Episode #327 – Philipp Humm

Stories Make You Memorable

MEET

Philipp Humm

Philipp Humm helps sales experts around the world use stories to become their clients’ #1 trusted advisor. At the moment, he’s writing a book on StorySelling where he has interviewed 50+ sales executives, speakers and coaches on how to use stories authentically in sales. Just this year, he gave a TEDx talk on “The Secret to Building Lasting Confidence”. People pitching their company often say things like “We are the market leader in…We operate in 200 branches…We spend 10% of our money on R&D.” Philipp Humm notes that while these are interesting facts that should be included, they aren’t very memorable. The moment you walk out the door, your potential buyer won’t remember those facts. To be remembered, you need to appeal to their emotions. The easiest way to do that? Tell a story.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:54] Why is storytelling an important skill to possess in sales?
• [1:53] Is storytelling something that can be learned?
• [2:50] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [4:07] The attributes and characteristics of a great storyteller
• [5:13] Resources listeners can use to improve their storytelling
• [6:10] Philipp’s top three storytelling dos and top three don’ts
• [9:34] Anyone can share a mesmerizing story with the right techniques

Is storytelling something that can be learned?

Philip recently attended his undergrad […]

Episode #326 – Caryn Kopp

The Right Words are Key to Stories that Sell

MEET

Caryn Kopp

Caryn Kopp is the Chief Door Opener at Kopp Consulting, an Inc 5000 honoree and recipient of the Sales Outsourcing Provider of the Year Award. Caryn is the co-author of the best seller Biz Dev Done Right and has been named a Top Sales Influencer. Kopp Consulting is best known for the Door Opener Service, where their experienced business developers land executive level prospect meetings for their clients. People are more likely to listen and emotionally connect to a story versus facts. That’s why when you have a chance to tell a story, you’re more likely to make that emotional connection. It’s even better when they can see themselves in the story. But how do you tell stories that land? According to Caryn Kopp, it’s all about using the right words.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:59] Why is storytelling an important skill to possess in sales
• [2:03] Can you become a gifted storyteller?
• [3:17] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [6:32] The characteristics of a good storyteller
• [8:11] Resources to improve your storytelling abilities
• [9:35] Caryn’s top three storytelling dos and don’ts
• [12:09] How the right words are influential

Can you become a gifted storyteller?

Caryn’s company is built of senior business developers—that they call door openers—representing their clients […]

Episode #325 – Dave Butler

Problem-Focused Storytelling

MEET

Dave Butler

Dave Butler has served as a VP Sales, BD or Marketing in a dozen companies with multiple IPOs (including 4 Unicorns) and many acquisitions. He now consults with dozens of companies and individuals helping them use story and the scientific method to find product market fit and grow their businesses. Storytelling is an important skill for salespeople and companies to possess because story is the way humans remember everything. If you give someone a list of facts that aren’t connected in a meaningful way, people will shut you down.

A good story focuses on a problem that someone has. If you can hone in on a problem so much so that the person recognizes the problem in themselves, they get hooked. Dave Butler shares why problem-focused storytelling is so effective in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:59] Why storytelling is an important skill for salespeople to have
• [2:47] Why storytelling is something that can be learned
• [4:21] A formula for problem-focused storytelling
• [8:38] The attributes of a great sales storyteller
• [12:05] Resources to improve your storytelling abilities
• [13:23] Dave’s top 3 storytelling dos and don’ts
• [16:23] Why you need to focus on the problem first

Why storytelling is something that can be learned

Dave notes that you don’t need to be an expert to […]

Episode #324 – Steve Benson

Successful Storytelling Hinges on Tension and Release

MEET

Steve Benson

Steve Benson is CEO and founder of Badger Maps, the #1 App in the App Store for outside and field salespeople. Steve is also CEO of Badger Sales University. After receiving his MBA from Stanford, Steve joined Google, where he became Google Enterprise’s Top Sales Executive globally in 2009.

In 2012 Steve founded Badger Maps for outside and field salespeople to upgrade existing CRMs with mapping, routing, and scheduling. He also hosts the Outside Sales Talk – a podcast specifically for outside salespeople, and is the President of the Sales Hall of Fame. Storytelling is how you help prospects and customers remember you and understand your product (and why it’s valuable to them). Humans interpret things through stories. If you can tell a story that makes sense, you’ll be more successful. But if you can tell a story interweaved with tension and release, you’ll hook your listener and they’ll be more invested in what you have to say. Steve Benson shares why this is his favorite storytelling strategy in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:54] Why storytelling skills are important in sales
• [1:32] Is storytelling […]
  

Episode #323 – Park Howell

Park Howell’s ABT Framework for Storytelling

MEET

Park Howell

Park Howell is known as The World’s Most Industrious Storyteller having grown purpose-driven brands by as much as 600 percent. He is a 35+ year veteran of the advertising industry and hosts the popular weekly Business of Story podcast, author of Brand Bewitchery, and co-authored The Narrative Gym for Business. He is sought after internationally to help leaders excel through the stories they tell. Park Howell knows that if you’re a leading sales professional, you want to communicate and resonate on a deep level to convert prospects to life-long evangelists for your brand. But you may not connect as well as you could because you lead with logic and reason. Your audience wants the emotional pull of an irresistible story.

That’s why Park coaches salespeople with his ABT framework to escalate and accelerate the sales process. Storytelling is the fundamental agile communication tool to get everyone on board as quickly as possible—especially prospects. He shares more about his storytelling framework in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [1:02] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
• [3:05] Is storytelling a gift that can be learned?
• [4:08] Park’s ABT framework for storytelling
• [5:58] The attributes of a great […]
  

Episode #322 – Kendra Lee

Listening is the Key to Telling Stories that Sell

MEET

Kendra Lee

Kendra Lee is author of The Sales Magnet and founder of KLA Group, a sales and marketing agency that takes the mystery out of growth for small and medium companies. A prospect needs to see themself in a solution to believe it’s possible for them. Storytelling is what helps your prospects put themselves in whatever situation that you’re talking about. When they can relate to the story and hear what the moral is, they’re more likely to move forward. But you have to tell the right story. And according to Kendra Lee, the key to choosing the right story is listening. Learn how she utilizes this simple tool to realize extraordinary results in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:43] Why storytelling is an important skill for salespeople
• [1:26] Can you become a gifted storyteller?
• [2:20] The ingredients of a great story that sells
• [3:28] The characteristics of a good storyteller
• [6:11] Resources to improve your storytelling
• [8:28] Kendra’s storytelling dos and don’ts
• [11:00] Maintain control of your narrative

The ingredients of a great story that sells

According to Kendra, you have to begin with the problem that the prospect or client has. Start with a common problem of the hero of […]

Episode #321 – Steve Hall

Immerse Yourself in Stories to Become a Great Storyteller

MEET

Steve Hall

Steve Hall is Managing Director of Executive Sales Coaching Australia and an author who writes on Selling at “C”Level. He helps his clients to gain access to “C” level executives in target prospects and publishes a weekly newsletter on LinkedIn on that topic. He is the author of “How to Sell at “C” Level – the Transcripts”, an ebook he sells directly for an exorbitant price. It’s worth every cent. Steve Hall emphasizes that storytelling is an important skill to possess in both life and business. Stories are an essential part of life. Stories move people to go to war, make peace, and fall in love. And stories can help salespeople stir emotion and create action in their customers.

Steve believes that the more you immerse yourself in the world of good storytelling, the better you will become at the craft. He shares some tips and strategies to become a better storyteller in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [1:01] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
• [1:58] Can anyone become a great storyteller?
• [3:13] The ingredients of a great story
• [4:38] The attributes of a great storyteller
• [6:55] Resources to improve storytelling
• [8:27] Steve’s 3 storytelling dos and don’ts
• [10:38] Stories are the best […]
  

Episode #320 – Lisa Dennis

The Importance of Context in Storytelling

MEET

Lisa Dennis

Lisa Dennis is a global marketing and sales strategist, consultant, and author. Her consulting practice focuses on value proposition and messaging development, marketing strategy, ABM, and sales enablement content and programs. She is the author of Value Propositions that Sell: Turning Your Message into a Magnet that Attracts Buyers. and her upcoming book Do You Speak “Buyer”?:  Integrated Messaging Playbook for Marketing and Sales (Late 2022). Humans are hardwired for stories. We were fed stories as children. We can relate to them quickly. Because of this, stories are the best way to engage with the people you’re trying to get to. Many tools and approaches can help anyone learn how to tell stories. If you can do your homework and practice your stories, you can be a good storyteller. But the importance of telling stories in your buyer’s context cannot be underestimated. Learn more from Lissa Dennis in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [1:04] Why storytelling is important in sales
• [1:40] Can everyone learn how to tell stories?
• [2:15] The ingredients of a story that sells
• [2:50] The attributes of a great storyteller
• [3:44] Make your stories like TED Talks
• [4:35] Top storytelling dos and don’ts
• [6:53] The […]
  

Episode #319 – Charles McFarland

Applying Theater to Sales Storytelling

MEET

Charles McFarland

Charles McFarland is an award-winning theatre producer and director (of over 60 shows) who has combined his arts executive and business coaching experience into his Theatre of Commerce platform, to build leadership and business development skills through the power of storytelling in three dimensions.  He is a Certified StoryBrand Guide. Charles McFarland has a background in theater and has produced and directed over 60 shows. He points out that if you want to pitch to Pixar, it starts with the hero’s journey. You share the hero’s challenges, goals, desires, and obstacles, and get to the inciting incident. How do you as the guide or coach come to the rescue and lead to an outcome, i.e. their “happily ever after?” You have to remove tension from the sales relationship and move to an emotional plane. The best way to do that is through storytelling. Charles shares his process in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:55] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
• [1:40] Can the craft of storytelling be learned?
• [2:41] The key to a great story that sells
• [4:36] The attributes of a good storyteller
• [6:10] Resources to improve storytelling
• [7:06] Top storytelling dos and don’ts
• [10:37] Use StoryBrand to transform your sales pitches

The key to a […]

Episode #318 – Janice B Gordon

Why Imaginative Storytelling Sells

MEET

Janice B Gordon

Janice B Gordon is listed as one of LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovative Sales Influencers to Follow, 2021, and founder of Scale Your Sales Podcast and Framework. Janice is The Customer Growth Expert. She energizes audiences and helps sales organizations reimagine revenue growth through customer excellence and sales. Buyers can read the features and benefits of products and services. They don’t need salespeople to tell them that. What do they need? Someone to help them imagine what the solution will feel like on the other side of the buying process. Storytelling helps the buyer relate the proposed solution to the buyer’s problem. It helps them believe that there is a solution and they gain confidence in you. When you tell stories, it activates oxytocin and makes people feel good. Storytelling fits the way humans are wired and that’s how you should communicate. Learn more about Janice’s imaginative storytelling process in this episode of Sales Reinvented!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:52] Why storytelling is an important skill to possess
• [2:27] Why anyone can become a great storyteller
• [4:25] The ingredients of a story that sells
• [6:16] Attributes of a great storyteller
• [8:09] Ways to improve your storytelling abilities
• [9:30] Top 3 storytelling dos and top 3 don’ts
• [13:26] Change the way you […]