Storytelling in Business: Stop Selling, Start Connecting

We’ve all been on the receiving end of a sales pitch that feels like… well, a sales pitch. Someone rattles off features, benefits, and technical details, hoping that one of them will be the magic bullet that convinces us to buy.

Here’s what I know: people don’t buy because of features. They buy because of connection. And the fastest way to build connection? Story.

Selling vs connecting

Selling is about trying to convince.
Connecting is about creating meaning.

When you’re selling, the energy is: “Here’s what I have, do you want it?”
When you’re connecting, the energy is: “Here’s what I believe, here’s why it matters, and here’s the difference it makes.”

One feels transactional. The other feels relational.

Which one do you think people remember?

Why stories work in business

Stories cut through noise. They’re sticky. They trigger emotion, and emotion drives decisions.

Here’s an example. Imagine you’re a financial advisor. You could tell me: “I offer investment advice tailored to your goals.” Or you could say: “Last year, I worked with a client who thought they’d never be able to retire. Together, we created a plan that gave them the freedom to walk away from their job two years earlier than they thought possible. Now, they’re living at the beach and spending time with their grandkids.”

Which one lands? The second. Not because it has more information, but because it has transformation. It shows the shift. It makes me feel possibility.

Why I stopped selling

When I first started working as a speaker and coach, I thought I had to sell myself. I’d list my qualifications, my years of experience, my past work. And sure, that gave me credibility. But it didn’t create connection.

What shifted everything for me was realising that my story was the bridge.

When I started sharing about my own experiences — being told I was “too vocal” as a child, being publicly bullied as an adult, and how I found my voice through storytelling — people leaned in. They didn’t just hear my services. They felt my mission.

And that’s when the work flowed. Not because I sold harder, but because I connected deeper.

How to start connecting

If you want to use storytelling in your business, start here:

1. Share the problem. What challenge do your clients face before working with you?

2. Show the shift. What changes when they work with you?

3. Highlight the impact. How is life better for them now?

Keep it simple. Keep it human. And let the story do the work.

The takeaway

If you’re stuck in “selling mode,” here’s my challenge to you: stop pitching features. Start telling stories.

Because people don’t remember the list of services you offer. They remember how your story made them feel. And that’s what makes them want to work with you.

Stop selling. Start connecting. That’s how you win in business.