Storytelling packs an emotional punch that turns routine presentations into productive relationships. It brings products and services to life in ways that customers remember; it connects people and creates momentum. Sales stories draw people in and actively engage them. You might talk about a time when your company met a nerve-wracking challenge. You might tell the offbeat story of how your product was developed. Stories like these activate emotions and trigger the part of the brain where decisions are made. Storytelling expert Paul Smith, author of the acclaimed Lead with a Story, shifts his bestselling formula from leadership to the sales arena. Based on interviews with sales and procurement professionals at more than 50 top companies including Microsoft, Costco, Xerox, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hewlett Packard, Sell with a Story explains how stories work, when to use a story to move the sales process along, which ones to always have handy, and how to turn real-life experiences into stories that resonate.

Whether you want to build a relationship with the buyer, negotiate price, or close the deal, you'll learn how to: Craft unique stories that convey your values, your commitment, and your product's ability to solve problems, Develop compelling and memorable narratives, Distinguish between a great story and a less compelling one, Pick the story your audience wants to hear by choosing the most relatable hero, most relevant obstacle, and most meaningful struggle, Use the right story structure template to ensure key elements are included, Close stories with succinct lessons and recommended actions, Add emotion, surprise, dialogue, detail, data, and other elements to make your stories fresh and effective, Ask open-ended questions that encourage customers to share their own stories, And much more. Complete with model stories, skill-building exercises, and enlightening examples, this powerful and practical guide gives you the tools to create memorable stories that sell. Book jacket.