your first homework assignment is to develop this kind of story for yourself. Here’s how. Start by inventing a main character who’s in a typical industry you serve (“Suppose you’re in the chicken business”). Then describe a plausible series of events (“get the chicken from the farm to the retail store”) that results in the problem your product or

(1) a time, (2) a place, (3) a main character, (4) an obstacle, (5) a goal, and (6) events.

“We’re going to work hard, but we’re going to have fun doing it.”

the most commonly used tactic for identifying story topics is looking around the buyer’s office for clues to common interests. As Eric Storey explained, “When I enter a buyer’s office, I look around. What personal items are on the desk and wall? Pictures of family, race ribbons, diplomas? All are clues to potential connections we have.” But today,

EXERCISES 1. Brainstorm ideas for these five stories about you. You’ll flesh them out in Part II. a. “Why I do what I do” story. Consider the job interview that inspired Chris Powers to give up his partnership. What moment inspired you to do what you do? b. “I’ll tell you when I can’t help you” story. Think of a time you were honest enough to tell

“The human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor.”

“What kind of stories do you want to hear from salespeople?” Among the most consistent answers were stories to help them understand: 1. Why and how your company was founded, 2. who you are and what your values are, 3. how and why the product you’re selling was invented, 4. stories about how the product is made, and 5. the level of integrity they

Stanford University Professor Chip Heath asked his students to give one-minute speeches about crime. The average student used 2.5 statistics in his speech, while only one in ten students told a story. But when students were asked to recall the speeches, 63 percent remembered details of stories. Only 5 percent remembered any individual statistic.5

The major premise of Simon Sinek’s bestselling book Start with Why can be summarized in his statement “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”1 It should make sense, then, that in order to know you well enough to trust you, a buyer needs to understand why you do what you do for a living. What drew you to the profession or the company