How do you use storytelling to cold call in different industries?

A manager asked his top seller to teach a new rep how to cold call. The veteran brings the rookie into a room. On the table was a phone & call list. He says, “I’m teaching you how to cold call. Just watch & listen.” He picks up the phone-makes the 1st call & gets hung up on. He continues & gets hung up on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th call. But every time he got hung up on the happier he was. Finally the rookie asks, “Why are you so happy? You just got hung up on 6 times.” “Yes but I just made $120.” Surprised-the rookie says, “You made 6 calls & got hung up on 6 times.How did you make $120?” The veteran said, “Last week, I made 500 calls & earned $10,000.00.” The Lesson-The Result IS the Process. Did this capture your attention?????

Story telling in cold calling is imperative for success. But the story should be based around the pain points you know your customers have and how you solve them. Use probing questions to gain pain points from your prospect and respond with a story about how you’d helped a business in a similar situation and how your solution or product solved that pain for them.

Story telling, especially in cold calling, makes you relatable, breaks the ice and establishes rapport. A good story about something timely in the industry, the customer's company, geographic area, etc. all helps build bridges. Consider cold calling another opportunity for conversation. Do not make it a transaction Use it as a bridge to establish needs and get the sale.

Storytelling is a great tool to connect; however, it needs to be beneficial to the audience and not a waste of their time. No one wants to listen to a salesperson go on and on with unrelated information. The way you can tailor it across different sectors is by having solid statistical data that resonates with the targeted audience. People are busy and don’t want their time wasted…keep it short and applicable to the person who gave you their valuable attention!

Certainly Yes, storytelling is important in cold calling. It adds a personal touch, engages emotions, and sets you apart from generic pitches. Storytelling helps build connections and makes your call more memorable and persuasive. In the end, you have to leave a dent while cold calling to create a relationship.

When crafting a story I like to ask prospect how things are going with there current vendor. Most of the time they will always tell you "great" or " could not be better". A lot of sales people stop at that point and say to themselves well they are happy with the current vendor, I should move on. The next question I have is what are they doing to keep you so happy and maintain that kind of relationship. After they tell you one or two things they like about the current customer they tend to start into saying they do a great job with those areas but, and when you here the but the important key notes of the conversation are about to happen.Nobody is 100 % satisfied with anything. There is always room for improvement in one area or the other.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for businesses that goes beyond just captivating customers; it also serves as a driving force for internal motivation. Crafting compelling stories around your company's goals, products, and motivations creates a deeper connection with both your customers and employees. A well-crafted narrative can inspire and engage your internal team, aligning them with the company's mission and value. Therefore, it's essential to develop a narrative that benefits both internally and externally.

If you're using your online presence, to build relationships and tell stories (And by stories I mean actual stories, things that happen in your everyday life, in the role you carry out.) then cold calling becomes far easier, as rapport has already been built. Never be afraid to start conversations online before picking up the phone. It makes that call far warmer which will make it easier to close the deal.

I have found that sharing stories about company history, a special event or a problem that was solved creates a personal connection. You become a partner, a problem solver, a friend. You aren't perceived as just a order taker. It's makes you rememberable and likeable.

When they can see themselves in your story, it's impactful. So many of us have the same experiences, it draws us in when we hear of them.