The Rainmaking Podcast TRP 67: Better Sales Through Storytelling with AlexAnndra Ontra
In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Alexandra Ontra, co-founder of Shufflrr, about how professionals can improve sales outcomes through better storytelling in presentations. Drawing from her background in advertising and interactive media, Alexandra explains that most sales decks strip away emotion by default—relying on bullet points and data instead of meaningful narratives. She argues that storytelling in business is about restoring the human element, helping prospects see themselves in the story, and creating emotional resonance around a product or service.
Alexandra introduces a simple framework: the product is the hero, the client is the co-star, and the story arc follows how the product helps solve the client’s problem and improve their outcome. She shares how Shufflrr’s interactive slide library helps sales teams create customized, on-the-fly presentations that follow the conversation—not just a static slide deck. This episode is packed with tactical storytelling advice and offers a fresh perspective on how to deliver more engaging, memorable, and client-focused pitches.
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AlexAnndra Ontra is changing the way the enterprise world thinks about its most undervalued asset — the presentation. As President and co-founder of Shufflrr, AlexAnndra is blazing a trail in the emerging new discipline of presentation management. The technology she helped create is already powering the presentation strategies of hundreds of Fortune-level companies, helping them save millions of dollars by transforming humble PowerPoint slides into invaluable business assets.
Before co-founding Shufflrr, AlexAnndra made her mark in the world of advertising. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree from UT Austin, she quickly rose through the ranks at international agencies DDB and Lowe & Partners SMS, developing campaigns for blue-chip clients like American Airlines, Priceline.com, and Zales Corp.
Then in 2002, she decided to strike out on her own. Teaming up with her brother James, she launched Ontra Presentations with nothing more than a borrowed desk, two phones, and a lot of hustle. Together they cold-called prospects for eight hours a day, every day. Their persistence paid dividends, and in less than 90 days they’d landed their first big client: ABC Television.
Fast forward 12 years and over 50 Fortune-level clients later, Alex had cemented her position as a thought leader in the presentation space. But her experience had also highlighted the glaring shortcomings of existing presentation software. So, in 2014 she and her brother began an ambitious new project, combining their 30+ years of practical know-how with the latest machine learning and cloud technology. The result? Shufflrr, a powerful, elegant, easy-to-use SaaS solution that’s finally bringing decades-old presentation technology into the 21st century.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanndra-ontra-7942741/
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