“You need to be a better storyteller.”

We’ve all heard this advice. And frankly, it’s not very helpful. It’s the kind of advice that leads to sales reps opening a presentation with, “You know, my daughter uses this product, and she just loves it.”

Your prospect doesn't care.

This kind of “storytelling” is a mistake. It’s too literal, it’s self-serving, and educators have heard it all before. It does nothing to build your authority or make your message stick.

The jury is out on whether you should tell stories. We all know they're important. I want to focus on where it makes sense to tell them and, more importantly, what type of story to tell in which situation.

After years of building and giving presentations, I’ve learned that the most effective stories are the ones that don't hit the audience over the head. They are “conceits”—a concept I learned from studying 17th-century metaphysical poets.

These poets wrote about a subject like “love” by talking about something completely unrelated, like a flea. They trusted their audience to connect the dots. That process of connecting the dots is what makes an idea profound and memorable.

We need to do the same for our prospects. We need to stop telling them the answer and instead craft stories that guide them to the conclusion we want them to reach.

Here is the 3-part framework I use to structure my stories for maximum impact.

1. The Focal Point Story (The Opener)

A Focal Point story is how you open a presentation. Its purpose is to set the table, establish a core theme, and underscore a compelling—or even provocative—message.

Crucially, it should use an offbeat subject.

Here’s one I used when I started running workshops on how to sell over Zoom during the pandemic. I could have opened by saying, “The world has changed, and virtual selling is here to stay.” Nobody would have remembered it.

Instead, I told my “gym towel” story.

I went back to my gym the first week it reopened. At the front desk, the big stack of free towels was gone. In its place was a sign that said, “For health reasons, we are temporarily discontinuing towel service. You can rent a towel for $2.”

I remember thinking: They are never bringing those towels back.

They discovered they could save a lot of money on water, detergent, and labor. I was right; the towels are still gone today.

I told that story to open the workshop, and then I made the connection:

"Just like the gym towels, I'm not convinced every district is going to let us back on campus 100% of the time, the way they used to. They've realized they can do a lot of this virtually.”

That story—a far reach from dirty towels at a gym to edtech sales—creates a powerful, memorable theme. The audience connects the dots themselves, and the message sticks.

2. The Hurt and Rescue Story (The Demo)

This is the most important story you will tell. A Hurt and Rescue story is designed to amplify the value of a unique product capability, and it's the engine of a great demo.

Most reps get this backward. They lead with the feature. “Let me show you our dashboard, it’s got...”

I don't care about your dashboard.

A Hurt and Rescue story minimizes the traditional way of doing something. You must first tell a story about the pain of the status quo—the “hurt”—making it sound as insufficient and frustrating as it truly is.

Only after you’ve established that pain do you introduce your capability as the “rescue.”

For example, I've worked with companies that sell classroom observation technology. The “hurt” isn't “you need a better camera.”

The “hurt” is the story of the instructional coach.

“That coach has identified four teachers who desperately need help with a new inquiry-based instruction model. But she can't be everywhere at once. She can't predict when the 'teachable moment' will happen. So she spends her day running from a fight in the lunchroom to a parent phone call, all while the teachers who need her most are struggling. It's an impossible situation.”

You paint that picture of a well-intentioned person failing because of a broken process.

Then, you deliver the rescue:

“What if that coach didn't have to be in the room? What if she could... simultaneously see the inquiry-based instruction from all four of those teachers, right from her desk?”

You’ve completely reshaped the problem so that your unique capability is the only logical answer.

3. The Rumble Strip Story (The Re-Engager)

In his book Brain Rules, scientist John Medina proved that in a presentation, your audience's attention literally falls off a cliff after ten minutes.

You have to wake them up.

A Rumble Strip story is a short, ten-second-to-one-minute story that acts as a pattern interrupt. It's the jolt that, like the rumble strips on a highway, snaps attention back.

These stories can, and should, come from your everyday life.

I was once working with a language-learning company. Their real competitor wasn't another platform; it was student apathy. I needed a way to talk about the real barrier to learning a new language.

So I told a story about my grandfather.

When he first came from Sicily, he was embarrassed to go to a restaurant. He didn't know whether to eat the salad when it came out (as Americans do) or wait until after the meal (as they do in Italy). He was so afraid of doing it wrong, he just wouldn't eat.

I used that to make the connection:

“The biggest hurdle for kids learning a language isn't the grammar. It's embarrassment. They're afraid to make a fool of themselves in front of their friends.”

That little story about a salad immediately wakes the room up, earns me another ten minutes, and makes my point far more powerfully than a data slide about “student engagement.”

A Bonus Tactic: The “8 Mile” for Hostile Audiences

What if your audience is already upset? You're presenting to a group of teachers who were forced to adopt your product and hate it.

You use the “8 Mile” tactic.

If you’ve seen the movie, you know Eminem wins the final rap battle by... insulting himself. He gets on stage and airs all his own dirty laundry. “I know everything you're about to say about me. I am white. I do live in a trailer.”

He disarms his opponent, who is left with nothing to say.

When you're facing a hostile audience, do the same. Lead with your own flaws. Do not get defensive. Use a “Where we were, where we are, and where we're going” framework.

“Where we were... was a product that had deficiencies. We know. We've heard it. Where we are... is a plan to fix it. And where we're going... is a product that you can actually help us build.”

This level of authenticity and ownership is disarming. It's the only way to turn a hostile audience into an ally.

Your Homework

This weekend, I want you to live your life. Run your errands, go to the bank, talk to your friends. But as you do, keep your product in the back of your mind.

Pay close attention to every interaction. I promise you that your mind will start to create stories. You'll see a connection between the line at the bank and your product's onboarding process. You'll hear a phrase from a friend and realize it's the perfect “rumble strip.”

That is how you build your library. You stop pitching and you start connecting.