Storytelling for Sales Engineers
In 2020, I did something I have been dreaming about for some time. I published my first book.
It is a
goal that I have been keeping to myself for many years. I knew I had talent as a storyteller but
lacked the technical writing skills to complete the task. I told myself a
story, a story that I believed. The
story told me I would never be a writer.
In June of
2019, I sat across the table from a colleague who had a different story to
tell. It was based on the same character arc as the story I told myself, but
his story had a different outcome. His
story was all about the journey of setting a goal, obtaining the skills, and
completing that goal. His story told me
that I was not a writer yet, but there was a path in which I could be.
Fortunately, I also believed in his story. A little over a year later, I
published my first book.
Storytelling
is the process of using words and actions to communicate basic facts and
context to another person to relate to those facts.
Everything
is a story, and everyone is a storyteller.
The history of storytelling is the history of how humans learn and
communicate. Whether we use oral, written, or visual storytelling, we have been
telling each other stories since before the beginning of our recorded history. The mediums change, but the process of
storytelling remains.
There are
many reasons why stories are such an effective method to transfer information.
Stories give an audience the basic facts; they help give context to a problem;
they help the listener identify with a problem.
For
engineers, these features of storytelling are critical. Your audiences may not
be engineers, and they may have a wide range of responsibilities; they may only
be interested in the bottom line or have some other problem they need to be
solved by technology. An engineer,
especially a Sales Engineer, would do well to incorporate effective and
compelling storytelling into their communication.
Storytelling
consists of at least the following concepts. First, to prepare a narrative, you
must identify and understand your audience. Second, determine what story you
are telling. And finally, tell the story with context.
If you
don’t know who your audience is or what they may care about, you may end up
talking to the metaphorical wall. As
engineers, we spend a lot of time understanding all the many aspects of the
devices we sell or utilize. Our technical
curiosity and knowledge may overwhelm someone if one feature after another is
described, demonstrated, or presented to them. And if that someone is a
customer, your impressive knowledge may only intimidate and confuse them
instead of them purchasing your solution.
“Engineers love features; everyone else loves benefits.”
– Andy Callan
But if you
allow your engineer mind to kick in, you can understand how to help someone see
the prescribing solution's benefit. Like
when you are assessing any problem, you need to understand all the
variables.
You do
this by asking questions. It would help if you asked about their role and their
business, and the desired outcome. You need to ask about the budget and bottom
line. You should find out what the state
was before they identified the problem and any known causes. Ask yourself the question, why do they care?
Understanding
what may or may not be important is critical to crafting an effective and
compelling story. Knowing the product's speeds and feeds is only crucial
if the customer can relate to and understand its benefits—the what and how
may not be as crucial until your audience understands the why.
Asking
detailed questions is essential but listening to those answers is far more
critical. Listening is not only hearing the words someone says but
understanding the entire story they are telling. People do not only use words to talk; much of
what they say is non-verbal.
This type
of listening is called Active Listening. Instead of just hearing what someone
says to respond immediately, the active listener engages and endeavors to
understand the complete story behind what they are hearing. This type of listening takes practice.
Once you
have gathered information by asking questions and doing whatever you can to
understand your audience, you begin to craft your narrative. Crafting the
narrative may be prescribing a solution, or it might mean making some other
recommendation.
Ask
yourself who your characters are they may be end-users, technical teams, power
users, customers, guests, etc. Decide
what products, services, technology, or other recommendations you believe will
solve their problem. The last thing to
remember is to keep it simple.
Once you
have the solution designed, you will want to present that solution to your
audience. Now is the time to tell your story, making sure to include
appropriate context.
When
writing fiction, an author describes the setting and background for the
story. They place their characters into
that setting and help the readers immerse themselves by describing the story's
sights, sounds, smells, and emotions. You want your audience to imagine
themselves in your story.
One way to
do this is to understand some essential storytelling elements. Let’s use Bilbo Baggins's story, The Hobbit,
from the famous tale by JRR Tolkien. The tale begins, “In a hole in the ground
there lived a hobbit.” But I am going to use a universal opening, “Once upon a
time…”
Once
upon a time, Bilbo Baggins lived in the shire.
And every day, Bilbo would drink ale, smoke his pipe, and enjoy good
food and the beauty of his surroundings. Until one day Gandalf, the wizard,
recruited him for an adventure. And because of this, he joined a company of
dwarves. And because of this, he journeyed to the lonely mountain where a
dragon guarded a vast treasure. And because of this, he found a ring that made
him turn invisible. Until finally, he was able to help the dwarves defeat the
dragon and retake their home, and the treasure then returned home. And ever
since that day, he knew there was more to him than just a regular old Hobbit
who enjoyed good food, good drink, and pipe-weed.
There, the
basic elements of a story using Mr. Bilbo as an example. I will admit, it does not do Tolkien’s
masterpiece justice but lays out the essential story pieces. The idea is to
tell the story with context.
Once
upon a time… Or in other words, provide context. Of
course, you do not need to use these words; that may be strange. This is a
reminder to provide a setting or other context for your story.
And
every day… Describe
the desired outcome, the ideal state.
This is a state where everything is working fine. Or it can be a state where everything could
work better. If a business was working
one way in 2019 and felt good about their growth and processes, chances are
they had that state affected by the global pandemic of 2020, leading us to our
next step.
Until
one day… Describe
the problem(s). “We built our unified
communications systems around Skype for Business, and everything was working
well until Microsoft forced us to migrate to Teams.” This is when the state is
altered from the perfect or ideal, for whatever reason.
And
because of this… Describe
the results and what has been done to solve the problem. Repeat this for each problem. Problems may exist one after another (we
solved problem X, which led to problem Y) or, problems may exist
concurrently. Describe these problems
and what has already been done to solve them.
Until
finally… Present
the solution. Here is where you present a full solution to the problems
identified. Whether through your
products, services, or other means, discuss how the prescribed solution will
solve each of the identified problems.
Describe the benefits and set appropriate expectations.
Now
is a good time to mention, if your solution does not solve their problem, tell
them honestly, and if possible, refer them to someone you know who may solve
their problem. Good storytelling
techniques only work with a good story.
Make sure you only tell good stories.
And
ever since that day… Don’t forget to describe the results. What
was the outcome? Or what will likely be the outcome if the prescribed solution
is implemented. “Our meetings are simpler to join,” “We have a much better user
experience” Help them understand that your solutions will either return them to
an ideal state or, if possible, enhance their ideal state.
You
should also describe any unsolved problems or new problems identified. “The far
side of our calls receive a much better experience, but now that more people
are using our systems, the in-room experience could be better.” This is the
perfect opportunity to continue your partnership. This is why it is so important only to tell
good stories. Provide only solutions
that solve their problems and not shoehorn in something less than ideal.
Now here
is something to consider; storytelling does not need to be this formal. Storytelling techniques can be used in simple
text messages or emails, or any form of communication.
To help
those you communicate with imagine themselves in your story, remember the basic
concepts:
1. Identify and understand your audience
2. Determine what story you are telling
3. Tell the story with context.
Why storytelling
and why does it matter? Because everything is a story, and everyone is a
storyteller. Stories give an audience the basic facts, help give context to a
problem, and help them identify with that problem. Paul J. Zak, the director
for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, said,
“Stories result in better understanding of key points,
increased voluntary compliance, and improved memory.” -Paul J. Zak
If you
want your audience to understand, remember and act on your solution, tell a
story.
Sources:
• https://medium.com/@Brian_G_Peters/6-rules-of-great-storytelling-as-told-by-pixar-fcc6ae225f50
• https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/06/05/back-to-the-story-spine/
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