Do you ever feel embarrassed or silly when a colleague compliments your work? Or perhaps you change the conversation to praise another co-worker instead of receiving the accolades yourself.

If this sounds familiar, rest assured that you are not alone!  Many people struggle with how to discuss the parts of themselves they are proud of, including their accomplishments, their best qualities, and what makes them stand out. Research has shown this to be especially challenging for women because of cultural norms around modesty and bragging.

And while humility is essential to our personal and spiritual growth, as business professionals we must also be able and willing to share what makes us uniquely qualified. This is true whether you’re giving a sales presentation, meeting a potential new client, sitting down for a job interview, or working the room at a networking event.

It takes a great deal of authenticity, confidence, and integrity to sell other people on what you and your business have to offer.

One way to do that is by telling stories about yourself that communicate your values and strengths.

Rather than stating attributes like, “I’m creative and good at adapting and innovating,” telling a story that exhibits those skills is not only more effective at getting the point across, it’s more authentic too. And for many entrepreneurs who don’t want to come across as bragging about themselves, it’s also more natural.

Storytelling is an incredibly effective tool for showcasing your strengths and putting your best foot forward. That’s why it’s the method of choice for politicians with the best oratory skills as well as celebrities on talk shows. But you don’t need to be a public figure to use this technique to your advantage.

If you stop and think about the qualities of your nearest and dearest, you didn’t learn those qualities through them telling you, “I’m organized and resourceful.” You learned them from sharing experiences and hearing them tell stories about their lives. The same principle applies to business, when done correctly.

Let’s talk about 3 essential qualities for any storytelling you do in a professional setting.

1. Stay Focused

When you’re meeting with a potential new client, ask yourself which skills or qualities they would want to know that you possess. That’s likely a combination of unique qualities, deeply held convictions, and skills that make you special, along with attributes they might be looking for.

By honing in on those factors that are most important, you’re less likely to see eyes glazing over, and instead, you’ll keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

2. Keep It Brief

You don’t want to do all of the talking, and the risk of using stories is droning on too long. It might be necessary to practice and refine your personal stories for length and brevity.

At the same time, if your story comes across as overly rehearsed, that can put off a potential client, business partner, or employer. Overall, your goal is to keep the business conversation fresh and free flowing.

3. Be Authentic

As you refine and hone your story to keep it focused and brief, it’s important that you also keep it truthful and authentic to your experience. Again, it should be a reflection of who you are at your core.

I’ll give you an example that I use regularly in business. I believe in my core that God puts us in situations to help one another. And I see examples of that synchronicity all the time in my business. By expressing that to clients or colleagues in the form of short anecdotes, I’m sharing a quality that makes me unique among sales and business coaches, which is that my faith is very important to me.

Telling stories about ourselves is one of the skills I develop with my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients. Thoughtful communication is the key to creating a legacy business you can be proud of for decades to come.

If you’d like to master the fine art of selling your business and its products or services to customers, contact me today!

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus™” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with more than 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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