Sell with a story - Paul Smith

Question 1

How stories create trust

Answer 1

Stories create trust by building relationships based on shared human experiences.

Question 2

How stories differ from presentations

Answer 2

Stories differ from presentations, memos or reports, which address findings; stories focus on a conflict and provide a satisfying resolution.

Question 3

When planning your story

Answer 3

Know what you want your audience to “think, feel or do” at the end of your story.

Question 4

When stories are successful

Answer 4

A successful story makes your audience feel the drama of the conflict.

Question 5

Six facets of story

Answer 5

time, place, main character, a goal, an obstacle and events

Most people make decisions from the subconscious and emotional parts of their brains; stories target those areas by guiding people to identify with a situation.

Question 6

Story to tell yourself

Answer 6

Making sales calls is difficult, so salespeople need strong self-motivation.

Consider a time when you significantly improved a customer’s experience through your efforts and thoughtfulness.

• How did the difficulty you solved originally arise?
• What did you do?
• How did you do it?
• What was the clients’ response when you presented the solution?

Use this as your motivation story to remind yourself why your sales calls are about providing service.

Question 7

Story you need 1: “Why I do what I do”

Answer 7

For people to trust your product, they need to know why you are passionate about it. This reveals the kind of person you are.

Question 8

Story you need 2: “I’ll tell you when I can’t help you”

Answer 8

Professional buyers also want to know when you can’t help them. This makes them trust you. Tell a client when you need to think about how you would solve a problem rather than automatically saying “I can do that!”

Question 9

Story you need 3: “I’ll tell you when I made a mistake”

Answer 9

Build trust by sharing a story of how you made a mistake, told the client about it and fixed it.

Question 10

Story you need 4: “I’ll go to bat for you”

Answer 10

You represent a product and company, and you support your clients. Recognize situations where you can lobby on their behalf.

Question 11

Story you need 5: “I’m not who you think I am”

Answer 11

People hold stereotypes about salespeople, so becoming an individual to your customers is important. Identify the most obvious negative idea people might have of you and your industry. Look back on your experiences and find a moment when you manifested the opposite characteristic.

Question 12

Story you need 6: “Your company’s founding story”

Answer 12

Humanize your company by talking about the founder, the need the founder identified and how the company grew. Don’t worry about telling what the company does since this story is about presenting its values and drive.

Question 13

Story you need 7: “How we’re different from our competitors”

Answer 13

Most people don’t see a difference among companies offering similar products. Find a story that reveals how you are unique. Highlight that the owner or employees are members of a specialty group, have a particular work ethic, or provide special offerings or values for employees.

Question 14

3 stages of relationships

Answer 14

• First, you get to know people.
• Then you have a chance to build rapport and confidence while working together.
• Finally, over the years, you establish “a lasting relationship and friendship.” Stories help you get there.

Question 15

Listen to Client Stories

Answer 15

develop open-ended questions that require the clients to tell their own stories

“Day in the life” questions reveal information about clients, as well as about their staff and customers.

Question 16

Sales pitch story 1: “Invention or discovery story”

Answer 16

Much like the founding story, this focuses on the specifics of a product. Avoid the standard corporate narrative. Instead, find a personal narrative, such as the story of the product’s inventor.

Question 17

Sales pitch story 2: “Problem story”

Answer 17

If your product solves a specific problem, describe customers who had that dilemma and solved it. Emphasize the difficulty and any associated problems the situation created, so your product or service stands out as a clear solution.

Question 18

Sales pitch story 3: “Customer success stories”

Answer 18

These are not testimonials, wherein customers declare their loyalty and appreciation of the product. Instead they show potential clients how actual customers in similar situations found resolution by using your product. Make videos of clients describing their experience and share them with potential clients.

Question 19

“Two-roads stories”

Answer 19

This type of story cites a past client who experienced both a problem story and a success story. This highlights the utility of your product.

Question 20

“Value-adding stories”

Answer 20

These stories improve the appeal of the product by showing some unusual, unique or unexpected benefit.

Question 21

5 Sales Pitch Stories

Answer 21

“Invention or discovery story”

“Problem story”

“Customer success stories”

“Two-roads stories”

“Value-adding stories”

Question 22

Closing the sale

Answer 22

Don’t let customers delay closing. Tell a story about clients who stalled and lost an opportunity or experienced a difficulty because they didn’t have your product.

Ask established customers about the moment they knew your product was a success and how that made them feel. Use that story to help undecided clients realize why they must close soon.

Question 23

Elements of a great story

Answer 23

“A worthy lesson”

“A relatable hero”

“A relevant challenge”

“An honest struggle”

Question 24

Elements of a Great Story 1: “A worthy lesson”

Answer 24

Identify the lesson the story imparts and ensure its suitability. A simply entertaining story isn’t enough to create a sales reaction. Your client needs to draw a relevant lesson from the story.

Question 25

Elements of a Great Story 2: “A relatable hero”

Answer 25

The hero is someone similar to your audience members. They should relate to the hero so they can put themselves in his or her situation and draw the lesson from his or her actions. They will remember the story if they relate to it. If you create a hero who is too dazzling, the audience won’t relate.

Question 26

Elements of a great story 3: “A relevant challenge”

Answer 26

In sales stories, the challenge is often a competitor or a business situation. Highlight the obstacles so your audience sees the challenge the hero overcame. Simply saying that a situation was bad and the hero showed up and made it good doesn’t illuminate the challenge; it even implies that the hero was just lucky. The challenge should guide the audience to see why the hero is heroic.

Question 27

Elements of a great story 4: “An honest struggle”

Answer 27

The hero has to overcome the challenge by making a distinct effort. If the hero needs a specific tool to complete the job on time and reaches into a toolbox and gets it, you may have a hero, an obstacle and a lesson, but the lack of struggle makes the story unsatisfying. If the struggle is internal, describe the mental narrative with which the hero has to deal.

Question 28

Story Structure

Answer 28

A hook at the beginning creates interest by telling audience members why they should listen.

Provide a context for when and where the story happened, introduce the hero with enough details to make the audience care, and describe what the hero wants so the audience relates. Then present the challenge. To show conflict, describe attempts at overcoming the obstacle. Conflict, the most important part of the story, reveals the tension for which your product provides a resolution.

Question 29

Story Order

Answer 29

1) “I think the best example I’ve seen of that was…”
2) “Back in…, at…, there was…, and they were trying to….”
3) “Then, one day….”
4) “So they…, and then…, and so they…”
5) “Eventually…”
6) “What I learned from that was…”
7) “And that’s why I think you should…”

Question 30

Delivering the best story

Answer 30

Most adults speak about 150 words per minute. Good business stories often range from 450 to 750 words, so they usually take three to five minutes to tell. They can be shorter, too, but many stories start off longer. That’s why you want to edit your stories. After you draft a story, review each section to cut anything that doesn’t serve that section.