Applying Theater to Sales Storytelling with Charles McFarland, Ep #319
Charles McFarland has a background in theater and has produced and directed over 60 shows. He points out that if you want to pitch to Pixar, it starts with the hero\u2019s journey. You share the hero\u2019s challenges, goals, desires, and obstacles, and get to the inciting incident. How do you as the guide or coach come to the rescue and lead to an outcome, i.e. their \u201chappily ever after?\u201d You have to remove tension from the sales relationship and move to an emotional plane. The best way to do that is through storytelling. Charles shares his process in this episode of Sales Reinvented!
Outline of This Episode- [0:55] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
- [1:40] Can the craft of storytelling be learned?
- [2:41] The key to a great story that sells
- [4:36] The attributes of a good storyteller
- [6:10] Resources to improve storytelling
- [7:06] Top storytelling dos and don'ts
- [10:37] Use StoryBrand to transform your sales pitches
What is key to great storytelling? Three simple things:\xa0
- You need a hero that everyone can identify with
- You need a desire for improvement
- You must demonstrate pain points
If your \u201caudience\u201d likes act I of the story, the payoff will be greater in act V when you get the resolution. You need a strong backstory, a dramatic incident that says, \u201cI can\u2019t bear this any longer.\u201d It must change the landscape and provide a need for the solution\u2014your product or service. It needs a beginning, middle, and end with an emphasis on character.\xa0
What does that look like?\xa0
- You need an exposition: Who is the story about? What is their situation? What do they want?
- Something must happen to drive the story; there must be urgency. You must barrel your listener toward what would be a bad outcome.\xa0
- Someone or something must come to the rescue and guide the hero through the obstacles to the desired destination
Charles shares some great storytelling techniques he\u2019s learned:
- Be the guide, not the hero. If the story is all about you, there\u2019s no room for the audience to see themselves in the story. People want to hear a story about themselves.
- Make the story urgent and build dramatic tension. People must experience the lows before the highs to move the buyer to the emotional buying plane.
- Find stories that have a \u201cwow\u201d factor. Make sure the result is a transformation, not just an improvement. Get a customer to the point where they\u2019re delighted and amazed.
- Don\u2019t use the first person. Create a character and share it from their perspective. Offer several points where the listener can identify with that person.
- Don\u2019t forget to \u201cplace\u201d the story with your audience. You\u2019re making a point, some sort of conclusion is being reached. You can tell when the audience is on the same page to move the story forward. If you don\u2019t wait for that moment, you\u2019ll leave your audience behind.\xa0
A year ago, Charles McFarland was coaching a brand campaign agency. They did terrific work but their pitches were boring. So Charles told them to identify what makes their audience look good and what would help solve their problem. He had them implement StoryBrand style storytelling.
What does success look like? What is getting in the way? How can you offer a solution and position yourself as a guide?\xa0
They were set to meet a brand manager to have a \u201cget to know you\u201d conversation. They went in with their new StoryBrand pitch. The next day he called to offer them the contract.\xa0
Resources & People Mentioned Connect with Charles McFarland Connect With Paul Watts\xa0Audio Production and Show notes by
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