Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell
Mike Adams (pictured below) is a business storytelling specialist and author of Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell. In this guest post, Adams argues any good salesperson would do well to master the art of good storytelling…
The best salespeople are storytellers but it’s often an unconscious skill. Average salespeople can learn storytelling and become much better at selling by telling specific types of stories to navigate the sale from first ‘hello’ to signed contract.
The seven sales story types are organised in the sequence they’d be told through a typical sales engagement, following the buyer’s journey. The salesperson’s first essential task is to connect with a potential client in a way that promotes honest and open sharing of information. The first three story-types make a connection of liking, authority and trust.
Personal Story
This is the story that explains who you are and why you do what you do. It shows your potential client that you can be trusted and that you are an authority. It’s not a bragging story, rather it should show vulnerability and humility. Your personal story should finish with “enough about me what about you? How did you get to do what you do?” It is the exchange of stories that leads to rapport and a fruitful business relationship.
Key Staff Story
Salespeople can prime their future clients to like and trust other people in your company if they’re able to tell their stories. The key staff story raises the credibility of your company and solves a common problem for salespeople: which is, getting too deeply involved in post-sales activities. By priming your customer to like and trust the experts that will perform and deliver your service, the salesperson can get back to their primary role — selling the next deal.
Your Company Story
Most businesses make exactly the same claims and assertions about their products and services as their competitors. But your company story is unique! How did your company succeed and avoid failure? That’s an interesting story. When your salespeople can tell your company story they position you as interesting, special and memorable.
The next task is to persuade your client to change. To do that you must offer compelling insights, differentiate your company and make it safe for them to buy from you. Two stories achieve this task:
Insight Stories
Insight is knowledge you have about your customer’s market and business that they do not appreciate — but should! It’s neither wise nor practical for your 26 year old salesperson to challenge your customers with this knowledge. But if they tell the story of how your company discovered those insights, your future clients will listen with interest and absorb the information.
Success Stories
If you’ve been in business for a while you must have customers who have succeeded with your offering. But salespeople often fail to tell that story from the perspective of your successful customer. The well-delivered success story let’s your future clients vicariously experience your products and services before they purchase. It’s a way for them to mentally trial your business, risk free!
Even with a good connection and a differentiated offer it can be a tough to get the contract signature. Buying teams concern themselves with risk in the decision phase. The final two stories are designed to help mitigate risks and close the deal.
Values Stories
When a decision committee is thinking about a major purchase, they’re concerned about risk. How will your company behave after the deal is signed? Is your company an ethical company to do business with? What kind of staff do you employ? The central character in the values story is a leader in your company demonstrating by their actions how your company will behave in critical moments after the sale.
Teaching Stories
There’s an old saying in sales management “you need to teach your customer how to buy and you need to teach them how to sell”. Teaching how to buy means teaching what’s important about buying your products and services. Teaching how to sell means helping your client overcome normal stakeholder objections and barriers to making a decision. Stories about solving problems of internal politics or about the cost of delay, for example, can help a buying committee arrive a decision in your favour.
Most salespeople need help to prepare and deliver these stories but the majority improve rapidly with story coaching. And they don’t forget the storytelling skill because humans love and remember good stories!
Latest News
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.
Entries For Five Decades Of Advertising Graduates Awards Close On Monday
Entries for the Five Decades of Advertising awards close Monday. And no extensions! Any bribery is open til Wednesday.
Cadbury Extends Commitment To Women’s Sport With Sweet New Wallaroos Deal
Rot your teeth, get fat and support women's sport all at the same time with this sweet new sponsorship arrangement.
Campfire X & Nando’s Partner To Acknowledge Traditional Land Owners Across Australia
Chicken chain unveils important First Nations initiative. The actual chickens more concerned with the Adani coal mine.
Lisa Ronson, Naysla Edwards & Ben Hill Join MFA Awards Signature Judging Panel
MFA Awards adds some serious clout to its judging panel. Still no confirmation Paulini will be performing on the night.
Connect Hearing ‘Sounds Good’ Platform Via Bread Agency
Every office has that one hard of hearing person that's oblivious to the fact. Ramp up their insecurities with this.
Ipsos Iris Data: Australians Prioritise Entertainment & Sports Over Serious News In March
Data shows Aussies prioritising light entertainment over hard news. And who can blame them if you've seen the hard news!
Fur Media Partners With Mad Paws To Support Advertisers
It's never good if your office smells like faeces & brine chunks in aspic. Not if you're pet-friendly agency Fur Media.
MAXIBON Drops Epic Flavour Collaboration Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
There are few pluses to be had with global warming, except the extension of ice-cream eating season.
Sling & Stone Scrubs Up With Lush Account
Got friends at Sling & Stone? Expect the dreaded loofah and bath bomb for birthdays/Christmas this year.
SBS’s The Cook Up With Adam Liaw Produces ‘Fewer CO2 Emissions Than Industry Average’
SBS could go full vegan for Adam Liaw's seventh season and reduce its TV audience and emissions by 99 per cent.
GumGum & Playground xyz To Merge Media Portfolio, Creating “Powerhouse” Ad Suite
GumGum & Playground xyz tap into consumer mindset. B&T prefers tapping a keg, but whatever works.
All The Winners & Grinners From The TikTok Young Lions Awards Night!
Last week saw every part of the human experience: Exalted, devastated, exhausted & stuffing sausage rolls in the corner.
TV Ratings (21/4/24): Farmer Wants A Wife Wins Sunday Prime Time
Farmer Wants A Wife does make the country life seductive. Apart from the manure stench & the bleating roosters at 5am.
Australia’s Automotive Industry Shifts Gears With CTV
How much was CTV responsible for Australia's record car sales in 2023? Or those horrible oversized American utes?
Australia’s C7EVEN Communications Launches Services In Japan With New Tokyo Office
Aussie comms agency unveils its Tokyo plans. Confirms it's still getting the hang of the toilets over there.
Daniel Goldstein Promoted To Head Of PR At Example
Try as he may to surreptitiously blend in with the wall in his photo, this PR fellow still relatively easy to spot.
Marie Claire & Volvo Partner For The Planet: Nominees For The Inaugural Marie Claire Sustainability Awards Announced
Fashion bible Marie Claire unveils its Sustainability Awards. Yet still refusing to recycle 2023's maxi skirts trend.
Sefiani Unveils A Wave Of Promotions & Appointments
Life's good in PR/comms as Sefiani unveils new hires. Well, bad news for media sites obsessed with redundancy stories.
Yahoo Launches Identity Solutions For CTV
Connected TV just got a whole lot more exciting with this innovation. Bar the incessant Friends re-runs.
Infosum Launches Data Clean Room Solution With Samsung Ads Australia
Infosum & Samsung Ads launch a data clean room solution that's a lot more than a Wettex & squirt of Ajax.
Fast 10: Bread Agency’s Amaury Treguer On Its “Unrivalled” Social Commerce Focus
Bread Agency's Amaury Treguer takes B&T's Fast 10, as he reveals why he won't be sandwiched up against the opposition.
X And Elon Musk To Sue Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Over Sydney Stabbing Takedown Order
If this all wasn't traumatic enough, Elon weighs in to prove he's the world's richest man & world's biggest dickhead.
CRA Siren Award To Be Presented At B&T Awards 2024!
Often attend award nights & think "I wish this night would never end"? Well, B&T's just got that tiny bit longer.