Storytelling – when you go from selling a product to selling a service

Philips sells light, not lamps. SKF sells rotation, not ball bearings. Rolls-Royce sells power per hour, not aircraft engines.

It is becoming increasingly common, and there are good reasons, for many companies to sell services instead of products.

When we sell services, it’s not just what we offer that changes—it’s also how we need to communicate. It’s no longer enough to show off a product and rattle off all its features.

This is where story selling comes in.

When we sell services, we’re often selling something that’s bigger on the one hand, but less tangible on the other. We need to help the customer imagine the future—and their own role in it.

We can use storytelling to make it understandable. Here’s how it can work:

We start with a problem.

We give examples by telling the story of someone else who faced the same problem and show that we truly understand the customer and the challenges of the industry.

We then show how it turned out – and how it could turn out for the customer and their organization.

It’s not about making things up. It’s about finding the right solution. That’s where business happens. Thank you, Vantive, for letting us be a small part of your journey.

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