Show notes
If our storytelling allows us to build trust, build credibility, build a bond, and increase sales, then we're telling the right stories. If it's just designed to be manipulative, then save your breath.
David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, co-host Jay McFarland and I will be discussing the power of storytelling in sales. Jay, tell me a story.
Jay: Listen, I am a storyteller. I love to tell stories and I like to build when I tell stories, right? And so this is something that I use on a regular basis when I'm talking to people and it's not just telling a story.
I think it's putting people in a story and what character are they in that story? And I think most people want to be the hero in their own story, right?
David: They do. which gets to the whole idea of the hero's journey and all that kind of stuff for anybody who follows that sort of storyline or that
Jay: mm-hmm.
David: type of story arc, The Hero's Journey by Campbell, I can't think of his first name. But it's a book and it describes essentially the plot of most of the most popular movies of all time.
Jay: Yeah,
David: Right. Star Wars, Rocky, anything where you've got this person who is initially kind of beaten down and not winning, and then they come in contact with a mentor and then they learn new things and they have a confrontation and it might not go well, and then they learn some more things and then eventually they come out triumphant.
There's a whole arc. And you're right, a lot of people want to be the hero, and the challenge as a salesperson is, in our storytelling, we can't be the hero.
Mm. Right.
We need to make sure that the person we're talking to is the hero and that we are the mentor or guide. We're not Luke Skywalker. We have to be Yoda. We have to be the one who's helping Luke to destroy the Death Star.
Jay: Yeah. This is a really hard thing, I think for a lot of people. Because we want to go in and think we're the hero, right? I'm coming into your business. I'm going to provide something that is going to save the day, and then I'm going to walk away and you're going to praise me and you're going to pay me.
But that's not what really is supposed to be happening, right? It's that I have the tools and the resources that you need to be the hero.
David: Yes, and it's easy to forget that, particularly when we're trying to read ourselves in as the hero to each story. But one of the things that I've noticed in sales is that many, if not most of the very best salespeople are also the best storytellers.
You can say. "Hi, do you know what time it is?" And instead of getting the time, you will get a fantastic story that might weave the time into it.
Jay: Mm.
David: But you're going off in all kinds of directions, and when they do it right, it's captivating enough that you sit there and pay attention.
Jay: Yeah. But you pointed out "when you do it right."
David: Yes.
Jay: Right. so let's talk about that a little bit. Let's talk about your feedback on doing it right.
David: Well, number one, as we already touched on, it can't just be all about you. You can't make the story about yourself. You need to make it about them, and a lot of that upfront comes from finding out about them, which means you're asking more questions, then you're answering, hopefully in the early stages.
Jay: Yes
David: Because customers always just want to know what it's going to cost upfront, and you don't generally want to lead off with that. So a lot of our storytelling will actually have to come from the conversations that ensue after we've gathered enough information.
Jay: Yeah.
David: To know what those stories need to be about. If we just go in and we meet somebody for the first time and we start telling them stories, that's probably not ideal. We need to still initially do some sort of diagnostic upfront to find out what their interests are.
Now, of course, a lot of salespeople, they do the whole thing about walking into the office, looking around, oh, I see a big buck hanging up there on the,
Jay: mm-hmm.
David: On the wall. The person's a hunter. You start talking to them about hunting, that type of thing. And, it's very obvious. It works in some situations to break the ice, so you can ask the person. Because the other thing about storytelling is it doesn't just have to be you telling stories. If you can get the prospect to be telling stories to you, then they'll be more likely to engage in a longer conversation because most people are more interested in hearing what they have to say versus what somebody else has to say.
Jay: Yeah.
David: So sometimes you can just let somebody talk for a long time and they feel like they had the best conversation, even though the salesman didn't say anything at all.
Jay: Yeah, I've had people like look at the pictures on the wall and stuff, and that can come off as so plastic and so fake.
But I do think the most important thing is to get them talking. And the more talking they do and the less talking you do, the better off those things are. If you can get them to be the storyteller and then you can help them improve that story or tell them how that story's going to get better, that's the zone where you want to be.
David: Yeah, exactly. And I think that a good sales process does that, in the sense that when you're leading off with intelligent, probing questions that don't come across as intrusive -it can't be like you're giving them the third degree. You got a light shining in their face.
Jay: Yeah.
David: And you're trying to get information out of them. It can't be anything like that. But if you're asking intelligent, probing questions and you're finding out about them, they're going to open up more. And the more they talk, the better it is for you. Another thing that a lot of salespeople do is they mistakenly ask yes or no questions. They ask binary questions instead of open-ended questions.
If you ask an open-ended question, they're likely to talk more, which is going to allow the conversation to flow a lot more organically. They can tell stories. You can then potentially tell some sort of story about something that relates to something they said.
Again, keeping it focused on them and what they need and what they're looking to do. For salespeople, case studies, testimonials, things like that can be good stories as long as they're not just being forced down people's throats.
If somebody's talking about a promotion that they did or something that they did in the past that worked well, then you can acknowledge that. "Wow, that's great. That sounds like that was really amazing. We had a similar situation with a client where this happened or that happened," and then you can relate with that story.
But that also brings up another thing. If somebody tells a story, then you don't want to try to tell a story that's designed to sound better than theirs.
Mm-hmm.
Right? So you don't want to change gears. But if you can establish some sort of comradery among them by indicating that you've had similar experiences, then your stories will go a lot farther.
Jay: Yeah. And I think a couple things from my own experience: don't interrupt. Don't cut them off. Right? Let them talk. But I think where people really miss out and you know that I interview people for part of my living, right?
David: Mm-hmm.
Jay: And I've been a professional interviewer for 20 years, and I find that the key is not the initial question. Yes, ask open-ended question. That's very, very important. But the key is always the follow-up question, and that's where people fall down.
They ask the question, they got the person talking, and then they dive into their product spiel, right? If you ask a follow-up question, it shows that you're listening. It shows that you're interested. And it will take you places that you never ever thought you could go.
Like I have interview s where people send a list of questions and I'm like, just so you know going to ask you follow up questions and we'll bounce around, and those kind of things.
And by the time they're done, they're energized and they just feel so appreciated. and it's because of active listening and good follow up questions.
David: Yes. And that is so completely critical in sales.
Jay: Yeah.
David: People who don't get that are at a tremendous disadvantage. You know, one of the big advantages of storytelling is that it allows you to potentially infuse emotion into an emotionless conversation.
Jay: Mm-hmm.
David: A lot of sales conversations are very sort of clinical and product oriented and detail oriented and price oriented, and it's hard to get somebody into the zone. It's hard to get them emotionally positive about the idea of buying something without being able to trigger something inside.
Otherwise, it's just a list of details and facts and specifications where if we can get them engaged with how they feel about what the product or service is going to do for them, the end result that they're getting. What's the thing that they want to have happen as a result of engaging in this promotion or doing whatever it is that they're going to do?
If they can tell you that and get themselves into a state of enthusiasm over your product, they're going to be a hundred times more likely to buy it.
Jay: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think that the natural fallback for salespeople is to focus on specifications. You know, I've been there on the car lot and the guy wants to show me all the specifics and horsepower and all those things.
And then I've had people talk about, what are my goals and focusing more on my life than on this particular one item. It really shows, you know, more caring and that they're more interested in me.
David: It does, and you also have to be aware of the person you're talking to.