Written by Sean McPheat | 
Mastering storytelling in sales can transform a routine pitch into a compelling tale that captivates and convinces.
In the dynamic world of sales, storytelling goes beyond just narrating an account. It’s about weaving a persuasive narrative that resonates with prospects. Many top sales professionals have honed this skill through dedicated storytelling Sales Training, recognizing its potential to connect, engage, and drive results.
But in this guide, we’ll unravel the art and science of using storytelling as a tool, showing you how to craft narratives that not only sell but also build lasting relationships.
Storytelling in sales is the art of using narrative structures to convey the value of a product or service.
Instead of simply listing features and benefits, storytelling brings those elements to life, placing them within a context that the audience can relate to.
As humans, we have a deeply ingrained interest in storytelling, and have probably been telling tales since we first daubed bison on cave walls!
Stories make situations come alive and help turn abstract notions into inspiring narratives the potential buyer can latch onto.
Narrative paints a vivid picture. Stories simplify complex ideas, making them easier for prospects to digest and remember.
Rather than trying to remember and compare a long list of features and benefits, prospects are presented with a series of images, or scenes, that reveal how the product will improve their lives.
When experiencing a compelling story, the buyer imagines themselves into the scenario depicted.
The techniques of storytelling have been tried and tested throughout the ages. One of the first formalised theories of storytelling is Aristotle’s poetics, written in 335 BCE, in which the philosopher proposed six essential elements:
All these elements except perhaps song (it may not be wise to break into a Broadway show tune mid-pitch) can be incorporated into any story.
Let’s view Aristotle’s list (music aside) though a sales storytelling lens:
Insights almost 2400 years old are still applicable today, as you weave your storytelling pitches.
Later theories of drama and storytelling worth looking at include Joseph Cambell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and Story by Robert McKee.
Next, let’s look at what distinguishes a story-led approach.
While common sales pitches might focus on technical specs or direct benefits, story-driven approaches delve into the experiences surrounding the product.
It’s the difference between saying a phone has a great camera and sharing a story about capturing a once-in-a-lifetime moment with it.
Here’s a comparison of different approaches to storytelling, both traditional and story-based:
To explore this, let’s look at two fictional pitches for the same product, a robotic pool cleaner:
The second version takes a little time to set up the pain point as an emotional narrative – the homeowner’s ambitions for their home, contrasted with the reality of a dirty and unused pool.
The storytelling version includes facts such as the time it will take to clean the pool, and the suction and filtration benefits, but it frames these as contributing to trust, another emotional state.
Storytelling makes your pitches more compelling in a range of ways so are a great tool to include in your sales process.
Let’s look a little more deeply at some of them.
Sales pitch storytelling is both engaging and memorable.
By crafting a compelling narrative, you are more likely to stick in your prospect’s mind long after the pitch ends. You can do this by incorporating memorable visual images and engaging the senses.
Show that you understand your prospect’s world by reflecting it back at them in ways they recognise.
Example:
Imagine being able to knock off at 3pm on Friday because your team has smashed those targets and there’s a sunlit terrace and a bottle of champagne waiting. With ProjectPlan, you need never cancel the weekend again.
Paint as vivid a picture as possible of the pain points your product or service addresses, and the improved emotional state the prospect will enjoy after committing to the purchase.
Sales stories create trust. They showcase real-life applications and results, thereby proving the effectiveness of your offering.
You can use testimonials to back-up your story or summarise the common themes of positive testimonials and then provide links to existing customer’s positive feedback.
Testimonials can be retold as stories too.
Example:
We’ve been working with a start-up who had the best possible problem. One of their Instagram posts went viral, and they got way more orders than they could process. The founder literally woke up to their server crashing with the volume of it. We quickly created some automations that unblocked the sales pipeline so they could handle the volume and scale up quickly. They posted 8 x sales that month.
If you can then back up that story with a link to a testimonial, then you’ve just created interest and built trust.
Emotions drive decisions. Storytelling for sales taps into this, creating a bond between the seller and the prospect, making the latter more receptive to the message.
To craft effective sales narratives, it’s essential to understand their key components.
Let’s take a detailed look at the elements of a great sales story.
Every good story sets the scene. It provides context, helping the audience visualise the scenario.
Think of the opening of a Hollywood film. Generally, we’re not thrown into the midst of action (unless it’s a Bond movie or Mission Impossible, where we already know the set-up). Instead, we’re shown the world before the narrative kicks off. The unsatisfactory status quo.
What is your client’s day-to-day life like?
You may want to ask a few preparatory questions to help you select which narrative to tell.
What are their frustrations, and pain points?
These will differ from prospect to prospect, so you can’t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.
Highlight a challenge or pain point that your prospects face. This creates a sense of relatability. If you’ve been handed a problem by talking to your prospect, then run with it.
The pain point should have an emotional valency. Here are some examples:
You’ll notice that these examples come from the prospect’s perspective. It’s important to apply empathy and put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, even if they haven’t been this open and honest,
Doing so will let you frame the problem correctly, so that you can take the next step and identify an appropriate solution.
Here’s where your product or service shines. Show how it effectively addresses the introduced problem.
Again, this isn’t about listing the features or benefits, although you can weave those in. Instead, focus on how your product or service will supply the emotional relief the prospect is looking for.
If they are frustrated, the product offers peace of mind. If they are overworked, it provides relief. If they are worried about the competition, the product reassures them that they’re employing a secret weapon, to gain ascendancy.
Conclude with the positive changes or benefits brought about by your solution. This drives home the narrative’s purpose.
This is the happy ending of your story (there are no tragedies in sales storytelling). Again, you can use testimonials but only to back up your personal pitch, which is the universal good of your product or service.
Example:
Our users no longer worry about the day-to-day of running their business, because we’ve used AI and automation to take charge of all the mundane, predictable aspects. Now they can concentrate on what made them found the company in the first place – creating bold, innovative new products. They are risk-takers, so we’ve given them the secure base they need to take those risks.
To excel at sales pitch storytelling, you must continually refine one’s approach. It may be that the first few attempts don’t entirely connect. If this method seems new, it may not feel natural at first.
It’s a little like a classically trained RSA-trained actor going from text-based acting to method-based acting. Suddenly they are required to bring much more of themselves to the role, and focus on felt emotion, rather than outward affect!
Similarly, when you transition to storytelling as a sales technique, you’re expected to show more emotion, and reveal more of yourself. This is how connections are formed between buyer and seller.
Now, let’s turn to some techniques which may help you master this method.
Even when the product is something as abstract as software, create images that will bring it to life.
Physical products and real-world services are easier to do this with since they have a look, a touch, a sound, a smell and sometimes a taste. But digital products have secondary sensory associations too, related to their users.
A CRM database isn’t just a digital database of customers; it is a family or community.
With a digital product, imagine the new ethos of a company adopting it.
How will that company look and sound? Will there be smiles and laughter? Team nights out? A better work-life balance?
As we’ve mentioned, testimonials can be useful mini narratives within your pitch.
When a client has taken the time to pen one of these, it means they have an emotional response to your product. Choose testimonials where they explore that response.
Example:
We were really stressed and working long hours, while bringing up a baby. The last thing we needed was a nightmare house buying experience too. Eze-Homes came on board and took so much of that anxiety away, because they were so organised, they communicated with us, and they really understood what our priorities were. It was the easiest, most enjoyable move we’ve both ever made.
This testimonial is great because it lays out the background, the emotional pain paints the problem, the solution, and the emotional outcome (relief and even pleasure). You can either use it as it stands or paraphrase it in your own words.
Another approach is to create a kind of avatar of your typical customer. One that represents those who will most benefit from your product. This is often called an ‘Ideal Customer Profile’ and helps provide fantastic customer service.
That’s because this technique can easily help your customer understand the product or service you are selling. It’s also used to help create written sales materials, such as sales email drip campaigns, which are sent out to mass mailing lists.
There’s a danger inherent in using one pre-prepared profile explicitly in a face-to-face sales situation, or on the phone, because this avatar might not match up with their individual situation.
However, you can have several different heroes in mind so that you have one that works for the single mother business owner, the ambitious graduate, or the near retirement executive.
This way you can pull a suitable story out of the hat, to help your prospect see themselves in the shoes of the hero you describe.
Example:
Many of our customers are small business owners who began with one outlet, experiencing sudden growth, and realised they had the potential to franchise their restaurant.
Their problem was they couldn’t take their eye off the day-to-day running of a successful business to work on strategy or branding. We came in and provided the resources they needed to do so. We enabled them to be truly ambitious.
There are also pitfalls to a storytelling approach – it’s not a magic bullet! So, here are some things to avoid:
Remember that this approach is about selling the emotional journey from the problem the client begins with, to the satisfaction and relief they’ll feel when it’s gone.
You can always follow up with specifications and technical details in an email.
Remember to anchor the story in emotions, rather than purely the “plot” of your hero overcoming problems to succeed.
Every good product or service satisfies some sort of emotional need, even if it’s something as low-key as peace of mind, comfort, or relief. Identify that emotional need and how what you’re selling addresses it, and you’re halfway there.
Don’t get too bogged down in metrics, sales KPIs or statistics; instead, focus on how much better your prospect will feel after they commit to a purchase.
Don’t get too carried away and wander off-brand. If you’re selling high-performance running shoes, whose USP is a 2-5% gain in pace over a marathon, then don’t waste time talking about how hard-wearing they are (if that’s not a brand benefit).
If you’re improvising, it’s still important to bear in mind those ringfenced brand values. You won’t be popular with your prospect or employer if you start making promises your product or service cannot deliver.
There are brands that always seem to get the narrative right:
Their 2022 911 commercial stressed how their Apple watch can be used to make lifesaving calls. It’s an emotionally gripping campaign from the first moment.
Remember Pepsi’s ad featuring Kendall Jenner? It intended to tell a story of unity, tying in with the influential Black Lives Matter movement, but missed the mark, drawing criticism for oversimplifying serious issues.
If you do tell an emotional story, make sure it doesn’t feel shoehorned in, and that you aren’t just cynically co-opting a serious social issue for financial gain.
Similarly, Bud Light recently adopted trans celebrity Dylan Mulvaney as a spokesperson in a tone-deaf attempt to pivot the product’s image away from frat boys and barbecues.
Although laudable in its goal of inclusion, the move was viewed as cynical and patronising by American conservatives and sparked a high-profile backlash and a significant drop in sales. Dylan was not the hero Bud Light drinkers wanted!
Embracing storytelling for sales isn’t just about selling a product, it’s about sharing an experience. When done right, it becomes a powerful tool that not only drives sales performance but also creates honest, human connections between buyer and seller.
Good storytelling requires empathy and a certain skill in constructing a narrative. The former is something we all have within us. The latter can be studied, practised, and learnt.
Ready to hone your storytelling and sales skills?
Dive in and elevate your sales game through MTD’s Sales Management Training, or even our Advanced Sales Skills Training. Both can provide you with more in-depth learning on the power of sales storytelling! And if you’re looking for a more tailored experience, why not consider MTD’s In-House Training options.
Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.
Happy selling!
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
Updated on: 28 November, 2023
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