Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019 - 22

focus from achieving their own personal
goals to achieving their prospect's, will
help them become centered.
* Listen: When prospects are talking,
listen for strengths, values, challenges
and concerns to determine what's
important to them.
* Reflect: Reflect on what was heard,
and decide what is needed to make an
emotional connection, be collaborative
or contribute something.
* Improvise: Use a story that best
meets what the prospect is seeking.
It's crucial to work from the prospect's
stated needs rather than a predetermined agenda. Stories can be
tied to a specific section of the sales
deck/PowerPoint in order to hold the
prospect's interest. The remaining
information can be addressed at some
point if it's relevant to the prospect.
* Share: Tell the story that was selected,
making it vivid, clear and brief.
* Make it relevant: Underscore the story's
relevance by highlighting how it ties into
what matters to the prospect. Doing so
helps the prospect know they have
been heard and understood.

* Refocus: Transition the focus of
the conversation back to the core
business issue.

THE BEST SALES
STORIES GIVE A
SOUL TO OTHERWISE
INANIMATE PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES.
GET YOUR TEAMS "STORY
SELLING"
The best way to get your sales team
story selling is to adopt a multi-pronged
approach:
* Create a sales story library: Provide a
searchable online "library" of sales stories
your team can tap into, broken out by
topic, product or service.
* Teach storytelling as a sales technique:
Teach your team techniques for
creating and delivering an effective
sales story.

5 ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE
SALES STORY
Relevance: The right story will illustrate the
values that its listeners care about.
Flow: Clearly define the beginning, middle
and end of stories to promote engagement.

Details: Use descriptive details to transport
listeners into the story.
Brevity: Keep sales stories under a minute.
Goal Orientation: All stories shared with
prospects should convey a target message
that encourages them to take a desired action.

| 22

* Share sales stories: Ask your team to
Figure 1: The Kirkpatrick Model
share their short sales stories during
weekly sales meetings or calls. Ideally,
take a video of them doing so, or have
what they said transcribed and added
to the online sales story "library."
* Hold storytelling off-sites: Hold
periodic off-sites during which sales
team members are asked to share
their best sales story with a colleague
who must constructively critique
their delivery and retell the story.
This achieves two things: It helps the
team expand their sales story repertoire
and improves their storytelling ability.
* Use outside expertise: Sharpen your
team's skills by engaging a company
experienced in using storytelling for
sales training.
Few people naturally have the ability to
tell an engaging sales story, but everyone
can learn how to do so. Giving your sales
team the tools needed to master the art
of storytelling for sales will enable them
to close deals faster and forge positive,
lasting client relationships.
Elsa Powel Strong is the vice president of
solution strategy at Ariel, a leadership and
communication training firm. Email Elsa.

LEVERAGING STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESS IMPACT
Storytelling is integral to the human experience. It enables us to connect with
others and overcome fears, differences and objections. The power of this ancient
art, when strategically utilized in sales, has a positive impact on business growth.
Does your sales team have compelling stories to share about your company and
the skills needed to tell them well?

80%

OF
CUSTOMERS

feel the buying experience a company provides is as important as its products
and services, according to Salesforce's "State of the Connected Customer" report.

22

TIMES MORE
MEMORABLE

Stories are about 22 times more memorable
than facts alone, according to Stanford
marketing professor Jennifer Aaker.

53%

OF CUSTOMER
LOYALTY

is driven by the sales experience,
according to global research and
advisory firm Gartner.

https://www.arielgroup.com/ https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/e-books/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-second-edition2018.pdf https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/e-books/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-second-edition2018.pdf https://womensleadership.stanford.edu/stories https://www.gartner.com/en/sales-service/insights/challenger-sale

Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019

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