The best story for buyers

I received a ton of interesting responses to my question yesterday. It was: What 3-5 words would you use to describe your personal sales style?(Here’s a link to yesterday’s email in case you missed it.)We hear and read a lot about the value of storytelling in sales.It sounds good. There’s lots of talk about it.Unfortunately, there's not much action on it.Sellers are confused about the stories they should tell.How they should create them. And, how they should tell them.In reality, there’s only one story that you, as a seller, need to be able to tell.John Steinbeck, the great American novelist, captured it best when he wrote:“If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen…The strange and foreign is not interesting-only the deeply personal and familiar.”In other words, the only story your buyer(s) really wants to hear is their own.They want to hear the vision of the outcome(s) their organization will achieve using your product.And what that success will mean for them personally.So, before you can tell their story you'll need to discover the outcome(s) the buyer wants to achieve.And build the relationship with the buyer, or stakeholders, where they’ll share with you what they hope to achieve.Think about storytelling this way.It’s not a story you tell. It's is a story you co-create at every step of the buyer’s journey.Every question you ask, every answer you provide, every insight and piece of content you share should be framed in the context of helping shape your buyer's vision of ultimate success.There’s a method to how you ask questions that helps build their story. And, a method to answering questions, presenting information or sharing content that builds their story.Remember: your buyer isn’t making a decision to purchase your product or service. They’re buying the story of the outcomes they’ll achieve.

How to Ask Story-Building Questions

NextWednesday, July 3rd, I’ll be hosting a special coaching hour for The Sales House team members on “How to Ask Story-Building Questions.”It will be an interactive session. I’ll share examples of how to ask questions at each stage of the selling process that help shape the buyer’s vision of success. And, then I’ll take questions from team members help them create questions that fit their specific sales process.If you’re not yet a member of The Sales House (my all-in-one sales training WINNING program) click here to join.I look forward to seeing you next week.- Andy