? Alternatively, is the story you tell focused on long-term, client-focused outcomes you create, time after time?
Then, consider how your current business story “sounds,” when spoken to current and prospective clients. Again, is your conversation focused on a specific objective, which benefits you more than it benefits clients? Or, is your conversation an invitational dialogue, which moves clients beyond what can be accomplished today. And, instead, focuses you both on future growth, expansion and mutual business sustainability. Together.
At the end of each day, retaining customers starts on day one. With the first impression current or prospective customers glean from the business stories you tell.
Are you ready to create a more invitational business story, both to attract as well as retain clients? Then click on this link. Let’s get started storytelling. Today.
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. Her playbook of communication tools and methods, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile is on the espeakers platform and on her website. Contact Babette here.
Image source: Adobe Stock
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