How to write stories your sales team will actually use

The Proof Point

The TL;DR

Are you sick of spinning average products into marketing magic? Do you feel like a “poo polisher” as April calls it?

Today, April Dunford (Ambient Strategy), Kyle Lacy (Jellyfish), and Marcus Andrews (Pendo.io) dive into storytelling and how to write stories your sales team will actually use.

What’s working in B2B marketing:

TAILOR-MADE, ENTHRALLING STORYTELLING

Draw in your prospects with a compelling narrative that screams relevance. Skip the generic fluff. Dive deep into the psyche of your customer. Make them the hero of your story.

What’s not working in B2B marketing:

WRITING BY COMMITTEE

Chuck out the too-many-cooks approach. Embrace a dedicated "words person." Quality trumps quantity, always. When storytelling is focused and centralized, your message not only resonates—it reverberates.

The key takeaways:

• The importance of positioning: Effective marketing starts with strong positioning. Understanding your competition, unique value proposition, and ideal customer fit are crucial for creating compelling stories and pitches.
• Tailored storytelling: Craft customized, engaging stories that resonate with your audience. Skip the generic fluff and make your prospects the heroes.
• Adaptability and regular review: To stay relevant and effective, regularly revisit and update your positioning and storytelling based on market changes, competitor actions, and customer feedback.
• Internal alignment and buy-in: Ensure alignment across your organization, especially with sales leaders. Their buy-in is crucial for successful implementation and consistency in messaging. Engage executives early in the storytelling process to secure their support.
• Measuring effectiveness: Use both quantitative metrics (conversion rates, deal sizes) and qualitative feedback (customer reactions, sales team input) to measure the effectiveness of your storytelling.

The things to listen for:

[00:00] Intro

[02:02] "Polishing the poo" in marketing

[05:23] Challenges of corporate messaging and writing by committee

[09:42] Value proposition and its importance in storytelling

[12:04] Who owns the story in B2B marketing?

[16:38] Importance of differentiated value

[19:56] Revisiting and regularly updating positioning

[24:48] Adapting messaging to market changes

[26:29] Getting internal buy-in on storytelling

[28:53] Testing and iterating on new pitches

[34:36] Aligning sales and marketing teams with effective messaging

[39:12] Measuring the effectiveness of your story