The Storytelling Approach to Sales: What Great Salespeople Do (Book Digest)

"What Great Salespeople Do" argues that sales is fundamentally emotional rather than logical. Traditional approaches that rely on ROI analysis fail to address the emotional challenge of admitting that the status quo isn't working and becoming open to change.

The key takeaway from this book is that salespeople need to consider the emotional journey that their buyer is taking to make a purchase rather than simply piling on more rational proof.

The Emotional Foundation of Sales

Modern cognitive science shows decisions result from an interplay between logic and emotion, with emotions always preceding thoughts. We are "feeling machines that think," not the other way around.

Vulnerability creates connection. When salespeople show appropriate vulnerability, prospects are more likely to reciprocate by admitting their own challenges.

Logical sales pitches trigger the prospect's survival instincts and create resistance. Stories bypass these defense mechanisms and make listeners receptive rather than reactive.

The Story Ladder: Building Buyer Belief

Central to the authors' approach is what they call the "story ladder" - a sequence of beliefs that buyers need to develop before making a purchase decision.

Each rung of the ladder builds upon previous beliefs:

1. Curiosity: Buyers must first become curious about what you offer

2. Trust: They need to trust you as a person and representative

3. Expressing needs: Buyers must feel comfortable sharing their true challenges

4. Brainstorming ideas: They should engage in collaborative solution-finding

5. Seeing value: Prospects need to recognize the value of your proposed solution

6. Making a decision: Finally, they commit to purchase

Each stage of this ladder requires different stories to help move buyers from one belief to the next. The authors emphasize that salespeople should build an inventory of stories specifically designed to influence buyers at each of these levels.

Types of Stories to Develop

The authors recommend developing these types of stories:

1. Connection/Trust Stories:

   • "Who I am" story: Your personal journey to your current role and why you care

   • "Who I represent" story: Your company's journey and purpose

   • "Who I've helped" story: Examples of customers you've successfully assisted

2. Prospecting Stories: Brief narratives that engage prospects and prevent quick rejections

   • Lead with beliefs rather than features, saying things like "I'd love to share a story about another person we worked with who believed in affecting real change"

   • Focus on real change you've helped create

3. Stalled Opportunity Stories: Narratives specifically designed to unstall pipeline opportunities

The authors suggest using reciprocity to encourage buyers to open up: Tell a story about the subject you want them to discuss, then invite them to share their perspective.

Building Effective Stories

Stories should be told in this order:

• Setting: Establish time, location, and context to make characters relatable

• Complication: Detail the obstacles and conflicts facing the character

• Turning Point: Highlight the emotional peak where the character has an "aha" moment

• Resolution: Show the final outcome that addresses the complication

To craft an effective story, start your process at the end:

1. Decide the point of your story

2. Define the resolution

3. Define the setting

4. Define the complication

5. Define the turning point

Stories should include both events and the characters' emotions.

Delivering Stories Effectively

The delivery of your story matters as much as its content.

The authors recommend:

• Associate each part of your story with a specific emotion and evoke that feeling while telling it

• Start with a clear agenda: "I'd like to share my story with you and hear yours"

• "Pass the torch" by inviting the prospect to share their story ("Enough about me. How about you?")

• Practice "story tending"—showing genuine curiosity about their narrative

Effective storytelling requires empathic listening. This means supporting and encouraging the speaker, listening to understand rather than to uncover "pain points," and avoiding common listening blocks like rehearsing your next statement or judging the speaker. The goal is to make the prospect "feel felt" through awareness, encouragement, thoughtful follow-up questions, and reflection.

By mastering this storytelling approach and strategically using different stories at each rung of the belief ladder, salespeople can create deeper connections with prospects, overcome emotional barriers to change, and ultimately achieve better results than traditional methods could deliver.

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If you liked this article, have a look at our other book digests in our series Required Reading for Salespeople. You can also check out the P.S.I. Selling Content Page for more insights on sales communication, strategy, and leadership.

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For more about the author, check out Mike's bio.