Emotional Appeal: Sharing the Story of your Small Business

Perhaps you've been invited to a conference or are simply trying to pitch yourself as a partner to another company. At some point or another, as a startup or a small business, you're going to have to use emotional appeal to gain customers and network. Whether we want to admit it or not, as small businesses, we often have to prove why people would shop with us.

Take it from Maurice Bouri and his family. They're a large-scale company now, but it took a lot of talking and networking to get to where they are. That's why they're offering tips on sharing your business's story in an effective way.

Most importantly, be authentic, says Maurice. Don't go digging for whatever you think will sell – tell the truth and let the emotion shine through. No one wants to feel as though they're being lied to in order for someone to sell a product, so make it clear that what you see is what you get when telling your story.

Be concise. Just as much as you don't want to stretch to make your point, you also don't want to talk anyone's ear off. Your audience is going to get bored with a long-winded story. They want to know the point of what you're saying, so be sure to make it quickly – but thoroughly – and leave room for any questions.

Don't be too humble. Don't be afraid to compare yourself to larger industries – for example, "we're the Starbucks of the software industry" or "like GrubHub for repairmen." It helps customers to draw a familiar connection and also makes you seem credible.

Get personal if possible. If you've got a real-life experience that can help get your point across, use it. If you've got an extremely happy customer, see if they'll write a testimonial. People don't like to be sold with claims – they like to see how these things apply to their lives.

Conduct trial and error with small groups. Not sure about a new product? Offer free samples and have passerbys fill out a survey – it's that simple. Some things are going to work, and some aren't, but you'd rather lose out on a small project than a big one.