In the world of effective professional B2B selling, three truths are inviolable:
- At best, scripts are incredibly self-limiting and often lead to complete failure.
- Even the concept of a “pitch” contradicts sales best practice.
- Compelling storytelling can be a superb approach to creating credibility for the seller and comfort for the potential buyer(s).
Let’s take a quick look at why scripts often fail, followed by an overview of how storytelling can provide lift, comfort and openness in professional sales.
The Outdated Legacy of Sales Scripts
The emergence of scripts as part of a seller’s toolkit became part of selling best practice some 90 years ago. Because the only path for a buyer to understand a product or a service was to interact with a seller, and because companies employing sellers in those days didn’t understand best practice, scripts emerged as the chosen approach. Salespeople were expected to memorize their pitch to become talking brochures.
Why Scripts Fail in the Modern Sales Environment
Despite the inherent flaws in this approach, it produced moderate success for several years. By the early 1980s, however, the world had changed. Researchers such as Rackham and Carlisle discovered the roots of actual sales best practices. And these best practices had nothing to do with scripts. In fact, when compared to statistically valid best practice, it was startling how poorly scripts performed. By 1990, the Internet was emerging as an essential business tool. This emergence accelerated the necessary demise of scripted sales pitches.
Increasingly, buyers have access to a wide array of information online about products and services. The scripting approach adapted somewhat, but the practice suffered from less-than-optimal results. There are numerous reasons why scripting performs poorly, but it conflicts with the neuroscientific principles of decision-making. By its very nature, it is off-putting to those subjected to scripted pitches.
The Rise of Science-Based Sales Practices
The emergence of science-based best practices began in the early 1980s and has continued to the present. One of the components of best practice discovered early on was the effectiveness of what has been labelled storytelling. That label applies to creating an atmosphere where the buyer(s) identify with the problem, frustration and/or aspiration of a peer (whether fictitious or anecdotal) that reflects their current situation. As Hyatt has rightly identified in his book on Story Branding, buyers purchase solutions which solve external challenges.
Understanding What Truly Drives Purchase Decisions
At the same time, they make the decision on which alternative to buy based on internal criteria. For example, the buyer(s) may be seeking a new SaaS solution because their current approach is inefficient or has failed to keep pace with their company’s evolution.
However, the decision on which option to buy is often heavily weighted on things like trust in the salesperson, how the seller creates value for the buyer long before a purchase has been made, the degree to which the seller seeks to understand/validate what the buyer(s) is seeking to fix, accomplish or avoid, etc. How on earth could a one-size-fits-all script achieve that kind of consultative relationship with the buyer(s)?
What Should Replace Scripts in B2B Sales?
The question is what will replace the script and ensure that sellers take the correct approach? The answer isn’t complicated, but it requires effort. There is no magic bullet. Every part of the answer lies in the world of best practices. Let’s examine the most crucial place to start and what research has proven underpins all effective B2B selling.
Start with Persuasive Inquiry, Not a Product Demo
Sellers need to understand why the practice of persuasive inquiry (i.e. the power of consultative/conversational questioning) is the most potent tool in a seller’s kit. Setting the stage for this exchange form is often easier and more effective with a story that sets context. Imagine, for example, that rather than a scripted pitch, the seller begins with something like, “Having learned about your current challenges, I want to share an experience I recently had with (name a peer or a fictional character). He/she was deeply worried about the growing inefficiencies of their current process.
“Having been empowered by the boss to seek a solution, they knew that making the wrong choice could be career-limiting. So, my first goal was to get beneath that concern. What was the genesis of those worries?” the story continues.
Stories Open Doors That Scripts Slam Shut
How different is that from a pitch that begins with, “We provide a solution that is number one in the industry. Our focus is always on exceeding our client expectations, which we consistently do with our new X25 software. Let me walk you through our demonstration.”
Put yourself in the buyer’s seat. Which is more immediately interesting? Which has the potential to create a more relatable atmosphere? Really? Another premature demonstration (forgettable) or a differentiating conversation starter? You decide.
Build Sales Skills That Establish Credibility and Connection
Both specific sales best practices and the art of compelling storytelling are skills that can be learned. It requires more than simply declaring that “we are going to tell more stories.” The intent here is not to present the case for sales training but to stimulate self-reflection. Are you turning off your potential customers with a sales script, or are you establishing credibility, fostering conversation, and building a consultative relationship?
