Every fall and spring semester, I get a chance to speak to 200 young minds in the School of Business at Marquette University. I’ve put together my own version of “Ted Talks”, called “Persuasion through Storytelling”. We explore the impact of storytelling on the sales process and share how this conversational approach is a big part of our selling strategy at Zywave.
The discussion opens up speaking about my grandfather and the hardships he endured throughout the Great Depression, explaining how he was forced to eat lard sandwiches because of the scarcity of food. This personal story is a way of demonstrating that we should all be grateful for what we have and drives home that hard work and perseverance can get someone through even the toughest of times. I then go into detail about my grandfather’s childhood, like how he served as a tanker in World War II, and worked as a welder doing hard labor.
I am proud of my grandfather; his life allows me to impart wisdom into the twenty-something’s I talk to. Yet my motive behind sharing his stories isn’t because of nostalgia. In the age of four-second Snapchats and abbreviated conversations through text messages, the average attention span is seven seconds. This means I have to grab the attention and engage my audience in less time than it took you to read this sentence.
With renewal season right around the corner, it’s worth thinking about your own sales presentation. Does it engage prospective groups looking to switch brokers? Is there anything memorable about your presentation? Does it catch anyone off guard and leave an impression, or is it simply what the CFO expected?
Revitalize your pitch and enhance your sales presentation with these 5 tips:
1. Illustrate Your Differentiators
Can you pin point your differentiators? A lot of brokers claim they are different than the competition; however, when I ask them to define their differentiators they resort back to a statement about having the best people and service. Know exactly what your value proposition is and be able to define, articulate and illustrate.
2. Make it Memorable
Stories are 22 times more memorable than stats and figures alone. Your brain is wired to understand and remember stories. In our sales process at Zywave, we share success stories to demonstrate how partners are winning new business leveraging our Zywave tools. Over the years, I’ve found that our partners remember success stories more than the stats and figures we present to them.
3. Challenge the Status Quo
Remember the average broker has a 90% renewal rate, which means most of the time a group remains with the incumbent broker. Go in and shake things up. Make the prospective group question why they are renewing their relationship for the seventh year in a row with a broker who only takes them golfing once a year. Check out “The Challenger Sale”, by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, a great resource for tactful ways to challenge a prospect.
4. Add an Element of Surprise
In my talks at Marquette, my opening statement is: “I have never eaten a lard sandwich.” Not exactly what the 200 students expect to hear. The point is, I want it to be different. I do this by engaging my audience and incorporating memorable elements into the conversation. Don’t get lost in the shuffle with a bland sales presentation and the other four brokers pitching the CFO during renewal season.
5. Refine with Role Playing
If you know where you’re going with your pitch, you can think ahead and anticipate objections. If you are planning on “winging” the presentation, you are probably going to leave money on the table. Before our reps meet with a real broker they are required to pass a 10-week boot camp sales training program. During that period, they attend classes, take tests and are graded on mock sales pitches. Start incorporating role playing into your pre-pitch sales process. Practicing your pitch with your colleagues or a mentor is the only way you can start to identify what’s working and what needs to change.
Over the years, I’ve had former Marquette business students recognize me from my talks. Usually I quiz them on what I spoke about years ago. To my surprise, they almost always remember the stories about my grandfather, including details like the lard sandwich. I made my impact and enhanced my presentation through simple storytelling, not with some fancy pitch or the latest facts and figures.
I was different. I was memorable. Your countdown to December renewals has started. Combine this lesson with the tips above and enhance your presentation through the art of persuasion and storytelling. Make refining your pitch a goal for the next 45 days so you’re ready to go when renewals are in full swing. There’s no better time than this renewal season to start fresh. What story will you tell?
Andrew, we are cut from the same cloth.
Great that you put this into working words.
It applies to everyone not just brokers and not just he the professional realm. What about that woman that you can’t let say no to you when you propose…..
It also applies to everyone b/c it is how you deliver what ever message you are trying to deliver. If I want impact, the answer is clear. you must change the norm… good show.
Thanks for the pump up!