Why did Salesforce.com choose Storyleaders?

Sales is a competitive function. At large tech companies, with performance expectations, finding new ways to grow the number can be a challenge. Brian Kneafsey and his team at Salesforce were in that very situation. Seeking a way to meet their aggressive goals, Brian reached out to Ben Zoldan to implement the Storyleaders program for sales: Salesleaders.  

Brian was familiar with the book, “What Great Salespeople Do,” and wanted to bring the concepts of connection and empathy to his team. The hope was that better customer relationships would become a differentiator for his team and, ultimately, Salesforce as a whole. The team videos demonstrate how successful Storyleaders was for the company. 

Brian Kneafsey

SVP Sales,
Salesforce.com

Brian was looking for a way to help his team achieve it’s aggressive regional sales goals. He brought Storyleaders to Salesforce and it became a critical tool within the sales organization. 

Jesse Maddex

Director of Enterprise NGOs,
Salesforce.com

Jesse was looking for a way to define himself as a sales professional that went beyond quotas and metrics. Storyleaders helped him achieve that. 

 

Paul Fox

Regional Sales Manager,
Salesforce.com

Paul found Storyleaders to be transformative for himself, and he was equally amazed watching the transformation of his colleagues as well. 

 

What were the benefits of Storyleaders for Salesforce?

What great Salespeople do. 

In the end, sales people are measured by making their number. It’s that simple. That focus on outcomes made us forget that business, and even more specifically sales, is all about people. Great salespeople never forget that connection is the key to selling.

Improving connection to build pipeline.

This concept builds pipeline. Storyleaders teaches sales teams tools to empathically listen and understand customer needs, build trust and convert initial outreach into measurable leads. Salesforce teams that went through Storyleaders increased their pipeline by over 75% within twelve months of completing the program.

Using story to nail pitches. 

Brian’s team also learned specific storytelling frameworks that allowed them to communicate two key messages that resonated with customers after every pitch: why the company mission was important and why it was important the sales people. These simple connection points were proven to create lasting impressions with customers. Being memorable is more critical than being perfect. 

Combining practices to close more deals.

Building a pipeline and nailing pitches is great, but ultimately it must translate to closing deals. Connecting to customers gets them in the door, telling stories builds resonant messaging, and empathic listening is the final piece of the puzzle to delivering sales outcomes. Why? Customers are looking for you to solve their actual problems and only listening leads you there. Salesforce teams that completed Storyleaders saw a nearly 50% improvement in closed deals within 12 months after completing the program.

Building a more cohesive sales team.

The benefits went well beyond the numbers, however. Brian and his team completed the Salesleaders program and had the foundations used in other Storyleaders programs, such as the Teamleaders program designed for improving team culture. Their team dynamics improved as a result. 

Creating better outcomes across functions. 

Brian and his team brought sales enablement and marketing professionals to sessions as well. Because Storyleaders provides companies with a platform for change, improved cross-functional interactions were a critical outcome as well. 

Outcomes have made us numb

Traditional sales training programs teach account executives to lead their prospects and customers to a desired point, signaling movement towards a “close.” The focus in all interactions has become the outcome. Storyleaders teaches participants how to refocus on connection. 

What are other member of the Salesforce team
said about their experience?

Stephen Harrison

Area VP of Sales, Salesforce.com

Stephen believed the best leaders in the world lead through story, but didn’t necessarily realize there was a common framework for teaching that idea until he participated in the Storyleaders workshop.  

Daryl Spreiter

Sr. Director of Global Sales Enablement, Salesforce.com

Even as a coach for his Storyleaders sessions, Daryl admits he had skepticism around the value of the program. He was looking for something new.

Alex Colbert

Senior Account Executive, Salesforce.com

Alex believed that three more days of sales training was the last thing he needed at the end of a quarter. But within hours, he understood the power of Storyleaders and value of being immersed in the program. 

Email us to learn more. 

Do you want to experience the same impact as Salesforce?

If you’re interested in seeing the same results that Salesforce.com did through participating in an immersive workshop that helps sales professionals better connect to customers, Storyleaders is for you. We’d love to connect and explore how our team can help your team show up at work as individuals and teams. Our program helps forward-thinking organizations create cultures where people connect, work together and thrive on a deeper level. That’s the magic of people being all-in. And we want to bring it to you. Fill out the form to the left, hit submit, and w’ell be in touch.