Problem-Focused Storytelling with Dave Butler, Ep #325
Storytelling is an important skill for salespeople and companies to possess because story is the way humans remember everything. If you give someone a list of facts that aren\u2019t connected in a meaningful way, people will shut you down.\xa0
A good story focuses on a problem that someone has. If you can hone in on a problem so much so that the person recognizes the problem in themselves, they get hooked. Dave Butler shares why problem-focused storytelling is so effective in this episode of Sales Reinvented!\xa0
Outline of This Episode- [0:59] Why storytelling is an important skill for salespeople to have
- [2:47] Why storytelling is something that can be learned
- [4:21] A formula for problem-focused storytelling\xa0
- [8:38] The attributes of a great sales storyteller
- [12:05] Resources to improve your storytelling abilities
- [13:23] Dave\u2019s top 3 storytelling dos and don\u2019ts
- [16:23] Why you need to focus on the problem first
Dave notes that you don\u2019t need to be an expert to tell stories. People can be taught to tell stories in a formulaic way that\u2019s just as gripping as the greatest speaker. It\u2019s about focusing on the problem that you\u2019re solving rather than the details of the solution. It becomes straightforward to have every person in your company testing and perfecting the story. The effectiveness of a story comes from repetition.
A formula for problem-focused storytellingPeople don\u2019t listen to a story they don\u2019t care about. So the problem that you solve needs to be at the core of the story that matters to them. If they\u2019re struggling with the problem you solve, then you need to amp it up and raise its importance in their mental framework. A problem can be broken down into three components:\xa0
- External problem: Everyone that\u2019s buying something has a thing they\u2019re trying to fix.\xa0
- Internal problem: The story can focus on their internal problem, i.e. how the external problem is affecting them internally.\xa0
- Philosophical problem: Is there a struggle between good and evil? Is there an injustice?\xa0
When you\u2019re telling the story, the hero\xa0has to be the listener. The person with the problem is typically weak. They need someone to come alongside them to help them solve the problem. Companies need to be the guide that\u2019s grounded in empathy and competence. Communicate that you care about their problem and that you\u2019re the right entity to fix it.\xa0
Lastly, you have to cast a vision of success or failure. The listener needs to feel what\u2019s at stake. You use this to increase the relevance of the problem in their minds. You need to emphasize that the problem is awful and they shouldn\u2019t have to face it.\xa0
What are the attributes of a great sales storyteller? What are Dave\u2019s top 3 storytelling dos and don\u2019ts? Listen to hear Dave\u2019s thoughts!
Why you need to focus on the problem firstDave was the first VP of Sales at Aruba Wireless Networks (which was eventually bought out by HP). People at home got to use wireless at home, but they couldn\u2019t do it in their company. They wanted to build a product that enabled people to use wireless networks everywhere. They found seven massive companies in LA and New York that agreed to help them design the product so it would be perfect for them.
They got the product out the door and not a single one of those 14 companies bought it. They didn\u2019t want to deploy wireless because it would create more problems for them (and they didn\u2019t see that it would create additional revenue).
One day in New York, an engineer sitting in a park realized he could still log on to the wireless system. Customers were bringing in wireless access points from homes and plugging them into the bank. It was an incredible security violation. So they changed their product to get rid of unwanted wireless first. Two weeks later, every company was a customer.
You have to make sure that your solution is something that people want. That\u2019s why you must focus on the problem and build from there.\xa0
Resources & People Mentioned Connect with Dave Butler Connect With Paul Watts\xa0Audio Production and Show notes by
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