C1 - Internal use

Reflection - Storytelling

Challenge

After completing a path across marketing functions, the last years I’m working in the sales department  in a multinational company associating with B2B clientele of professionals in the beauty industry with  high-end and some luxury brands. The main challenge that came through the last years is to leave back a  commercial policy of mainly discount offers and move forward to sustainable growth with investing in  one core strategic pillar : creating business value in the market , both for the professional (becoming a  real business partner) as long as for the end consumer ( enhancing the brand experience).

Selection

Storytelling is a key element for my work. Being a sales executive for years, managing in the past a team  of sales reps and now a group of key clients, in such a highly competitive market, storytelling is a “must-  have” tool so as to carry on, not only for the new breakthrough changes that is the current challenge but  at minimum at a daily conventional basis. After the company strategically decided to change our sales  approach to our clients, by mainly transforming some discount benefits to value-creation investments,  storytelling would become one of the major key components of success during all associations with  clients.

Application

The main case is to convince any kind of professional client to understand that future growth of both  sides will not be sustainable only with price wars in the market as a result of major discount policies but  with creating experiences and enhancing brand values. That was the key element of the story creation.  Firstly, we gathered all data of the market (size, growth, market shares, past years policies, end  consumer behavior changes). Then, we created a full exercise of the return on investment while  practicing discount offers in the market along with our supplier - clients. Then the team was enriched  with marketing professional that came with new data. We analyzed the new trends in consumption so  as to find that consumers for our certain brands are not mainly interested in prices as No1 purchase  indicator as they mainly seek for something different and something unique and personalized. We build  a concrete strategy that a big part of investment was devoted to building strong messages to the end  consumers to boost their purchases in the market. Simultaneously, the same investments would  enhance the supply of the market driven from our B2B clients. End result would be the transformation  of some budgeted investments from just clients’ discounts to market growth drivers benefiting all.  Finally, the sales force was trained to storytelling tool so as to perfect communicate the new way of  business. The story telling tool was effectively applied and still is on air for sustaining the long-term  strategy of the company.

C1 - Internal use

Insight

The whole process of transformation of the sales approach to the clients was challenging. In order to  minimize risks of failure we did a lot of workshops before executing the end result of the  communication, the storytelling.  The main goal of the perfect use of the storytelling tool is that we  combined real data of the market with long-term strategies, all mixed up under an new era of emotional  and ethical association with the client. The end result of this was entering the new age of “partnerships”  with the clients. Design thinking as a methodology and way of thinking, can be essential for not leaving  to pure luck such big changes as there are tools to help you re-think the whole process and build on the  new upcoming.

Approach

In the following years to come one is certain: the market will change and the needs of clients must be  dealt accordingly.  Storytelling will always be an essential tool of build on the new stories to come and  communicate them successfully to the other parts.  As the market complexity will increase with the  emerge of e-commerce and new means of communication, the only thing to change in the  implementation of next time’s use of storytelling is the deeper research & analysis of the main parts/  components that will evolve in the new storytelling process.

