Crafting a Unified Team Narrative

Imagine a football team where every player knows their role, their moves, and the team's ultimate goal. This is the essence of a messaging playbook in the sales arena. It's the game plan that ensures every team member knows the brand's core narrative, just like a quarterback knows his plays. This foundation of consistent narratoves is pivotal. It ensures every sales pitch, like a well-practiced play, communicates the brand's values and unique selling propositions with clarity and conviction. Consistency here isn't just about repetition; it's about creating a strong, unified brand story that resonates and sticks with the client, just like a well-executed play resonates with the audience in a stadium.

Customizing the Play: Tailoring Stories for Every Opponent

In sports, no two opponents are the same. Each game demands a unique strategy. Similarly, your messaging playbook should include a section that empowers sales teams to modify their storytelling tactics to match diverse client scenarios. It's about reading the field, understanding the client's unique challenges, and then delivering a story that speaks directly to their needs. This level of customization in storytelling is like a coach tailoring plays to counteract the opposing team's defense. It shows clients that the brand understands and cares about their specific issues, significantly boosting engagement and connection.

One way to get started with this is to do some story mining with your team. Create a library of common customer challenges, and how you’ve overcome them to develop a few core “challenge narratives” that can be modified as needed.

Scoring an Emotional Touchdown: Beyond Facts to Feelings

Every sports fan knows the thrill of a win. You know, that instinct that causes us to raise our arms up high and shout in victory. We do this even when we’re separated by a screen because we are emotionally engaged. A messaging playbook guides sales teams to infuse emotion into their narratives, transforming standard sales pitches into stories that strike a chord. This isn't just about sharing facts and features; it's about creating stories that the client feels a part of, much like fans feel a part of their team's journey. This emotional connection is often what turns a prospect into a loyal customer. Stories invite co-creation. As the client listens, they put themselves into the story.

Messaging Playbooks Deliver A Winning Strategy

A messaging playbook is much more than a document; it's a strategic asset that elevates sales teams to the level of Storytelling Masters. Messaging playbooks enable your sales team to play the long game, where consistency, customization, and emotional connection are key plays that lead to growth. With a playbook, sales teams have the tools to transform client interactions into engaging, memorable experiences. In the competitive field of sales, it's not just what you say; it's how you tell your story.

Now What?

Messaging playbooks can come in all shapes and sizes depending on how you plan to use them – from being a tool that the entire company can use both internally and externally, to specialized playbooks. They can even be created to fuel your AI content engine. If you need help, give us a shout. We’ll help you determine  if creating a messaging playbook tailored to your unique needs makes sense.

Join Storyteller’s Edge brand spanking new FREE Slack channel. Full disclosure, it’s an experiment. You’ll be an early adopter, but the reason I’m doing this is because I’m on Slack all the time (except weekends), and it’s way less formal (like me!). Invite your friends. Let’s build a community.