Selling with Stories, Part 2: Stories Great Sales People Tell

1h 30mIntermediate2018-10-11

Authors

Paul A. Smith

One of world's leading experts in business storytelling

Course details

Stories connect people. Telling a compelling and authentic story can solidify the relationship with your potential customer and win the sale. In this course, you can learn how to leverage the power of storytelling throughout the sales process. Paul Smith—the author of the best-selling book Sell with a Story: How to Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Close the Sale—covers the 25 most essential types of sales stories and shares formulas for developing your own specific narratives. Learn the stories you should tell from introduction to pitch to close, to capture buyer interest and build loyalty that lasts for the long term.

Check out part one of the series for an introduction to selling with stories.

Learning objectives
Introducing yourself to the buyer
Preparing for the sales call
Building rapport
Telling your story
Making the main sales pitch
Handling objectives
Closing the sale
Managing customer relationships

Skills covered

Small Business SalesSmall Business and EntrepreneurshipCommunicationProfessional DevelopmentLeadership and ManagementDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - A story for every step of the sale

1. Introducing Yourself to the Buyer

02 - Explaining what you do, simply
03 - Who I've helped and how I've helped them

2. Preparing for the Sales Call

04 - Personal motivation story
05 - Take the stress out of the call

3. Building Rapport

06 - Why I do what I do
07 - I'll tell you when I can't help you
08 - I'll tell you when I made a mistake
09 - I'll go to bat for you with my company
10 - I'm not who you think I am
11 - Founding story
12 - How we're different from our competitors

4. Making the Main Sales Pitch

13 - Your product's invention or discovery
14 - Explaining the problem
15 - Customer success
16 - The two roads story
17 - Adding value

5. Handling Objections

18 - Objection response
19 - Negotiating price
20 - Resolving objections before they come up

6. Closing the Sale

21 - Creating a sense of urgency
22 - Arming your sponsor
23 - Coaching the breakup

7. Managing Customer Relationships

24 - What's worked well in the past
25 - Building loyalty
26 - Summarize the call

Conclusion

27 - Next steps