Ep. 117 – Escaping the Crisis of Sameness in Modern Sales with Doug Landis – Part 2

In this episode, Mark Petruzzi and KK Anderson sit down with Doug Landis to explore why storytelling has become one of the most powerful skills in modern sales. From lessons learned in the film industry to practical strategies for enterprise selling, the conversation highlights how narratives help sellers build trust, create alignment, and close deals faster.Doug explains that buyers don’t actually buy products; they buy the story attached to the outcome those products create. When sellers focus on telling clear, meaningful stories rather than listing features, they make it easier for buyers to understand the value and communicate it internally. The discussion also dives into the shift from traditional inside-out selling (focused on CRM data and internal information) to an outside-in approach, where sellers study the buyer’s business, strategy, and external signals to craft a more relevant narrative.What You’ll LearnWhy storytelling is more powerful than product features in salesHow great stories help buyers remember your solution and sell it internallyThe difference between rambling and effective storytelling in conversationsWhy sellers should shift from inside-out CRM preparation to an outside-in perspectiveHow understanding your buyer’s business leads to stronger trust and bigger dealsWhy trust-driven selling can accelerate deal cycles and increase deal sizePractical ways sales leaders can build storytelling into their team cultureKey topics covered include:How great stories help buyers sell your solution internallyThe difference between rambling and structured storytellingWhy sellers should spend more time on outside-in researchHow AI tools can help sellers synthesize external insights fasterWhat leaders can measure to prove trust-driven selling worksRapid-fire insights on sales habits, books, and early lessonsDoug also shares a powerful reminder: people don’t buy features; they buy the outcome the story promises, whether that’s solving a problem, improving their business, or simply getting their Sundays back. Mark Petruzzi (00:31)Now that is some, that's really, really great stuff, Doug. And I'm gonna share a little bit about how I use, how I've learned to use stories into my selling process. And not only my selling process, running companies, working with private equity firms, communicating with people in all kinds of ways. And it really came down to about 15 years ago,Doug Landis (00:45)Mmm, yes.Mark Petruzzi (00:56)I was involved with a couple of ⁓ and brought in by friends of mine in a couple of films and TV series. I invested in a couple of them for a little bit of a while. was like, forget about enterprise software and selling. And I'm going to be running around with Steven Spielberg soon. That didn't happen. But we did pretty well with these movies.And I'll give you an example. Somebody I've done work with is a filmmaker by the name of Michael Corente. And he's just one example of about a half a dozen that I got to work with. But he's a producer. That's what he focuses on. And in the entertainment industry, I learned there are no, well, there are, I found in my career, there are no better storytellers, not even than the writers. Of course they know how to tell stories.Doug Landis (01:20)So cool.Mark Petruzzi (01:44)but the producers that are out there getting investments and everything else. And man man, Michael was one of them. He's done some amazing things. He's created some really just incredible films that he made happen and he does a lot of stuff with Netflix now and Hulu and incredible stuff. So my point in this is for everyone in business,Doug Landis (01:48)Yep.Mark Petruzzi (02:09)Find your way of getting exposed to individuals like that. Now we all can't typically just call up and get to know a producer. I just happen to have some friends in the industry that I grew up with and got in that track. But maybe it's about writers. It's about different people who run businesses that you just look at. And just learn that side of the equation becauseIt's as specific as you define it, in my opinion, and it's also as generic as just like if you learn how to be a good storyteller, you're going to be successful in business and life. Like I use these same skills with my two children. they love to hear stories. It's just incredible. good.Doug Landis (02:48)Amen.KK Anderson (02:49)People will like you, Yeah.Doug Landis (02:53)Well, I got a caveat to that.I have a caveat to that. Everybody loves somebody who is a good storyteller. Everybody despises somebody who not despise that's pretty aggressive, but it's not a big fan of the people who ramble. They think they're telling a story and they're just it's just one ginormous run on sentence that you never know where going to end. Because reality is it right like it's like no one wants to be the person stuck at the party with I ⁓ I got to sit next to them. ⁓ they never shut up. They always sayKK Anderson (03:09)Yes.1,000.Mark ...