Not Just Selling, Storytelling The Startup Way

Here, I'm not going to provide you with the definitions, tricks, and all about sales or marketing. I intend to plant a seed into your hearts, and it will be you all watering that seed in yourself, growing that tree, discovering it, and finally gaining the joy of the result.

And here, rather than speaking formally, I'll talk about a specific class called The Wolf Talks, which I have attended in our college, College of Engineering, Attingal, Trivandrum, Kerala, which opened my eyes, which planted that same seed I prepared here for you in me, by which now I am tasting the fruits out here.

Essentially, during that session, the speakers, Mr Joash S and Mr Roshan Syed, who were college alumni themselves and great minds for startup, made their points with more impact through their concise talks. It wasn't just a random session; it was an eye-opener. They didn't teach us; they challenged us and built us.

Have you ever convinced your parents to let you go to play or roam? Have you tried to make your friends watch the movie you like? Have you made anyone try something out for the first time?

If yes, you have already learned the art of sales and marketing. These were the memorable words those speakers told us. In the process of convincing someone of something, we just marketed that thing. And while convincing your parents to let us go somewhere, we just explained about that as well as built their trust in us. The 2 most wonderful qualities to have in a salesperson and marketer.

After that, it was all about challenges, fun, games, and all. And many students who ended up in that session with stage fear and doubt in themselves started pulling themselves up and taking the initiative in things by the end of the session.

So now I'll introduce you to some of the challenges they gave us in order to help us break our shells. These might be the things you can try out for yourselves, too.

So let's begin:

Startup Sprint

We were presented with 5 product cards:

• Self-Heating Coffee Mug

• Noiseless Hostel Fan

• Instant Maggie Dispenser

• Pen with Built-in Eraser

• Portable Power Nap Pillow

They divided us into groups of 3 and gave each of us a product, and we were asked to pitch about that product, specifying its advantages over the existing product, and convince the audience to buy it.

After presenting each topic, they taught us how it should be done:

Step 1: Decide where you’ll sell it (campus, street, online, WhatsApp group).

Step 2: Choose your very first customer (student, teacher, parent, shop owner).

Step 3: Think of one line you’ll say to convince them.

The Lifeline

• Sales validate your idea

• Sales secure resources

• Sales drive rapid growth

These were the lessons they instilled in us through this activity.

Why People Buy

In this activity, they provided us with 5 daily-use items for us to sell:

1. Chocolate

2. Keypad Mobiles

3. Photo Frames

4. Trophies

5. Shampoo

Here, they allowed us to choose our own topic. But with a condition, only 2 groups get the same topic. And we want to rise up and choose the product we believe is the best for us.

This was the moment the introverts and those with stage fright were trapped. They had to do it, or else you might get the harder products, such as trophies.

Psychology of Selling

Psychology of selling - yes, that was the thing they taught us through this challenge. They unleashed the real trick.

People buy with emotion and justify with logic, they said.

The 3 major reasons why people buy products are:

1. Pain (urgent problem): Say we took chocolate, what is it usually used for? Chocolate contains increased serotonin and dopamine levels, neurotransmitters responsible for happiness and pleasure. Additionally, antioxidants in chocolate help reduce stress and improve cognitive function. So it comes under the category of pain. Say it's shampoo. Why do we use it? To make it stronger. It's the pain that it's not strong enough.
   

2. Pleasure (desire): Shampoo comes into play here, too. Shampoo can be used for aromatic purposes; that's what pleasure is. The pleasure of making it smooth, dazzling, and aromatic plays a part here. The same goes for photo frames; we want to hang the pictures of our happy moments in our houses. It's only possible because of photo frames.
   

3. FOMO (fear of missing out): Trophies actually belong here. We humans are basically too inferior to others, so we are always in a state of conflict, missing out. Airbnb, iPhone, and Nike Drops come under this.

Personal Branding in Sales

The main fact that should be kept in your mind while branding is that it isn't only the product you are selling; it's yourself too. Before building trust in your product with your customers, you have to build trust in yourself with them.

In order to present yourself before others and market yourself, you should be:

• Confident and sharp

• Enthusiastic

• Expertise

  
  

The Wolf of Wall Street

They presented this idea to us and planted it within us through a movie named "The Wolf of Wall Street."

It is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. It tells us a true story of Jordan Belfort, about his rise. It tells the story of Jordan Belfort, a young and ambitious stockbroker who rises from nothing to become one of Wall Street’s most notorious figures.

Through further research about it, I got to know that this is actually a movie adaptation of the book of the same name, written by Jordan Belfort, which is a duology.

If you did enjoy the book, do check out similar books:

• Arms and the Dudes - Guy Lawson

• Playing balls - Vernon Davis

• The Big Short - Michael Lewis

• Blye, Private Eye & Casino - Nicholas Pileggi

If you enjoyed the show, do check out:

• The Founder

• Margin call

• American Hustle

• The Big Short (book adaptation).

Negotiate with Me

This was the most interesting and fun challenge they had given us.

They presented us with 2 of the most absurd things: an invisible umbrella and a portable black hole.

We were to sell them. Everyone will be a seller as well as a buyer.

Key focus points:

• Active listening.

• Value creation.

• Adaptability.
  

Pro Tip: Even the strangest product has a potential buyer if you uncover their latent needs.

Think beyond the obvious.

Skills:

• Ask open-ended questions

• Find hidden needs

• Use silence wisely

These were the only things they told us. Try finding out the lesson from this by trying it on your own. See for yourselves up to which limit your imaginations can rise, deciding on their usages and how you can make someone else interested in buying them.

Objections are not rejections; they are opportunities to address customer doubts and deepen engagement.

The Ending, The gain

By the end of the session, these were the things we gained:

One of the biggest gains was overcoming the fear of public interaction. Many of us started off feeling hesitant to speak or present ideas in front of others. But through group activities, role-plays, and marketing pitch challenges, we slowly learned how to express ourselves more clearly and confidently.

This not only improved communication skills but also helped break the initial nervousness that often comes with sales conversations.

The session also encouraged critical and strategic thinking. Each activity required quick decision-making, problem-solving, and analysing real-time marketing situations. Whether it was designing a campaign on the spot or responding to unpredictable customer scenarios, we learned how to think on our feet and adapt quickly.

Finally, the session gave us practical exposure to the dynamic world of sales and marketing. Instead of just theory, we experienced what it’s like to persuade, negotiate, and create strategies under pressure, all while keeping the customer in focus.

In this moment, I would like to show how grateful I am for two of the greatest mentors in my life, for this great session.

So now you tell me, what have you gained through this write-up?