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Make Your Sales Presentations Land and Stick: Using Ancient Stories to Sell Modern Technology

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Storytelling is as old as humanity itself. We’ve been telling stories to communicate, teach, and inspire for thousands of years. The best stories are designed to stick in our minds and move us to action. Storytelling is – of course – a powerful tool in sales, but it is often used poorly. Most sales presentations aren’t good stories. They are meandering lists of half-thought features and benefits cut and pasted to suit a generic client. Remember that it isn’t just a trick. If you want to start using ancient stories to sell modern technology, remember that it’s a rigorous, structured commercial strategy used by the most significant marketing businesses in the world to make their customers engage emotionally and invest literally in their products.

Modern brands like Apple have perfected the art of storytelling, using ancient stories to sell modern technology. By understanding and copying these simple story types, salespeople can learn how to create more engaging messages to connect with customers and inspire them to action.

The Seven Basic Plots in Sales

Christopher Booker’s book “The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories”, breaks down the stories we love into seven categories. These plots have been used in myths, novels, plays, and films for centuries and can also be used to sell products and services today. Apple has mastered this art, and we’ll explore how their most famous and effective ad campaigns follow these ancient storytelling tropes.

1. Overcoming the Monster

This plot is about the hero facing and defeating a powerful enemy. In sales, the customer is the hero, and the monster is a problem or challenge they face. Your product or service is the tool that helps them win.

Apple’s 1984 ad is a classic example. The commercial introduced the Macintosh and depicted a dystopian world ruled by a Big Brother-like figure (a metaphor for IBM). A lone heroine representing Apple destroys this oppressive force with a sledgehammer, symbolising the Macintosh’s power to liberate users from the status quo.
You can watch the iconic ‘1984’ ad here:

2. Rags to Riches

This plot features a hero who starts with nothing and rises to greatness. In sales, this story can be used to show how your product or service can transform the lives of your customers.

Apple’s own story is a Rags to Riches tale. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple in a garage. Today, Apple is one of the world’s most valuable companies. This narrative inspires entrepreneurs and innovators to believe that they too can achieve greatness. Apple often tells this story to encourage people to ‘think different’ and see themselves as future success stories.

Learn more about Apple’s origin story:

3. The Quest

The Quest involves a hero on a journey to achieve a goal, facing obstacles along the way. In sales, you can frame your customer’s struggle as a quest where your product is the companion that helps them succeed.

The “Shot on iPhone” campaign is an example of this. It portrays everyday users as adventurers on a quest to capture life’s most breathtaking moments. The iPhone is presented as the ideal companion, always ready to document the journey.

See examples of the ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign here:

4. Voyage and Return

This plot is about a hero who ventures into the unknown, faces challenges, and returns transformed. In sales, this structure can be used to highlight how your product or service helps customers explore new possibilities and return wiser or more capable.
Apple’s marketing for the iPad Pro positions it as a tool that takes professionals into a new world of productivity. Users can work, create, and explore in ways they never imagined, and they return with newfound skills and a more efficient workflow.

Explore the iPad Pro here:

5. Comedy

Comedy stories often revolve around misunderstandings and chaos, ending in harmony. In sales, humour can be used to highlight problems and present your product as the solution that brings clarity and joy.

Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign used humour to illustrate the confusion and frustration of using a PC. The Mac, portrayed by Justin Long, was cool and simple, while the PC, played by John Hodgman, was clunky and inefficient. This playful contrast showed how Macs could bring harmony to the chaos of technology.

Watch the ‘Get a Mac’ ads:

6. Tragedy

Tragedy stories highlight the consequences of a character’s downfall. In sales, this plot can show what happens if customers fail to address a problem, emphasising the need for your product.

Apple’s privacy campaigns use this approach to stress the risks of not protecting personal data. They highlight what can go wrong when privacy is compromised, showing that the iPhone is a solution to avoid this ‘tragedy.’

Learn about Apple’s commitment to privacy here:

7. Rebirth

In a Rebirth story, the hero faces darkness or stagnation but experiences a transformation. In sales, this plot can show how your product can revitalise or renew the customer’s situation.

Apple’s “Think Different” campaign is a Rebirth story. It speaks to people who feel limited or uninspired, inviting them to transform their thinking. Apple positions its products as tools for personal and professional renewal, inspiring users to create and innovate.

Watch the ‘Think Different’ ad:

Advice for Salespeople in Using Ancient Stories to sell Modern Technology

Here are some simple steps to use these storytelling principles in your sales campaigns:

1. Choose the right story structure. Whether it’s Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, or The Quest, pick a structure that fits the problem your customer faces and the solution you offer. Then…

2. Make your customer the hero. Focus on their journey, challenges, and ultimate goals. You are the loyal comapnion that helps them along, and your product is the magic potion or secret weapon that helps them win.

3. Use emotion to connect. The best stories evoke feelings. Audiences engage with the hero if they see themselves in them. Make your story all about them. Show that you care. Then and only then will you have the emotional impact you want.

4. Keep it simple and on the right side of sincere. Avoid overloading your story with details. Stay genuine and speak directly to your audience’s needs and don’t overdo the schmalz.

Storytelling is a powerful way to make your sales messages land and stick. Most sales presentations aren’t good stories. They are meandering lists of half thought through features and benefits – cut and pasted to suit a generic client. If you want to use ancient stories to sell modern technology remember it isn’t just a trick. It’s a rigorous commercial strategy used by the greatest marketing businesses in the world to make their customers engage emotionally and invest literally in their products.

Once you start to use the simplicity and power of ancient stories to sell modern technology – you will engage your audience, make your product memorable, and inspire action. Apple’s success shows that great stories can sell even the most advanced technology. Now it’s your turn to craft stories that captivate and convert.

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Jim Harvey

Jim Harvey

Managing Director at The Message Business
Jim is a serial entrepreneur and the MD of The Message Business, a company which helps international and FTSE 100 companies sell themselves, and their products more effectively. Jim has many years of experience speechwriting, presentation coaching and motivational speaking, all over the world.
Jim Harvey
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