We all love stories. We read books and watch dramas throughout our lives. The main plots and protagonists stay with us long after the story has been told.
The association between story and memory has long been established. In 2010 Uri Hassen of Princeton University conducted a study designed to look at activity in the brain during storytelling. The results showed that when telling a story the same areas of the listeners brain as that of the storyteller’s lit up.
In other words, the area of memory accessed by the storyteller to relay the story was mirrored in the brains of those comprehending it.
The link between storytelling and memory is indisputable and can linger, sometimes for weeks or even years.
In the context of business, persuasive storytelling has the power to establish and grow a brand, shape the business model and drive sales.
Persuasive storytelling in marketing
A strong story needs to be pervasive and encompassing. If you think of any advertising that has stayed with you over the years, storytelling is likely to have been behind it.
The old Carlsberg television advertisements showing dream like scenarios with the tagline ‘Carlsberg doesn’t do……. but if we did they would be the best…….in the world’. John Lewis, M&S Food, Cadburys and other big brand names all use storytelling extensively in their advertising.
The image of a gorilla on the drums playing ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins will stay in my memory for ever. As will the Cadbury chocolate bar it was designed to advertise.
The magic of good brand storytelling is to create stories that centre around emotional triggers. These triggers should be relevant to your brand and likely to resonate with your target market.
Persuasive storytelling and selling
Selling, whether online or in person, can be dramatically influenced by persuasive storytelling. Storytelling online will be mainly via the business website and online advertising campaigns. The message will be tailored to the general market and possibly the platform on which the advertising is placed. While online storytelling can be supported by video and graphics, in-person sales rely heavily on the skills of the sales person.
In person sales requires the sales person to translate the story of the brand to the needs of the customer. In other words, the sales person can build on the story of the brand so that it resonates with the buyer and addresses their needs.
While sales techniques will vary depending on the person and situation, the story should not deviate from the overall message. The seller will select the aspects of the story that relate to the buyer and the story delivery will be dynamic and tailored.
Any good sales person will tell you that selling is all about building trust and relationships. People buy from people they like. Creating a link through storytelling between the sales person and the buyer results in a connection. The more skilled the sales person is at storytelling, the more successful they will be.
The skills of a persuasive storyteller
To become a persuasive storyteller, you need empathy, authenticity, and creativity. Empathy allows storytellers to understand and connect with others on a deeper level. While authenticity fosters trust and connection. Understanding the target audience is essential to tailor narratives that resonate with the specific needs and values of the potential buyers. Do your homework and the results should speak for themselves.
Honing your skills
Practice active listening. Active listening allows storytellers to understand the emotions, perspectives and needs of their audience. This is true whether you are building the brand and marketing strategy or selling goods and services.
Consider exploring emotional intelligence. Storytelling is all about understanding the emotional trigger points of others. Emotional intelligence enables you to recognise and manage emotions which could make all the difference in the sales process.
Never go in to the sales meeting cold. Do the research before meeting perspective buyers and never deviate from the story of the brand. Storytelling may change with consumer and market changes but changes need to be top down.
And finally…
Business success is not just about the storytelling. Other means of triggering our emotions through our senses have a long history of success. Music has been shown to be as emotive and memorable as storytelling and there are many examples of successful advertising achieved with a catchy song. However, storytelling is a powerful tool which has been proven to work over and over again.
A company thrives on its sales. Sales are the culmination of effort from the entire business from marketing to product development. Crafting the story of the brand shapes the business and creates a trickle down effect to guide and facilitate all aspects of the operation. The evolution of the business from product design and service delivery is driven by the story. Without which, the capacity to communicate a strong and memorable message in the mind of the target market would be significantly stunted.