How to Sell by Telling Great Stories : Storytelling in Business

We all are influenced by stories around us. The art of telling remarkable stories often goes unrecognized, especially in sales. Stories influence our behavior by giving context to otherwise plain information. When we state a fact we are just giving information and leaving it to the audience (in this case prospects) to decipher meaning out of it.

Consider this, only 39% of sales executive actually intended to go into sales. This leaves room for the readers to interpret meaning out of it. They may think that it is sad that the remaining 61% never got to follow their dreams or that people are forced due to circumstances and sales is not a career preference. On the other hand, they may think that is great that they landed up in a fruitful career instead of working in a demeaning job or worse remaining unemployed. As you can see, the reader himself added context to the information based on their perception.

Howard Schultz started his career as a salesman at Xerox’s headquarters in Virginia. He outperformed his peers at almost every sales job in his career. During his job as a kitchen appliance salesman, he walked into a small coffee shop in Seattle called Starbucks. He fell in love with the coffee served and understood that the value of place was much more than perceived. His experience as a salesperson had taught him well about the value of customer experience. This helped him build the largest coffee chain in the world - Starbucks.

Of the above two, which would you prefer if you want to communicate about the benefits and experience of a career in sales? By bringing context and emotion into communication stories help influence the behavior and mindset of people. In sales it is our job to influence prospects to purchase hence, it is a critical skill that every salesperson should master.

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Types of Stories:

Craig Wortmann founder and CEO of SalesEngine discussed the idea of finding and telling stories to amplify sales. In his book, “What’s Your Story?” he discussed that there are 4 types of stories we can use in business:

1. Success:

Success stories help inspire people and motivate them to act. These stories build credibility and prove your skills. If overused these may result in you coming out as an arrogant and self-obsessed person.

2. Failure:

A failure is packed with learning. We derive a lot more meaning and learning from failures than from anything less. They may also make you less credible if used in the wrong situation. Improper use of failure stories also reduces the motivation of people around us hence, use them cautiously.

3. Fun:

Fun stories lighten the mood. They bring energy into a tense situation and brighten dull environment. It also helps motivate people and bring happiness in the workplace. On the flip side if overused people may not take you seriously.

4. Legend:

Legend stories are about the life of a renowned personality like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson etc. These stories can be about fun, failure, success or even a combination of these. They are easily acknowledged and loved. The only issue they lack a personal touch.

As you can see, every type of story has a good and a bad side. Hence, you should use a mix of stories and adapt to the situation. Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post said, “People think in stories, not statistics, and marketers need to be master storytellers.” To become a great storyteller, you need to practice so keep collecting and telling stories and eventually you’ll master the art.

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Creating a Story Matrix:

Collecting and telling stories involves preparation. Thus, you should be ready with an organized set of stories for all the sales calls you have. It is recommended that you use this matrix to organize your stories:

I have filled it to give you an idea of how can you use this matrix to organize your stories. Though I have given some ideas you are free to choose whichever approach you want too. Once you have it ready you’ll notice its impact on the overall sales.

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How to Find Exceptional Stories:

The last part of the puzzle is to find great stories. This is the easiest part that’s why I saved it for the end. Stories are everywhere - ted talks, newspapers, blogs, media sites, biographies, novels, this article - basically we are surrounded and influenced by stories all the time. You might have read ‘The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs’. The article is fueled by inspiration. The writer Walter Isaacson, has crafted stories throughout the article. You might find some inspiration there.

Be on a lookout for stories and you’ll have your matrix ready in no time. Once you find a story, write it in your language, distill to its essence and then practice telling it in the right situation. For instance, the story behind starting a company is often used by startup entrepreneurs to build trust and credibility. Keep trying and eventually, you’ll begin using them instinctively.

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