Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019 - 21

* Sparking new thinking and ideas:
Stories can lead to free flowing
brainstorming sessions, sparking new
ideas and fostering a feeling of team spirit
between prospects and salespeople.
* Overcoming resistance: Salespeople
can overcome objections by responding
with stories about customers who felt
similar doubts, yet ultimately succeeded
in meeting their needs by investing in
your company's products or services.
* Closing deals and moving business
forward: It's possible to effectively
create a sense of urgency and relevance
through stories that move prospects to
see the advantages of quick action.

ELEMENTS OF A PERSUASIVE
SALES STORY
The best sales stories give a soul
to otherwise inanimate products
and services. Through a process
psychologists call narrative transport,
they affect the way prospects feel about
what they are being sold. Listeners
become so immersed that they see
themselves in the story and make it
their own.

It's easiest to emotionally hook prospects
by sharing stories of people who faced
challenges similar to their own. The
prospects ideally start rooting for the
main characters, finding them relatable.
When the main characters succeed as a
result of using your company's product
or service, the prospects visualize
themselves as succeeding - which
leaves them with a good feeling about
your company.

* Brevity: The ideal length for sales
stories is no more than one minute,
preferably 30 seconds.

An effective sales story typically shows
most or all of the following attributes:

Storytelling for selling is a learned skill
that begins with presence - the ability to
authentically connect with the hearts and
minds of others in order to motivate and
inspire them toward a desired outcome. Ask
sales team members to do the following
to improve their presence and help them
effectively use stories to close more sales:

* Relevance: The right story will illustrate
the values that its particular listeners
will care about. It's a good idea to have
a variety of different stories to call
upon at any time; different ones may
have different impacts.
* Flow: Stories must have a clearly
defined beginning, middle and end;
otherwise, listeners may tune them out.
* Details: Stories chock full of descriptive
details give prospects a sensory
experience - they can transport
themselves into the story by virtually
visualizing, hearing and smelling the
details within it.

* Goal orientation: All stories shared
with prospects should convey a target
message that encourages them to
take a desired action.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY DELIVER
STORIES THAT SELL

* Practice: Practice stories before using
them. This provides time to memorize
them and gives tellers the chance
to develop a polished delivery that
drives home key takeaways.
* Relax: Focusing on the personal need
to close a sale may heighten feelings of
anxiety, which can cause salespeople to
rush or have trouble listening. Taking
some belly breaths and shifting their

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Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019

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