01 / STORIES & SALESFrom the first conversation to renewal.
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT
Bridge, Not Applause.
How to Use the Right Story at the Right Moment in Complex B2B Sales
A good story gives your buyer somewhere to go.
For sellers whose stories earn attention but leave buyers unsure what to do next. This manuscript follows one complex B2B deal from first contact to renewal, showing how to match a story to the decision in front of the buyer.
Foreword by Lisa Earle McLeod Unpublished manuscript. No publication date has been announced.
A sales story should end with a bridge, not applause.
From earning attention to navigating setbacks, winning internal support and making a deal work after the signature, this book follows the moments that shape a complex B2B sale. Its research-grounded composite teaching case brings the choices to life.
The aim is a story the buyer can use to understand the evidence, make a decision, or carry the idea into a conversation you never enter.
A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK
The MOMENT Bridge.
MMatch the moment
OOpen a recognizable scene
MMake the friction matter
EExplain the turn
NName the honest status
TTransfer control
This book is an unpublished manuscript. No publication date has been announced. To ask about an excerpt or publication plans, get in touch with Bruce.
BRIDGE, NOT APPLAUSE
Praise for the book.
FOREWORD BY
Lisa Earle McLeodAuthor of Selling with Noble Purpose and Leading with Noble Purpose
EXCERPTS FROM THE FOREWORD
“The surest sign that your bridge held is that people are able to cross it without you.”
“Having the story is not the same as knowing what to do with it.”
“It is not about story craft. It is about story judgment.”
“
Arthur Sheldon wrote in 1911, ‘True salesmanship is the science of service.’ He couldn’t have been more correct. And as I read Bridge, Not Applause, it aligns so well with that philosophy. The salesperson’s job isn’t to convince people - it’s to guide them, help them predict, and make better decisions. Bruce brings those ideas to life in a practical, approachable, and truly enjoyable read, teaching through stories.
Todd Caponi, CSP®Author of The Transparency Sale, The Transparent Sales Leader, and Four Levers Negotiating
“
Finally, a sales book that doesn't stop with the signed contract. Honest, practical, and built to take a deal all the way to renewal. Read it.
Colleen FrancisFounder of Engage Selling Solutions and author of Nonstop Sales Boom
“
Complex B2B selling is always a challenge: earning attention, moving through the buying process, understanding each person's motivations, handling setbacks, mistakes and delays. Great sellers consistently see it through with their customers. Bruce's book on storytelling is itself a story, following a deal's highs and lows, not just to the close but on to making it work for the customer. A story that needed to be told.
David BrockCEO of Partners In EXCELLENCE, author of Sales Manager Survival Guide and Is "Good Enough" Good Enough?
From the first conversation to renewal.
