We have so many fabulous conversations in Clubhouse about storytelling in business. Some of these discussions focus on specific topics or moments, but one of my favourite conversations was about the best gift you received as a child and why it was the best.
Do you remember your favourite gift and why you loved it so much?
There are many reasons why storytelling is so powerful for business, and answering the question above is a great starting point.
Here’s the thing our Clubhouse listeners realised. The best gifts always created an experience!
- They learnt a lesson
- They discovered a passion
- They felt an emotion
- They made a connection
All the childhood gifts we discussed were memorable for these reasons.
Can you imagine the impact your business could have if you managed to evoke the same experience for your ideal client?
My social media feed is full of wonderful back to school photographs at the moment, and with each image comes a story. In most cases, the unfolding stories aren’t about the child in the photo, but more about the engaging audience.
The audience is sharing their own memories.
Perhaps their children are grown up and have moved away, and seeing images like this brings up a host of emotions. Some people might recall a favourite teacher from their school days who inspired or motivated them to do better and were instrumental in starting their business. Or maybe the power of social media has reconnected you with old school, college, or university friends with plenty of stories to share!
- Lessons
- Passion
- Emotion
- Connection
Another interesting fact is the brain’s ability to process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, so memories are flooding our brain as we connect with these photographs.
Why is storytelling so important in business?
Civilisations have been telling stories forever. Whether through cave drawings, community events, or chatting around the campfire, we all connect to stories. If I listed statistics, you might not take in all the information, but you would be more inclined to remember if I included those same statistics within a story setting. I must tell you a fun statistic though – 63% of people remember stories versus only 5% people who remember stats! One stat I do like to remember!
You don’t remember automation, a script, or a contrived process, but you do remember how you felt.
From a business point of view, you hope to create lasting relationships and connect with your audience. Those relationships are built on trust, authenticity, honesty, and loyalty. Through storytelling, you and your business have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Your stories form part of your Unique Human Proposition – UHP® too!
Let me ask you a few questions:
- What’s the story behind you starting your business?
- Why do you offer your service or sell your product?
- Why did you think the service you offer would be helpful to your clients?
- What was the driving force behind developing your products?
The answers to these questions are like a story roadmap that helps your ideal client to see why working with you would feel right, and why your product or service is precisely what they need in their lives.
Did you create a service because you couldn’t find anyone to help you with your clients’ same issues? Telling your personal story connects you to your audience and begins to build trust.
In her keynote speech for The Edge Connection, Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, shared her journey from idea to manufacturing and entertained the audience with tales of her setbacks, obstacles, and eventual success. Not only did this make her human, but it also demonstrated an authority that built trust. People would aspire to follow the same journey. They would be inspired to have the courage to just do it! That is the power of stories.
People buy people.
Storytelling improves your content creation and marketing
How many of you avoid selling yourselves or your business? Selling is scary, right? What if I told you it doesn’t have to be?
All you need to do is think about a John Lewis Christmas advert, and you’ll see how powerful storytelling in marketing is. Most of us set a reminder on our calendars the day the Christmas ads release because we’re that invested in the content! Which one will be the best this year? For me it will be the one that I connect emotionally to without a doubt! And the story does just that.
How can you build the same emotions into your sales strategy? What story can you tell that will resonate directly with your ideal client?
Use your content creation to build a purpose for your clients. If you run a weight loss business, you would share success stories and include how clients felt once they achieved their goal (emotion). A VA might talk about the benefits their clients have of spending time with family or travelling (passion) because they handed over their workload to someone else.
What next?
Why not practice your storytelling technique in a safe space within my Sales Academy?
Joining the Sales Academy will help you include storytelling in your business, fall in love with selling, and meet like-minded business owners. My article, 4 Reasons Why Joining a Membership Will Help Your Business Grow, gives you more information.
“The High Street offers so much I only wish I had more hours in the day! I joined to be part of an ongoing business development learning community, and it’s delivered exactly that, the gift that keeps on giving.Â
From the bite sized training sessions in the Sweet Shop to the Box Office Live learning events (which are also recorded) to the Music shop where I go to feel motivated!
There is so much valuable and easy to digest content that is supporting my personal and business development goals, plus the community is FULL of brilliant supportive humans that encourage each other along the way, it’s a one stop shop!” – Tina Jennings – Chief Change Officer Cosán CrĂłga
Interested in finding out more about why storytelling is so powerful? Watch my Why Stories Sell Webinar.
Want to find out more? Schedule a virtual cuppa with me, and we can chat about the membership or my other coaching services.