Tell the Before and After Story
Prove your value with a short story: how things were, what you did, and how things are now.
A meta-analysis finds stories that draw people in shift attitudes, though effects depend on how well the story is told.
Why it works
Stories lower resistance because people follow the plot instead of arguing with claims. A before and after story also shows the result, not just the method. It is easy to remember and retell.
How to do it
- Pick a client like the person in front of you.
- Before: the problem in one or two concrete lines.
- What you did: one or two steps, not the whole process.
- After: a result with a number or a time.
- Keep it under one minute and get permission to use names.
What to say
A seed company in Indore had four empty territories in June. We sent shortlists in ten days. By August all four were filled and two reps hit their first target.
Before, their HR team screened eighty CVs a role. Now they see five.
Avoid
Telling a long story with no clear after. If there is no change, it is not a proof story.
Example
At a food processing show in Delhi, Arjun told a dal mill owner how a similar mill in Indore had cut supervisor turnover after his firm changed the hiring checks. The owner asked for the same checks.
Practise it
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