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HOW TO LEVERAGE STORYTELLING IN SALES: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO DRIVING CHANGE
Post by Anthony Iannarino
August 6, 2024
Play
How to Leverage Storytelling in Sales: The Essential Guide to Driving Change
AI-generated audio
5:18
Discover the power of storytelling in sales and how it can revolutionize your
client interactions and drive change.
You can use a number of stories while selling. The most common story for some
salespeople is their company's story, even though it rarely scores points with
prospective clients. The second most common type of story may be about a
struggling client and how your solution turned things around. While these
stories are often helpful, they can cause your client to feel as if you are
pitching to them. The third most common type of story comes from clients in the
form of testimonials that your company does good work.
You might use other stories to help your prospective client advance their change
initiative, but few salespeople have what might be the most important story for
a salesperson to share with their decision-makers, buyers, and other
stakeholders.
WHY STORYTELLING MATTERS IN SALES
The most important story explains why the client needs to change. Lacking this
story may cause you to go through your sales process only to find that the
client stalls. Without a compelling reason to change early in the sales
conversation, you are forced to make this case at the end of the sales process
when it is too late to be effective.
The reason so many salespeople tell a client story is that sales leaders and
sales managers believe that their solution is the most important topic to
discuss. Some still believe that their solution is best in class, even though it
is as good as what the competition offers. Focusing on your solution results in
parity with your competitors; not differentiation.
Not only is there parity between solutions, but there is also parity in the
sales conversation. This leads clients to believe that you and your company are
a commodity. To differentiate yourself from your many competitors, you might
tell a better, more compelling story—one about change.
UNDERSTANDING “WHY CHANGE”
Let’s start with a few important storytelling concepts. The first concept is
“why change.” You may have the most interesting solution in the known universe,
but if there is no clear reason why the client should change, you will have a
challenging time compelling them to buy what you sell.
The second concept suggests that you don’t need to ask your client to define
their problems for you in a first meeting. When you have to ask about the
client’s problem, they may believe you are not an expert in your industry. You
take a different course by sharing a set of insights that provide evidence of
the need to change.
BUILDING A STORY ABOUT CHANGE
Let’s explore how to build a story about change. We will use a set of insights
to tell this story:
1. The trucking industry is anticipated to face a shortage of 160,000 drivers
by 2030, creating opportunities for new entrants (Warrior Logistics).
2. Driver wages have increased by 15% over the past five years to attract more
workers to the industry (Nova Lines).
3. Insurance premiums for trucking have risen by 47% from 2009 to 2018 due to
higher litigation payouts.
Together, these insights tell a story about change. If your client is in
logistics or trucking, they face a future where they will have too few drivers,
higher wages, and higher insurance premiums. To be prepared to face these
challenges, a company in this industry will need to change.
Let’s look at the difference between asking the client about their problem and
showing up with a well-designed story about change. If you present a
well-crafted story about change, while your rival asks the client about their
problems, you will have an advantage in this contest. When your story identifies
you as an expert and authority, the kind that does their homework, your client
will find you to be a better—and safer—salesperson to work with on the change
they need to improve their results.
INTEGRATING THE “WHY CHANGE” STORY INTO YOUR SALES STRATEGY
Your story starts with a reason to change now, but it is important that your
solution is capable of addressing that. If the story doesn’t lead to the better
results the client needs, the story or the solution must change.
If you use stories, start with the story of why—and how—the client will need to
change. You may also need a number of stories explaining “why change” to face
different problems, and to address other problems or challenges your clients are
trying to overcome.
CONCLUSION
You should have a number of stories to sell effectively, but the most important
sales story is the one that allows the client to see themselves. It is also
important to get the sequence right. It doesn’t make sense to tell a story about
your solution before you have established that there is a reason to change.
If you are a salesperson, you should work on a story about change. You should
test your approach with friendly clients who can give you feedback on how
compelling your story is. If you are a sales leader and you need help enabling
this powerful sales approach, go here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/beth85.
Do good work, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
TAGS:
Sales 2024
Post by Anthony Iannarino on August 6, 2024
Written and edited by human brains and human hands.
Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at
thesalesblog.com for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making
this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also
the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and
a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an
even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to
Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success.
Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales
strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also
provides workshops and seminars. You can reach Anthony at thesalesblog.com or
email Beth@b2bsalescoach.com.
Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at
iannarino@gmail.com
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