Storytelling (CONT’D FROM PAGE 68)
possible. They still needed more. They liked their current vendor and were generally satisfied with their quality but they hadn’t come up with any meaningful ideas to help them reduce costs.
cate the value of your efforts. Be sure to make your sto- ry based on reliable and believable data. Try to bring the prospect’s concerns into the story so that they can more emotionally connect to what you are saying. Appreciate the psychological power involved in listen- ing to a good story. Since the days when humans gath- ered around a fire and shared stories, we’ve been trying to connect in this way. With friends and family we build relationships deeply through story telling. The brain pre- fers a good story to raw data either read or recited from a piece of paper. When we hear a story, we are more likely to remember the details as well as the story teller. Good Story Structure You need a beginning, a middle and end. Ideally, your conclusion is positive and leaves everyone feeling safe and successful. I will now share a story from my own expe- rience in the form of a story. Since the time I went through what I am about to recount, I have told this story to other prospects. It has been a wonderful way to communicate my intentions and to demonstrate my trust-worthiness. I had been calling on a prospect who had been try- ing for years to reduce their cost of packaging. They had had some success pressuring their current vendor into reducing their price by getting competitive quotes from the vendor’s competitors (including me) but they had hit a roadblock and prices seemed to have gone as low as
I asked if I could tour their warehouse to look at the packaging solutions that were in place. The buyer agreed. I found that the box they were using was heavier in mate- rial than was necessary for the product they were pack- aging. I asked if I could create a sample of a box using a lower board grade as well as one that switched the width and depth dimensions so as to reduce the square foot- age of the container. The buyer was skeptical but after try- ing out the sample, he saw that the box would work. The first thing he appreciated was the price. Because of the switch to a lighter box and because of the box becoming side-loading, the price was lower than his current vendor was offering. Additionally, they were able to fit more packaged boxes on a pallet, helping them to get more boxes loaded onto their trucks. They didn’t sacrifice quality, safety or efficien- cy in packing while they were able to reduce their total packaging cost by nearly 20 percent. Later, the warehouse manager was happy to tell the buyer that the redesign re- duced the storage space on their floor. The buyer ended up saving his company more than $40,000 in six months and was thanked personally by the owner of the company. In the end, this prospect became a loyal, long-term customer. Importantly, with the efficiencies my compa- ny’s team brought to the redesigned box, we were able to maintain a reasonable margin. What I learned from this experience is that I am not here to sell boxes. I am here to help companies save money and be more profitable so long as I can also serve the interests of my own company. With this technique mastered, you will gain greater con- fidence in your sales process while increasing your sales. Prospects will see you as more trustworthy and listen to your solutions with greater interest, seeing you as a val- ued resource in their search for a reliable supplier. We all have stories to tell. Whether you sell machines, services, boxes or raw materials, being an effective story-teller will serve you well.
The Board Converting News print and digital platforms are read by more independent AND integrated decision-makers than any other industry publication. Advertise in BCN in print and/or online to leverage our expansive reach! Our Reach, Your Opportunity
Len Prazych at 518-366-9017 lprazych@nvpublications.com
70 September 28, 2026
www.boardconvertingnews.com
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator