There’s power in your story
The other day I was interviewed by my friend Carrie Dils on her OfficeHoursFM Podcast. We talked all about the power of storytelling – in business. I’m hoping it was practical and useful, as I didn’t spend a ton of time on theory and structure.
Check out the interview.
Critical takeaways:
You need to differentiate, and you can do that with your story – particularly your origin story. Here’s a great resource.
When selling, you can anchor a prospect (closer to reality), using examples (“the Johnson house.”)
Telling the right story requires that you listen well and ask to hear someone else’s story before you start talking.
When you tell the right stories, you’re developing trust. And that translates to you becoming their trusted agent.
Storytelling & Your Business
Let’s get down to the basics. Here are the five questions you need to make sure you (and everyone on your team) is paying attention to:
Why did you get into your business?
What makes you do what you do, besides money?
What are some examples of other things you’ve done?
What problems have you solved?
How can you help accelerate someone else’s efforts / goals?
These five questions drive the story your company is telling. This is what creates the power in your storytelling. Because you’re not just telling random stories. You’re highly focused on articulating a narrative that not only makes sense but is important to someone else.
If your sales staff and executive team aren’t on the same page about these questions, and the answers, you’ll struggle with benefiting from the power of storytelling for your company.
I recommend talking as a team and getting everyone on the same page. Here’s a talk I delivered, with some helpful structure.
