Everyone - in life and in business - knows the value of a good story. Whether it's your grandmother or the legendary CEO of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher doing the telling, a good story can entice, entertain, and educate. Marketing has always been about telling a good story - as the adage goes, "there are no truths, only stories". And brands or companies without a strong foundation and an interesting compelling story are doomed to die. So when you think about it, the idea that a Lexus is better that a BMW or that barbeque ribs taste better when made by a Texan chef is not about taste but the stories they tell.
Yet most of us have been conditioned to believe that business communication must be clear, rational, and objective, with no place for emotion or subjective thinking. But great communicators know that the best way to inspire, motivate, and persuade others is to infuse the human element through the simple telling of stories.
Too many business owners spend too much time talking about the amazing features of their product, service or company. They drone on and on and saturate us with jargon that smells good, but leaves us hungry for real food. So what happens? The prospect goes to sleep, or worse, just walks away. They DON'T want or need to hear about your bells and whistles. They want to hear a real train.
How CAN you communicate what you and your brand are all about? That's where the power of story lies.
Using stories is good for all business, and for small business owners, stories can give then an advantage. Here are two ways that the use of story can help you reach and retain your customers.
1. Create a story about your target or ideal customer.
- Let's say you operate a men's clothing store. You're going to write a short fictional story about a visit from a target customer, whom we'll call "Max." When Max walks in, what is wearing right now? What do his clothes say about him and his work? What's on his mind? Does he need to look a certain way for his work or is for casual wear? Do his clothes make up for something else? Does Max have a family or is he single? Gay or straight? What difference would that make in his budget? How often does he come into the store? What do you know about Max and the clothes he wears that could make him feel good about himself?
By actually writing a short story or vignette about your target, you will have to identify specific and authentic character traits that are factors in his or her decision on what they will purchase. The more of these qualities that you can list, the more likely you'll be able to predict their behavior so you will be prepared with an approach to meet their needs. Meeting their needs means making a sale. But for the process to work, you must write out the "story;" otherwise you'll continue to think of your prospects in vague or general terms. The point is that your prospects are real people, not a demographic group.
2. Tell a story about how you helped solve a client's problem.
- In this scenario, you're an architect who designed a new office for a business consulting firm. In the story that you'll write you will describe how before you came in, clients met with the principal in her living room or at a Starbucks. With the office you created for her, she looks more professional; clients see her as more successful. Because there are now fewer distractions, she is able to get more work done and increase the number of clients she serves, thereby increasing her revenue. The point here is that, rather than telling prospects about your architecture credentials, or pictures of past work, you are actually telling them how your work transformed a business which leads to the real objective - more sales.
Again, you need to write this in a story form - where there's a beginning, middle and end - because you want the reader to really see and feel how the business of the character- who is actually a past client - has been improved based on what you did for them. When people read descriptions in this form, it is easier for them to identify with the person being described. The more they identify with the person, the more they're likely to hire YOU to do work for THEM. In this way, the story takes the reader from being a passive observer to being an active participant, which leads them to want to have the same experience. Thus, they'll want to use YOUR services.
My recommendation is that you craft two different groups of stories. The first group represents clients or customers who you feel would be most attracted to your product or service. These stories will help you identify and better serve new customers. The second groups are made up of real-life accounts or success "stories" that you can use as part of your promotional materials and on your web site. Prospects will be able to read how you helped to solve a problem of someone whose situation is similar to theirs.
Stories have been with us since time began; they are the building blocks of civilization. Like music, stories know no boundaries - they are part of the universal language. Why not use them to advance and grow our businesses?
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Along with being a frequent speaker on marketing and branding, Alan Siege owns and manages Small Business Management Consulting (SBMC), a consulting firm focusing on smaller commercial enterprises. SBMC's driving goal is to help business improve the way they tell their business story to attract more customers and clients. To learn more and/or to retain the company, visit the company web site at www. SBMC. Biz or e-mail them at Alan.Siege@sbmc.biz
Along with being a frequent speaker on marketing and branding, Alan Siege owns and manages Small Business Management Consulting (SBMC), a consulting firm focusing on smaller commercial enterprises. SBMC's driving goal is to help business improve the way they tell their business story to attract more customers and clients. To learn more and/or to retain the company, visit the company web site at http://www.SBMC.Biz or e-mail them at Alan.Siege@sbmc.biz
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