Karen Dietz is a best-selling author and business storytelling expert. On today’s episode of the Salesman Podcast, Karen is sharing how we can use stories to help pull our prospects through the buying journey.
Featured on this episode:
Resources:
- http://www.juststoryit.com/
- Karen’s book – Business Storytelling For Dummies
- Karen on Linkedin
Transcript
Karen Dietz:
When you start telling a story, you’re telling a good story, what happens in the listener’s brain is that seven areas of their brain immediately get activated.
Will Barron:
Hello, sales nation, and welcome to today’s episode of The Salesman Podcast. On today’s show we have Karen Dietz. She is a storytelling expert, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about on today’s show. We dive into the neuroscience of it all. We dive into how you can pull someone along and drag them into your little world, into your reality, and get them involved in your story both emotionally, kinesthetically, auditory, on all the levels, and really level up your ability to influence them. I guess that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day in the sales context. But clearly this is relevant, whether it’s in sales, whether it’s with children, whether it’s with your partner, whoever it is, it allows you to communicate better. You can find out more about Karen over at juststoryit.com, where you can find out about the book, the speaking, the coaching, everything that she does there. With all that said, let’s jump in to today’s episode. Hey, Karen, and welcome to The Salesman Podcast.
Karen Dietz:
Hey. Hi, Will. Thanks for inviting me. I’m thrilled to be here today.
Will Barron:
I’m glad to have you on, we’re going to talk about one of my favourite topics today. Along with this conversation of the psychology of the buyer’s mind, my other favourite topic is storytelling because I think it’s both tangible, in that you can see the response that you get from people when you tell an amazing story, both in and out of sales. Clearly, this goes across just the broad spectrum of communicating better with individuals. But then, there’s also this intangible element of someone who is amazing at storytelling, there’s a bit of magic about them. I really, personally, want to learn to have that magic or that charisma and build that over time.
Why Are Stories So Powerful in Sales? · [02:04]
Will Barron:
So perhaps we can come onto that later on in the show, but before we get into the practical elements of this, how we can implement our storytelling skills, how we can get better at them, why are stories so powerful? Why do they resonate with us more, both inside the context of sales, of they get you wrapped up in a narrative, versus you just learn about products and benefits, but also in the outside world, outside of sales, almost everything has a story attached to it, right?
Karen Dietz:
So why do stories work and why do they work so well in sales situations? Well, the one thing that storytelling and stories do immediately is create a connection between you and your audience, between you and your prospect, between you and your lead. And there’s science that backs that up. So when you start telling a story, and you’re telling a good story, what happens in the listener’s brain is that seven areas of their brain immediately get activated. And scientists actually have taken brain scans now of somebody telling a story and somebody listening to a story, and they found some really interesting things.
Karen Dietz:
First off is that seven plus areas of the brain were being activated in the teller’s mind, in the teller’s brain, and the same exact areas were triggered and activated in the listeners mind. And what they saw in the brain scans was that the two brains were actually in training together. So, they were coupling. And the time that it took for that to happen was anywhere from one to two seconds. So we know that business is built on relationships. We know people buy from you because of the relationship they have with you. And storytelling is one of the most powerful vehicles you have to create an immediate connection, and start building that relationship. So, that’s one reason why stories are so powerful.
The Connection of Brains During Storytelling · [04:07]
Will Barron:
Let’s touch on this. I don’t know how nerdy we can go with it without… Clearly your knowledge will lose me at some point, and we might lose the audience before that, but I find the neuroscience of all this really interesting. So we’ll go that layer deeper. What does in training mean, and what’s happening when we measure this?
Karen Dietz:
What’s happening when we use the word in training is that… another word is coupling. So you can use those terms interchangeably. And what’s happening is the brains are actually connecting together in a co-created reality. That’s some big words for basically saying that when I start sharing a story, you are immediately hooked. And the other piece that’s really important to know about all of that is that when somebody is listening to a story… and it’s a good story, I’m going to keep qualifying that. It’s got to be a good story… then they see themselves in that story. They become part of that story. And what that means, again, is when I’m listening to a story, my imagination is being activated. My senses are being activated. The teller might not be giving a lot of details about the story, but what I’ll do in my mind, from my own experiences and memories, I’ll fill in the details. So that’s why I say that the listener sees themselves in the story, because they’re automatically starting to fill in details from their own experience.
Will Barron:
That’s what I wanted to drill down into a little bit deeper there. I literally wrote the words, “Are we seeing ourselves in the story?” And again, I’ve got no deep knowledge on this, but it seems from my gut, having you explain that, Karen, that we’re all telling ourselves a story and building our own reality all the time anyway. There’s only so much external environmental stimulus that is coming into our brains, either being filtered or non-filtered, and then is dictating the reality that we see. And then of course, we justify everything after the fact anyway. So, how much of it is actually the story we are telling ourselves versus what’s bubbling up through our subconscious is perhaps a conversation for another time.
Reasons Why Visualization is the Ultimate Sales Tool · [06:40]
Will Barron:
But I know this experience, again, there’s no data for myself, but it’s from my gut, and when someone tells me a great story, I visualise things and that’s how I learn. Someone will be telling me the story, I’ll even stop looking at them, and I’ll find myself looking up in the air and visualising the process, and seeing the reality that they’re telling me. So, if someone can take me on that journey, clearly that’s way more powerful than someone saying, “Hey, our product’s going to save you 25% on your yearly cash flow or recycling,” or whatever the rubbish feature is that most salespeople are trying to pitch.
Karen Dietz:
Absolutely, Will. You couldn’t be more accurate. Those seven areas of the brain that are getting activated are your visual cortex, your motor cortex. So what that means is that you are seeing images in your mind, as the story is happening. You are actually smelling things, if that gets triggered in your brain, that sensory… Oh, what do they call it? Auditory, all those different words. But, the sense of smell, taste, touch, hearing, can all be activated in a story. And so when I tell a story and then we debrief it in the audience, I’m always asking people, “What did you see?” And different people see different things, but everybody sees something.
Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great · [08:05]
Will Barron:
Should we, just on this front, I want to dive into, step by step, how we can build a story that is incredible and grabs attention and keeps it later on. But just as you mentioned it there, should we be implementing, as you described then, both smells and sight and sounds? Should we be guiding, when we’re building a story and telling it, should we be commenting on all of these things as we go throughout the story? Or should we be leaving space for the audience, for the individual that we’re talking to, to come up with some of this themselves and make them work a little bit?
Karen Dietz:
Oh, yeah. You want to make them work a little bit. So you don’t want to give a lot of details, but you do want to trigger the senses. So I’ll give an example. It’s in Paris, it’s about 1950. It’s one of those gorgeous spring days, the kind of spring day where you can smell that new growth on the air, but you can still feel the chill of winter. And on that day, there was a poet named Jacque living in Paris then and he decided, “Oh, I’ve got to go on a walk.” And so the next thing that happens is we see him walking down the sidewalk of Paris, taking his walk. So I’ll stop there, but what kinds of images were coming to your mind as I was starting to tell that story?
Want to Tell a Good Story? Tap Into the Imaginations of Your Audience · [10:10]
Will Barron:
I was thinking rightly or wrongly… I guess there is no right or wrong, it’s almost in the eye of the beholder kind of thing. Well, I envisioned Paris with European buildings. Almost… How to describe it? Almost like a misty morning kind of look, and as everyone watching this now will see me, I’m looking up into the sky, into the top of the studio, as I visualise this myself. But yeah, it really painted a picture there in my mind. But how… Let’s jump straight into the practical side of this now. Well, one, I guess the first question is, how consciously were you bringing up certain elements of that story, then? How much were you thinking about that, versus just telling the story? And what I want to get from you, Karen, is that, and tell me if I’m right or wrong, clearly these have to be either thought out, or we have to have a structure in place to make them successful. It’s not just something that happens, is it?
Karen Dietz:
Right. And having the stories thought out beforehand is really great. Now I was deliberately triggering your senses in that story. I gave you a place, Paris. You started to fill in from your own mind, from your own experience, what that looked like. And there are no right or wrong answers. Everybody is going to have their own interpretation. And I said that new spring day, and I gave a little trigger about a smell, and about a feel, that chill in the air. But I’m not describing it. I’m just giving you a little hint. And then the sidewalks, walking down the sidewalks of Paris, very often people hear the footfalls, the shuffling of people walking up and down the street, the crowd sounds. And again, I didn’t say any of that. I just simply triggered, oh yeah, he’s walking down the streets in the city of Paris, and your mind will fill in, in the ways that it does.
How To Tell a Great Story to Anyone and Everyone · [11:45]
Will Barron:
So let me just interrupt here for a second. So clearly you know that… not you I’m talking to the audience as well… but clearly we know that some people visualise like myself. I know my partner, my girlfriend, she is very auditory. So when I say, we’re talking about going on holiday or planning something, I’ll say, “Can you not see this?” And she’s like, “I literally cannot visualise what you’re talking about.” But then she will tell the story out loud to herself, listen to herself as she’s saying it, and then she’ll go, “Oh, I get it now.”
Will Barron:
And then there’s the kinesthetic among us, as well. When we are telling these stories, do we need to drill down deep enough into knowing the individual in front of us, and customising the story for how they are best communicated to? Or is this a step too far, perhaps, for sales people? Is that the, if you’re on stage, maybe you’re not even on stage, you’d have to do that, because there’s a wider audience. Is it something we should be aware of, or is it something that we should be proactively doing?
Karen Dietz:
That makes it a little too complicated. I think all you have to do is sink into the story yourself, and the stories that you’re going to want to be telling as a salesperson are stories of client successes. We’ll talk a little bit more about that in a minute, if you want. And you are just going to be remembering the experience of what it was like to work with that client. As long as you can reexperience that memory, then you’ll be able to convey the story really well and not have a problem. And so I also do want to say that there’s this continuum between conversational storytelling and performance storytelling.
The Continuum Between Conversational Storytelling and Performance Storytelling · [13:43]
Karen Dietz:
So what I was doing right there, that little snippet of experience, was really more from the performance aspect. I was very deliberate in what I was doing, and it didn’t matter who was listening in the audience, because I knew I was going to hit as many triggers as I possibly could, right? When we’re in conversational storytelling, saying, “Oh gosh, you wouldn’t believe what happened with this client who I was just working with,” right? And then go into that memory, that’s more conversational. And there’s maybe a little sweet spot between those two extremes, where, as you practise a story and get familiar with it, you can say to yourself, “Oh, I wonder what would happen if I would add a little trigger here about a smell,” right? Or another little trigger about a feeling, right? And you can experiment with that and see the kinds of responses you get in your listeners.
How to Start Telling a Story and Lead With Interest Really Quickly · [14:52]
Will Barron:
I think this is perhaps something that we need to experiment with as well. And my background is medical devices, Karen, and so if I went to a surgeon and started telling them a story, how you started telling a story like that, not all of them, but good chunk of them would be like, “I don’t have the time for this.” Maybe all of the colour to add to it, perhaps, as a word to describe it, perhaps that might come later on in the story when you’ve got them hooked, and they’re really engrossed and engaged with it.
Will Barron:
But is there a best way to start off a story? Is there a, you’ll never believe what happened, X, Y, Z, and then you tell a story leading up to that point? Is there a way, again, within the sales environment, where you are conscious of the prospect’s time in front of you, and you’re respectful of that? Is there a way that we can lead with interest really quickly and then not dillydally with the story, I think, and really engross them and add value through the story. But I guess it’s getting that attention up front, which is what’s really important
Karen Dietz:
Stories start off in a number of different ways. And let’s say you’re with a client, and one of the easiest ways to start a story is something along the lines of, “Oh, I remember another client that I had who faced your exact same problem,” or, “What you said is really interesting. There was a time when I was working with another client…” So there are some openings. You could say, “Oh yeah, two years ago…” That’s a way to start a story that based in time, right? It was two years ago. It was 2016. You’re mentioning a time.
“One of the best story types a salesperson can tell are third-party stories. Stories about what happened with other customers that you’ve had and worked with.” – Karen Dietz · [17:21]
Karen Dietz:
Another way to start a story very often is to name a place, right? Oh, right, I was at this hospital recently. I was at Hanover hospital recently. Okay. Well, that’s a place, right. And that gets you started into the story. And so time, place, is really good. Now I keep coming back to, “Oh when I was working with this client…” and starting out like that because one of the best story sets or types that a salesperson can tell are third party stories. Stories about what happened with other customers that you’ve had and worked with. And those are your secret weapon stories.
How to Tell a Captivating Story in Sales · [17:45]
Will Barron:
This is something, Karen, that I wanted to ask. And I’m glad you brought it up because I wanted to dive into this very specifically, of which are more powerful? The anecdotal stories of me as an individual was working with this customer, I was physically there with them, and X, Y, Z happened, which is fantastic. Or should we be focusing on, and I think I’m right here, of a third party story being, a customer called me and they told me a story. And then you are just replaying the story that they told you back to the new customer who’s stood in front of you. Is one way more powerful than the other to put a message and a point across?
“One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make is when they craft a story about when they worked with a customer, it’s all about them. “Oh, this is how we saved the day. This is how our product or service made a difference for them.” And you can only tell those kinds of stories for so long before it sounds like you’re really arrogant. What customers really want to know is the result that the other customer had, and what extraordinary thing they were able to do because they happened to work with you. Because they want that extraordinary experience, too.” – Karen Dietz · [18:47]
Karen Dietz:
Either one works, but there is one thing we do need to pay attention to no matter which story we’re telling. And that is these customer stories, when you’re telling them, you need to share what extraordinary thing your customer was able to accomplish because you happened to work with them. And one of the biggest mistakes I see companies make is when they craft a story about when they worked with a customer, and it’s all about them. Oh, this is how we saved the day, right? This is how our product or service made a difference for them. So it’s all about me, the provider. And you can only tell those kinds of stories for so long before it sounds like you’re really arrogant. What customers really want to know is the result that the other person had, the other customer had, and what extraordinary thing they were able to do because they happened to work with you. Because they want that extraordinary experience, and so-
Storytelling in Sales is About Sharing Stories Where the Customer is the Hero, Not You · [19:39]
Will Barron:
Let’s work through this. We’re practical, because I do this and you can hopefully help me, which will give the audience context here, of I am super passionate about the podcast. I get so many emails every day saying that it’s really helping people, so there’s a load of evidence coming my way from the end consumer, sales nation, who are tuning into the show every day, and listening to it, and putting it into practise, and getting the results from it. So that’s great. But when I work with partners, I usually lead with the fact that, one, I love what I’m doing. I’m so passionate about it. I’m so passionate about growing it. I then lead with the success that the audience are having out of the content itself, and these conversations. And hopefully there’s emails that will come in the day after this show goes out, Karen, saying, “Hey, I implemented this story, and it helped me really bond with this potential customer that I’ve had trouble bonding with in the past, and building rapport with.” So that’s all great.
Will Barron:
But as you just described then, and I know this logically and consciously, but I have to force myself into the mindset of this all the time, when I’m having conversations with partners who want to get in front of my audience, who want to sponsor the show or build deeper relationships, and do live content, for example, or specific shows, or keynotes, or whatever it is. They might say that they care about the audience, the audience’s success, but that’s less important to them than selling their product to the audience. So I have to constantly reframe what I talk about with them, because I go off on tangents and I get too excited.
Will Barron:
So what stories should I be telling to someone who is interested in partnering with the show? Is it as simple as going back and speaking with, for example, James Pember at Sparta Sales? He’s been a great advocate for the show. He sponsored the show probably a year ago now, brought on a whole bunch of new customers, got really good ROI. He’ll enjoy the shout out that I’m giving him now, because his software’s fantastic as well. Should I go to him and ask him about his experience of working with us? I don’t know, because it’s not even working with us, it’s the results that he got from it. It’s the business results that I should be sharing, right?
Karen Dietz:
That’s exactly right. So you’re going to want to go back and ask him, “Well, what amazing thing happened, or what amazing things happened, in your business after you partnered with us? Or after we partnered together?” And what I find is that a lot of sales people have, the stories that they have, they stop at, “Oh yeah. We solved the solution. We provided the solution for the customer, right? Woohoo.” Right? And the customer increased their revenue, that’s a result. But then what did that lead to, right? Did the person who signed up for your service, and used your service, and helped increase that revenue, did they get a promotion?
Karen Dietz:
Did that increase in revenue lead to a significant amount of new market share? These are the next step results that you want to be able to start gathering. And the reason these are so important is because when you are telling these customer stories where the customer is the hero, not you, what happens to the listener is, as we’ve already said, they see themselves in that story. They then see themselves as the hero. They then see themselves as, “Oh yeah. I could get that sort of an experience. I could get that sort of outcome. I could get this amazing result.” And they want that, and that’s what they buy.
The Difference Between Storytelling and Reciting a Series of Events · [23:45]
Will Barron:
How do we turn… And I might be just being dumb here, so tell me if this is true. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened on the show. But how do we turn the fact of, again, using me as an example, to give context here, X customer sponsored the show for X period. They brought in a new customer from a new territory, and that opened the doors for them to move into this new area, or a new vertical, or something along those lines, because I know that’s happened a couple of times now. How do we turn that from a series of facts into the Paris story? How do we get emotion, and time, and context, and feel and touch, all wrapped up in that story? Because clearly going, “Yeah, this person had great success. They did X, Y, Z,” which is beyond the next goal, beyond what I’m offering you. This is the outcome that they had. That’s one thing, versus getting them really wrapped up and riled up in a fantastic story.
Karen Dietz:
Right. Yeah. This is the crux of the matter, and where people usually have the greatest difficulties. So I can easily recite a series of events. I’ll do that with one of my early clients. And his name was Matt, and he was a former politician, and we worked together because he wanted to get better at storytelling, and he needed to improve his storytelling skills. One of the reasons he lost the last election was because of his poor storytelling skills. So we worked together, and it didn’t take too long before he was receiving standing ovations, and it really changed his whole ability to inspire and influence people. So I don’t call that a story. I call that a series of events.
Will Barron:
Yeah.
Karen Dietz:
When I share the story, it goes like this. So, I happened to have a client early on in my career who was a former politician. And he called me up and he said, “All right, I think I really need some help with my storytelling skills. And I know this to be true because I was interviewed about a year and a half ago by the Economist Magazine. And I had all the right facts, all the right figures, I had all the right information. I was spot on, I mean, I knew my stuff, and I know my stuff. And the article was published, and the reporter, the last paragraph said that, “Of all the people I’ve interviewed over my years as a journalist, this person was the most boring.” I mean, how devastating, right, to have that? So we did. We worked together and developed his stories, got him to be a great storyteller, and sure enough, he would start delivering these speeches to hundreds of people and he would get standing ovations.
Karen Dietz:
But that’s not really my measure of success, and that really wasn’t Matt’s measure of success either. The real measure of success was how many people he had lined up afterwards wanting to talk to him. And he always had a long line of people afterwards. And that’s really the true measure of influence, and connection, and relationship, and inspiration. And he has since gone on to just be a marvellous speaker, and basically I’m just so happy for him. And that what’s available. That’s what’s available to anybody who really starts working on their storytelling skills.
A Conversational Approach to Storytelling · [27:43]
Will Barron:
So let me tell you what I jotted down here as you went through that, and you can tell me if these are the useful elements to the story or not. But there was the element of he said or she said, and that’s almost a story within the story. As in, you are telling the overarching story of the person’s success, but then there was this mini story in the middle. And then you almost asked the rhetorical question of how devastating is this to… And what made me laugh, and you’ll see this on the video, everyone who watches this on YouTube, rather than on the audio side of things, when you were leading up to the story, I was cringing because I could feel that the reporter was going to say that they were boring, or there’s something along those lines.
Will Barron:
I could almost predict that that was the next step. And then you teed it up before you… Because there was a slight pitch at the end, but you teed it up before you pitched, of you could have this too. This is an option, you’re almost increasing someone’s scope of reality before then you give them a direct call to action. And there’s probably more layers too, that I’ve totally missed with my lack of experience and knowledge in this subject. But there was a lot there that someone who’s just listening to it perhaps wouldn’t even uncover, or think twice about. They would just absorb.
Karen Dietz:
Absolutely, absolutely. It’s all unconscious. I mean, we’re hardwired for stories. So we’re already in sync, right, when somebody starts telling a story. And I told that in more of a conversational manner, because that’s how it’s going to be when you are in a sales position, and talking with prospects and clients. The other thing that I did, and I think this is the most important thing to remind people of, is that I was back in the experience of working with Matt when I was sharing that story.
Will Barron:
What does that mean?
Karen Dietz:
I was reliving, I was reliving that. So I was seeing in my mind’s eye as I was telling the story, I was seeing, oh yeah, that first time that I worked with Matt. I remember that phone call, when he called me and said, “Hey, Karen, you are recommended. You were referred to me. Here’s the situation, I was interviewed by the economist magazine…” And I just remember him, I hear him in my head, I see myself talking on the phone with him, and that conversation that we had. And then I was remembering our coaching sessions together, and what they were like. Now for brevity, I cut out all of that. I didn’t share any of that. If I had more time, or felt that I could, or that it was important, I could have added those elements in, but I really wanted to go right to, as quickly as I could, the results that Matt experienced.
Storytelling is an Experience That You’re Giving to People · [31:00]
Will Barron:
And how important is that in the grand scheme of telling a story? Because I think we all know that clearly when we tell our best stories, we’re wrapped up in the moment ourselves. But there’s a whole bunch of people listening, and there’s a whole bunch of me, four or five years ago, and there’s a total stereotype here, but of a bloke who’s rushing around, they want to just have a tool to sell with. They don’t want any woo-woo nonsense. They don’t want to get too emotional about anything. They just want to get on with it. How important is it for people to put all that to one side, and to really, as you described, get into the story and embrace it? Is that the, perhaps even once you’ve got the structure and all the analytical side of it down, is that the defining moment, or the defining point of a story becoming real when you’re telling it?
Karen Dietz:
I think there’s a big mind shift that you just explained you went through that I see everybody needs to make in the sales arena. It’s that storytelling is an experience that you are giving people, and business happens because of relationships and connections. And so you can be the best salesman selling widgets, and if you actually look at what’s happening, it’s because there’s a relationship that’s happening, and that has been established. And even with some of the smallest products that you would sell online, people want to know about that product. Not only its features and benefits, they want to know the difference it’s going to make for them and their lives.
“Storytelling is a pull technology. You’re pulling people into your world, not broadcasting messages.” – Karen Dietz · [32:59]
Karen Dietz:
But they also want to know who you are, and why you. And your stories help establish that connection and relationship. And so I think it’s really important to remember that business happens because of connections, and relationships, and experiences, and not so much messaging, and storytelling is really a pull technology. You’re pulling people into your world. You’re not broadcasting messages. And that’s another big mindset and mind shift that people need to make in order to have storytelling be really successful for them.
Will Barron:
For sure. I think there’s a lot of elements of it in sales, and this is why I love sales. And it’s one of the reasons, and it’s one of the things I promote on the show. There’s lots of elements of it that are relevant, both in sales and out of sales. Clearly storytelling is great if you’ve got kids in front of you, or if you are pitching the CEO of the biggest organisation, and the biggest account you could ever imagine that you’d be in front of. And if you’re at the bar, chatting up a guy or a girl, and there’s countless situations that it’s applicable.
Karen’s Advice to Her Younger Self on How to Become Better at Selling · [34:17]
Will Barron:
And that’s where I really like sales, and especially this communication angle of it all, and the relationship building of it, because stuff that the audience can implement now will help them earn more money, bigger commissions, they’ll get that nice watch, or the car, or whatever they’re chasing after. But it also helps them build deeper relationships with the people that they care about at home as well. So I appreciate all that Karen, and I’ve got one final question, something I ask everyone that comes on the show. And that is, if you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, what would be the one piece of advice you’d give her to help her become better at selling?
Karen Dietz:
I think it’s never give up, right? Keep picking yourself up during those low times and just keep going because it works.
Will Barron:
Funny you should say that, because I was thinking about this earlier on in the episode, but we didn’t get around to it. And there’s a clearly difference between telling a story in person, face to face, on the phone, or over email, but I’ve found some of my most successful emails that have gone out when you’re pretty sure that the deal is dead, that it’s not happening, there’s no movement. I’ve told a little story of customer success and it’s the same story I’ve repeated a million times. And it clearly doesn’t work every time, but they are the best at getting some kind of response from an individual.
Will Barron:
Because I guess as they’re reading it, they’re going, well, maybe you don’t want to make people second guess their decisions, but you’re giving them the opportunity to respond to, “Oh, that’s exactly what I’m after.” And it’s another layer of conversation, and it’s another layer of communication versus, “Hey, just checking in on it, just see if this is going to still happen,” which is a value sucking email versus I think if you can tell a great story, or through a piece of content or through an email, or even maybe even a voicemail, if there’s a skill and there’s a process of doing that, then you’ve got the opportunity to add value through your communication, and just stay top of mind for all those platforms as well, right?
Karen Dietz:
Oh, absolutely. I love what you were doing. It’s really brilliant, because in sharing that little story, that little anecdote in the email, people could see themselves in that. And they were responding because they could, and you’re just proving all the points that we’ve been making so far today.
Will Barron:
Only by fluke, only by a massive fluke. It was about six months into doing the show, we’ve been going for about two years now, that I started… Well, it was about six months in before anyone actually listened. But then it was six months in when people started emailing me saying, “Hey, I had the same problem as what you had.” And that was, again, it was total fluke that it happened, but the whole premise of the show was that I’m happy to share all my mistakes, and the audience could see themselves in these tales, and it builds a deep relationship with them as well on that.
Parting Thoughts · [37:00]
Will Barron:
I’m a salesperson, not a sales expert level, as the host. So it’s interesting how you do things that you know work, but it’s only when someone like yourself comes on, Karen, who can give some of the science and the data behind it, and then the anecdotal stuff that we know works, and the gut feeling that we know works, and tie it altogether. So I appreciate that. And for everyone who wants to learn more about what you do, tell us a little bit about where we can get on the newsletter, and the speaking and the coaching that you do as well.
Karen Dietz:
Oh, sure. Great. Thanks. Yes. My website is juststoryit.com, all one word, juststoryit.com. You can sign up for my newsletter there. You automatically get a free B that explains what the heck a story is actually, and gives you lots of examples. So that is definitely helpful. People say that that’s a good handout that they like to receive. And you’ll also find out about all my other programmes. But if you sign up for the newsletter, I’ll keep you posted on events and public workshops, and what have you. I also do coaching with people. That’s the best way to build your storytelling skills. And I do that virtually, so I can do that from anywhere.
Karen Dietz:
And then also I do work with companies both large and small, and deliver trainings for them to build storytelling skills. So there are a lot of options available to people, and you can buy my best selling book, Business Storytelling for Dummies, not that anybody is one, but that’s available on Amazon. It’s a great how-to practical book for crafting, and telling, and working with stories. There’s a whole chapter on working with stories and sales, and we go through how to tell those customer hero stories. That’s one of your six signature stories, hip pocket stories that you’re going to want to have, and it’s called your people and results stories. And so you can dig in more to how to get all that done in the book.
Will Barron:
Amazing stuff. Well, I’ll link to all that in the show notes of this episode, and with that, Karen, I want to thank you for your time, your insights on this, and for joining us on The Salesman Podcast.
Karen Dietz:
Great. Thanks so much Will, it’s been a pleasure.
