Creating a Sales Storyboard

Creating a Sales Storyboard

So we have all heard about the storyboard and how useful it is and how we need to have one before we embark on any sales call, be it a meeting or simply a telephone call.  However, so often I get asked what the storyboard should contain and how do we go about putting one together.  The storyboard is used so that you can visualise the sales call.  It should be dynamic in that you can edit and adapt as you go and refine them with experience.  Keep it handy on your desk or pinned to your board so that you can refer to it at any time as well as adapt it as you move forward.

I have put together here a framework that I use and has been developed over the years to suit me.  I hope that you too will benefit from this and be able to adapt it to yourself. 

1.       Who is your audience?

List all the people that will be in the meeting including those from your own organisation.  Under each person put their title as well as your description of their area of responsibility and what their input will be in the decision making process.  People from your own organisation are there to support you and may be called upon to back-up / reiterate / confirm certain parts of the meeting.  They are the experts in those fields and that is why they have been invited to the meeting.  Make sure that they are primed beforehand and well prepared to be called on if required.

Once you have made your introductions and exchanged business cards, a useful tip I was once given was to sketch on the business card a picture of the person.  This is not the artistic pencil sketch that accurately depicts the person but the salient features of that person such as eye-wear, facial hair, hair style, distinguishing features etc.  This makes it easier to remember the person for future contacts.

2.       What action do you want from the meeting?

List the desirable actions that you want at the conclusion of the meeting.  This sets your goals out and is what the meeting should lead to.  You want to take your audience on a short trip (not a “journey” that will be so drawn out that it will bore your audience) where they ultimately end at your goal/s. 

You need to plot out this trip taking your goal/s as the destination and moving back along the route with a plan to get then to that point.  Think of it as “route planning” determining the road to take, the time it should take, where you are going to stop to refuel, what you will do if the route is obstructed or if you hit bad weather.  Go through the “What if?” scenarios to prepare you for any obstacles or changes that you may encounter on the way and how to bring the whole thing back to being on track to your destination.

3.       Answer “WIIFM”?

WIIFM = What’s in it for me

When doing a sales presentation you need to remember that your audience is asking “What’s in it for me?” whether they verbalise the question or not.

List three (3) key benefits or USP’s (Unique Selling Proposition) that will answer the WIIFM question.  These should be meaningful and tangible benefits to the client to ensure that they know that you really have listened to their needs and are addressing them directly.  They may also be unique to your product and will clearly separate you from the competition and delight your customer such that they feel that they cannot do without your product.  Introduce these as part of the plan to arrive at your goal/s as described in point 2 above.  They should form part of the milestones in achieving your goal/s.

4.       What is the “hook”?

You need one thing that will excite your audience and grab their attention from the outset.  What is the most exciting benefit that you can highlight at the beginning to set the tone for your presentation / meeting that will keep your audience enthralled and wanting to hear more?

Now you craft your storyboard.  Start with the “hook” and capture the attention of your audience, then take then on the “short trip” and answer the “WIIFM” and finally concluding at the actions that you set out to achieve.