WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:05.440 Stories are extremely powerful. If you want to move somebody, tell them a 2 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:15.320 story. Facts tell stories sell. You're listening to the Audible Ready Podcast, 3 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:20.199 the show that helps you and your teams sell more faster. We'll feature sales 4 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.719 leaders sharing their best insights on how to create a sales engine that helps you 5 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:28.519 fuel repeatable revenue growth. Presented by the team at Force Management, a leader 6 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:34.920 in B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started. Hello, and welcome 7 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:38.640 to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm Rachel clad Miller, and today we 8 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:43.399 are going to talk about storytelling. I'm joined by Rob Stenberg, who is 9 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:47.079 one of our Force Management facilitators. But in addition to that, Rob has 10 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:53.479 quite a lengthy background in helping salespeople execute with their customers, specifically around this 11 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:59.280 idea of storytelling. He teaches storytelling as an influenced strategy. So that's what 12 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:02.960 we're going to talk today. Rob. Welcome, Thank you very much. 13 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:07.400 Rachel, it's great to be here. I love talking about storytelling, especially 14 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.480 when it comes to salespeople and how they can use storytelling to increase the results. 15 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:14.920 You know, it is a topic that we touch on a lot in 16 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.879 content. I mean I write a lot of content based on sales, and 17 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:22.400 we talk about importance as stories, but sometimes we fall short in giving people 18 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:26.239 those tactical tips of how to really do it well. So let's dive into 19 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.560 that today. I know we'll cover a lot of topics. I'd like to 20 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:36.959 start with first talking about the when When do you use stories in your sales 21 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.000 process? When should you look to add them as a rep? You talk 22 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:45.799 about stories helping reps in discovery. Maybe we start there. Yeah, I 23 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.680 think you can use story throughout your sales process. No matter what your sales 24 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.480 process is. For example, you can start out in the beginning to if 25 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:57.400 you're trying to fill your sales funnel, if you're an SDR you're making outbound 26 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:02.519 calls, I would suggest that you start out your phone call with a prospective 27 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:07.120 client by saying, Hey, we've worked with another vice president of sales in 28 00:02:07.199 --> 00:02:12.840 your market vertical. Can I tell you that story very quickly in sixty seconds. 29 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:16.840 Yes, you tell a great sixty second story about how you worked with 30 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:21.719 another vice president. And I think it's important to be a peer story that 31 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:24.280 if you're talking to a vice president of sales, tell a story about another 32 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:29.360 vice president of sales. If you're talking about a director of manufacturing. Talk 33 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:31.639 to somebody about a director of manufacturing. So you have to have those peer 34 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:36.719 stories, and you tell that story in sixty seconds and then just what I 35 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:40.719 call passed the torch to them by saying, that's enough about him or heard, 36 00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:45.719 tell me what you've got going on at your company. And it's a 37 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:50.400 great way to tell another person at that beginning of a sales cycle, to 38 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.759 start the sales cycle. Hey, this person or this company might know a 39 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:58.479 little bit about a problem that I'm having right now, So you can use 40 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.599 it to fill your sales funnel. You can use it in discovery, like 41 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:06.560 you mentioned, when you get into discovery and you start to get what I 42 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:10.960 call discovery resistance. And we all know when you're in sales you've experienced discovery 43 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:15.000 resistance. Right that wall that people put up. They don't want to tell 44 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.719 you everything. They think you're going to try to influence them and sell them 45 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:23.240 something they don't need. That's a great time, I think to come up 46 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:27.680 with a story about maybe where I didn't do such a great job of discovery 47 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:31.639 with a past client, and because of that, I wasn't able to save 48 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:36.639 the money I wasn't They didn't get the results they were looking for. What 49 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:40.360 have you. I was doing a workshop in San Diego one time an insurance 50 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:46.520 agent was in the workshop and he talked about how he was going to use 51 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:52.560 this type of a story in discovery because a number of years prior was working 52 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:58.840 with a business owner who he was trying to get him to purchase not only 53 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:02.199 life insurance, but all long term disability. And a year he got him 54 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:05.960 to bud the life insurance, not the long term disability. And a year 55 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:12.120 later he got in a serious car accident. He was paralyzed from the shoulders 56 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:15.919 down, he lost his company, he lost a lot of things, and 57 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.279 if he would have had that long term disability, he would have been much 58 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:21.439 better off. And so the insurance agent said, if I was a better 59 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:27.360 salesperson, I would have gotten him to go ahead and purchase the long term 60 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:30.519 disability as well. So he would use that story to help people bring down 61 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:34.279 their discovery resistance and say, hey, I'm just trying to help you with 62 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:40.000 your insurance needs in that particular case, so you can use it to break 63 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:44.800 down that discovery resistance that we get from clients. And then at the end 64 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.560 of the sale. When risk goes up. We all know that as somebody 65 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:51.680 is trying to are looking at a purchase, their risk in the beginning is 66 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:55.639 pretty low. They're just looking for a solution. Then they get to their 67 00:04:55.720 --> 00:05:00.360 end of their bicycle and their risk goes up. They start thinking about all 68 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:03.000 the money they're going to be putting on the line here and they're signing their 69 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:06.240 name on the bottom line. That's a great time to come in with a 70 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:12.040 story about how somebody else was in their same position. You're asking them to 71 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:15.240 make the same decision, and here they made that same decision six months ago. 72 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:18.439 Here's the results they've gotten. And I just thought you should know that 73 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:23.360 I've asked other people to make the same decision that I'm asking you to make, 74 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:26.839 and here's how they've benefited. This is how their lives have improved. 75 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:30.639 So you can hear a story throughout the entire sales or I called by process. 76 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:35.439 You dropped some great gems there, Rob. I think one of the 77 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:42.920 things you said is pure stories. So people want to see themselves in your 78 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:45.560 stories, right, That's why you are telling them. You want them to 79 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:50.040 see themselves in that particular situation. So that's a really good thing to keep 80 00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:54.720 in mind too as a rep when you're coming up with those stories, to 81 00:05:54.879 --> 00:06:00.720 think about how you can match role industry challenge to the person that you're speaking 82 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:05.759 to, because it will improve how it resonates with them. I call it 83 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:11.360 persuasion. Persuasion, that's a good one. Persuasion, right, People are 84 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.000 interested in what their peers are doing. They don't want to be left behind. 85 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:16.959 They want to know are they doing something that I shouldn't be doing, 86 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:20.519 Are they doing something that I should be doing. They want to know what 87 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:26.000 their peers are doing, and if their peers are benefiting by working with you. 88 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.959 They want to know how. They want to know the results they're getting 89 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.000 because they want to know if they can get the same results. I did 90 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:34.279 a video with Antonella, who's on our team as well, and when we 91 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:40.319 were talking about when customers push for a demo too early, and you talked 92 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:43.720 about that too, talking about, hey, if we do this too early, 93 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:46.920 we're going to waste people's time to talk about the bad things that can 94 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:51.920 happen from previous experiences that you have had in that situation. Absolutely, and 95 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:55.600 I don't want to go in and do it demo too early because I'm going 96 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:58.240 to waste your time, and I'm going to waste my time, and I'm 97 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:00.199 going to waste the time of the people on my tea. I would lean 98 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.360 in and say, you know what, I don't know about you, But 99 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:08.360 the members on my team really get a little upset with me and a little 100 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.959 perturbed with me if I waste their time. If I bring a sales engineer 101 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:15.600 in to do a demo for you right now, we're gonna have to demo 102 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:17.759 everything because I don't know. I haven't done enough discovery, I don't know 103 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:21.120 what you need. So we're gonna do everything and see what sticks on the 104 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.759 wall. And my sales engineer after that is going to say, what the 105 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:28.879 heck is this? I want to know what I'm demoing before I walk into 106 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:31.160 the room. And I also think, I don't want to waste your time. 107 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:34.000 You know there are three or four really important things to you. I 108 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:38.000 want to demo those three or four really important thing. I don't want to 109 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:41.360 demo something to you that doesn't matter to you. You don't want me to 110 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:43.439 do that either. I don't want to waste your time. I don't want 111 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.480 to waste mine. So let's make sure we go through this process to make 112 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:51.000 sure that we really key on what's important to you and your team to get 113 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:55.959 you the results you're looking for. That's great. So I think you gave 114 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.319 some great tips of thinking about when do use stories and then also stuff the 115 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.160 traits of your story. So, but let's dive into that a little bit. 116 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:05.959 How should I think of the stories that I want to tell? I 117 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.480 mean, obviously, every time I get one of the customer, I don't 118 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:09.079 want to be like, hey, let me tell you a story, right, 119 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:13.360 because that's gonna sound kitchy, it's gonna sound like an act. Which 120 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:18.240 are the good ones to share? Talk about length? How do I think 121 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:22.600 about crafting those stories so I have some I can pull from given the moment. 122 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:28.279 I love going back to clients that I've worked with in the past and 123 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.320 interview them for my stories that I want. Especially, I think this is 124 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:37.679 great for brand new sales reps to do once they learn story what I teaches 125 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.799 and I have these cards in front of me all the time. I teach 126 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:45.720 a very specific story structure. Right, there's the setting of a story, 127 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.120 and it's a green card. And you'll notice I have colors on these cards, 128 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:52.039 and the colors are very important. So the setting of the story, 129 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:56.080 what is the start, Where does the story start? Then the white card 130 00:08:56.200 --> 00:09:00.200 is the complication, what's the challenges, what are the hurdles that people are 131 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:03.679 trying to get over it? And then what's the churning point? What happened 132 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:07.080 that aha moment that they realize, say, something new can be something can 133 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:09.799 be done in a new way, and it's going to benefit me. And 134 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:15.039 then it's the resolution, the red card. The resolution is how things turned 135 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.480 out. And this is right out of Hollywood, the best storytellers in the 136 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:20.759 world. So if you think of any movie you've gone to play, you've 137 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:24.559 been, the book, you've read, anything, it all starts out with 138 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:28.799 the setting. Then there's all kinds of complication. Then there's that oh, 139 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.639 that that new moment, Ah, something new can be done, and then 140 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.879 the resolution to that story. And if you think about it especially, I 141 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:39.720 always use romcoms as a perfect example. Right, they tell you the characters 142 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.320 of the story, and then there's all kinds of complications for these two people 143 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.519 to get together, and then there's something that happens here they meet at the 144 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:50.840 top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day, and then the next scene 145 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:54.360 is on the bottom of the screen. It says one year later and they're 146 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:56.320 walking down the street with a baby carriage in front of them, right, 147 00:09:56.360 --> 00:10:01.679 So that's it's a story arc as well, is an emotional arc to that 148 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:07.240 story. So to find out what your clients have done in their story is 149 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:11.879 go back to past clients, especially again for new salespeople, have them go 150 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:15.279 back to a client. And of course these are got to be good clients 151 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:16.919 and people you've got relationships with. So you can say, hey, I'd 152 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.639 like to send a new salesperson in there to just at get your story from 153 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.480 you. But if they go in and they get the story, so why 154 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:26.879 did you decide to work with this company? What made you? That's the 155 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.039 actual the blue card. So you actually start out with the blue card. 156 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.360 What has been the result of you working with our company? Well, we've 157 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:37.519 had this result, and well then what really prompted you? What were the 158 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:41.480 challenges you were having? And so you go back to the white card and 159 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:46.039 you get all the complication and then the setting comes out pretty pretty easy. 160 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:50.399 Is this is what time it was, who was involved in the decision making 161 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:54.639 process? And so now they've got the entire story. So they can pick 162 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:58.039 those stories and say, geez, this was a vice president of sales, 163 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:03.600 this one was a manufacturing situation, this one was an IT situation, this 164 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:09.639 one was financial service at situation. So you can get those stories in different 165 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:16.480 market verticals by title, just by simply going to your existing client base and 166 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.720 saying, hey, we just love to talk to you for half an hour 167 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:24.559 and get your story as to how you've benefited by working with us. So 168 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.080 those are great ways to get those stories. Now, he talked about something. 169 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:33.519 You also asked length if I heard you correctly, and length is extremely 170 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:41.000 important. The stories have got to be short, sixty seconds. And I've 171 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:45.440 had hundreds, if not thousands, of salespeople tell me I can't tell a 172 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:50.639 story in sixty seconds. My response to that is Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address was 173 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:56.799 two minutes and two seconds, and if he can get that much important information 174 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.159 in two minutes and two seconds, we can get a story in sixty seconds. 175 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:05.559 That's right. Most televisionmercials are thirty seconds, sometimes fifteen, So think 176 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.320 of yourself as having double the time to land the plane, so to speak. 177 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:13.399 Some great tips in there on how to think about your stories, how 178 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:16.919 to craft them good if you've been at a company for a while, but 179 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.879 if you're a new rep, I would think also you can talk to other 180 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.480 reps. What are some great stories to share about how you've solved problems? 181 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:26.919 And you shouldn't be afraid to ask your manager or like the top reps in 182 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:30.759 the company for the stories that they use. I'm sure they're more than willing 183 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:35.279 to share. Absolutely. And those season reps, those veterans, those reps 184 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:41.159 with experience, most of them are natural storytellers. They don't know why they 185 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:45.879 told, they don't know why they're successful. I mean, they're what I 186 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:52.039 call unconsciously competent. I was unconsciously competent until I found the book What Great 187 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:56.879 Sales People Do by Mike Bosworth, And that's the sales or the storytelling training 188 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:01.080 in Command Center is based on Mike's book. And that's who I've worked with 189 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:05.559 a lot on storytelling and work with to this day on storytelling is Mike Bodsworth. 190 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:09.480 And there again, what do we call unconsciously competent? When before I 191 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:13.120 read the book, the friend of mine who gave me that book, when 192 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:16.600 I got back together with him after I had read it, he said, 193 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:18.000 what did you think of the book, and I said it was great. 194 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.039 I do eighty eighty five percent of what's in this book. I already do 195 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.679 this. He said, yeah, but did you know that you what you 196 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.039 did? And he said nope. He said could you use it on demand? 197 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:31.000 Could you scale it? Could you teach it? Knows the answer to 198 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.360 all three of those questions. Once you take top sales reps, I'll almost 199 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:39.720 guarantee you top sales reps they just don't know why they're successful. That top 200 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:45.440 thirteen percent, the old adage of the eighty twenty rule has changed. It's 201 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:50.080 the top thirteen percent of your sales reps now generating eighty seven percent of your 202 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:54.399 revenue in large sales organizations. Those are the numbers. If you take a 203 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:58.840 look at those top thirteen percent, I'll guarantee you almost every single one of 204 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.720 them is a great, already teller. They just have never decoded why they 205 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:07.279 are successful. And that's why it's hard to take a new sales rep and 206 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.080 say, hey, go follow this successful sales rep around, and the successful 207 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:15.120 sales rep will just tell that trainee, well, just do what I do. 208 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.919 They can't. It's not intuitive to them. It's intuitive to that top 209 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:24.519 sales rep. They just don't know it, and so they're unconsciously competent. 210 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:28.960 Now we know, with all the brain science that's behind storytelling and why storytelling 211 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:33.960 is so effective, we've been able to break that down and you can actually 212 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:39.679 teach people how to connect quicker and gain trust much much faster. As with 213 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:43.240 anything that we talk about on this podcast or in any of our force management 214 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:46.840 trainings are on a cender. It's about putting a rhythm behind what you do 215 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:52.639 well. It's being consistent, it's putting into regular practice. You mentioned science. 216 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:56.440 I know science plays into storytelling. We talked about the win you should 217 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:01.120 do it, but there's a why, and there's a lot of doesn't matter 218 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.480 what culture you're in. It doesn't matter if you're in the UK, if 219 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:09.600 you're in Asia Pacific, if you're in North America. It doesn't matter. 220 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:16.240 The human brain has story hardwired into it and studies have been done that show 221 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.039 this. It doesn't matter your culture. Stories work in all cultures. And 222 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.519 here's what happens in the human brain. And again we know this through brain 223 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:26.559 imaging and MRIs. And if I say to you, Rachel, can I 224 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:31.840 tell you a quick story. Here's what happens in your brain. You say 225 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:35.600 to yourself, I'm safe. I can relax, enjoy what's being said. 226 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:41.639 I don't have to do anything. However, I better pay attention because something 227 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:46.559 important might be said that I need to remember later. Now. I like 228 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:48.399 to repeat that to people because I want to put them in a frame of 229 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:52.039 mind of putting myself in your shoes. You're sitting in front of a person, 230 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:58.759 a potential client, that you're trying to influence, and just by simply 231 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:03.200 saying, can I tell you quick sixty second story, you know what happens 232 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:06.440 in their brain is okay. They're gonna say yes. Nobody ever says no 233 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:10.399 to a story. They're gonna say yes, and their brain says to them, 234 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:12.799 you can sit back, relax, enjoy what's being said, but you 235 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:18.559 better pay attention because something important might be said that you need to remember later. 236 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:22.720 I can't think of a better frame of mind to put somebody in when 237 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:26.679 I'm trying to influence them. Their ears have opened up, and it's again, 238 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.039 it's like saying to a five year old. If you've got a five 239 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:33.759 year old child or a grandchild, it's like saying to them, do you 240 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.080 want me to read you a book once upon a time. That child is 241 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:41.279 there, they're in your lap, they're attentive, they can't wait. Well, 242 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.200 asking an adult can I tell you a quick sixty second story is like 243 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.000 saying once upon a time to a five year old. Same thing. So 244 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:53.279 we talked about getting a rhythm around your stories and maybe being a little bit 245 00:16:53.399 --> 00:17:00.240 disciplined in practicing them or prepping them. So let's talk about how do I 246 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:03.480 prep and practice? Am I just standing there talking to the mirror? Do 247 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:08.000 I time myself? How do I get better at executing them? Both of 248 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:12.839 those things that you mentioned, right, So timing them absolutely in front of 249 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:17.799 a mirror. Absolutely, have a smile on your face. Get appropriate. 250 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:19.400 You don't want to be telling you if you're telling a sad story, you 251 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.880 don't want to be talking about like this, right, So it has to 252 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:30.319 be appropriate. Record yourself telling your story. You can obviously take your smartphone 253 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:37.160 and record your story and listen for crutch words and listen for enunciation, listen 254 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:42.279 for tone, listen to those things that send messages that you may not want 255 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:47.000 to send. There are times where you're sending a message word that's not the 256 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:49.279 message you're trying to send, right, I mean, we've all had those 257 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:53.240 situations where somebody says, boy, you know, in that meeting earlier today, 258 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:56.240 you really blew this person out of the water and you made them look 259 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:00.640 bad, and you're like, that wasn't my intention, that I didn't mean 260 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.839 to do that. Well, it was the twenty or voice when you made 261 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:08.599 this statement. So recording them, practicing them, getting them down to one 262 00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:14.400 minute. Using this card system where you have us when we teach these and 263 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:18.079 workshops, we have people put talking points on the front of these cards for 264 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:22.440 the setting, two or three talking points, not full sentences, bullet points, 265 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:26.319 talking points. Same thing for the complication, same thing for the turning 266 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:30.279 points, same thing for the resolution. If you take that structure and you 267 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:34.839 just give two or three talking points for each and then you can fill in 268 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:41.000 the information around them, so it's not scripted, it doesn't sound scripted. 269 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.400 That's one way to definitely make sure that your stories are short is to do 270 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:49.079 it that way. Him them and practice them, practice, practice, practice 271 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:53.640 practice. I always ask salespeople, why is it that we think as sales 272 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:59.079 professionals were the only professionals in the world that don't have to practice. Give 273 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:02.279 me another profession and that doesn't practice. I don't care if it's acting, 274 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:07.200 music, theater, what have you. How many professionals that you do you 275 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:15.160 know that don't practice? None? We have to practice. Amateurs practice until 276 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:19.480 they get it right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong. Oh 277 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:23.880 like that, that's a good one. That'll be on the teaser graphic Rob 278 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:32.279 for the so great breast practices here you shared. I'd like to also talk 279 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:36.799 about just some red flags or common mistakes. You teach this a lot. 280 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:41.119 What are the biggest mistakes you see salespeople making with these types of concepts. 281 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:48.880 Too many salespeople tell a story that either doesn't have a point, or they 282 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.720 try to make a point that doesn't have a story. So, if you're 283 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:55.559 going to tell a story, it's got to have a point, And if 284 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.000 you're going to make a point, you've got to have a story to back 285 00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:02.680 it up. That's number one. Number two the length of their stories. 286 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:07.480 They get too long. We know that one of the biggest complaints about salespeople. 287 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:12.200 They talk too much. We've got to cut these stories down, make 288 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:17.920 them as short as possible. You'd be amazed at how powerful a story can 289 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:22.680 be when it is very short. The shortest story I've ever heard is six 290 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:29.759 words baby's shoes for sale, never used. That tells a story, and 291 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:33.519 you can determine which story it's telling you. But it tells a little bit 292 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:37.960 of a story, and so we can we need to shorten up the stories, 293 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:41.559 make them very very short. Let your clients do the talking, especially 294 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:45.799 in command of the message at the beginning of that sales discussion that you're having 295 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:51.519 with them. You want them talking much more than you're talking. And a 296 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:56.160 good short story because again, the way the brain works. When I tell 297 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:59.160 you a story, and I'll guarantee it's happened to you, Rachel, as 298 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.000 you've been sitting here, you've thought of two or three stories to tell me. 299 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:06.640 If the situation was different, we were just having a conversation and not 300 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:08.720 recording a podcast, you'd be saying, oh, it made me think of 301 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:12.319 this story and that story in this story. That's the way the human brain 302 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:17.839 works. So the reason you tell a story, it's not so much to 303 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:21.640 get your information out. It's to get your client, your potential client, 304 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:26.279 to tell you their story. I love that. I'm sure people listening to 305 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.160 this podcast right now are thinking of their own stories that they use in the 306 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:36.119 sales process, the ones that they tell repeatedly, and they're probably thinking hopefully 307 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.920 y'all are thinking, hey, how can I make these better more impactful using 308 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:44.680 to advantage and what challenges am I having throughout my sales process where I'm not 309 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:47.799 using a story that it might be able to help me. I mentioned customer 310 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:48.920 pushing for the demo too quick, right, that might be a place you 311 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.319 could pop one in there. But as we wrap up, Rob, this 312 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.119 has been a great conversation, but I'd love for you to kind of summarize 313 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:00.599 some key takeaways for people listening right now and what are the key things you 314 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:04.279 want them to walk away with as they hit stop and start their sales calls 315 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:10.680 this week. Stories are extremely powerful. If you want to move somebody, 316 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:15.480 tell them a story. If you give facts, tell stories sell. So 317 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:22.160 if you're just giving facts and figures and speeds and feeds and features and benefits, 318 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:26.680 it doesn't hit the right part of the brain that drives decision making. 319 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:30.960 There's got to be emotion in the story, So don't just give facts and 320 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:37.079 figures and feeds and speeds. It doesn't move people if there's not emotion in 321 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:41.240 the story. Talking about somebody's frustration and the challenges that they had, and 322 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:47.000 talk about the emotional side of things. I mean, imagine a movie without 323 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:52.000 emotion in it. You wouldn't recommend that movie to anybody. So one thing 324 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:56.759 is to make sure that in those stories that you include emotion in the story 325 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:02.319 about the frustration or what have you client was going through. And just make 326 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:06.119 sure that you've got at least one emotion with each of those four cards in 327 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:10.240 the setting, in the complication, turning point, and resolution, there's got 328 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:14.119 to be one there. And of course in the resolution you want excitement, 329 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:18.359 happy the results that they got. But making sure there's emotion in the story 330 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:22.599 and it's just not all facts and figures. That's one takeaway that I want 331 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:26.279 to make sure people have. Some of the other ones we've mentioned, keep 332 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.279 them short, keep them sixty seconds, practice them. And that's another great 333 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:34.319 reason to record them, because you can listen for things within that recording that 334 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:37.240 you think, you know what, that's not really germane. I can take 335 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:42.160 that out without losing anything any importance or any impact of the story. Mark 336 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:45.599 Twain said, if I had more time, I would write less, and 337 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.759 what he meant by that is if he had more time, he would ed 338 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:55.880 out all the unnecessary words. That's why recording your stories and listening back to 339 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:57.640 them and then timing them is so important, because then you can say, 340 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:03.160 well, piece, I can take this out night and cut fifteen seconds out 341 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:07.519 my story. That's huge. So stories are get too long, and then 342 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:11.240 practice them, practice them, practice them. Awesome. Well, thank you 343 00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:15.039 so much for this discussion, Rob, It's been a lot of fun. 344 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:18.599 Yes, and thank you to all of you for listening to the Audible Already 345 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:22.640 Sales podcast. Be sure to check out the show notes. I'll put some 346 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:26.160 more resources on telling stories. We have a storytelling course on a sunder that 347 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:30.400 pro planned subscribers have access to. Be sure to check that out link in 348 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.519 the show notes, and thank you all for listening to the Audible Already Sales 349 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:41.559 Podcast. At Force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into elite teams. 350 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:47.759 Are proven methodologies, deliver programs that build company alignment and fuel repeatable revenue 351 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:52.160 growth. Give your teams the ability to execute the growth strategy at the point 352 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:56.000 of sale. Our strength is our experience, the proof is in our results. 353 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:00.839 Let's get started. Visit us at force management dot com. You've been 354 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:06.039 listening to the Audible Ready podcast. To not miss an episode, subscribe to 355 00:25:06.119 --> 00:25:08.039 the show in your favorite podcast player. Until next time.