Telling your story

Zach Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
Think back to an English lesson in Grade 2. Imagine that moment when the teacher says it is time for creative writing. The topic of the week is “What I did this weekend”. It did not matter how boring the weekend may have been you had something to write about as though it was the most important

thing that happened on the planet.

Everyone has a story to tell. Often we just tell it so badly. Your story needs to resonate with the passion you have for your business, the drive you have to bring your transforming product into the market.

A friend of mine got engaged recently; he went all out with a dinner, a special function with fairy lights in a tree, music, he even knelt down to pop the question.

When he tells the story about how he did it you know he loves this girl, he does not need to tell you but the change in his voice, the excitement, gives it away.

Every interaction we have with a client, every meeting, e-mail, memo, product delivery creates a story in the mind of the client. It is your job to make sure that each of those interactions tells the story you want them to tell.

Be clear about what you are creating. Many people fail to force the clarity in their story. When starting out your idea or business create a one page summary of your plan: include execution, market research, why you will succeed.

That executive one page document forces the simplicity and precision you need. It provides a launch pad into your pitch, a full expanded business plan and includes the key elements of your story.

Great stories solve a conflict. Every fairytale, every book, every movie script includes a conflict that has to be resolved by the end.

Your story has to solve a problem, even if you have to point out the problem that people are not aware they had.

It sounds a little harsh and clinical, but you need to exploit people’s basic psychology to get them to use your product. Do not feel bad about it; marketers have been doing it for years.

There are two big options you can hinge your story around: fear and gain. Fear says “if you do not buy this then something horrid will happen to you or you will fail, or look stupid, or lose out on the deal”.

Gain says “buy this and these incredible things will happen to you, you will get ahead, and in the future amazing opportunities await”.

Clever adverts in the past have used both by playing the “bonus addition (the gain) for a limited time only (the fear)”.

The story you tell has to create that buy in from the consumer. It is not enough to say “we make biscuits”.

That is a poor story. If by eating your biscuits I get a home baked flavour, or get the best value, or that double chocolate taste then you have a story that plays to my gain. People need to be able to do something at the end of your story.

Make it personal. Personal stories resonate well. Those couched in “professionalese” come across as fake.

Avoid the jargon if you are selling to consumers who do not need it. Listen to yourself tell the story.

Check out your “about us” page on your website as a way of seeing how you tell your story. Search the web for great stories to see how others tell it.

When you go into a new business look at how they do the job of storytelling (especially if they really impress or really annoy you).

Here are some key questions to answer. Right now when someone interacts with your product what are they thinking?

How do they feel – honestly? Now answer this: how would you like them to feel? Now create the story around that.

Then practise telling it again and again and again. Once you have it down bring that story to bear in every aspect of your business. The way you send emails should reinforce the story. Your packaging should support the story.

The way your support staff deal with clients should resonate with your story. Got your story down pat? Then tell it.