Transform your SKO from a one-time event into a growth lever with buyer-led stories and whiteboard-driven narratives that drive immediate revenue impact.
Brian Krause practiced the new story half a dozen times. Used it the next day. Got immediate engagement.
This was Centrify, 2017. We'd just developed the Zero Trust whiteboard story. Brian was a channel leader. He didn't wait. He didn't ease into it. He took the marker, practised the story, and walked into his next call differently.
Within days, we took that same story to CDW. One-hour immersive whiteboard sessions. We trained their entire sales team.
Deal registrations began to come in within 48 hours.
Not weeks. Not "once they got comfortable with it." Days.
That's what happens when SKO content is built to be used, not presented.
My partners and I have attended more than 40 sales kickoffs. Most follow the same pattern.
High energy. Bold claims. New slides. The room buzzes. Everyone's nodding. The executive team feels good.
Then the teams return to their respective territories.
And nothing changes.
Six months later, the board inquires about the status of the launch. Pipeline hasn't moved. Win rates are flat. The new message never made it past the hallway.
The SKO becomes a sunk cost.
The energy spike without the revenue lift.
I spent years working with Whiteboard Selling, founded by Corey Sommers and Dave Jenkins. We developed whiteboard stories and ran whiteboard-driven SKOs for companies like Informatica, VMWare, HP, Siemens, Schneider Electric.
Every single one launched a powerful new narrative. Every single one built confidence in telling that story.
And in every case, salespeople came up to me after the session and said the same thing: "I can actually use this on my next call."
Not "great session." Not "really inspiring."
I can use this.
That's the line that separates theatre from growth.
The bridge between SKO and execution is broken.
Here's what actually happens:
By the next board meeting, nothing has moved.
Old SKOs launched products.
New SKOs launch movements.
The difference? One starts with what you built. The other starts with why buyers moved.
It's the shift from "Why Me" to "Why Change."
"Why Me" stories are product launches dressed up as strategy. They're about your features, your differentiation, your timeline.
"Why Change" stories are rooted in buyer truth. They start with what triggered recent deals. What nearly blocked them. What language buyers use to get approval. What made you stand out.
That's the foundation.
Not internal guesswork. Not messaging workshopped in a conference room.
Buyer truth.
Most SKO content is built to be presented. Slides. Decks. Scripts.
Whiteboard stories are built to be used.
When you put a marker in someone's hand instead of clicking through slides, something shifts. The story becomes dialogue, not a monologue. It becomes something you draw with the buyer, not something you perform at them.
That's why Brian could use it the next day.
That's why CDW reps could register deals within 48 hours.
The story wasn't presentation material. It was conversation material.
The only SKOs that will matter are the ones that change behavior in the field.
That means shifting from:
|
From |
To |
|
Internal consensus |
External resonance |
|
One-time event |
Ongoing motion |
|
Slides and sessions |
Capability and confidence |
|
Top-down message |
Buyer-led story |
|
Output |
Outcomes |
A high-impact SKO in 2026 should:
✅ Launch a message that buyers recognise from day one
✅ Equip Sales and CS teams with a story they can actually use
✅ Replace "pitching" with real discovery and consultative dialogue
✅ Align Marketing, Sales, and Enablement around how buyers buy
✅ Generate early revenue signals, not just feedback surveys
B2B companies will spend hundreds of millions on SKOs in 2026.
There will be production value. Executive airtime. Training decks. New acronyms.
But most will still fail to deliver measurable outcomes.
Not because of effort. Not because of budget.
Because they're building from the inside out instead of the outside in.
The highest-performing revenue teams aren't waiting for January to start building alignment.
They're starting now. With their customers.
Before slides are built or stages are booked, they're using structured buyer insight to anchor their message. They're practicing the new story in real-deal scenarios, not just in workshops. They're building consultative capability, not just content.
They're turning the SKO from a launch event into a growth lever.
The Growth Activation Sprint is one approach that's helping revenue leaders make this shift. Fast.
In under 60 days, it helps you:
Through structured Switch Interviews, you uncover:
This becomes the foundation of your 2026 message. Not guesswork. Truth.
✅ Reps leave SKO with a story they can use the next day
✅ Marketing launches a message that connects, not confuses
✅ Enablement delivers capability, not just content
✅ CS unlocks upsell and cross-sell
✅ CEOs and boards see pipeline movement and revenue growth
Not in six months.
In days.
SKO 2026 is an opportunity to shift from entertainment to growth activation.
If you're planning a 2026 SKO and want to make sure it drives measurable growth, we can help.
Transform your SKO from theatre to revenue in under 60 days.
✅ < 60-day delivery
✅ From £25,000
✅ Across EMEA
➡️ Book a meeting to discuss your SKO 2026 objectives
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