How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy? They have generated 64 percent of new jobs over the past 15 years. However, some businesses struggle to effectively market themselves. I don’t really understand why. Marketing is storytelling and storytelling is one the most underutilized tools in marketing. Storytelling not only makes it easy for people to get to know, like and trust you… it also increases sales!

…That’s because good storytelling creates images in our minds that last for years… even decades.

If every picture tells a story here are the three essential elements that make up stories that persuade, captivate and sell:

1. Use the P.A.R. Formula

P.A.R. stands for Problem, Action, Results. First, state the problem you faced. What wasn’t working and how did that feel? Second, tell what action you took. What was the epiphany that changed your life? What was your “ah-ha” moment? Finally, what was the result of the action you took? Be specific using numbers and real world results. Tell others how you feel now, and how many things have changed in order to get you to where you are now.

2. Paint a Picture

The most powerful stories cause the listener to see pictures in their mind’s eye. Those pictures that burn in our memory and we are able to remember that story for years to come.

Pick a very specific moment in time that represents the pivotal moment of your story. Cut to the chase. Tell the story create the picture in YOUR mind’s eye and pick just a couple details to tell them, just enough to paint the picture. Let the listener complete the picture in THEIR minds. That’s your goal.

3. Have Your Story Teach a Principle

This is the big marketing secret few use… tell a story that also teaches a core idea behind your service, product or program. Nobody likes to be lectured to… so don’t do it! But we all love good storytelling.

Which brings me to the story of Wayne Root. He truly is a master storyteller. His story is interesting AND educational, and it’s got heart… lots of it.

Wayne Allyn Root is a great motivational speaker who is also a self-made millionaire. He hits the bulleye everytime he tells his Relentless! story and it’s one of the many stories he shares with his audience in the m1 series of Wealth Masters International. He is also their Senior Economic Advisor.

In his opening statement to audiences around the globe he reveals “I have morphed from SOB (Son of a Butcher) to CNBC. I was an anchorman and hosted 5 shows on CNBC to King of Vegas, KOVE to VP – Vice Presidential Nominee and I did it, in just a few short years. It has been quite a journey, I’m going to tell you about that story today. What is important for you, why you should connect with what I’m saying… is that I started with nothing. I started with no money, no connections, no experience, no education of any kind in my field, just sheer hunger, ambition, drive, rugged individualism, chutzpa.

Balls to the walls. Relentless. Unwavering faith in myself, in God and in my country. That is the power of relentless. Never accepting no, never giving up, never stop believing in yourself, or your dream or in my opinion, God, who is there with you every step of the way. Pushing you forward.

My story proves that external factors don’t matter. That who the president is does not matter. That who is in charge of the economy does not matter. The lack of money does not matter. The critics and nay sayers every step of the way will tell you oh, that’s baloney. That doesn’t work, you have no shot, you are out of your mind. That’s not a dream, that’s a pipe dream. They don’t matter. Only you are in control of your own destiny.

Only your talent, only your discipline only your chutzpah, only your faith in yourself, only your dreams, only your commitment to your goals matters. That’s how you make it in this world.”

I won’t tell you the rest of his story… it will spoil the surprise.

The amazing people of WMI can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity

Grow Your Success Today

With so many businesses of all sizes being aware of the benefits of social media optimization and implanting strategies to become more connected, social media is helping to forge a new era in business transparency and engagement, creating both new challenges and opportunities.

The days when companies could rely on carefully crafted press releases or flashy ad campaigns to communicate with their customers are long gone. Especially futile is an attempt to convince people that your products are the best in the field. In the age of social media, the rules have changed drastically, and people today demand a more honest and direct relationship with the companies with which they do business.

Companies now face a clear choice: wall themselves in and become increasingly controlled and hidden, or use social media and other means to reveal their human side, welcome transparency, and forge new relationships with their customers.

Below are the top four shifts that businesses are making due to social media optimization (SMO).

1. From “Trying to Sell” to “Making Connections”

The goal with SMO in most cases is not to sell more but to engage and connect with customers on a deeper level — and, as a result, through such engagement people feel more comfortable doing business with those companies.

The most popular brands in social media tend to post less about their products or services and more about things that help their customers get to know the people and personality of a company. Jeff Swartz, who is the President and CEO of the Timberland Company, is a great example of this. Swartz uses his Twitter account to show his personality by tweeting about his life and the social issues he is passionate about, rather than the shoes his company makes. He also links from his Twitter bio to Timberland’s Earthkeeper project that supports environmental awareness, rather than to the company homepage, in an effort to make a connection with people around something that goes beyond just the products Timberland sells.

Lesson: Rely less on PR tactics and grab at the opportunity to interact with your customers sincerely.

2. From “Large Campaigns” to “Small Acts”

Being able to communicate on such a wide-spanning platform also allows for small acts that express gratitude and a commitment to customer satisfaction. Sites like Facebook and Twitter provide businesses and their followers a broadcasting network, and businesses are beginning to see that rather than spending millions of dollars on traditional ad campaigns, small acts can be more valuable because people will inevitably share such experiences through the social web.

In the past, if we had a very bad or very good experience with a company, it could take days or weeks to tell all of our friends and relatives about it. Today, in a matter of minutes, we can let all our friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter know about what happened. When every customer experience can be easily and widely broadcast, small issues become extremely important.

Since bad experiences are broadcast just as fast and just as easily as the good, it pays for companies to pay attention to the one-on-one customer relationships forged via social media.

Lesson: Instead of only relying on big campaigns, make authentic, helpful relationships and communication the new campaign.

3. From “Controlling Our Image” to “Being Ourselves”

For generations businesses have stressed over the concept of image and maintaining a carefully crafted public persona. Of course companies need to have employee policies, and there is such a thing as bad press, but look at the most popular companies in the era of social media, and you’ll generally find the ones that give their employees freedom to be themselves in online spaces. The goal should no longer be to create a very controlled and polished image that everyone in a company tries to reinforce, but rather to give employees the means necessary to be human beings that can put a friendly face on the corporation.

Also important is being aware of what online perceptions of your business are. How people connect with your business dictates to a great extent the longevity and reliability of their association with your brand and service. Therefore, it’s not just about what you tell them about the business, it’s also about what political stances you take and what information you share and

Lesson: Leave the dated concept of company image behind and embrace your business’s differences and human qualities.

4. From “Hard to Reach” to “Available Everywhere”

To engage with customers, it is no longer enough to have an email address and customer service number on one’s website. Today, people want to interact with and engage businesses via their chosen means of communication, whether that is Twitter, Facebook, discussion forums, or a feedback site like Get Satisfaction.

However, this omnipresence also presents an added challenge: listening to what your customers want and implementing suggestions. Any expansive platform also adds extra responsibility to use the information gathered in a way that is both purposeful and helpful. This means that just as it is extremely important to reach this audience, it is also important to make the changes they are asking for. Keeping lines of communication open during this process is also helpful since feedback is available with every step.