Sales Storytelling is not a before and after washing powder commercial
Anjali Sharma
Director of Narrative
Published Date
August 28, 2016
This blog is for you if you are in sales. To be specific, solutions sales.
Here is how a sales person who works for a technology company and is responsible for selling Wi Fi infrastructure told a story in a sales storytelling session I recently conducted.
We worked with XYZ which is a large events venue. The problem statement we got from the client was - A lot of the time our guests who are here to run an event can't get connected to Wi Fi.
So, we investigated and realised that the coverage with the existing Wi Fi was not good. They were getting at least 5 - 6 complaints a day. We then installed our Wi Fi Infrastructure and now their complaints have reduced significantly.
Once the teller finished telling this story, I gave the group feedback on how this could be told more effectively and what needs to be changed.
In their second take, the story became something like this
We worked with Mathew Dixon ( not a real name of the client ) who is the head of IT for XYZ. He gave us a call and explained his difficulties with the current Wi Fi Infrastructure. He said, we get at least 5- 6 complaints a day and that is damaging our reputation.
We investigated the matter and realised that the current Wi Fi Infrastructure was not strong. We then installed our Wi Fi infrastructure and now complaints have reduced significantly. Our client Mathew has now been promoted to IT Head and we are thrilled with his success.
So, what changed in take 2
We got a nameMathew DixonWe got words that describe a feelingDifficulties and damagingWe got the desired statePromotionBut this is still far from effective sales storytelling. Why ?
By adding a name, feeling, desired state what we are doing is what washing powder commercials do, showing you the dirty shirt of "Sam" whose mother is frustrated, who then uses your washing powder and becomes happy.
In solutions sales storytelling what really matters is answering
WHAT DID YOU DO THAT CHANGED HOW MATHEW WAS FEELING
AND WHAT LED TO THE DESIRED OUTCOME ?
Now, changing it over to your Wi Fi is not an answer because other vendors have Wi Fi too.
What is lacking here is the sales insight you brought to the table.
If you want to know what effective sales storytelling looks like, read this Blog
And always remember solution sales is not a washing powder commercial where you go from underside state to desired state without an insight.
Modern organisations struggle not because leaders fail to communicate, but because their messages fail to connect. This post explores why traditional corporate communication focused on data, purpose statements, and “what’s in it for me” often falls flat, and reveals how storytelling rooted in identity transforms the way employees engage with change.
Please take note that this blog post will only make sense to you if you have attended our Signature Workshop - Strategic Storytelling Welcome back, workshop alumni! You've mastered the art of building a powerful storyboard, meticulously crafting each element of your narrative. Now, it's time to bring that vision to life with the help of Gen AI. This post will guide you through using AI to...
Those of us who are involved in causes aimed at changing social attitudes and structures often feel frustrated by the theoretical nature of our efforts. After all, one successful demonstration can feel far more effective than a hundred speeches. This idea, drawn from Malcolm Gladwell's "The Revenge of The Tipping Point" really stuck with me. It made me reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic...
