Turning Leads Into Revenue: Storytelling For Sales Professionals BY MARK NEELY In selling, we try to connect deeply with our prospects. We try to find common ground and values. We try to differenti- ate our company from our competition by highlighting our own strengths. We focus on the value we can bring to the table, often accentuating our competitive pricing and the services we provide that will be helpful to the customer. This is not easy. It is difficult to persuade someone who doesn’t know us to see us in the best positive light, primar- ily because they don’t know us. We have not had a chance to prove ourselves to them, so why should they trust us? They have been promised the moon by a lot of sales peo- ple. We may know how great we are but why should they see us as being any different from the thousand other sales people who have come before us to plead for their business? We need to find a way to quickly and believably con- nect to the prospect and get them to think positively about us as soon as possible. That way can be facilitated through a tried and true method that has been used since the dawn of human existence: storytelling. When someone hears a story, especially a story that relates to their own situation and the challenges they are currently facing, multiple parts of their brain are engaged.
This not only leads them to listen more attentively to what is being said but also leads them to remember what was said and who said it. When a prospect hears a story that touches them, they trust the storyteller and are more open to being favorably influenced by them. Building an effective story involves learning a tech- nique that almost everyone already uses and has used since childhood. We all tell stories to each other, though the actual method of creating stories may not be fully un- derstood. Taking a purposeful path to storytelling will help you to connect more rapidly with your prospects and lead to a higher conversion rate in your sales. Understanding the basics of what goes into building a meaningful story is essential: • The Elements of Effective Storytelling • The Emotional Connection Made Through Storytelling • Recounting existing stories from your professional past that demonstrate your value as a problem solver and creative value builder • Building a story telling template so you can use this technique when needed How To Build A Memorable Story Generally, you are trying to make a point, such as how you helped a past customer save money or how you helped that customer to create greater value for the prod- uct they were selling to their customers. Know the details you will want to convey. Build a narrative arc to communi- CONTINUED ON PAGE 70
MARK NEELY Training and Consulting Services
■ Mark has over 25 years experience delivering Sales and Negotiation Training to the Corrugated Packaging Industry ■ Using a 360º approach to developing both External as well as Internal relationships, Mark will help your whole team work together to expand your customer base, create closer ties between departments and build profits ■ Mark specializes in Customized Training Programs and Consulting Services that are created by matching your company’s capabilities to the goals you have set
■ Prospecting and Leads Generation ■ Trust Building and Di erentiation ■ Sales Results Measurement TRAINING TOPIC EXAMPLES
■ Sales Management ■ Building Cooperative and Collaborative Teams ■ On-boarding of New Sales Reps CONSULTING SERVICES
and Accountability ■ Negotiating Skills
310-346-5476 markneely5476@gmail.com ■ www.markneelyseminars.com
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