Sales Reinvented

As a former procurement professional, Mike Inman can guarantee that procurement comes to the table with a plan. As a salesperson, if you don’t have a plan of your own—you’ll end up following theirs. You should know the tactics you want to use, who is going to be in the meeting, what your BATNA is, and you must set an agenda. Knowledge is power, and you have to leverage it. He shares his take on “opposition” research in this episode of Sales Reinvented! 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:59] Why planning and preparation is an important step in negotiation
• [2:06] The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation
• [4:09] The attributes or characteristics that make a great sales negotiator
• [5:04] Don’t be afraid to leverage LinkedIn to do your research
• [8:33] Mike’s top three negotiation planning dos and don’ts
• [10:50] The importance of opposition research in a negotiation

The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation

What’s happening on your side of the table? For every deal point, you must have an open position target and bottom line. After you know what you can and can’t do, spend twice as much time on opposition research. 

This can even help you determine if they’ve already decided in your favor—or not in your favor. If you find out that you’re not their preferred solution for a product or service, you can stop wasting time and cut your losses. 

Lastly, get approval in advance. There’s nothing more frustrating than a salesperson that has to run things by their boss. Then you’re just an order taker. You’ll get abused. Make sure that you’re authorized to make concessions or close a deal.

Don’t be afraid to leverage LinkedIn to do your research

Mike emphasized that LinkedIn is a person's billboard. They choose to publish where they’re from, what they’ve studied, and what’s important to them. 

Mike just advised on a massive negotiation. He looked at the Director of Supply Chain’s background on LinkedIn and it was clear that he was career-focused. He moved up the ladder with every job he took. Mike knew that this gentleman needed a win to continue to advance his career.

So Mke helped them build a negotiation plan to make him look good in front of his superiors while protecting value on their side. 

Conversely, if someone isn’t sharing information on LinkedIn, why are they hiding it? You can build a psychological profile from this angle as well. If they’re not freely sharing information, they’re a closed person. You’ll likely have to ask more questions in the negotiation. 

Mike’s top negotiation planning dos and don’ts

Mike shares some to-the-point negotiation dos and don’ts that are spot-on: 

• Schedule time to plan your negotiation. Get it on your calendar and on the calendar for whomever you need approval from.
• Set an agenda for planning and don’t wing it. 
• Negotiate the agenda with the other side.
• Don’t wing it or you’ll lose.
• Make assumptions. Make assumptions and test them with good questions.
• Don’t forget your timeline. People make the biggest concessions if they’re nearing a deadline. Don’t schedule a negotiation near your deadlines or at the end of the quarter.

Knowledge is power: Why research pays off

When Mike moved to Denver, he wanted to rent for a couple of years to make sure he liked the area. They decided they wanted to move over the Summer, so they started looking in January. By February, they’d been outbid on three homes. 

So he set up alerts to be notified immediately when there was a new listing. One Saturday morning, a house came on the market that looked perfect. They showed up at the open house and it was perfect. 

After doing some legwork, they determined that the house was overpriced. They put in an offer $4,000 below ask with the stipulation that the sellers must accept or deny the offer by Monday at close of business. Monday at noon, they got an email that they won the house. 

But there was a huge mistake. The seller accidentally sold the home to two buyers. The agent told Mike that they were “aging” and “didn’t understand technology” and made a mistake. So Mike did some more research. Turns out, the seller worked for Cisco as a Government Contracting Expert. 

The agent lied to Mike. So Mike pushed back. The agent responded with their lawyer’s contact information. So what happened next? Mike unwraps a fascinating story that was only possible because he did opposition research. Listen to the episode to hear the ending! 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Crystal Knows

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Joanne M Smith believes that negotiation preparation in 2023 will be more critical than ever. Why? Because change is happening. We’ve been in an easy negotiation market. She points out that we’re looking at a potential recession where pricing power is going to shift away from suppliers and into the hands of the customers. That’s why she believes salespeople need to plan for tough conversations. Learn what that looks like in this episode of Sales Reinvented! 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:45] Why planning and preparation is an important step in negotiation
• [1:45] The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation
• [5:02] The attributes or characteristics that make a great sales negotiator
• [7:16] Negotiation planning tools and resources to improve B2B negotiations 
• [9:24] Joanne’s Top negotiation planning dos and don’ts
• [13:27] Planning for tough conversations leads to negotiations success

The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation

The best economists believe that we’ll see a recession within months. When it happens, a salesperson’s job will become harder. You have to adjust your strategy to be fair in the economic conditions you find yourself in. 

Make sure you have a rationale for whatever your price point is. Does your industry fairly deserve more? Are you in a position where you can increase your prices? 

Your leadership must look at macroeconomics, supply and demand, and the cost of inflation, and give you crisp strategies with real talking points so you can have tough conversations. 

So how do you prepare for tough conversations in a negotiation? 

Ask yourself, “For this deal, what are the toughest questions that I’m likely to be asked related to my offering or to my price?” In many cases, the questions will be price-oriented. When you ask those questions, you know the data you need to prepare to craft a satisfactory response. 

The attributes or characteristics that make a great sales negotiator

A salesperson needs to be comfortable with tension and willing to respectfully enter into price discussions. They have to be able to guide the customer toward a better solution they might not be aware of. If you’re going to be confident, you must prepare. 

Joanne asks everyone she trains: How do you self-rate on price negotiation skills and confidence? 90% of salespeople think they’re great at sales and feel like they’re mediocre at best when it comes to price negotiation. 

She emphasizes that you have to take a step back and realize that you don’t know enough and start learning. Set up some frameworks to make it easy to prepare and effectively negotiate that price.

Top negotiation planning dos and don’ts

Joanne shares some great tips to keep in mind when you’re negotiating: 

• Recognize that every deal you do isn’t done in isolation. Every deal sets up the future for you and your customers and the way your competitors respond. If you over-discount one customer, they’ll tell your competitors. So your competitors drop their prices. It creates a negative snowball effect.
• Make sure you have a walk-away price. Don’t agree to a low price because it disrupts everything moving forward. 
• Make sure you know why you deserve the price and can stand behind it.
• Salespeople believe they have 50% or more price buyers that don’t care about value and will simply buy the lowest price. Don’t fall for that
• If someone doesn’t want to pay your price, let them walk away. Or, take away some value to give them a lower price. 

Planning for tough conversations leads to negotiations success

Joanne was working with a global business in the construction space. They had a clear and fair reason to raise their prices over the last year. But their sales team wasn’t confident and was afraid they’d lose sales. Three different regions started training with Joanne. The European branch decided they didn’t need training. What happened? 

The three regions that completed the training got their price increases with high success and little to minimal share loss. The region that didn’t complete training had a 30% share loss in their largest country. Her workshop covered negotiation preparation. They prepared by practicing responding to tough questions. It goes to show that preparation will always be key. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Price Negotiation Playbook
• Pricing in a Crisis Playbook

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It’s important to practice and train in football, basketball, or any other professional sport, right? Yet too many professionals discount the importance of practice and preparation. But if you don’t plan and prepare when you’re negotiating with a team, you’re planning and preparing for complete failure. A great negotiation is the result of great planning on both sides. Keld Jensen emphasizes that you must spend time preparing—more so than on the negotiation itself. Learn how he accomplishes this in this episode of Sales Reinvented! 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:47] Why planning and preparation is an important step in negotiation
• [2:48] The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation
• [5:50] The attributes or characteristics that make a great sales negotiator
• [7:37] Negotiation planning tools and resources to improve B2B negotiations 
• [9:33] Top three negotiation planning dos and top three don’ts
• [12:55] Why a negotiation team needs at least three players
• [15:08] Things to be aware of when negotiating with a team
• [16:58] Don’t get caught in a negotiation you’re not aware of

The key steps a salesperson should take to prepare for negotiation

Keld believes there are hundreds of steps one can take to prepare for a negotiation with a team, but names a few of the most important:

• Take an interest in the counterpart’s interest. What do they really want? You’re not allowed to guess—you need to know. So ask your counterpart intelligent questions to understand their interests, values, and costs.
• Who are you negotiating with? You’re not negotiating against a company—you’re negotiating with a person. You need to know who they are, how many people you’re negotiating with, and if they are the stakeholders that can sign the contract.
• What variables do you want to negotiate? Delivery time, warranty, education, warehousing, transportation—there are hundreds of possible variables. Prioritize your variables. 

Negotiation planning tools and resources to improve B2B negotiations 

Keld uses a negotiation planner that is simply a schedule with columns. One column lists the variables that are negotiable. Then you take the starting point (i.e. a proposal) and calculate your negotiation wiggle room and the consequence(s) of using that wiggle room. Will you win or lose money? You need to come to a conclusion for every variable and the total cost or benefit. 

Why a negotiation team needs at least three players

Keld believes you should never negotiate alone. He recommends negotiation with a team of 2–3 people so nothing gets missed. It’s impossible for one person to do it all. 

When Keld pushes his clients and students to work as part of a team, many of them feel uncomfortable. You have to relate to the content, the case, the counterpart, and the people on your team. That requires discipline. A negotiation team should consist of three roles:

1. The head of the team: This person takes charge and identifies the strategy and what should happen next. 
2. A notetaker: This person is the one who tracks what’s happening and knows what’s going on. They’re the “memory” of the team. 
3. A calculator: This is the person with a spreadsheet doing the math to calculate the impact of changing different variables. 

You have to coordinate who’s doing what so you don’t unintentionally give away something you shouldn’t.

Things to be aware of when negotiating as a team

Keld was helping a Norwegian agency sell a production plan to an Italian customer. The head of the Norwegian negotiation team was the Sales Director. His team consisted of himself, the Technical Director, and the Managing Director. They’d been negotiating for hours, discussing commercial items. 

Then the Italian counterpart pointed out that all of the manuals were in English and asked for them to be translated into Italian. The Technical Director jumped in and said, “We’ve already done that!” 

The real cost of translating the manual was €12,000 and he just gave it away. Why did he say it? Because he was proud of it. That’s why they should’ve discussed what he was and wasn’t allowed to say. He should have said, “We can discuss how much that will cost.” 

What is the most dangerous type of negotiation a salesperson can find themselves in? Listen to the whole episode to hear what it is—and what you should do when you find yourself in that negotiation.

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What does a customer experience when they hear a story? It should be entertaining, enjoyable, and relatable. Storytelling is innately human. We are wired to receive and retain information when it’s told in story form. Stories can also be used to create alignment with important executive stakeholders in the sales process. Learn how Scott Ingram uses stories to create executive alignment with Fortune 500 companies in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:53] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess 
• [1:30] Is storytelling something that can be learned?
• [2:44] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [3:32] The attributes of a great sales story
• [6:23] Resources to improve storytelling abilities
• [7:17] Reaching executive stakeholders with one question
• [14:03] The success Scott sees aligning with stakeholders
• [15:11] What you can take away from Scott’s story

Stories are perfected through practice

Scott has developed specific stories for specific situations that he knows will resonate or make a point. He knows that the story format will connect better than if he just gave someone information.

What are the situations—throughout your sales cycle—where a story might be appropriate? How do you introduce yourself? How do you introduce your company or solution? How do you share successes with other customers?

You have an opportunity to choose the story and practice the story. That’s how anyone gets better at anything. 

The attributes of a great sales story

The more closely you can align your hero with your customer, the more they can see themselves in that situation. The more it connects, the more it resonates. The story needs to relate to the issue or objective you’re trying to solve. 

One of the stories that Scott uses frequently is all about elevating the access that he has in an organization. He wants to get connected to and aligned with an executive stakeholder. That’s the reason he tells a story. He wants them to understand the value of making that introduction. He’ll increase their odds of success in a project. 

What is the purpose of the story? What outcome do you desire? 

Reaching executive stakeholders with one question

Scott works for a professional services firm and most of his clients are Fortune 500 companies. The deals are often complex with numerous stakeholders and departments in the mix. When he’s in a competitive situation he wants to differentiate himself but his primary objective is to get aligned with the executive stakeholder for the project. 

When you’re working on these complex opportunities where you have misaligned incentives, different goals, etc. you need someone that sits above it all and can make decisions to move a project forward. The success or failure of these projects hinges on a strong executive stakeholder. So Scott shares this story when he’s trying to determine who an executive stakeholder is. 

Rob—a stakeholder at a Fortune 500 company—is the perfect executive stakeholder because he understands the value of his role in meeting the overall objective of a project. What made Rob so great in his role is that he knew his role was to call balls and strikes. 

You will work with incomplete data, but decisions must still be made to move forward. By serving in that role, he’s seen incredible success delivering projects on time and on budget, delivering the results and outcomes the organization was seeking. 

After telling that story, Scott asks his clients if they have a stakeholder identified for the project. Most often, the answer is “no.” So Scott educates them on why the role is critical to their success. It’s a challenging question that most people won’t ask. 

The success Scott sees aligning with stakeholders

Scott notes that he shares this story in the majority of his deals. It elevates the conversation and brings real value to the project. Secondly, Rob is a closer personal friend and he’s more than happy to make an introduction. It also opens up the opportunity for Rob to share his story about Scott and his company to the new client. 

Scott’s approach is effective 80% of the time. Many teams are trying to complete a mission-critical project, yet they’re disjointed across the organization and often don’t realize their risk is high. The way to mitigate their risk is to figure out who the executive stakeholder is and get them involved in the process. 

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Sales is about building relationships. People want to have faith that you’re a good person and that you’re there for the right reasons. They don’t get to see you in action. But if you tell a story about a real experience, it shares a sample of your behavior. It allowed them to decide whether or not you’re trustworthy. Annette Simmons firmly believes that storytelling is the substance of relationships. Learn how she uses stories to demonstrate trustworthiness in this episode of Sales Reinvented! 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:44] Why is storytelling an important skill to possess in sales? 
• [2:01] Is storytelling something that can be learned? 
• [3:25] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [5:04] The attributes of a great storyteller
• [6:53] Resources to improve your storytelling
• [9:55] Top three storytelling dos and don’ts
• [12:40] Using a story to demonstrate trustworthiness

The ingredients of a great story that sells

A great story is a significant emotional experience narrated so that it feels real to the teller and the listener. How do you know what stories to tell? Annette says to think of a time when you can share a quality that earned you the right to be trusted. What examples from your background of when you were that quality? Or when you blew it? If you narrate it as a real experience using your sensory imagination, magic happens. If you are in the moment, other people feel it as real. But the key is that you have to share a substantive true story. 

The attributes of a great storyteller

Authenticity is #1. Salespeople are trying to build a relationship of trust. When Annette was researching storytelling and sales, she came across a story about a supplier to Walmart. He had been trying to sell to them for ages and never got a sale. Then the purchaser called and asked him for something he didn’t have—but he knew who did. 

So he gave the purchasing agent the name of the person who had what they wanted. That’s where he started to build trust. So when he had what they were looking for, they already trusted him to deliver. What are the other attributes? Listen to hear Annette’s thoughts!

The 6 kinds of stories you must tell

Annette believes there are six stories every salesperson must be able to tell. 

• Who I am
• Why I’m here 
• A story that teaches something
• A vision story
• A value-in-action story
• The “I know what you’re thinking” story

When you hear a story, it prompts you to think of a story. People start sharing stories, which is when the magic happens. Storytelling is a collaborative process. Practice your story with someone else so you see if you’re recreating an emotional experience. If you’re not, you get a chance to correct it before you’re in a sales situation. 

Using a story to demonstrate trustworthiness

When Annette does facilitator training, she caps the classes at a max of 10 people because the work is intense. She wanted people to have the freedom to work on themselves as well as learn the process. For one of her training sessions, she had five people signed up, each paying their own way. A large client reached out to her and said they’d take the remaining spots. 

Instead of agreeing to take all five, because she didn’t believe it would be fair to her current participants, Annette said she could accept 2–3 and the others could join the next training. She wanted to make sure it was a good experience for everyone. The woman told her she wouldn't be getting her business and hung up on her.

People might hear that story and focus on the thought that she lost business. Annette doesn’t care. She shares the difficult things they don’t want to hear with positive intent. What stories can you share that might be difficult but will create trust? And create a context where you are being honest and authentic? Annette will make decisions that are in the best interest of her clients, even when they disagree. Telling that story creates a powerful base for a relationship and builds trustworthiness.

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Story Factor
• Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins
• Drinking from a Different Well

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People make decisions on an emotional level and then justify them logically. If you hear a story about someone else that mirrors what’s happening to you, you visualize yourself in that role. When you hear that someone else has used this product or service as their solution, it makes the decision to buy easier. It helps ease your nerves. 

As the seller, you can tap into the real needs of a buyer that help them make a decision. You do this by sharing real, relevant, and descriptive stories that put the buyer in that scenario. Donald C Kelly shares how story selling is in the details in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:55] Why is storytelling an important skill to possess in sales? 
• [2:42] Can you become a more gifted storyteller? 
• [5:14] What makes a great story that sells? 
• [7:01] The characteristics of a great storyteller
• [8:54] Resources to improve your storytelling
• [10:35] Top three storytelling dos and don’ts
• [13:14] Why you should share stories that resonate

What makes a great story that sells?

Every story has to have a hero and a guide. Donald Miller talks about this in his book, “Storybrand.” You are Gandalf and the client is Frodo. You need to make sure you’re guiding those individuals and not trying to take the limelight. 

Secondly, you have to make sure your story is demonstrating a real and relevant problem. You can’t make something up. Frodo had to save Middle Earth from destruction. The guide was able to help them. 

What was the defining moment? What was the impact? What is the solution and resolution that comes from it? 

The characteristics of a great storyteller

Donald emphasizes that you have to have a good imagination. Salespeople tend to push the sale to the close. But when you’re telling a story, you need to linger on descriptions. You need to linger on details. You need to linger on the things that pull on people’s heartstrings. 

You can share how you helped someone with their CRM. Or you could say, “They go into the office dreading opening their CRM because it’s so convoluted and difficult to use…” Focusing on emotions helps them imagine the pain and difficulty.

Top three storytelling dos and don’ts

What are Donald’s top storytelling tips?

• Don’t rush your story, tell it with the necessary details.
• Be sure that you’re not telling a dry story. Be descriptive, vary your pitch, etc. It’s something you learn in Toastmasters.
• Be descriptive. It’s important to share relevant details.
• Don’t lie. Don’t fabricate stories and deceive people. 
• Don’t push a story about yourself, but share one about the prospect.
• Don’t pressure prospects when you tell a story. You want them to feel good and feel like moving forward with your solution.

Why you should share stories that resonate

Donald was selling software to Indian River County Schools in Florida. The School District wanted to go paperless. They had a place on campus that housed all of their files that no one wanted to use. It wasn’t only difficult to find anything but was dangerous because there were boxes stacked everywhere. 

So Donald shared a story about another school district in a similar circumstance. Unfortunately, an elderly staff member was hurt because they had to climb on the boxes and fell. He helped his prospect to visualize what could happen without a solution.

But Donald didn’t stop there. He shared how this school district implemented the digital solution and how their life became far easier. This resonated with his prospect and they were able to move the sale to the school board.

But that’s not how the story ends. Listen to the whole episode to hear the rest of Donald’s story!

Resources & People Mentioned

• Building a StoryBrand
• Story Selling
• Sell with a Story
• The Hero’s Journey

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When you can share stories that demonstrate the value of your product or service—while making your prospective client the hero—it makes what you offer come alive. Patti Pokorchak likes to say, “When people see the value, they will find the money.” Learn how Patti crafts stories that show value in this episode of Sales Reinvented! 

Outline of This Episode

• [1:19] Why is storytelling an important skill?
• [1:46] Is storytelling something that can be learned? 
• [2:37] The ingredients of a story that sells
• [3:18] The attributes of a great storyteller
• [4:03] Resources to improve your storytelling
• [5:16] Top three storytelling dos and don’ts
• [6:25] How to keep your story more concise
• [7:19] How to make the story about the customer
• [8:12] When people see the value they find the money

Is storytelling something that can be learned? 

Patti jokes that she’s living proof that you can take a shy geek and turn them into a more outgoing multi-million-dollar sales professional. Storytelling is another tool in her arsenal that she uses and teaches. She believes that if you want to improve, it helps to have a board of advisors and accountability partners so you can practice your stories and get feedback. 

The ingredients of a story that sells

You have to set the scene. What is the conflict or problem that needs to be resolved? The climax involves turning your potential client into the star of the story. Patti emphasizes that you have to pace yourself and use different tones. Make your story concise so your listener doesn’t tune out. The least amount of words makes the maximum impact. Lastly, don’t forget to pause at the crucial moment of the story. 

Patti breaks down some other useful storytelling dos and don’ts:

• Make sure the customer is the hero of the story
• Make sure there’s a lesson to be learned
• Be concise. Keep your story at 2–3 minutes
• Don’t be boring.
• Don’t be long-winded.
• Don’t make it about you. 

Listen to find out how Patti makes her stories concise and customer-focused. 

When people see the value they find the money

Patti was asked to come in to give a dreaded second quote to train a department that was already working with someone they trusted. To prepare for the quote, Patti started asking questions. She asked what the other consultant was charging. It was only $1,000 a day. Patti’s target quote was $10,000 a training day. She was 10 times more expensive. But that didn’t deter Patti. 

Patti had been working for Learning Tree for a few years by then. She was confident that they provided world-class training. So when she gave the quote, she shared how they developed courses, which included beta testing, six months of training, and constant evaluation of trainers. In comparison, their consultant had never taught this course before. Their consultant wasn’t qualified in comparison.

Did they want their 20 engineers to waste two days of their time on an unproven course? Patti won their business by showing the value of their training. When people see the value, they will find the money. It’s why Patti always preaches value. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Jeanne Robertson Stories
• Dave Lieber Dallas Morning News
• The Power of Storytelling to Change the World

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Sales is about making connections with your customer. Humans invented stories as the most powerful way to connect information and people. That’s why storytelling is something you have to learn. Learning to play any musical instrument is challenging. Every once and a while a Mozart comes along that is naturally gifted at a young age. But for most people, the reason they’re good at something is because they do it consistently. Just like learning a musical instrument, storytelling is a skill that you need to master. 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:41] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
• [1:16] How to become a more gifted storyteller
• [2:26] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [4:51] The attributes of a great sales storyteller
• [6:18] Resources to improve storytelling abilities 
• [7:28] Doug’s top three storytelling dos and don’ts
• [9:33] How a story can pack a powerful punch

The ingredients of a great story that sells

Many salespeople go wrong when they share a case study, thinking that it’s a story. You’re laying out the company, the problem, and how your company solved the problem. You’re making the storyteller the hero and the subject the company. No one cares about companies. Companies are inanimate abstracts. People do care about people. They care about themselves. Make your story about someone’s challenge and how you solved a problem for the person. 

The attributes of a great sales storyteller

If you're going to play an instrument in a band, you need to know how to play a lot of songs. You also need enough knowledge of your genre to jump right in and play. Good salespeople have a library of stories in their heads that they can pull from when they need them. It needs to come naturally, in the same way that John Mayer can play any blues song. 

What are Doug’s top three storytelling dos and don’ts? Listen to find out! 

The Hero’s Journey isn’t the be-all and end-all

Doug believes that the Hero’s Journey isn’t what you want to use for business storytelling. You don’t need to tell a long story. The stories you tell need to be short-form and anecdotal. The story should share what happened, the challenge, and how the challenge was resolved. Don’t buy the doctrine that every story has to be a hero overcoming a huge challenge to find the truths about themselves. 

How a story can pack a powerful punch

In the mid-1980s, Doug was standing in the office of his production and communication agency. He was reading a story in the newspaper. The story was about a startup package delivery company, Federal Express. Federal Express promised their customers that they would get their customers packages to their destinations on time. No one had ever done that before. 

A huge snowstorm closed some local roads and a delivery driver couldn’t get to his destination in his truck. So he drove to the airport, rented a helicopter, and flew the package to its destination. 

The press thought they’d be out of business by Christmas. But the CEO said their drivers were smart enough to know when and how to deliver packages. They supported the driver, who became a hero in the company. 

Doug’s clients included large technology companies and banks. They gave their business to Federal Express. FedEx became one of the world’s greatest brands. It all started with a powerful story in a newspaper. 

A few powerful stories that show what your company stands for or how you’ve helped others be successful can have a huge impact on your culture and your sales. A great story will stick. This story not only stuck with Doug but stuck so powerfully that he remembers it 30 years later.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Anecdote
• Putting Stories to Work
• Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell

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Rob Stenberg likes to say, “The shortest distance between two people is a story.” And if you’re looking to make an emotional connection, being able to tell a succinct story is a critical sales skill. Some people are more intuitive storytellers. But just like any other skill, you can learn how to tell stories. It takes time and practice and training to gain mastery. Rob shares some of his strategies to craft compelling stories in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:57] Why storytelling is an important skill to have
• [1:30] Can you learn how to be a great storyteller?
• [2:05] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [3:10] The attributes of a great storyteller
• [3:56] Resources to improve storytelling abilities 
• [4:56] Rob’s top 3 storytelling dos and don’ts
• [6:57] How to shorten a story to 60–90 seconds 
• [8:06] Why sales leaders need an “I am human” story

The ingredients of a great story that sells

Rob notes that you need to set the stage where you introduce the hero of the story. Then there needs to be a complication or challenge—what’s wrong that you’re trying to overcome? Then there needs to be a turning point where the hero of the story has an “aha moment” and sees a new way of doing things. The final segment is the resolution—what were the end results? 

Rob’s top 3 storytelling dos and don’ts

What else can you do to make your story stand out? Follow Rob’s dos and don’ts:

• Make sure you add emotion to your story. If you don’t, it will flatline. 
• Make your story brief, 60–90 seconds maximum.
• Once you’ve told your story, listen. Pass the torch to your client.
• Don’t only give facts. Facts tell, stories sell. 
• Don’t tell a story that doesn’t have a point.
• Don’t tell a story that the person you’re talking to can’t relate to. 

But if you struggle to be brief, how do you tell a short story? 

How to shorten a story to 60–90 seconds 

In Rob’s workshops, he teaches salespeople to put the ingredients of a story on color-coded cards. Each card is allowed two bullet points of talking points:

• The setting of the story is a green card
• The complication is a white card
• The turning point is a blue card
• The resolution is a red card

If you look at your cards and follow those talking points, you can keep a story within 60–90 seconds. Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in two minutes and two seconds. If he can do that, salespeople can get their stories down to a minute. 

Why sales leaders need an “I am human” story

Salespeople can be intimidated by sales leadership. Rob was teaching a workshop when the VP of Sales asked to speak briefly at the beginning of Rob’s presentation. The VP proceeded to tell his sales team that they were doing a terrible job. 

Rob was mortified. If he was part of the sales team, he’d be looking for a new job. But the VP of Sales spoke again after lunch. When he did, this is what he said:

“I grew up very poor. I was the youngest of three kids. I didn’t wear a piece of brand-new clothing until I was 16 years old. I vowed that I was never ever going to live like that again. I also vowed that nobody that works with me is ever going to live like that and ever be poor like that. That’s why I ask so much of you, and I just wanted you to know that.”

Rob would walk through fire for that guy. If you’re a sales leader, make sure you have an “I am human story,” a “vision story,” and a “customer hero story.” 

Everyone has a story. So you have to ask good questions to get that person’s story. Rob thought this man was a jerk. When he learned his “why” he saw him in a different light.

Resources & People Mentioned

• What Great Salespeople Do by Mike Bosworth

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Every salesperson needs to be relatable. Stories are the best way to be relatable. A great narrative helps connect people and drive sales. Learning how to become a good storyteller takes experience, which only comes with practice. 

AnnaMarie Platt-Miller emphasizes that the best stories are personal. But if you don’t have those, borrow others’ stories. Read stories. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Watch TedTalks. Do whatever you can to become a better storyteller.

Outline of This Episode

• [1:03] Why storytelling is an important skill to have
• [1:48] Can anyone learn to be a good storyteller?
• [2:32] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [3:59] The attributes of a great sales storyteller
• [5:00] Resources to improve your storytelling
• [7:16] AnnaMarie’s top 3 storytelling dos and don’ts
• [9:26] Why you should personalize stories when possible

The ingredients of a great story that sells

You have to ask your customer open-ended questions so they can share their story. Because until you know their story, you can’t create an environment that’s comfortable for both of you to share experiences so you can close your sale.

Secondly, you need to be relatable. Find common ground with your audience. Lastly, you need to solve their problems. People are buying to fill a need—practical or otherwise. The stories they told you will help complete the transaction so everyone walks away happy. 

AnnaMarie’s top 3 storytelling dos and don’ts

AnnaMarie’s do’s and don’ts drive home her point:

• Be sure to listen to your customer, client, and potential buyer. 
• Tell a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Know what kind of story will appeal to your prospect (a cautionary tale, a hero’s journey, etc.).
• Don’t talk over your customer. You have two ears and one mouth—listen twice as much as you speak
• Don’t be quick to judge how your story is received. If you aren’t sure, ask a question.
• Don’t ever argue with your customer, let them win. 

Personalize stories whenever possible

10 years ago, AnnaMarie was in educational sales selling eBooks. eBooks were relatively new and people were hesitant to give up their paper books. She had to help her customers overcome the idea that no one would use them.

AnnaMarie’s son had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because of this, he had to change the way he learned. eBooks were one of the things that helped him. She shared that story with her customer, which helped them see how the tool could work for them. 

When you can share a personal story, even if it’s difficult, you should. It’s okay to be personal with your customers. It’s okay to share your ideas and experiences and listen to them. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• TED Talks
• The Moth
• Storytelling Guild
• How to Tell a Story

Connect with AnnaMarie Platt-Miller

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Intuitive Tales

Connect With Paul Watts 

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Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com