Gary Vaynerchuck, the Wine Library TV star and bestselling author of Crush It! said, “Storytelling is by far the most underrated skill in business.”
The reason that statement is true is because stories make you, your products and your brand relatable, engaging, and multidimensional.
If we are in the interview process we want to be liked and remembered. If we are in sales we want our product to be chosen over all of the competition. And every company in the world wants their brand to be valuable in the minds of consumers.
Well-told stories in the business world create three fantastic results.
- Stories magnify memory, causing your audience to retain your message.
- Stories amplify meaning, causing your audience to apply your message.
- Stories increase motivation, causing your audience to relate emotionally and take action.
The largest franchise business in the world is Subway. With over 35,000 locations, Subway surpassed McDonald’s in 2010 and continues to grow. So what is their secret? According to Entrepreneur.com, the #1 reason for Subway’s success is telling a great story. Subway found a compelling story in Jared Fogle, its spokesman who weighed 425 pounds as a college freshman. Now Fogle is running marathons. It is his before and after—and after—tale that cemented the chain in the American mindset as a healthier alternative to other fast-food restaurants.
It really comes down to this one fact:
People buy based on emotion
We’ve all heard that before, but what does it mean? It means emotion creates connection, causes engagement, stimulates learning, solidifies memory and causes people to take action. That is why Peter Guber said, “Move your listeners’ hearts and their feet and wallet will follow.”
It doesn’t matter what line of work you are currently mastering – from sales to management to coaching to speaking – you will achieve more as you learn the art of storytelling. It is the most powerful form of communication available to us and it will enhance you, your products and your brand.
“I realized the importance of having a story today is what really separates companies. People don’t just wear our shoes, they tell our story. ”
— Blake Mycoskie, CEO, Tom’s Shoes