Crafting Stories That Sell: The Art of Invisible Influence

Ever wonder why some brands linger in your mind without a hard sell?

They hold an invisible influence on your perception of their brand. It’s a brilliant flow of storytelling and thought leadership that allows this influence to penetrate your psyche.

You follow successful people in your niche and wonder if you’ll ever achieve their level of success. Their following aren’t just huge, they’re loyal.

How can you learn and leverage storytelling to build authority without slipping into aggressive sales tactics?

Let’s take a deep dive into this pernicious problem and discuss solutions you can put into place today.

The Problem: Struggling to Stand Out Without Selling Hard 

What is your biggest struggle as a small or solo business owner?

It’s likely that your answer is somehow related to marketing and sales—the acquisition and retention of paying clients.

Let’s take Aimee, an entrepreneur I recently worked with who feels stuck. She’s frustrated because her aggressive marketing feels inauthentic, and clients tune out. At the same time, she feels desperate to capture clients. Despite her expertise, she struggles to build trust and influence her audience’s perceptions.

But she has a product that she knows in her heart is a solution for struggling small businesses. She pitches her product regularly, but there are no bites. Zero!

In my observations many solopreneurs either push too hard, which erodes trust, or they stay too quiet, failing to establish authority.

Here’s the reality of today’s environment:

• People are increasingly skeptical of aggressive sales tactics.

• Lack of subtle and intuitive strategy results in missed opportunities.

• Inauthentic approaches deter and damage long-term relationships.

My business relies on social platform interaction. However, when I receive DMs from someone who’s never engaged with me and they try to sell me their product it’s an automatic “no.” 

I liken it to receiving junk mail or dealing with door-to-door salespeople. You may have the perfect solution to my problem, but if you make zero effort to authentically connect with me we won’t be doing business.

People crave connection. When you don’t give it to them they’re disinclined to engage with your offer.

This problem can be solved when you shift your mindset away from landing the next client and toward establishing influence.

Take an honest look at your pitch or posts and ask this one question: Does my pitch/post focus on me and what I do, or does it focus on my audience’s needs?

The Possible Solution: Invisible Influence Through Storytelling 

Humans learn best through experience, doing the thing. This is your problem though, right? You need to gain access to the potential client/customer so they can experience what you have to offer.

The most successful businesses and brands create experiences through storytelling. 

Images, music, and words appeal to our emotions. Emotions tethered to a story create a memory. Your primary objective is to get really good at telling stories that form an emotional connection between your product or service and your target audience.

Growing up I remember commercials by brands like Maxwell House and Coca Cola that imprinted me with an emotion that I felt whenever and wherever I encountered their products when shopping.

People like Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, Gary Vee, and Marie Forleo leverage masterful storytelling. This has established them as authorities in their fields. Even if you’ve never worked with them personally, you trust them as experts. 

This trust was all built through storytelling. You haven’t experienced these people directly, only through their invisible influence.

Shift your mindset from selling to service. Focus on providing immense value, not closing deals. This is the mindset that constructs authentic connections.

How do you provide value without giving away your product/service? A tip from Myron Golden is to focus on the benefits. Tell stories about what you do and the results. How you do it is what clients gain by paying for access.

If you’re selling a process, the foundation of that process is likely common knowledge. I coach. My process is rooted in common practices. It’s my experience and perspective that make my approach unique. This means I can give away my process (what I do) all day long, while marketing how working with me will benefit potential clients.

The Process: A 4-Step Framework to Master Invisible Influence

Step 1: Know Your Audience’s Core Desires

Research your target audience’s pain points, aspirations, and values.  

Example: I use surveys pre and post-workshops to identify issues potential clients encounter. I also love to meet solopreneurs and dig deep into their biggest challenges. Whether I meet these business owners at networking events or on a coaching call, I give them my full attention.  

Mindset: Approach this with empathy, not manipulation. I can only share my experience and observations. My intention is never to “sell” someone on working with me. My goal is always to listen actively and understand their problems. 

Seal your lips and listen. When you finally do talk, ask questions for clarification and to gain a deeper understanding.

Step 2: Craft Relatable Stories 

Create narratives that reflect your audience’s challenges or dreams.  

Step 1 preps you with all the information you need to craft a vivid story around your potential clients’ needs. You understand the challenges they face, as well as the desired outcomes.

Example: Share a client success story or a personal journey subtly tied to your expertise. I keep a list of stories that teach a lesson or show how I solved a particular problem for a client. I pull from my life experiences, as well as the experiences of people I’ve talked to over the years. 

Tip: Whenever you leave a conversation where you’ve learned something, taught something, or shared something that stands out (Wow! What a great conversation!) add it to your list of stories. Note what stood out about it and how what you learned, taught, or shared can help others.

Mindset: Be authentic—avoid embellishment to maintain trust. Stories are everywhere, but if you lack a story to make your point, it’s totally fine to create a scenario. Just don’t promote it as your lived experience.  

Step 3: Share Thought Leadership Content Consistently 

Publish insights via blogs, videos, or social posts that address audience needs.  I personally believe that every business needs a written and visual presence online. That means picking 1-2 platforms where you can publish posts and videos to share your stories.

Example: Write a LinkedIn post breaking down a common industry problem with a fresh perspective. Create a YouTube video using the same information from your written post.

Tip: Your content only stands out when you share your unique perspective or experience. Don’t fall into the habit of posting boring vanilla content that is available anywhere. Your spin is rooted in your personal experience and expertise.  

Mindset: Focus on generosity—give away valuable ideas freely. There’s a school of thought from entrepreneurs like Alex Hormozi who believe you should give away your information/knowledge and sell the implementation.

I agree with this if, again, you’re selling something that is foundationally common. People work with me (a coach) because they struggle with the implementation. What I teach is not rocket science. How I teach it to guide them to outcomes is my secret sauce. 

Step 4: Amplify Subtly Through Channels

Use platforms like newsletters, podcasts, or guest articles to reach wider audiences.  

This is a necessity, y’all. Most markets are saturated and people are on information overload. You have to be present in places where potential clients show up.

Have you heard of the 7-11-4 Rule? Let me blow your mind a little with some data. A potential client needs to spend 7 hours with you through 11 interactions (aka touchpoints) across 4 platforms for you to form a bonding relationship. This is the point at which they are ready to commit and buy.

People (prefer to) do business with people they know.

Example: Guest on a podcast to share a story, not pitch a product. Share tips you’ve learned from experience through video. Create the same as an infographic and publish it on LinkedIn or Instagram. Share it as a text post on X. 

Provide valuable information from your perspective several times a week on multiple platforms (starting with one). Being highly visible and showing up authentically is how you build relationships with people you’ve never met.

Mindset: Prioritize long-term relationships over short-term gains.  

The result of this process is that you’ll build authority, trust, and influence without feeling salesy. 

My Final Word

Invisible influence is about shaping perceptions through authentic storytelling and thought leadership, with a mindset of service.  

What’s one story you could share to connect with your audience? Don’t let fear keep you from sharing your story. Just start.

Start by connecting with me: Try one step from the process (e.g., write a short story or post a thought leadership insight) and share your results with me via email ([email protected]) or LinkedIn.

Join CONNECT-collective on YouTube!

If you are a solopreneur or entertaining starting your own solo business, I invite you to check out CONNECT-collective on YouTube! I talk about starting solo businesses to escape your 9-5 while avoiding burnout. I would love to see you there!

Sending you all Peace, Love, & Harmony!

-Michele

Do You Need Help Tapping Into Your Potential?

Are you struggling to meet your goals and wish you had support? Have you ever considered working with a coach? You may not know what a coach does.

One-on-One Coaching:

• You and I develop an individualized plan targeting your specific goals

• You receive individualized support from me

• Answers to your specific questions

• Guidance on your specific issues and blocks

• Accessibility to me outside coaching sessions for added support (individual texts and emails to check in)

• Your plan leads to learning how your personal growth is in your control

Are you ready to take action but are at a loss on what step to take next? 

I can teach you how to get started and accelerate your growth by using repeatable methods. Need the tools? I’ve got them. The goal is always to make you independent. I should be working myself out of a job. Once you take off, you may want to have a session from time to time, especially if you are scaling your goals. A good coach teaches you how to stand on your own two feet. Contact me today ([email protected]). Are you ready to CONNECT?