The Power of B2B Storytelling

B2B storytelling is the process of using facts and a narrative to communicate something to your listeners. Stories can be used to simplify complex messages while also communicating your core message to your audience.

Power of B2B storytelling vs. stating facts 

Unlike facts, stories are meant to speak to the heart of individuals and to illustrate points to help people make emotional connections to a message. Consider this article with about stories vs facts. Stories can replace data driven material that could be weighted down with numbers or facts. Great stories should spark curiosity in your prospects mind but also add to the listeners knowledge bank. Facts are easier to forget however a good story can plant itself in a listener’s heart. Stories should contain hooks that get and hold the listeners attention. However, you do not want to overwhelm your prospect with too much information while telling your story due to the average attention span of you listener. Good stories should be entertaining, educational, universal, organized and most importantly memorable. Consider this article with more about the use of stories. 

What do you need to tell a story?

Your story needs to have a core message. Try to avoid outcome bias which is the tendency to evaluate a decision based on its outcome rather than data that led to the decision. You are looking to create alignment between your business and your prospects and customers. Stories should help your prospects make sense of the decisions they are about to make. A Story is not just your history, a story should be why you’re doing what you’re doing and telling it in a way that appeals to your listeners. B2B Storytelling is about standing out not blending in. More importantly, stories are how your listeners remember you. Make sure you are focusing your story based on your buyer persona. Consider this article on how B2B storytelling can increase your close rates.

The components of storytelling 

When developing your story it should contain 3 components: characters, conflict, and resolution. Developing characters allows your listeners to envision themselves in your character’s shoes. You need to develop a conflict in your story that elicits emotion and connects with your listeners in relatable experiences. Conflict is how your character transforms through a challenge. If your story lacks conflict, then you’re probably not telling a story instead you’re more likely making a pitch. You should ensure that your conflict fits your prospect’s problems, needs and stage of the buyers journey they are in. A resolution should wrap up the story but should also clearly have a call to action for your listeners. Keep your story clear and concise. You can cut down a long story that may originally take an hour to communicate to only talking about the most important parts in under one minute. Consider this article on how storytelling can support your sales strategy.

Remember the key to creating an effective story is to be authentic while also communicating clearly. If you need help with your storytelling, process you can always reach out to me for a conversation.

The Power of B2B Storytelling