The 5 Elements to a Story That Sells

Good morning! It’s National Relationship Equity Day. A holiday that sounds like it was invented by a B2B marketer, but honestly… kinda hits home. Today’s a good reminder to check in on that prospect you haven’t talked to in a while, before you find yourself throwing them a Hail Mary. Say hi. Try to be helpful. And good things happen. Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. 😁 

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The 5 Elements of a Story That Sells

Every sale starts with a story.

Take your morning coffee, for example…

A $5 coffee at Starbucks feels normal, but a $5 coffee at McDonald's feels expensive.

That's not random. It's storytelling.

Starbucks sells the story of being a sophisticated coffee connoisseur. McDonald's sells convenience and speed. Same product. Different story. Different price point.

Companies that nail the story always win in the long run.

So today, we're breaking down five elements of a great story that builds belief, creates emotional investment, and ultimately drives sales.

1. The Hero They See Themselves In

Famous screenwriter Chad Hodge says: Good storytelling helps people “see themselves as the hero of the story."

When prospects can picture themselves succeeding with your solution, they're mentally buying in.

Pick a similar hero. If you're selling to a startup CEO, tell them about another startup founder, not a Fortune 500 executive.

Match their situation. Manufacturing companies want to hear about other manufacturers.

Use specific details. Instead of "A client increased revenue," try "Sarah, a VP of Sales at a 50-person company, went from missing quota three quarters straight to hitting 110% the next."

The more your prospect thinks "That sounds like us," the more they'll envision achieving the same results.

2. The Stakes Are Real

Every compelling story has something on the line.

In sales, you need to highlight what's at stake for your prospect. Show them the reward of change versus the cost of staying stuck.

Narrative guru Andy Raskin says every pitch should "cleave the future into two possible outcomes – one that your audience wants, and one that your audience fears."

Maybe it's a client who risked losing their biggest client unless they fixed their reporting process, or a company that was bleeding cash and risked bankruptcy before implementing a spend management tool.

Without stakes, the hero of the story has nothing to lose, and the story isn’t compelling.

3. The Struggle Is Believable

No hero succeeds without some struggle.

If the challenge in your story is weak, your audience (buyers) will tune out.

Use a challenge they actually face, like a rep blowing a deal because notes were scattered across five tools. Or a VP of Sales pulling an all-nighter to patch together a QBR.

Relatable pain makes your story stick because they can relate to it.

4. The Emotion Hits

Logic and numbers won't close deals. People buy on emotion and justify with logic.

Science backs this up: Stories light up seven brain regions versus just two for data.

Use vivid, sensory language. Describe the "pit in your stomach" when everything goes wrong, or the "rush of relief" when your product saves the day.

Think about those ASPCA commercials with sad puppies. They don't list statistics about animal abuse. They show you a suffering animal while playing Sarah McLachlan.

Emotion drives action. Logic provides the excuse.

5. The Transformation Seals the Deal

Finally, give them the happy ending.

Prove your solution's value with a clear before & after, and show how it transforms the hero's situation.

Focus on benefits over features. Highlight specific outcomes like higher sales, hours saved, fewer outages, or saved costs.

If your story began with a hero drowning in 10 spreadsheets, it should end with them using 1 streamlined dashboard and getting promoted.

Putting it all Together

Hero: Let me tell you about Amanda… She ran sales at a 50-person logistics firm. She was sharp but drowning in spreadsheets, with no visibility into what reps were doing.

Stakes: When a $300K deal slipped through the cracks, her CEO asked why. She had no answer.

Struggle: She tried managing everything manually, but forecasting felt like guessing.

Emotion: Then she rolled out our CRM. Within 3 weeks, she had full pipeline visibility and started coaching reps proactively. She finally felt in control.

Transformation: Six months later, close rates were up 18%, and Amanda? Promoted to VP.