Episode #515 – Mark Smyth, Kristie Jones, and Park Howell

How to Captivate Customers

Meet

Mark Smyth

Mark Smyth is an entrepreneurial Sales leader, strategist, problem solver and self-described ‘story nerd’. With 22+ years of experience in the proverbial ‘sales trenches’, Mark helps growth-minded organizations connect easier and convert to action faster using the greatest human connection tool ever created, the proven power of story.

Kristie Jones

Kristie Jones is the go-to expert for SaaS Founders wanting to build or scale their Sales and Customer Success teams. After 15+ years as a sales leader in the SaaS space, she founded Sales Acceleration Group in 2016 to help other SaaS companies build, grow, and scale their Sales and Customer Success teams to increase revenue, reduce churn, and scale more quickly. Her willingness to get her hands dirty and her “take no prisoners” approach when helping companies with everything from sales process and strategy to hiring and training Sales and Customer Success Reps. is what makes her so valuable to her clients.

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.

Our Mission Is To Change The Negative Perception Of Sales People

Our Vision Is A World Where Selling Is A Profession To Be Proud Of

Storytelling isn’t just a buzzword in the world of sales, it’s a transformative tool that can turn mundane pitches into memorable, persuasive conversations. This week, I bring together industry experts Mark Smyth, Kristie Jones, and Park Howell to share their top storytelling do’s and don’ts for sales professionals. Whether you struggle to keep your stories concise, want to captivate your audience, or wonder how to make your data more compelling, this episode will give you actionable advice and inspiring real-world examples.

Not every #business lesson needs a business #story. Kristie Jones proves the best stories often come from #life outside of work—and that’s what makes them #relatable (and persuasive). Level up your sales storytelling with real-life impact, only on @SalesReinvented.Click To Tweet

Outline of This Episode

[01:40] Guide the audience, don’t make yourself the hero
[05:59] Effort versus outcome and impact of the story
[07:53] Use your special storytelling skills
[14:14] Think outside the box; stories do not have to be business-related to resonate and deliver a point
[16:35] Help your audience imagine a brighter future through stories
[18:19] Don’t dismiss storytelling as a gimmick—storytelling differentiates and builds urgency
[20:39] Turning data into engaging drama

The Secret Sauce in Sales

“Don’t repel, do compel”—that’s the mantra Mark Smyth brings. He urges sales professionals to avoid overwhelming their audience with dry data and instead use storytelling to clarify and motivate. He also encourages listeners to “be the flashlight,” guiding prospects toward their own wins rather than hogging the spotlight. Keep it simple. Multiple narratives muddy the message; a focused, singular story sticks. The smallest, most honest stories can leave the biggest impact, so never underestimate the power of sharing your story.

Play to Your Strengths

Know your audience. Make it relevant, and for Kristie Jones, the pillars of great storytelling begin with understanding who you’re talking to and ensuring your tale matters to them. She highlights the importance of using your own style, whether that’s humor or suspense, and cautions against stories that may alienate or bore. Keep stories crisp, edit ruthlessly, and resist the urge to use anecdotes for every point. Sellers should test and find their true fit, and remember that personal stories often resonate powerfully in a business context. Her advice is not to be afraid to step outside purely business anecdotes to forge real connections.

Brevity = vigor. Park Howell reveals that #powerful stories are #specific and SHORT. Stop losing #deals with drawn-out #pitches—master the art of the 90-second win. Get the full storytelling playbook on @SalesReinventedClick To Tweet

The ABT Framework Wins the Day

Park Howell champions the ABT (And-But-Therefore) method to hone storytelling, emphasizing the need to understand your prospect in a godlike way and to use emotion-rich images, not bullet points, to lock in your message. He says that a tight, focused story is what your audience remembers. On the other hand, he also warns against assuming you’re already a good storyteller or treating stories as gimmicks. Park shares an excellent real-world example of transforming a dull pitch into a magnetic, customer-centered ABT narrative shows how story structure can directly influence sales outcomes. Stories bridge the gap between marketing hype and real-life results.

Ever felt your sales story was falling flat? Mark Smyth says, “Don’t repel, do #compel.” Stop boring your #buyers with endless facts—start wrapping your data in #stories that drive action. Unlock the storytelling secrets on this episode of @SalesReinventedClick To Tweet