It’s only fitting that I write about my “cup of coffee” experiences as I sit in a coffee shop enjoying a hot cup ‘o Joe.
My new interest in sales has set me up for multiple coffee dates over the last few months (mostly with the help of guest speaker Evan Addams), and I have to say the best sales advice I have encountered has be shared over two Starbucks cups.
When chatting with Jon Veschio, VP of Business Development of Truefit, we spoke about the Sandler Rules — something he utilizes every day. We talked about the importance of bonding and rapport, upfront contracts, and pain. Most notably, we talked about the importance of storytelling.
I asked Jon how as a new salesperson I could use stories to sell. He told me a key to storytelling. You don’t need a large inventory of stories to choose from, rather you just need a handful of versatile stories that you can use in many situations. Your stories should have more than one perspective or moral or lesson learned. Based on the situation, you can tell the story from a different angle or emphasize a different point to each individual client, depending on what they need to hear.
I found this piece of advice most important, as I have little experience in sales and few stories to draw from. Jon had me tell him a story and then pointed out the different points he gathered — overcoming obstacles, customer management, problem solving, quick thinking, innovation, etc. The list went on and on.
The takeaway from this conversation was that even those with little experience still have worthwhile experiences to rely on and can share those experiences until they have new ones.
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I guess my only question about storytelling now is the timing. When is the appropriate time to tell a story? Is it more of when the prospect has a doubt about something and you reassure the doubt with a story? Or is it at another time? Did Jon say anything about timing?
Up front contracts… what a world it would be without them. Surely many more sales opportunities would slip though the cracks.