People love stories. Always have. That’s why good storytellers are some of the most loved people on the face of the earth. Recently, Brian Bieler wrote a great blog post about why stories are important in marketing and how you can engage your audience through storytelling. Here are some highlights to his very useful blog post:

Brian’s three keys to successful storytelling

1. Learn the story
2. Tell the story
3. Remember the story

A good story is one that captures people’s emotions. People will not always remember what you say, but they will remember how you make them feel. Get them emotionally involved and engage them with a memorable story full of images that create strong reasons to act. But remember that it isn’t the story that is the important thing. Features and benefits are far more important; the story is there to help you show the importance of features and benefits.

Brian’s Secret Storytelling Strategy

1. Use stories to keep ideas in order and show ideas sequentially: First this happened and then that happened
2. Use stories to point out how this happened or that happened
3. Use stories to help others understand why things happen
4. Use stories to share information and to illustrate
5. Use stories to help illustrate principles that can be used in other situations

Stories are powerful memory tools. People will remember what you tell them a lot better if you include a story that engages them emotionally. Good marketers are good storytellers.

Finally, Brian shares his craft of telling a story. Here’s how to do it, he says:

• Start with simple, easily recognizable truths
• Show people the way out of their problems
• Let the customer win
• Illustrate how your products and services work better than your competitors’
• Provide value in everything you do
• Point to scenarios that show how and why things happen
• Leave your listeners room to have their own point of view
• Have fun and be real

These are great tips. Good sales people are good storytellers. If you can’t engage your audience with a good story then you could lose their interest. It’s one of the most powerful sales tools on the planet and I agree with Brian that with good stories you can close a lot of sales.