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Index
Cover
Title
Copyright
Contents
Foreword by Mike Bosworth
A note from the author
Introduction
Part 1: Lure
1. Why use stories?
An essential skill for sales success
The best salespeople use stories
How stories change our minds
The mind’s natural language
Stories avoid pushback
Stories are memorable
Hidden motives
Stories solve the hard sales problems
The conventional wisdom
2. What is a story exactly?
A sequence of events
… in a framework
… that are interesting and unpredictable
… that happen to a character
… and make a business point
The simple story framework
Logic, mathematics and stories
3. Tell me how it’s done
Interviewing and listening
The mechanics of story structure
An emotional journey
How long should stories be?
Practising
Voice tone in storytelling
What type of story to tell and when to tell it?
Story planning and the story library
Story preparation checklist
Part 2: Hook
4. Who the hell are you?
Why are hook stories relevant today?
The three hook stories
Personal stories
Key staff stories
Technical people in sales roles
Company creation stories
5. What makes a connection?
Stranger danger
Is it time wasting?
Connecting the dots
Building rapport
Why do people still follow a traditional approach?
What’s in a personal story?
Why is connecting a hook?
6. Instant rapport!
Why is connection so important now?
More on personal stories
The acid test for personal stories
When to avoid personal stories
Public story workshops
Record, refine, reflect
Key staff stories: bragging allowed!
Company creation story — ask the right questions
The founder’s story
The established company story
The big corporation story
The company story exchange
You must tell your story!
Hook story checklist
Part 3: Fight
7. Why you? Why your company?
Buying is a merger of world views
Changing beliefs
Insight selling
Then a success story
Success stories vs case studies
The perfect story
A beautiful, repeatable resource
8. Be the only option
Discovering commercial insight
The story behind the insight
Magicians, Marines and Medics
Finding insight
Success stories: the hero’s journey
Future success stories
The failure story
9. The fight for your customer’s mind
The curse of knowledge
The insight discovery story
Is your insight story good enough?
Collecting success stories
Delivering a success story
Winning the fight checklist
Part 4: Land
10. I submitted the proposal — now what?
Why deals don’t get done
What’s the conventional wisdom on closing?
The stress reliever
Values stories and risk avoidance
Sales teaching stories
Cost of delay
Keep connecting in the decision phase
12. Influence in the dark
Collecting values stories
Story: a window to corporate values
Teaching stories: learning from another’s experience
Can it go wrong?
Build a story library
Landing the deal checklist
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendices
Appendix A: Summary of the seven stories
Appendix B: Reference table for the seven stories
Appendix C: Story catalogue
Appendix D: The story template
Recommended reading
Chapter notes
About Mike
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