Storytelling for Sales Coach

SALES TO THE POWER OF STORY COACH

As a sales professional who sells complex, high-stakes products and services, you know all too well the criticality of building rapport and trust quickly, handling objections with aplomb, demonstrating value through differentiation, etc. And you know how powerful stories can be to help you accelerate your sales success. That’s why I created the Storytelling for Sales Coach service or as I like to call it, Sales ^{STORY ™} — Sales to the Power of Story Coach.

I am Ira Koretsky (bio), CEO of The Chief Storyteller ®. As your Sales to the Power of Story coach, I help you better persuade, entertain, educate, and inspire at the right times to the right audiences, to help you close more deals, faster, using the power of storytelling.

YOUR SALES TO THE POWER OF STORY COACH, IRA KORETSKY

I have been in the world of storytelling since I was in high school debate. Three years after starting forensics (that’s what it was called back then), I was a New York State debate champion finalist. There were just 26 of us from the entire state. A life-long foundational lesson came from our debate coach and our storytelling coach, Mr. Height. He stressed… and made us appreciate… the power of effective stories and appreciate the power of effective delivery. They go hand-in-hand.

Lessons from Mr. Height, along with countless others over my career, along with plenty of bumps and bruises earned on my own, have made me a much better sales storyteller and a much better sales communicator. And for you, a better Sales to the Power of Story coach.

By empowering you with the storytelling skills and strategies I have perfected over the last 25 years, you will be more successful, personally and professionally. My specialties are helping sales teams and sales professionals like you simplify the complex and communicate effectively when the stakes are high. I regularly work with executives, leaders, and rising stars (click here for training options) in fast-growing firms to Fortune 100 companies.

For every situation, I will advise and equip you with the Sales to the Power of Story skills and tools to be successful, in your own authentic way. As your Sales to the Power of Story coach, I provide BOTH advice (strategy) and hands-on (tactics) help in several skill- and confidence-building categories (see table below).

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SALES COACH

Some 30 years later following high school debate, I have been coaching, mentoring, training, teaching, and consulting on storytelling for sales in 14 countries (testimonials, customers, success stories). From my days speaking publicly on behalf of the US Army as a healthcare Public Affairs Officer and Chief Information Officer, to consulting on billion-dollar technology programs to the Federal government, to being in leadership roles in marketing and product management, to teaching eager sophomores at the University of Maryland Business School, to performing improvisational comedy for 10 years with ComedySportz, to present day, I have been a business storyteller at heart and storytelling for sales coach in practice.

I’m a different kind of coach. More like a 1-on-1 consultant. I blend the best of my experience and expertise from being a consultant, professional speaker, trainer, and adjunct professor.

As mentioned a few lines above, I am an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where I earned my MBA. My course, Enterprise Communications, teaches public speaking, communication, data storytelling, and business storytelling to about 70 honors students. The student final is a five-minute, TED-Style Talk. Students pick their own topic, develop engaging presentation visuals, craft a compelling narrative told through the eyes of a personal story, and teach us something new, as all good TED and TEDx speakers do.

FLEXIBLE & CUSTOMIZED

Since starting The Chief Storyteller® in 2002, I continually develop and refine our frameworks, tools, worksheets, processes, and exercises to best meet your needs. And I continually refine our storytelling for sales coach engagement.

Sometimes we will collaborate, sometimes we will brainstorm and strategize, sometimes we will revise, sometimes you’ll do some exercises, sometimes you’ll practice, and sometimes you’ll share your activities and the results. I use a combination of in-person meetings, Zoom video, telephone calls, and email during your coaching.

Whatever we do, my approach to your coaching, is to ensure you achieve your personal and professional goals, in your own authentic way.

BECOME THE SALES STORYTELLER AUDIENCES WANT TO HEAR

I designed the Sales to the Power of Story Coach Learning Modules for to help you become the sales storyteller you want to be. AND become the sales storyteller audiences want to hear.

Sales to the Power of Story Coach Learning Modules

There are over 30 Sales ^{STORY ™} Coach learning modules. The learning modules cover sales storytelling, A to Z. Here are some example Sales to the Power of Story Coach Modules:

What Happens in a Typical Coaching Session?

I provide BOTH coaching advice and hands-on support (think of this as consulting). When providing advice, I offer suggestions for you to think about and for you to implement in your presentations, stories, emails — everything to support your sales activities. When providing hands-on help, I make specific suggestions, revise, and develop content, narrative, slides, stories, emails, etc. We also practice and role play to build and maintain (new) skills and abilities.

As you build your skills, I provide you with various resources (e.g., tools, tip guides, worksheets, and Smart Exercises) for you to work on during and in between your sessions. Generally, the Success Plan drives the topic and the exercises. If you have a new priority, say a presentation is asked of you, I will shift to your new priority.

As mentioned above, there are over 30 modules I draw from in a variety of categories.

Meetings are via Zoom with support and assistance by telephone and email.

Why Us? Key Differentiators

When it comes to differentiating factors, these are the ones that make The Chief Storyteller ® really stand out.

1. Emphasize storytelling, the oldest and most effective form of communication
2. Active practitioner. Delivered more than 560 keynotes and workshops, inspiring more than 40,100 people in a dozen countries
3. Adjunct professor.  Teach public speaking, data storytelling, and storytelling at the University of Maryland Business School for more than 10 years
4. Coach Consultant. Offer advice AND hands-on, roll-up your sleeves support
5. Include practical and proven learning materials such as frameworks, tools, worksheets, and tip guides
6. Offer more than 30 learning modules
7. Offer more than 150 Smart Exercises
8. Improvisational humor. I draw on performing with ComedySportz (like television’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?) to improve information retention, participant enjoyment, and impact
9. “Gets you.” I am a techie at heart, having started the computer club in high school. I won a science fair. Was a CIO of an Army hospital. And worked for three managed web hosting companies
10. Nudges and Pushes. I help you be a better communicator, achieving your personal and professional goals

SALES TO THE POWER OF STORY SUCCESS STORIES