Robert was keen. He told me…
“Since the workshop, we’ve really focused on nailing down the story aspect and had my recent prospect actually mention to me they were in sales for a long time and was convinced solely by my tone and pitch and that got it over the line!
So your training has helped tremendously, I really appreciate it.”
👉 An important component of an advanced strategy for effective sales conversations is to use sales stories as a way of quickly establishing authority and credibility with clients or prospects.
It comes across more naturally, without being pushy or seen as “blowing your own horn”.
There are opportunities to use sales stories at many points during a sales conversation, such as:
➡️ Responding to when a prospect or gatekeeper asks, ‘What do you do?’ before connecting the seller with the contact.
➡️ Or when you need to respond to an objection.
➡️ Or to reduce the perceived risk in the clients mind.
A story can also succinctly communicate the financial benefit or ROI that a client could achieve, or demonstrate the values of the sellers company in an authentic and relatable manner.
Robert, my workshop participant, experienced the impact a relevant sales story can make. He was brave enough to try doing something different to overcome resistance.
He was part of a team of Sales Development Reps (SDR’s) in Melbourne who adopted my highly effective yet simple methodology for creating meaningful sales conversations.
You need to be careful though.
An effective sales story isn’t just about reciting the facts.
There’s more to it.
And sometimes the ‘more’ can be a bit uncomfortable for sales teams that are used to talking about facts and features, technical specs, and performance criteria.
But it can also be fun.
And liberating. 😃
If you want to achieve more sometimes it’s worth doing something differently.
Next steps:
If you’d like to arrange a confidential chat about improving the capability and results of your B2B sales team, get in touch.
BTW – in my line of work a B2B sales team might have roles called Product Specialist, Account Manager, Regional Manager, BD, rep, Technical Sales Specialist, Territory Manager or maybe something else. But they’re all responsible for generating new business and managing client relationships.
About the author
Stuart Ayling MIMC, BBus, GCM holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a Graduate Certificate in Management (International Business). He is an experienced strategic planning facilitator/consultant, and trainer in business-to-business sales, critical thinking skills, and management skills. For over 20 years he has been engaged by a wide range of national companies, regional firms, and founder-led businesses across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. He is also a full member of the Institute of Management Consultants (Australia).
