Maximising Performance of a Sales Team through a personal lens - Part 1
https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-leverage-storytelling-to-increase-your-conversions/
Part 1 - Story Telling
I’ve spent some time on this over the years and had time to reflect recently when someone who worked in one of my teams volunteered what it was that he saw me doing, I'd never stopped and thought about it… but I've tested it with others and its seems it is actually what I do, and what works (for me!)…. What I would call a very basic hygiene factor for the team.
Simple as it is, the team need to understand the vision and see it in an easily digestible fashion, its what they get behind and what becomes what I will refer to as “the story”.
The leader needs to know the story, build on it, make it real and live it. Delivery of the story needs to be done in a regular and energetic (but not over the top) way. This is Leadership 101 for me….
What this is NOT, is regurgitating parrot fashion the Corporate Pitch aka Marketing Propaganda - it has to have your fingerprints all over it, making it real and situational.
Customers / Prospects want to hear something different / real / relevant, so it needs to be tailored, bespoke and have a sense of humanity about it, think hard about how all of what you have in the leadership role and what's really important for the story… needs to be genuine.
This is NOT a PowerPoint Deck! It’s the informal WHAT, WHY discussion, when you open a presentation / meeting and explain who you are and what you represent… and may be distilled over many interactions.
Sales teams want help to differentiate, especially if you are operating in a competitive market, so here's how you arm them and make them stand out from the pack of "average" performers.
With this the team has something to get behind, and quickly you find “who is on the bus” and is able to be part of the team. I've found it creates the harmony and brings a team together.
When it comes to performance and you have the story, its really easy when you have this down-pat to see those who are struggling with it, and it can be a skills / confidence issue or simply a lack of conviction / commitment, something you have to tease out.
Oh, and it needs constant refinement, get input from customers / prospects / the team etc, make it alive and most of all, practice it… in team meetings, randomly select someone to give their version of the story….
Have fun with it, you need to be passionate and believe in it…. Whats your Story?
PS and since writing this I dared to google "sales story telling"... lots more to read / learn about.
