Storytelling Makes Or Breaks Businesses, Says Bestselling Author Sandeep Das

The crème de la crème of the business-world including Apple, Disney, Microsoft, SpaceX, Tesla, Tata Group, HUL and Reliance aren’t exactly known for their valuations and balance sheets. Their revenues and margins quarter-after-quarter vary depending on factors such as the company’s financial health, market conditions and geopolitics. But they tend to stand out in the long run due to their resilience and a company narrative that is born out of spectacular storytelling.

“Think of the Tata Group, they are known as nation-builders and any product that comes from them inspires immense trust,” says Sandeep Das, author of the bestselling book ‘How Business Storytelling Works’.

Das explains that Tata Group has aced the concept of driving a strong and positive narrative. “They say that ‘we want India to be very successful’ with everything they do, which is strong messaging. And it’s classic storytelling at its best”.

In his over 10-year-long consulting career so far, Das has worked with masterful storytellers and large brands, including Mars Wrigley, Marico, Accenture and PwC – which may have partly contributed to his understanding of storytelling over the years. “It has been an excellent learning curve, in terms, of storytelling,” the author says.

But Das shares that he has learned about storytelling from binging on movies and watching videos online too. This brings in him the strong notion of driving stories via pop culture references.

In his latest book, Das also insists on everyone (not just businesses) using anecdotes instead of numbers in their everyday storytelling to resonate with their audience and always ending their spiels on an uncompromising high.

BW Businessworld’s Rohit Chintapali spoke with the bestselling author to explore the nuances of storytelling which businesses must pursue to excel in their journeys. Excerpts:

What makes anecdotes a better idea for businesses instead of numbers and statistics to build their narrative?

Let me answer that with an anecdote. What do you remember about India’s 2011 Word Cup win? A majority of us would say ‘Dhoni’s six’ at the end. But do you remember that Gautam Gambhir anchored India’s chase with a brilliant knock of 97 or that Yuvraj played a big role in that win?  

Also, you say ending on a high is crucial in all stories and narratives …

That’s exactly one of the reasons everyone remembers India’s 2011 win. Dhoni’s six was a massive high and a brilliant ending. The human brain is wired to place lesser importance on the start of an experience. This is why women report a favourable experience of their overall pregnancy despite it being nine months long (and painful). It is due to the intense rush of positive hormones at the end. There are many experiments to prove this.

Could you tell us about your Kilimanjaro incident?

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in the African continent at 5,895 metres. I wanted to climb it many years ago. Of course, I had to tell my folks at home about my plans. I told them that 25 people had died during a period of 8 years on the mountain. The response can be assumed. Instead, if I had told them that 9,99,987 out of 10,00,000 climbers made it down alive from the mountain, it may have convinced my family.

And what do we learn from that?

It is similar to saying you prefer a product when it communicates that it is ’90 per cent fat-free’ rather than ‘10 per cent fat’. Both are essentially the same but biases in your brain make you go for the former. It is called the ‘Framing Effect’.

How can you ensure stickiness or resonance for your business storytelling?

First, you have to define a purpose which is very simple. Look at Uber, its purpose is to get you a cab when you want it. Similarly, Google’s purpose is it structures the world’s unstructured information and gives it to you. Second, authenticity. If you say something, you should follow it up.

How important is 'language' in business storytelling?

The language always needs to be simple and understandable. In these times of social media, words easily get twisted. Businesses must be extremely careful with their words. Even in terms of feedback, we must be very careful with our choice of words. Also, businesses should be mindful of the fact that what worked 10 years ago will not work today.

What would you like to tell our readers?

Read my book! (laughs)

Also Read: Salesforce India Intends To Grow Fast In The Country: Arundhati Bhattacharya