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#33: Tips on storytelling, preparing for IPOs, and entrepreneurship

#33: Tips on storytelling, preparing for IPOs, and entrepreneurship

Tips on storytelling, IPO readiness, and entrepreneurship

April 08, 2022

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Enjoy this week’s email….because who doesn’t want a bluebird every week…

#1 - Don't tell crappy stories

90% of salespeople tell customer stories.

90% of the stories told are pretty terrible.

Common mistakes are:

- they don't mention people - it is all about companies

- they talk too much about us and our product

- they are all facts and figures

- they are too generic

- they are confusing

- they are too short

- they are too long

- they are boring!

A huge opportunity to be impactful is lost due to confusion and ordinariness.

A well-told story is hard-hitting, clear, and memorable. Even one about cyber security!

The simple 5 step formula to tell a great customer story.

1. A person, with a name and title, who works at a named company, at a point in time

2. Describe the problem they are facing. DON’T describe the solution!

3. State how they got engaged with you.

4. A plan the customer followed to solve the problem eg, product, pilot roll-out, enterprise expansion

5. What were the transformations, business outcomes, measurable results, personal impact for the hero

Tell this in 2 minutes. Make the customer the hero of the story.

Learn 5 stories like this and you will be 10x more effective as a seller.

Don't waste valuable time with your prospects by telling weak, confusing, and boring stories

Stories told well are powerful and memorable.

Be powerful and memorable.

Time for a dad joke break...

My wife has begged me to stop making police related puns.I said, “OK. I’ll give it arrest”.

#2 - How Mark Parrinello prepared for one of the biggest cyber security IPOs

Mark Parrinello, the CRO at SentinelOne, sat down with me this week and shares how he led his sales organization for the 2021 IPO and the hyper growth trajectory the company is on.

What does it take to prepare for an IPO?

candid culture so that you can have your team buy into the company concepts, persevere through constant changes and keep an entrepreneurial spirit as you continue to grow and stretch your team.

proper sales process and operations roadmap that has actionable goals with realistic timelines.

enjoying the process and taking a minute to step back and remember what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come.

Check out the full interview for some amazing learnings from MarkSales Bluebird podcast episode 115>>>Or check out this Youtube clip (2:14) When and why SentinelOne chose to IPO>>>

#3 - My story

2.5 years ago, I left my corporate job. I've learned a lot since then.Here are 4 takeaways:

1. I can have a bigger impact now

I was worried that I would be insignificant. That it would be tough to make an impact as an outsider. The opposite is true.You are hired for your expertise, so people listen. They implement. There is impact!

2. My network is stronger than I thought

I found it was easy to reconnect with a bunch of people I have got to know over the years. I've also recently met incredible CEOs, CROs, and VCs all without having to do any cold outreach.I believe the ideal shape of a network is the Tesla logo. A mile deep in some areas but spreading wide into others.

3. It's a lot of fun

I always felt in the corporate world that there were shackles put on creativity. There was the opportunity to be a little creative, but don't get carried away!I now can be as creative as I want. Try new things. Spend time experimenting with new approaches. This fuels me.

4. I miss more collaboration

One of the great joys of working in a team is collaborating with smart, creative people each week. I currently don't have a full-time team to collaborate with and I miss it.I have a small group of people in my network whom I do talk with regularly. We support each other and provide suggestions on each other's work. But there is something about working consistently with others which is enriching.In summary:- It's rewarding to have a big impact- I need to find ways to collaborate more- Shedding the shackles is fun- It's been awesome reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones