How to Tell a Story that Sells

1. How to Craft a
Product Story
that Sells
April Dunford
@aprildunford
aprildunford.com

2. Selling is HARD

3. Buying is HARD

4. Example: April Buys a Toilet

10. 3 weeks
2 showroom visits
on the internet
0 New Toilet

11. 3 weeks
2 showroom visits
on the internet
0 New Toilet

12. 3 weeks
2 showroom visits
on the internet
0 New Toilet

13. 3 weeks
2 showroom visits
on the internet
0 New Toilet

14. How hard is it to buy your product?

15. Before prospects
buy, they need to
figure what matters
so they can make a
short list

16. Sales Puts Customers in the
Windtunnel of Features
FEATURES!!!

17. If I make a
poor choice
Bad things
happen

18. 40% - 60% of B2B
Sales Purchase
Processes End in
“No Decision”
The Easiest and
Lowest Risk Decision
is to Do Nothing

20. Salesperson
Guide

21. Buyers Want Our Help
Question: What do you
want in a sales
meeting?
● Perspectives on the
market
● Help me navigate
alternatives
Challenger Group - 2019 https://www.challengerinc.com/resource/how-b2b-buyers-choose-their-
suppliers-a-decade-of-analysis/

22. How do we Build a
Better Sales Story?

23. Why Pick You Over the Alternatives?

24. Our Current Frameworks
Weren’t Designed For This
Pitch Advantages Shortcomings
Product
Walk-
through
Shows the
product
Why pick you over the alternatives?
Problem /
Solution
More focus
on Value
Why pick you over the alternatives?
The VISION
Pitch
(Old way/
New way)
Investors
love it
Gives buyers a reason to delay a
purchase
Other “New Ways” exist so - why pick you
over the alternatives?

25. What do Startup Founders
and IBM Sales Executives
have in common?

26. What do prospects need to know?
1. What matters for companies like mine?
2. What are the trade-offs for the different
alternatives?
3. What would a perfect solution for my
company look like?
4. Can your product deliver that?

27. Insight – our understanding what really
matters for a certain type of customer

28. Map the
entire market
With the context of
that insight

29. Help them define
a perfect solution for them

30. Then show how we
stack up
against that definition
of “perfect”

31. Example: Help Scout

32. Example: Help Scout – Product Walkthrough
Here’s how you get started
Here’s the shared inbox
Here’s how this works across channels
Here’s how you do assignments,
prioritization
Look at these workflows & integrations
Blah, blah, blah, features, blah, blah,
blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

33. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Online Businesses see Customer Service
as a Cost Center vs a Growth Driver
Insight

34. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Approach Pros Cons
Shared
Inbox
Easy Limited Service Features
Traditional
Help Desk
Full-featured Complex
Cost Reduction Focus
Alt’s
Online Businesses see Customer Service
as a Cost Center vs a Growth Driver
Insight

35. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Approach Pros Cons
Shared
Inbox
Easy Limited Service Features
Traditional
Help Desk
Full-featured Complex
Cost Reduction Focus
Alt’s
Online Businesses see Customer Service
as a Cost Center vs a Growth Driver
• Easy to use/adopt
• Advanced features we grow into
• Customer Experience – that drives growth
Perfect
World
Insight

36. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Easy to use/adopt
• Start in minutes
• Shared inbox
Advanced Features that grow with you
• Workflow
• Integrations
Customer Experience
• No “tickets”
• Customers choose channel
Value

37. Insight Alt’s
Perfect
World
The Setup The Follow Through
The Market Your Solution
Sales Pitch Structure
The Value you Deliver

38. A good pitch starts with
good Positioning

39. A Great Sales
Narrative
Positions Your
Product in a Market
of Alternatives

40. Competitive
Alternatives Unique
Capabilities
Value Best Fit
Customers Market
Category
1
2
3
4
5
Alternatives, Value, and Best-Fit Customers
come from our Positioning
Strong Positioning = Strong Sales Pitch

41. I know a good
Positioning Book

42. Example: Leveljump

43. Example: Help Scout – Product Walkthrough
Here’s how you get started
Here’s how you set up the training
Here’s how reps access the training
Blah, blah, blah, features, blah, blah, blah,
features, blah, blah
Here’s how you track results

44. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Every day your reps aren’t fully enabled
costs you money
Insight

45. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Alt’s
Every day your reps aren’t fully enabled
costs you money
Approach Pros Cons
Shared drive Easy No version control
Can’t measure impact
CMS Know who
accesses what
Can’t design courses
Can’t measure impact
LMS Can set up courses Can’t measure impact
Insight

46. Example: Help Scout – Sales Narrative
Alt’s
Every day your reps aren’t fully enabled
costs you money
Approach Pros Cons
Shared drive Easy No version control
Can’t measure impact
CMS Know who
accesses what
Can’t design courses
Can’t measure impact
LMS Can set up courses Can’t measure impact
Perfect
World
• Measure the impact of onboarding with sales metrics
• Use metrics to improve onboarding to sell more faster
Insight

47. Example: Leveljump – Sales Narrative
Measure Impact of enablement with
Sales Metrics
• Track time to make quota, time to first deal,
etc.
Improve Onboarding to sell more faster
• Take what’s working and improve on it
Value

48. Insight Alt’s
Perfect
World
The Setup The Follow Through
The Market Your Solution
Sales Pitch Structure
The Value you Deliver

49. How to Ensure Success
1. Sales needs to be heavily involved

50. How to Ensure Success
1. Sales needs to be heavily involved
2. Test and tune with one sales rep first,
then roll out to the others

51. How to Ensure Success
1. Sales needs to be heavily involved
2. Test and tune with one sales rep first,
then roll out to the others
3. If it fails – go back to your positioning

52. How to Ensure Success
1. Sales needs to be heavily involved
2. Test and tune with one sales rep first,
then roll out to the others
3. If it fails – go back to your positioning
4. Your marketing messaging must reflect
the narrative

53. How to Ensure Success
1. Sales needs to be heavily involved
2. Test and tune with one sales rep first,
then roll out to the others
3. If it fails – go back to your positioning
4. Your marketing messaging must reflect
the narrative
5. When your positioning changes the
narrative changes

54. Homework
Answer these questions
• What are the reasons to pick you
over the alternatives?
• What does a customer need to
understand to understand your
value?
• Is it time to check in on your
Positioning?

55. Key Takeaways
1. Buying is hard
2. If buyers can’t decide, they
will do nothing
3. Your Sales Narrative should
answer “Why pick us over the
alternatives?”
4. Positioning is a fundamental
input

56. Questions?
april@aprildunford.com
@aprildunford
aprildunford.com