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by Christopher McCoy
Matthew Pollard is an author, blogger, speaker, entrepreneur, and an internationally recognized consultant with five multibillion-dollar success stories on his resume.
He’s the founder and CEO of Rapid Growth LLC, a company committed to the achievement of maximum ROI for businesses, big and small. While his clients include multiple fortune 500 companies, his true passion is helping small businesses.
In addition to being called “the real deal” by Forbes, Matthew has also been featured on Fox and NBC. He has a podcast and a book, both called “The Introvert’s Edge.”
On the Leads to Growth podcast, Matthew discusses the various ways in which storytelling is vital to the sales process.
A self-described introvert himself, Matthew believes that introverts might actually have an advantage over their extrovert counterparts when it comes to sales and marketing.
This is because introverts have a natural tendency to shut up and listen. Listening to someone else, as opposed to thinking about what you’re going to say next, is an indicator of empathy, which customers can pick up on.
Extroverts can learn listening skills, as well, but they don’t come as naturally as they do for introverts.
However, it’s not all a cakewalk for introverts.
One of the biggest obstacles, according to Matthew, is the introvert getting inside his or her own head, talking themselves down because they don’t have the gift of gab.
Once this mental block can be eradicated with the understanding that sales is nothing more than a systematic process, the introvert is primed for success.
Some people might think that speaking off the cuff is the most personable way to approach a sales pitch. But working from a script can be just as effective, if not more. If you don’t believe it, just look at Leonardo DiCaprio.
As for building your script, you need to have a compelling, relatable story, which will depend on the business you’re in. You also need to be well-informed on your subject and prepared for any eventuality.
For instance, Matthew was once talking to some plumbers about some problems in their business. The plumbers were skeptical and said they didn’t have any problems, but then Matthew related some specific problems that other plumbers had told him about.
Sure enough, the plumbers backtracked and said they had been experiencing those same problems.
By discussing down-to-earth issues with the plumbers, as opposed to abstract statistics or airy promises, he was able to make a connection.
And this was only possible because of preparation, not the on-the-fly people skills of an extrovert.
Matthew relates this to a quote from Abraham Lincoln, who said that if he only had six hours to chop a tree down, then four hours would be spent on sharpening his axe.
When it comes to being a small business, you start off at a disadvantage. The bigger companies have all the press, money, and are known commodities.
Matthew believes that the slingshot for this “David and Goliath” dynamic is the commodification of yourself.
This means that you shouldn’t sell yourself to potential customers as a generic service, such as the business coach or sales trainer, because the customer is either not interested or not going to take a chance on a nobody.
However, if you define yourself as something different, like a rapid growth guy–Matthew’s commodification of himself–then you just might pique their curiosity.
Everybody should have three stories, Matthew says. One will be your more essential story, while the other two will be your satellite stories.
When you first get started, you’re going to want to make sure your focus is small, but intent.
For instance, Matthew once worked with a woman who taught Mandarin to businesspeople going overseas. However, once she started to realize that her job consisted of more than simply language, but teaching the customs of China, as well, she rebranded herself as a China Success Coach.
All of a sudden, her rates went through the roof.
This storytelling encompasses both your script and your commodification of yourself, which is sort of like making yourself into a protagonist that others will want to follow.
If you’re interested in hearing more about Matthew’s ideas, you can visit his official website.
You can also buy his book, “The Introvert’s Edge,” which goes deeper into many of the subjects he discussed on the podcast.
Matthew can also be found at the usual social media locations, such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
About the author