The Importance of Storytelling in Business
I went to a networking meeting this morning and the spotlight presenter was a Web designer. I thought we were in for a pitch on the value of this tool or that plug-in to drive traffic to our sites.
But no, he started speaking by telling us a story about his time in the performing arts. This was followed by him recalling a stint as a Charity Chugger (he might not thank me for calling him that!).
It all led up to him explaining how he helps businesses tell a story on their Homepage of their website. And, more importantly, why he was so suited to helping them. It was a masterclass in the value of storytelling as a way of engaging and inspiring people. As a result of his approach, I came away with a desire to work with this guy on client websites that I didn’t expect I would. It’s a great lesson in how to distinguish yourself and to be more memorable than your competitors.
There’s a great article to help you craft your own stories (and it’s not as difficult as it may appear) on the Wordstream site. You can read it by clicking here.
There are two key points that I will focus on going forward. 1) relate it to your audience and don’t brag and 2) engage the emotional side of your audience’s brain. People tend to buy when the emotional side of the brain has been actively engaged. You can always practice your storytelling on a colleague or friend before you use them on a prospect.
I hope you find the article of some use and that you enjoy creating some stories as a result!
All the best.
