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Early in my career, I led the enterprise telecom business for a global brand in India. While the company had an impressive international reputation, it was relatively unknown in the Indian market. With a tight marketing budget, the challenge was clear: how could I position this lesser-known brand in a way that resonated with customers?
The answer lies in shaping the right narrative—a concept I like to call Storyscaping. By crafting and delivering powerful stories, I was able to handle objections, manage competitive tension, and elevate the brand’s positioning through meaningful customer conversations.
Reframing Objections with Storyscaping
One of the primary objections we anticipated from potential customers was their lack of familiarity with our brand. “We haven’t heard of you,” was a concern we expected. Instead of defensively addressing this, we pre-empted it by crafting a compelling narrative:
“We are an exclusive brand that doesn’t need to talk much about itself. We engage selectively, working with a limited number of customers each year. Our customers are ‘by invitation only’.
This story positioned us as a premium brand, creating intrigue and elevating the perceived value. I would often say, ‘We are the Rolls Royce of this industry’. Delivered with a confident yet casual tone, this line always made people curious. The follow-up question was almost always, “Why?” —an invitation for me to showcase our superior qualities through a carefully honed narrative rather than a bombardment of features and statistics.
This approach did more than address concerns about brand recognition. It shaped perceptions, reframed discussions around value instead of cost, and shifted the customer’s focus to why they *wanted* to work with us. The pricing objection—one of the most common hurdles in sales—was effectively neutralised because the conversation was now about exclusivity and value, not affordability.
The Key to Sales Success: Pre-empting Objections
The most effective way to handle objections is to address them before they arise. In our sales workshops, I often advise teams to create a comprehensive list of the most frequent objections they encounter. Once these are identified, the next step is to craft stories that weave these objections into a positive, affirming narrative.
Example: Tackling Feature Deficiencies in Software Sales
Imagine you’re selling software. The buyer, perhaps influenced by a competitor, might highlight the absence of certain features in your product. Most salespeople dread this moment, hoping the issue never comes up. This reactive approach is defensive and ineffective.
Instead, flip the narrative. For instance, you could share a story about a previous customer who insisted on additional custom features. Explain how those additions compromised the engineering quality of the core implementation, leading to significant challenges for the customer. Then, pivot to your company’s decision to prioritize streamlined functionality and superior engineering quality over unnecessary bells and whistles. This reframing not only addresses the objection but also positions your company as thoughtful, customer-centric, and focused on delivering lasting value.
By framing the issue yourself, you maintain control over the conversation. You demonstrate transparency and trustworthiness—qualities that resonate deeply with customers. More importantly, you steer the discussion toward the strengths of your solution instead of dwelling on perceived gaps.
Root Your Narrative in Values, Not Spin
Authenticity is the cornerstone of effective storytelling. Customers are quick to recognize and reject hollow marketing spin. To make your stories resonate, ground them in your company’s core values and principles.
For example, if your product has limitations, acknowledge them honestly but frame them within the context of deliberate choices guided by your company’s mission. Transparency fosters trust, and customers value partners who are upfront about their challenges while showcasing a commitment to continuous improvement.
Example: Turning Setbacks into Strengths
If your company had a product failure in the past, don’t shy away from discussing it. Instead, highlight the lessons learned and how those lessons led to significant improvements. For instance, you might say,
“We encountered a challenge with a key product feature a few years ago. While it was a tough experience, it inspired us to overhaul our processes, invest in R&D, and emerge with a far more robust solution. Today, that very area is one of our greatest strengths.”
When such stories are already a part of your main company story, you not only address potential objections but also position your company as authentic and interestingly imperfect!
Conclusion: Storyscaping for Sales Excellence
In the dynamic world of sales, the ability to craft and deliver compelling narratives is a powerful skill. By proactively addressing objections through storytelling, you set the stage for more open, positive conversations with your customers.
Storyscaping isn’t about evasion or manipulation. It’s about authenticity, transparency, and a commitment to building trust. When your stories are rooted in your company’s values and principles, they create a foundation of credibility that is hard to beat.
So, the next time you face a tough objection, don’t dodge it. Every objection presents two potential opportunities. It is either an opportunity to tell a story—one that redefines the conversation and leaves your customer both informed and inspired; or it is an opportunity to ask an interesting question, in a way that builds trust, positions you as a curious learner and leaves you much more informed about the context that gave rise to the objection!