Use Simple & Compelling Sales Stories To Answer “What Do You Do?”

Answer 4 Simple Questions to Create Effective Sales Stories

“What do you do?”This is one of the questions that salespeople are most frequently asked.You’d think that it would be the easiest question for them to effectively answer. But salespeople have been misled by trainers who have told them to create an “elevator pitch” to answer it. An elevator pitch is usually an unsuccessful attempt to cram into sixty seconds every relevant fact about your company and the products you sell.The problem is that elevator pitches are not designed to answer the question that the potential prospect is really asking. When someone asks “What do you do?” what they really are asking is “What can you do for me?"If a prospect asks “What do you do?” and you jump right into your elevator pitch, then you aren’t delivering information that is of any value to them.Instead of a pitch, what this situation demands is a simple sales story. Great sales stories illustrate the defining moments that your existing customers have experienced with your product or service that best communicate your value proposition.In turn, the value of a sales story, built according to the instructions I provide below, is that it tells the potential prospect what you do by relating the story of how your company/product/service helped one of your current customers solve their problem and the tangible value they received from working with you.The power of sales stories is that they put your prospects in the picture. When they hear your story they will picture in their minds what it would be like if they were the one using your product or service. They will be taking a mental test drive of your product or service. What your prospect will remember is how you helped to solve the problems of a company just like or similar to their own.

Follow These Steps To Write Effective Sales Stories

1. Choose Which Customer Stories To TellLook through your existing customer base and select 4-5 customers that have successfully deployed your products or services. Make sure that they represent a cross-section of the customer types that you work with because you are going to need multiple sales stories.2. Answer These 4 Simple Questions About Each CustomerAnswer these four simple questions for each customer you chose:1. What problem was the customer trying to solve?2. Why was your expertise relevant to the customer? (What in your track record spoke to the customer’s requirements?)3. Why did the customer order from you? (Why did they choose you instead of the competition?)4. What value has the customer received from your product/service? (What measurable value and outcomes have they received from your product/service?)3. Write Your Story Down Word for WordA great sales story is short and concise. To make that happen you have to write it out word for word and then edit it down to the right length. Your sales story is going to be no longer than 100 words. The average person can speak about 150 words per minute. This means that your sales story will be no longer than 30-40 seconds in length. Any longer and the potential prospect will start to lose interest.4. Insert A Few Key Details To Draw In The ProspectTo them more relatable and memorable incorporate a few key details in your stories. Even using simple details, like the first name of the customer that is the subject of your story, makes it more relatable to listener. Instead of starting a story by saying "We have a customer…” say "Larry is VP of Ops at ABC Widgets and he had a problem with…” It is these details that draw in the listener and gets them to visualize themselves in the story.5. Practice, Practice, PracticeRemember the old joke about "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The punch line is "Practice, practice, practice." The same applies to your sales stories. They have to be memorized and rehearsed so that their telling is second nature to you. A story is the time for preparation not improvisation. Learn how to deliver your stories without the extraneous “um,” “uh” or “you know what I mean?”Ask a colleague to listen to you tell your story. If you’re a sales manager, be sure to set aside 5-10 minutes in every sales meeting to have your salespeople practice their stories in front of their peers. Not only is it good practice, but it also enables salespeople to learn new stories that they can tell.Now, when someone asks "What do you do?" Tell 'em your story.