The first lesson in sales is that “selling isn’t telling” – you can talk at customers but that won’t get them to buy.

However, this #1 sales directive doesn’t say what selling is, nor does it say how to sell, it only describes what selling isn’t.

In answer to this dilemma, consider a new sales directive: “Selling is storytelling”.

But before you let word prejudices get in the way, think about this: Stories and storytelling are the most effective form of human communication. They are more interesting and compelling because humans live storied lives. Stories increase audience listening and retention.

They are a tool to transfer knowledge, and they provide social cues about how that knowledge is to be applied. Our brains are wired to think in narrative structures and most often remember facts as smaller versions of a larger story.

This anthropological reality could be the basis for the #2 sales directive: “People buy on emotion and justify with facts”.

Research by Daphne Jameson in 2001 showed that “Storytelling plays an important role in reasoning processes and in convincing others…managers preferred stories  instead of abstract arguments or statistical measures. When situations were complex, narrative (stories) allowed them to involve more context.”

In selling, this is exactly what we want; Customers listening, engaged, remembering our message and finally taking action based on our proposed solution.

Removing Word Prejudices: “Stories” & “Storytelling”

To some sales reps, “stories” and “storytelling” don’t belong in business because they are fiction, and not based on facts.

The reality is that boundaries have blurred between fiction, which is or can mostly be made up, and non-fiction, which is mostly information.

Now there are categories in between the two, semi-fiction and creative non-fiction.

For our purposes, let’s consider creative non-fiction, which presents ideas and information that already exist, but does it in a more interesting and accessible way than non-fiction alone.

Again, in a sales context we want customers to be interested in our vision of their future by presenting factual information in an interesting and persuasive way.

The Elements of Successful Sales Stories

Successful reps are those that tell customers the most compelling and persuasive business stories.  They tell their stories in written proposals and face-to-face presentations. While the telling is important, the story is the driver.

The following looks at creating a sales story and though there are many theories and opinions on what elements make up a story, we’ll keep it to a simple three; character, conflict, and plot.

Character

Customers only buy what’s in it for them, so the story is about them. They are always the leading character(s) and are always described in positive terms, though you may have  to stretch a little to see their good sides. You, your sales team and your company are the cast of supporting characters.

During the telling of your sales story you’ll describe your characters positively, honestly and as accurately as practical. This doesn’t mean you’re lying about their  failures or overstating your capabilities but that you find a truthful and detailed way to describe them.

The sales story is about how the lead character(s) overcome their conflicts and win the day with your help, should they be wise enough to select you.

Conflict

This is where you describe the lead character being caught between opposing forces. These are the business forces in play based on your understanding and  analysis of your customer’s situation. They’re losing money, shedding market share, in regulatory non-compliance, unsafe and/or unproductive, whatever the first opposing force in the conflict is, usually this is the obvious part of their pain.

After describing one side of the conflict you must tell them about the other side just as forcefully to establish the conflict.

Here you describe what would  happen if the leading character took no action, or made a bad decision (choosing your competitor instead of you – you just can’t say this explicitly). You will  describe concretely what sad tidings would befall them, such as how investors would trash their stock price if they didn’t fix their problems, or customers reject  their offerings.

Plot

This is the sequence of events where the leading character, with the help of their supporting characters (you), take action, resolve the conflict, avoid catastrophe and take home the prize.

The action you describe here is how your solution works, how it will be implemented, and then point to the visible evidence and measurable results they will have with you as their ally. At the end of your plot you’ll also tell them about your past successes to assure them you can deliver the promises made in your sales story.

4 Storytelling Tips

Creating great sales stories is more art than science. So in addition to following your instincts and paying attention to great stories in literature and entertainment, here are four tips that can help in our selling context.

#1 Use 5 Senses

Use as many of the five senses as practical in telling your sales story. More than getting your audience to see what you’re describing, seek to engage their other senses too, get them to feel, hear, smell and taste it as appropriate.

You may think this is a stretch in a business-to-business sales situation but it’s easier than it seems. While you may not work in smell and taste, you’ll be surprised that with a little thought you can easily work in sound and touch.

#2 Capture Attention in the First 8 Seconds

You have eight seconds at the beginning of your story to capture your audience’s attention. Focused attention lasts only eight seconds, after that the attention wanders somewhere else and you can only hope it wanders back to you.

Place an attention-getter in those first eight seconds of your face-to-face presentations, or in the first page of your written proposal. Make it intriguing and relevant but incomplete. This might be the introduction of your customer-specific theme or your radically unique approach. You want to tease your audience’s attention into the sustained attention phase, which lasts for about 20 minutes.

#3 Sustain Attention, Build to 20 Minutes

Develop your story’s plot to build up to its highest point of interest just before the 20 minute mark (or 7 page Executive Summary in a written proposal).

If your available time for storytelling is capped at 30 minutes, hit your plot’s crescendo at 20 minutes, then resolve the details and answer their questions with the remaining time. When they’re talking their attention is back with you.

If your allotted time is more than 30 minutes, develop a second plot crescendo timed for five to seven minutes before your time ends. Then resolve details and get them talking with questions for the remaining time. Why not include the description of the cheers of the service team when the results were announced, or the voice of gratitude from the Area VP whose operations were now in the black?

#4 Wrap Facts in a Story’s Context

When communicating facts and figures include them in a story that presents them in context.  Numbers by themselves are easily forgotten, but when part of a larger story they become memorable.

For example, a brief story in the middle of your presentation that describes what you did to help another client increase their customer retention by 3%, which drove a 15% increase to their bottom line.

Summary

Your storytelling must place customers in the leading roles of their own stories – and you’re there to support them in their journey to slay the business dragons of high cost, or hyper-aggressive competitors, or regulatory  non-compliance.

Your storytelling describes what success looks like for them; how you can help them earn their treasure and ensure their kingdom lives happily ever after.

That’s your sales job. It isn’t “telling” but it is “storytelling”.

Everyone makes pitches, some more formal than others. But with every presentation there are ditches to overcome.

Ditches are the many, critical choices to be made before developing your pitch. They are the determinants of your presentation’s success. PowerPoint failures occur before the pitch.

There’s no one correct choice but ignore them at your peril. Who else but you loses, or ends up looking like a fool?

Consider these ditches as your prep work prior to all live pitches.

Presentation Duration (Time)

Often your audience decides the time available for your pitch but you don’t have to use it all.

How long should your pitch be?

There are as many answers as there are pitch situations, here are a few thoughts.

If you are in the position of determining the length of your presentation, shoot for 20-30 minutes. Why? The adult attention span is short.

How short? Our focused attention is about 8 seconds. That’s to a stimulus that attracts attention, like a ringing telephone. Our sustained attention on one thing is about 20 minutes at a time.

We can choose repeatedly to re-focus on the same thing, which is why we believe we can “pay attention” to things that last for more than a few minutes, such as hour long presentations. In reality, we’re continually re-focusing in much shorter increments.

Where did your audience go in between those re-focusings?

So make your opening exciting and less is more. Use less time than you’re given. But make that time count. You’ll notice this isn’t about slide count. You can have a mesmerizing pitch with one slide, or a boring one with 100 slides.

Audience Size

You rarely control the number of people in your audience. But your presentation  TECHNOLOGY will differ by audience size, and to a lesser degree DURATION, TAKEAWAYS and CALL TO ACTION.

Use the following three sizes to help you over those ditches.

1) Small Show- 1-2 customers, in-person or by web meeting

2) Medium Group – 3-5 customers, in-person and/or some by web meeting

3) Big Theater – 10 or more customers, in-person and/or some by web meeting

Presentation Technology

Technology includes the obvious types, plus there is the “no-technology” of just presenting directly without aides. Here are the ditches for technology, once selected you have to get over it appropriately:

• Projectors (using PowerPoint, Keynote, Flash, PDFs, etc.)
• Web meeting (same as Projectors) for more see “23 Tips for Delivering Great Sales Presentations via Web Meetings“
• Flip books (retro tech using printed, laminated and then spiral bound content)
• Phone (verbal only)
• No technology (in-person, face-to-face)

Audience Location

Technology in general has made it possible to pitch an audience when you’re not in front of them. LOCATION is a minor ditch but does direct you to making better decisions, specifically for choice of TECHNOLOGY and DURATION.

• Audience all in one location physically
• Some together, others remote
• All remote

Audience Feelings about your Topic

This ditch can be huge to overcome and drives your choice of TAKEAWAYS & CALL TO ACTION. Also to some degree your LEAVE BEHINDS. Is your audience there because:

• They have to be there (mandatory)?
• They paid you to be there?
• You paid them to be there (attendance incentive)?
• They volunteered their time to be there (optional)?

Takeaways

To get over this ditch you must be hyper clear on the 3 ideas-concepts-info bites you want your audience to walk away with. Literally, if they were asked an hour after your pitch what it was about, they would be able to recite these 3.

Call to Action

This is the one action your audience must do. To get over this ditch, the call to action must be observable, meaning you’ve got to be able to tell if your audience has acted on your call.  Keep it simple, such as:

• Buy from you
• Take a specific action
• How you want them to feel
• How you want them to be

Leave Behinds

What prompts should you leave behind? You don’t always need to have them, but if you do, don’t give them a full printout of your PowerPoint. Your deck is not your leave behind. Leave behinds could be the detailed report that supported your pitch, or a high-level synopsis of your pitch (1-page).

Types of Pitches

All the ditches above apply to these common types of pitches. Pitches make specific ditches more important than others depending your type of presentation.

Introductory Presentation

You’re trying to pre-qualify for something, either getting pre-qualified onto a bidders list, or acceptance to an organization or community.

In this presentation you’re presenting your capabilities and qualifications; the reasons the audience should accept you.

Sales Showtime

This is the moment of truth. You’re trying to make a sale, seal the deal, get the contract.

Here you’re presenting a customized solution that will solve customers’ problems and help them gain improvements. You should already be pre-qualified but you may have to show how you’re “more” qualified than the competitors.

Educational Seminar

This is the “sage on the stage” presentation. Often performed at trade shows, conventions or industry meetings.

Here you’re enlightening the audience with insights or new information but there may not be a lot of interaction.

Training Session

These are more intensive and interactive than an educational seminar. They have a lot of give and take.

Here your presentation goals are those of adult learning: your audience:

• Needs to know the info you’re training them on
• Can relate it to their experience
• They’re involved in the planning &evaluation
• Immediate relevance of what your training them to their work
• Sees it as problem-centered,
• Sees your training as based on internal versus external motivators

Don’t Fall In

Starting from an intentional and aware position increases your chances of success with your pitch. Audience watch out.

• What do you do to pitch better?

ABC (Always Be Closing) has damaged more reputations and hurt the selling profession more than any other sales tip.

Doubt that? Answer these truthfully:

• Do you ask for the sale right after you first meet a customer?
• Do you try to sell things customers don’t want or need?

Of course not. Asking for the order is only one component in a sale and it occurs at a specific time. There are other requirements. Ask at the wrong time and you’ll have lost a sale, and may have angered a customer by appearing insensitive and selfish.

Like an American driving a car in England, if sales reps don’t know the rules of the road and obey them, it doesn’t matter how skilled they are, a head on collision is coming. So it helps to know the difference between working on a sale and when it’s time to ask for a customer’s commitment.

Showtime is Selling Time

Selling only takes place after you’ve done your homework, and shaped your offer and materials. Once those are covered, then it’s Showtime. You will have talked with customers beforehand as part of your homework. However, talking with customers doesn’t mean it’s Showtime.

Here’s a sales rep’s take on the four parts of a sale: Prep, Offer, Props and Showtime.

Prep

This is the preparation work you do from your first customer contact up to the moment Showtime begins.

In Prep you dig out what you need to know to shape your Offer and Props. This is your due diligence to understand customers’:

• Problems they need fixed
• Improvements they want made
• Company’s situation: is it stable, expanding, contracting, etc.?
• Alternatives to you, i.e. competitors’ offers or status quo

Once you have this info and understanding, then you can customize your Offer and Props to specific customers.

Offer

This is the offer you will make during Showtime. The Offer is always shaped to what your customers need and want. The Offer is your solution that will help fix customer’s problems and/or help them make their desired improvements.

Even if you’re selling a stock item, there are components to shape to a customer’s specific buying situation. Things like terms, add-ons, size, scope and scale.

If you’re selling a complex item or service, there are plenty of components to be shaped into a customized solution.

Props

Props are the properties you’ll use to present your Offer during Showtime. They also include materials you’ll use to qualify yourself/company/product/service during Prep.

Props used in Prep include brochures, fliers, email, web sites, slideshows, etc. These gain you access to customers at the beginning so you can do your Prep work.

Props used during Showtime include proposals, responses to RFPs, and short-list slideshow decks. These are your vehicles for your Offer. Without them you’re only talking, and it’s hard to get customers’ signatures on air.

Once you’ve completed your Prep and shaped your Offer, you can then craft your Props. You’ll want to play back your understanding of the customer’s situation in your Prop before presenting your Offer. This shows customers your Offer is a solution to their needs/wants, not just a commission for you.

Showtime

This is it, Showtime. The defining moment in a sale. The only time you can make a sale because it’s the only time customers can buy — when your Offers are in front of them. You will have shaped your Offers, crafted it in your Props, and based it on the work you’ve done in Prep.

Showtime is when it counts. Perform poorly here and all your work is lost. You will only get a polite goodbye from your customers.

A Problem with Sales Reps

There is an inherent problem with many sales reps; they believe they are much better at Showtime than they are. They love to get up in front of customers and bray through their limited face time. At that point, bored and exhausted customers gratefully send them packing, and ultimately buy from a less painful sales rep, one who may also be less qualified.

An inconvenient reality is that sales reps can’t see their effect during Showtime. Watching practice videos is not enough. It can only help reps mimic a better posture, voice inflection or gesture. It doesn’t help reps be present in the moment; to be honest and authentic.

And there are authentic sales reps who unintentionally appear manipulative and false. They’ve picked up “sales presentation tricks” and ignorantly use them. The results are disastrous. Customers see them as self-interested and self-serving. They can smell falseness in seconds. During Showtime customers are actively looking for it. They have their sensors out, feeling the airwaves for signals of a lying, cheating salesperson.

The way out for sales reps is to learn Showtime skills based on truthful reality. A daunting and ambiguous, but necessary requirement.

Do you Agree?

There’s only one time in a sale to sell: Showtime. Prep work must be done first, then Offers shaped before crafted into Props.

Is it this simple?

Sometimes selling is not about how-to. Sometimes it’s about context. This is one of those times.  Besides, when will you find Shakespeare, Petronius, Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando all together in the same article about selling? It’s true, Google it.

Selling is Theater

Using theater as a metaphor for selling is relatively new. It’s only been around since sales trainers sold training, less than 100 years.

However, theater as a metaphor for life has been around much longer. In 1599, Shakespeare wasn’t the first to use the metaphor in his “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players”.

In the first century AD, Petronius (ca. 27-66 AD), wrote quod fere totus mundus exerceat histrionem: because almost the whole world are actors.  As a Roman consul and courtier in the reign of Nero, Petronius probably saw a lot of sales presentations and must have suffered through many painful ones. However, in Nero’s time bad presentations likely received harsher punishment than losing a sale.

Back to the present.

Selling is Acting

Since we are all actors in life, so we are when selling. And that brings us to a common misconception about acting. There is not one but two forms of acting. And the difference between them can make or break your success selling.

Laurence Olivier, arguably the greatest English stage and film actor in the last century, felt most comfortable acting when wearing a wig, a fake nose or some other elaborate make-up. According to one of his film co-stars, Peter Ustinov, Olivier often insisted on this, even when it wasn’t particularly required for the role he played.

As an actor, Olivier crafted his performance from the outside in. He presented his character by altering the way he spoke, moved and looked. In acting parlance, he “indicated” the character he was playing, and was brilliant at it. However, he was the extremely rare actor who delivered great performances by “indicating” them.

Compare Olivier with his American counterpart, Marlon Brando. Brando was arguably the greatest American film and stage actor of the last century. Yet he approached acting far differently than Olivier’s outside-in approach.

Brando lived his characters. Before performing his roles, he got inside their skin. He knew his character’s  lives as if they were his own; their histories, beliefs, values, prejudices, likes and dislikes.

He asked himself what would he do in his characters’ situations if he knew what they knew. Then using the Magic If, he behaved as if he were in their situation.

As a result, Brando behaved naturally, he was present in the moment. Unlike other actors who pretended to be characters, Brando just was that person, authentic and honest. He acted from the inside-out, which is also known as Method acting.

About Selling

The difference between indicating and behaving honestly is that we, the audience, can be persuaded to follow a Brando-type sales rep and do what is asked. Because that rep is present and authentic in what they’re doing, and they’ve done the right work in preparation. We instinctively know they are genuine.

However, with an Olivier-type sales rep, we know they’re acting, pretending to be something they’re not. We won’t follow their advice because we sense they’re lying, even though they may be very good at it. We can smell their insincerity.

Imagine if your customers felt you were not honest; you were only pretending: you only wanted your commission and not a good deal for them. That would be the end of your career.

Self-Perception

But here’s the issue. Most sales reps believe (or want to believe) they’re viewed by their customers as authentic, honest, and genuine.

Yet when sales reps “indicate” they’re selling, their performances show them for what they are;  self-interested, shallow, and dissembling.

As it is with acting, so it is with selling, except more so. We believe (or want to believe)  we’re much better than our performances reveal.

The Parable Closes

And so ends this story about right-behavior for sales reps. If all the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players, then how can sales reps become better actors?

Method acting, though it may be helpful in the long term, is hard work, time consuming and requires spending money, not making it. So:

• How do you become more authentic in your sales performances?
• What can you do to avoid customers seeing you as self-interested?

All sales reps want referrals because they can lead to quick and easy sales. Yet referrals are hard to get. If we think of referrals as one thing entirely they become elusive. Why?

Because those that want to give us referrals often lack the time to do it. Those that can, may feel uneasy referring us in case we make them look bad.

However, by deconstructing referrals into their parts it’s easier to benefit from components rather than waiting for the entire referral. Understand? May be not. Read on and all will become clear, or at least clearer.

A Referral in 4 Parts

Your best referrals will come from business contacts who meet these criteria from “The Quick Sales Funnel and Super 8“:

• They know you & your company
• They like you personally
• They have time for you
• They value what you do

But there’s more to referrals than just wanting the opportunity. The four parts of a referral are:

#1 The Referrer
#2 Contact Data
#3 Inside Info
#4 The Referral Introduction

#1 The Referrer

Not all those willing to refer you will have the same value to your sales’ efforts.

Because your time is limited, work from a prioritized list of those who will introduce you, or provide a lead.  Here is how to identify your high priority referrers:

1.1 They work for a highly visible, well known company

While this isn’t a requirement, it’s what you hope for. Your referrer works for a Microsoft or Apple or GE or Goldman Sachs. It’s the brag factor that counts as most of your referrals will be made to lesser beings. So start your referral efforts with high visibility brands first.

1.2 They are recognized as Subject Matter Experts in their fields

Obviously, you can’t alter whether they have this status or not. But you can first choose those that have, then follow with the balance of your referrers.

1.3 They have personal connections with your target prospects

A personal connection is obviously stronger than a professional one only. The personal relationship has the potential for providing secret insights of the target prospects.

1.4 They have a professional connection with your target prospects

In the absence of a personal connection, professional credence is valuable. Even if your referrer is not from a high-profile company, the fact they have worked with your target prospects can lend weight to their referral. Again, you can’t do anything about this, but you can prioritize them.

#2 Contact Data

At the most basic level your referrer provides a name, title, email and/or phone number of a target prospect. This is also called a “cold referral” as there is no referral action, only the contact info.

#3 Inside Info

This is the information your referrer gives you regarding the secret info on your target prospects (ethically of course).

Receiving inside information about your target prospects is pure gold. It gives you an immediate base from which to develop talking points, and provides a platform for developing your sales offer.

#4 The Referral Introduction

This is the payoff, the desired outcome of selling by referral; the referral action itself.

Since this is where your referrer is going to say something about you, do what you can to shape what they say. If you can, prep them to mention specifics, such as ROI, improvements, cost savings, or benefits you’ve delivered. Of course this depends on your relationship but it’s worth asking for.

Your referrer can make the referral introduction in several ways, some are more helpful to your success than others. Here they are:

4.1 In-person

Your referrer introduces you face-to-face – the best you can hope for, especially if they say the great things you prepped them to.

4.2 Voice message from your referrer tells them to take your call

Not as warm as the in-person because your targeted prospect may forget your name from the voice mail.

4.3 Web meeting with your referrer

Enables you to launch your intro presentation if appropriate, and if your referrer is kind enough, they’ll stick around and answer questions from your target prospect, or provide a testimonial to your greatness.

4.4 Email introduction from your referrer where you are cc:d in the email

This is also known as a virtual introduction as neither party engages in a conversation.

Consider writing the email intro for your referrer as this will highlight specific benefits and outcomes you’ve delivered. Additionally, it’s easier on your referrer, saving them the time and effort to write it themselves.

4.5 Request Intro within LinkedIn

Similar to an email virtual introduction but with much higher visibility for your target prospect to check up on you first. This means you’ll need to have your LinkedIn profile 100% complete.

Here’s an effective way to request an introduction through LinkedIn (better than LinkedIn’s instructions).

NOTE: In this process you must be a 1st degree connection with your referrer.

4.5.1 Write up a stock “request for introduction” with placeholders for the name of your targeted prospect’s name and company.

* Keep it short and pointed at what you help customers solve, and the nature of your relationship with your referrer.

* Save it as a plain text file – you’ll want to copy and paste this later, as you’ll see in the steps below.

* IMPORTANT: This message may (will) eventually be seen by the person you want to be introduced to (your target prospect). Write it like you mean it to be read. Here’s the write up I use:

<>,

Would appreciate an introduction to <> to see if we might help <> with their <>.

Similar to our work with you and <> for the last few years,  such as <>

Thanks again.

Chris Arlen
President
Revenue-IQ
carlen@revenue-iq.com
206-780-2963

4.5.2 In LinkedIn, go to your CONTACTS / CONNECTIONS and select your referrer  that meets most of the conditions listed above in #1 The Referrer.

4.5.3 Once your referrer is selected, in the right hand side of the screen CLICK on their number of connections.

NOTE: Your referrer may control who sees their connections list. By default it’s set to display your referrer’s list because you are a 1st degree connection.

However, if their number of connections is not linked, then your referrer has limited their list to only those shared between you. This won’t do you much good. If this happens, do the following: SEARCH on PEOPLE or COMPANY, find your target prospect that way, then jump to step 4.5.7.

4.5.4 You’ll now be on your referrer’s ALL tab on their CONNECTIONS page.

4.5.5 Scroll through your referrer’s list of CONNECTIONS, and when you find a target prospect CLICK on their name

TIP: In Firefox and Internet Explorer, hold Control + CLICK, or in Safari hold Command-click a link. This opens a new window with that targeted prospect, and keeps your referrer’s list of CONNECTIONS window open.

4.5.6 You will land on your target prospect’s PROFILE page. In the right side of their profile CLICK on “Get introduced through a connection”

NOTE: LinkedIn’s free version only allows you 5 introductions, so choose them carefully. You may want to scan through your referrer’s entire list before selecting target prospects.

Additionally, LinkedIn’s paid versions allow more introductions based on the plan you’re paying for, such as:

Sales Basic = 15 introductions
Sales Navigator = 25 introductions
Sales Executive = 35 introductions

4.5.7 Once you CLICK on “Get introduced through a connection” you’ll be in the Introduction window.  Look for your referrer and select them from the list of connections available.

4.5.8 Enter a subject for your message. Use a straightforward subject, one that is clear but describes why you want to connect, such as “Introduction to Offer Consulting Help”.

4.5.9 Go to your stock “request for introduction” from step 4.5.1 above and copy it into the message body. CLICK Send Request.

4.6.0 Your “requests for introductions” are displayed in your INBOX / SENT. You’ll be notified when your referrer accepts it and passes it on to your target prospects. It’s up to your referrer now.

4.6.1 You’ll be notified by LinkedIn when your target prospects accept your request to connect. When that happens, it’s time to follow up in the same manner you would if they were a warm referral.

Summary

The four parts of a referral are:

# 1 The Referrer
#2 Contact Data
#3 Inside Info
#4 Referral Introduction

Referral introductions come in five flavors:

• In-person
• Voice mail
• Web meeting
• Email
• LinkedIn

How do you get referrals?