Master the Skill of Sales Storytelling with Doug Keeley, Ep #330
Sales is about making connections with your customer. Humans invented stories as the most powerful way to connect information and people. That\u2019s why storytelling is something you\xa0have\xa0to 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\u2019re good at something is because they do it\xa0consistently. Just like learning a musical instrument, storytelling is a skill that you need to master.\xa0
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\xa0
- [7:28] Doug\u2019s top three storytelling dos and don\u2019ts
- [9:33] How a story can pack a powerful punch
Many salespeople go wrong when they share a case study, thinking that it\u2019s a story. You\u2019re laying out the company, the problem, and how your company solved the problem. You\u2019re making the storyteller the hero and the subject the company.\xa0No one cares about companies.\xa0Companies are inanimate abstracts. People\xa0do\xa0care about people. They care about themselves. Make your story about someone\u2019s challenge and how you solved a problem for the person.\xa0
The attributes of a great sales storytellerIf 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.\xa0
What are Doug\u2019s top three storytelling dos and don\u2019ts? Listen to find out!\xa0
The Hero\u2019s Journey isn\u2019t the be-all and end-allDoug believes that the Hero\u2019s Journey isn\u2019t what you want to use for business storytelling. You don\u2019t 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\u2019t buy the doctrine that every story has to be a hero overcoming a huge challenge to find the truths about themselves.\xa0
How a story can pack a powerful punchIn 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,\xa0Federal 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.\xa0
A huge snowstorm closed some local roads and a delivery driver couldn\u2019t get to his destination in his truck. So he drove to the airport, rented a helicopter, and\xa0flew the package to its destination.\xa0
The press thought they\u2019d 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.\xa0
Doug\u2019s clients included large technology companies and banks. They gave their business to Federal Express. FedEx became one of the world\u2019s greatest brands. It all started with a powerful story in a newspaper.\xa0
A few powerful stories that show what your company stands for or how you\u2019ve 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 Connect with Doug Keeley Connect With Paul Watts\xa0Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com