What’s your story gotta do with it?
Upscaling your sales funnel!
C-level management tends to be humble, tech-oriented, and maybe a little conservative. In over 20 years in the business, we’ve witnessed it happening time and time again.
We don’t want to overpromise. We’re busy with the day-to-day production challenges. We’re worried about the legalities. And, on the way, we may miss out on the big picture—which is to bring innovation (sometimes the life-saving kind) out into the public’s eye. Truly shouting it out: “Hey, this tech is about to make a massive change.”
When we become a bit overprotective and overly safe, there’s a direct impact on sales.
It’s all about the story we tell.
Let’s step out of the business arena for a moment. When parenting, we tell our kids stories all day long, driving them forward. Even the simple day-to-day tasks, like getting them to take a shower or go to school on time, are all about storytelling. Beyond the content, we use specific intonation, attitude, body gestures, senses, and such. A good (or bad) story will make the difference between a positive or negative reaction. A good story can inspire. It can create a memorable moment that will be carried with the child until they’re 120 years old.
Take a minute and reminisce back to a memorable story your parents told you? I bet you can sense it. Smell it. Get a strong reaction even now, years later!
Can we do that for our business—‘storytell,’ that is?
Well, we certainly should. Because people are people. They need a memorable story to react, especially in this day and age where the media is bombarding us with information.
A good story for a business should have several key elements to engage the audience and effectively communicate the brand's values, mission, and purpose. Here are some components that a good business story should include:
Introduction: Set the stage. Introduce the audience to the background of the business, including its founding story, inspiration, or the problem it seeks to solve.
Character Development: Highlight the people behind the business - the founders, key employees, or customers. Humanize the story by showcasing the personalities, motivations, and challenges they faced.
Conflict or Challenge: Yes! Every compelling story involves overcoming obstacles. Describe the challenges the business encountered along its journey. This could be anything from market competition to internal struggles.
Solution or Innovation: Explain how the business addressed the challenges it faced. Showcase any innovative approaches, products, or services that set it apart from competitors.
Values and Mission: Articulate them, including the mission that drives the business. Show how these principles guide decision-making and shape the company culture.
Emotional Connection: Engage the audience on an emotional level. Use storytelling techniques such as imagery, anecdotes, or personal experiences to create a connection and evoke empathy.
Call to Action: Inspire. Whether it's encouraging customers to purchase a product, investors to support the business, or employees to join the team, clearly communicate what you want the audience to do next.
WHERE – WHERE-WHERE?
A good business story can be used across various platforms and contexts within a business to effectively communicate its brand identity, mission, and values. Utilize these over your entire market channels: Website, Marketing Materials, Social Media, Presentations, and Pitches, Employee Onboarding and Training, Customer Communications, Media and Press Releases, Events and Networking!
By leveraging these different channels and platforms, you can effectively communicate your business story to various audiences and stakeholders, helping to build brand awareness, loyalty, and trust.
What will happen when you tell a good story…
A good business story can have a powerful impact on SALES by creating emotional connections, differentiating your brand, building trust and credibility, generating word-of-mouth marketing, fostering customer loyalty, and commanding premium pricing.
Emotional Connection: Engage a better connection with customers, making them feel more attached to your brand. When customers feel connected to a brand on an emotional level, they are more likely to choose your products or services over competitors.
Differentiation: Differentiate your brand from competitors in the marketplace. By highlighting your unique value proposition, mission, and values, you can stand out in the minds of consumers and give them a reason to choose your products or services.
Trust and Credibility: When customers understand the story behind your brand, they are more likely to trust your products or services and believe in the promises you make.
How is YOUR BUSINESS story?