THREAD EDITED BY ADMIN: This is a copyrighted piece on the American Express website originally authored by
Bruna Martinuzzi President and Founder, Clarion Enterprises Ltd.
"The most successful marketers and salespeople are those who have lots of stories to tell about real people who experienced their products and services, their brand, employees and values.
Storytelling is by far is the best tool to educate your prospects. The best stories are those that start with an intriguing situation in the very beginning. They make you think, react and engage. They captivate and create an emotional connection that carries the listener or the reader through to the very end.
The reason storytelling is important to a business is that your audience will remember, share, and perhaps like it so much they’ll want to be part of the story your company is telling.
Here are 10 tips to help you benefit from the power of storytelling so your voice is heard amongst the crowd:
Bruna Martinuzzi President and Founder, Clarion Enterprises Ltd.
"The most successful marketers and salespeople are those who have lots of stories to tell about real people who experienced their products and services, their brand, employees and values.
Storytelling is by far is the best tool to educate your prospects. The best stories are those that start with an intriguing situation in the very beginning. They make you think, react and engage. They captivate and create an emotional connection that carries the listener or the reader through to the very end.
The reason storytelling is important to a business is that your audience will remember, share, and perhaps like it so much they’ll want to be part of the story your company is telling.
Here are 10 tips to help you benefit from the power of storytelling so your voice is heard amongst the crowd:
- Make It Simple: Your story doesn’t have to be complex. Just tell people who you are, where you were, what happened and why you’re telling them the story. End of story.
- Get Your Team Involved: It takes all the voices in your organisation to tell your story. Don’t be the only one who goes around telling the story of your company. Train everyone to tell the corporate story—turn them into storytellers and get them excited about telling your company story.
- State the Message: Your story needs to have a message – a clear takeaway for your listeners. It has to have a purpose and make a point. A story without a message is pointless in business. In some cases, you can also take it one step further by asking for the action.
- Watch Your Details: Guard against too many or too few details. Give people enough details to set the context and help them experience the story and see what you see.
- Use Dialogue: Make sure you include dialogue in your stories. Repeat for your listeners the actual words the person in your story spoke. Dialogue personalises your story. This will make the listener pay more attention to what you’re saying.
- Practice: We’re all born storytellers—it’s something we’ve been doing all our lives. But storytelling is an ability that improves with practice.
- Start Collecting Stories: As a business owner, you need to have a collection of stories in your toolkit. These include stories about who you are as a person or leader, what you stand for and what your values are. You need stories that bring your vision to life and let people know why you do what you do.
- Amplify Your Story: Today, it’s important to tell a consistent story across all platforms. It means your story needs to be shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google + and other social media platforms, as well as YouTube. By doing so, you amplify your voice and presence wherever your customers are.
- Make It Sincere: When you tell a story, speak in your own voice and drop the jargon and inflated language. One tip in that regard is to check out your “About Us” page on your website. Does it tell your story? Does it even sound like you? This is an ideal place to start telling your story.
- Don’t Read – Tell: Don’t ever read your story. Spend whatever time it takes for you to practice telling your story. It may not be perfect if you tell it without reading it, but nobody is looking for perfection. Your listeners are looking to be engaged, to be inspired, to be entertained."
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And I agree.
