Become a Better Salesperson or Business Development Executive in Mere Minutes

We’re starting a new podcast series specifically for sales and business development managers. Episodes will feature either interviews with leading experts, consultants, and bestselling authors in sales, or a discussion of the result of our research into the art and science of storytelling in sales.

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS principal and bestselling author of Lead With a Story and  Sell With a Story.

Here’s an easy way to learn some new selling skills – in easy-to-digest podcasts you can listen to at your convenience.

These podcasts are based on interviews with professional salespeople at over 50 organizations, as well as professional buyers. Who better to tell us which sales stories work and which don’t than the professional procurement managers who spend each day listening to dozens of salespeople tell their stories and deciding which ones to award business to and which ones to send away empty handed?

The first six episodes include an introduction to the concept of sales stories and how to distinguish them from a sales pitch, the top 10 reasons why storytelling works so well in sales, the 25 most useful sales stories, as well as discussions with two bestselling authors and sales experts. Sit back. Listen. Learn. And sell more.

Pig Island: An Accidental Sales Story

An introduction to the concept of a sales story, not your average sales pitch.

Sales Guru and Bestselling Author Anthony Iannarino on His First Lessons on Selling

I’m joined by sales guru and bestselling author, Anthony Iannarino, to talk about his new book, The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need

6 Differences between a Sales STORY and a Sales PITCH

What’s the difference between a sales STORY and a sales PITCH? In this episode we’ll discuss six attributes that distinguish the two, and test those criteria out on three narratives. Good luck on the test!

Top 10 Reasons Why Sales Stories Work Better than Just a Sales Pitch

The top 10 reasons why storytelling works well in sales, and therefore, why you should spend more time learning how to do it better

The 25 Most Useful Sales Stories

Based on my research with sales and procurement professionals at over 50 companies.

Dealstorming with Former Yahoo! Chief Solutions Officer, Tim Sanders

Solving your toughest sales challenges with the “dealstorming” process.

So there you go… six great lessons in selling in a few minutes apiece. If you want more stories like these, you can subscribe on iTunes, or click here to sign up for a weekly newsletter delivery to your inbox. If you’re interested in becoming a better storyteller yourself, check out our Influencing through Storytelling course and our Storytelling for Salespeople course where we can come into your organization and help you build this powerful, critical skill.

Paul Smith is a former director and 20-year veteran of the Procter & Gamble Company, and one of the world’s leading experts on business storytelling. He’s the bestselling author of three books on harnessing the power of storytelling for some of the most important work we do as humans: Lead with a Story, Parenting with a Story, and Sell with a Story. Paul is also the primary architect of a thoughtLEADERS course on Influencing through Storytelling and Storytelling for Salespeople.

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Photo: 8951_08 by Megan Amaral