The Storytelling Secret: Why Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool Isn’t Data – It’s Your Story
It’s the fourth quarter. Is the following true for your business?
You are absolutely one hundred percent on track with the revenue you need to generate from referral sources for the year. In fact, you are so far ahead that you can stop networking and take the last two months as vacation. Your referral sources are so knowledgeable about what you do that your phone pings several times a day with them eagerly making introductions.
No? This isn’t happening to you?
But you’re awesome. And practically selfless. There was that one time you drove through the night to get to a bank two states away to deposit funds for a solo ager who was in the hospital for three months. You facilitated the deposit, the client’s car was not repossessed, and they love you forever.
Although gratitude makes everyone feel great, it doesn’t always translate to referral sources completely understanding the benefits you provide. And if your raving fans don’t get it, they can’t do a good job sending others your way. No matter how effective, conscientious, and wonderful you are, you simply cannot do your business alone.
You need a steady flow of qualified leads. And if someone you knew encountered your ideal, right-fit client, would they know what to say in order to recommend you to that prospect? With holiday gatherings coming, you want to be ready to help friends and family guide your ideal clients to you so that you can be their trusted advisor.
What if you could find a way to cultivate and educate your referral sources so they really get what you do, in a way that’s comfortable and doesn’t involve pressure, complicated jargon, or making you feel like you’re pestering people? How will you get there? I invite you to coach your referral sources by using storytelling.
When you relate a story about how you helped your client keep their vehicle from being repossessed while they were hospitalized, it makes you crystal clear and relatable. Rather than detailing a litany of administrative tasks that may not resonate for your referral sources, talk about the outcome of what you did. What did your support enable a client to be, do, or have that they didn’t prior? Paint verbal pictures of the client’s transformation. Instead of, “well, I stayed on the line because my client felt better if I did it,” say, “because of the level of trust, I waited on hold a half hour. I was able to intervene and helped my client avoid major fraud and the loss of several thousand dollars.”
Do you see how talking about your work in this way actually elevates what you do?
Storytelling enables you to stand out in the profession. As you share your impact story, your listener’s brain starts to synchronize with yours. Mirror neurons enable them to put themselves into your story. They experience the story by being in someone else’s shoes, increasing their empathy. Ultimately, your story creates emotional connection and provides a more easily shared message that your referral sources can replicate.
I will provide an easily remembered framework for storytelling on the last day of the 2025 AADMM conference. Be sure to catch the session “Amplify Your Voice, Elevate Your Leadership,” on November 9 at 1:30 PM where we will discuss how to use storytelling to ignite your business success.
Until now, storytelling may have been your most underutilized superpower. At the conference you will learn why your most powerful marketing tool isn’t your data, it’s your story. After the session, you will see how to apply storytelling to networking, to thinking fast on your feet, to demonstrating your thought leadership, to making a high-stakes sales presentation, and even how to empower others to bring your best clients right to your door.
Casey Carpenter, CEO and Founder of Speak and Own It Communications, works with executives across industries globally to tackle organizational culture crises, help amplify their voices and elevate their leadership in virtual and hybrid worlds at the intersection of speaking, presence, leadership and empathy. If you’d like to receive monthly communication tips delivered to your inbox, email: casey@speakandownit.com, with “Mailing List” in the subject line.