Storytelling to change beliefs

I’m going to be 100% transparent with you…

One of my friends isn’t happy with his growth on LinkedIn.

And he was blaming it on the algorithm.

He believed that the algo was screwing with his engagement since it was down:

“There’s no way people are growing quickly with the way the platform is now.”

So I told him a story.

A story about my friend Lessa who went from 1-1,500 (probably even more now) in the last couple of months.

I showed him the history of her posts from 2 likes to 200 likes per post in a matter of weeks.

“Well, she’s probably paying for them. They are bots.”

So, I we clicked through a couple random accounts that liked her post that blew up. Real.

I showed him the email she sent where she literally said that she didn’t pay for them.

“Hmm, that’s wild.”

Boom.

Belief changed.

If you want to change the world, you have to change one mind at a time.

And to change someone’s mind, you need to show that the change you’re trying to affect is possible while appealing to that person’s emotions.

Emotion + proof.

That’s it.

The good news is that you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone:

Storytelling.

Why?

Because people buy transformations. Transformations that are relatable.

Sharing personal stories, struggles, and transformations can establish a relatable connection.

So, how can you do this tactically?

Here’s the rundown:

• Start with a relatable story

• Emphasize the transformation

• Show how they can do the same

I told my friend a story about someone else who had the same pain (not growing online relatable) and the transformation they made through storytelling. Then we talked about how he could do the same type of stuff.

And his belief that the algo was screwing his growth was changed.

Now if I wanted to do the same with a client I would also talk about:

• Where they are now (how it feels to be there and that I understand)

• Where they want to be (how it feels to be there, why its better than where they are now)

• How I can help them bridge the gap

This is how you get clients and it’s how you make a lasting impact in the world.

Cheers,

Swanagan