October 21, 2011 42 Comments

Tell Us Your Story

Storytelling as a business tool is important.

I’m currently reading and taking notes from Tell to Win (amazon affiliate link), by Peter Guber. The big premise of the book is that if you learn how to tell a better story, a compelling story, then it will get you much further than numbers alone, or the straightforward facts. As I’ve been revising how I do my professional speaking, this kind of work has been on my mind.

But it applies to you. Most companies, if they tell the story of their business, tell only the “origin” story. “Grandma had a great idea for a cookie back in 1929, and from there, we’ve built the business into a global company dedicated to bringing the best cookies ever.” Well great. Except that’s a fairly brief synopsis, and it doesn’t tell the story of now very well. So, what would it mean to tell your story?

What Story Do People Want?

Even when you’re telling the story of you, people want to see themselves in that story. When I talk about my struggles on the way to building my business, people pay attention to the parts where they can draw comfort from the fact that I wasn’t always successful. They react when I talk about how I couldn’t even pay the bills some months. They see themselves in those moments, and they see bits of hope because maybe that’s where they are in their telling of their own story: at the hard parts.

Above all, I believe people want the story that helps them relate to you and your business.

What else do they want? They want the story of how your products and services will make them the hero. When I see a car commercial and it tells me about fuel efficiency or 0% APR financing, I think of it as such a waste. I know that we want these things from the practical side, but that’s not what sells us on a car, is it? When you see the Mini Cooper, you might think, “Boop boop. I’m a kind of hip person and this is a kind of hip car.” When you see the Ford F250, you think, “I do tough work and I need a tough truck.” Whatever the story, you want to identify with that vehicle as it applies to your own story.

Other Stories to Tell

People love the “how things are made” stories. In Tallahassee, I learned about BevShots from Lester Hutt. He sells beautiful images of the crystals left by different alcoholic spirits. You’ve got to see them to get what I’m talking about. But when you hear about it, you can’t help but appreciate how cool the idea is, and learning how they came about makes it more interesting to want to own them.

People love the “rags to riches” story, especially if the “riches” part is tempered by showing off what a “regular guy” you still are. People also love the “rags to riches to charitable works” story, where you show off just how you’re giving back to the world around you, now that you’ve made it.

And there are many other stories that are useful to those who want to do business with you.

Stories Are A Learning Opportunity

Quite often, we learn through hearing a story. You can hear someone say “don’t text and drive,” but when you hear the story of a promising 17-year-old football hopeful who looked down to see who texted, only to fly off the road, hit a tree, and vanish from this earth, it changes how you consider the information. Stories can give us an emotional connection to data. Stories can compel us to reinforce our opinion, or to shift our perspective. And from that, we can then be further educated.

So, with that in mind, what stories have you told or can you tell about your business? What story would help people better understand you? What story from a movie or a book resonates strongly with what you believe in for yourself? And how will that help you?

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  • http://twitter.com/lifeforinstance Life, for instance

    Hi Chris,
    Tell to Win is an inspiring book. It’s true that we love stories – let me tell you a story about… see how you were instantly engaged?!
    I used what I learned in that book to pitch our product to a large company. The story made the message more interesting. Before I launched my first book I did a few blog posts which told the story of the author who wrote it.
    I think people like stories they can relate to because they want connections, affirmations and encouragement. They want to feel they aren’t alone.
    Lori

  • Ed Han

    Chris, I absolutely agree. When you come right down to it, I’ve long felt that when people can establish a real connection to a thing, that’s a lot more persuasive than all the data in the world. This is what changes people’s minds: seeing a story and the person behind it, learning the why.

  • http://mattreport.com Matt Medeiros

    Here’s my story: 

    I started a web service company with my Father. After 50+ years of family automotive business, we’re building web services based off of the experiences we experienced. As a small business, as marketeers, as operations, as sales people — as the guy/gal who puts 60 hours in a week to make ends meet. 

    We’re wrapping all that up and creating products and services that make sense to small business owners trying to get their foot on the ground in web tech trends. We do this not only with product, but by educating as well. 

    The bottom line is, we want to help small business, much like the rest of you. We have carved out our story, to hopefully encourage and assist those that need it!

    • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

      What I like about your story is it underscores that it doesn’t have to be overly complicated in order to be on point and have the intended impact.

  • http://www.facebook.com/davevandewalle Dave Van de Walle

    Great stuff, one note in response: the way males and females process information (the whole Mars/Venus approach) means that you want to laser-focus on just who your audience is. Women want the setup, Men want the final score. Not saying both don’t find the information vital – men want to know that it was a comeback from 5 runs down in the bottom of the 8th, women want to know that the guy who got the winning hit is a survivor of a rare childhood disease.

    Will go pick up Tell to Win. Thanks for the tip. Great stuff as usual.

  • http://www.eBizROI.com Rick Noel, eBiz ROI, Inc.

    Nice post Chris and I couldn’t agree more on all points. I would add recall to the list of reasons that story telling is more valuable as a delivery format than facts/figures alone. We can remember compelling stories for a lifetime whereas facts and figures are generally forgotten rather quickly. It’s all about leaving a lasting impact and related to your audience on their level. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.chrishiggins.in/ Chris Higgins

    I am working with a non-profit media school in India. A story we use regularly is the “rags to riches” story of the founder of our school. He was a poor villager who had only completed his primary education, when a film producer noticed him on a train platform and offered him a role. Fast forward 60 years, and he is 85 years old and is still acting, after having starred in hundreds of films. He is now putting his money into a non-profit school as a way of giving back to the community.

    The stories we are really looking forward to tell, however, are those of student success: students who use what we teach them to create content that creates change in the world!

    We are also about to launch a series of training programs to teach charities how to create effective video to tell the stories of their causes. If we get some good results from the program, the plan is to create ebooks that can teach even more non-profits about storytelling through video!

  • http://www.katanabuilders.com Danocon

    I am in fact building my business slowly around my story. My site is chronicling first-the build of a traditional Japanese Kagi-ba (sword forge) and later all the elements that go into creating a Japanese sword. From making steel from dirt and charcoal from scraps to the final cut with a highly refined work of art.

    Along the way we will explore the story of all of us. Why we are who we are and why what we make-makes us.

    How this helps me is to keep me focused and give me some accountability.

    Didn’t mean to post a commercial here but you asked:)

    • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

      That sounds pretty freagin cool actually. Are you planning on telling your story through text only, or adding video? I’d love to see you actually making some swords!

      • http://www.katanabuilders.com Danocon

        Rick,
        Right now it is text. But video is in the cards.

  • http://www.anastaciabrice.com Anastacia Brice

    Love this post, Chris. Thanks!

    Stories *are* amazing. Truth in story-telling is more amazing. I can name more than a handful of people off the top of my head who are very successful–in part because their stories are really good–but their stories are spun. 

    I don’t get why they risk it, Chris…do you?

  • http://tommartinatl.com/ Tom Martin

    One of my favorite quotes is from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture which discusses the impact story can have:
     
    “Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories. And they will figure out how those stories apply to them.”

    Keeping this in mind has influence what I share and how I share it on my site Leveraging Life, hoping the stories and life lessons impact others in a positive way.

  • http://prostarassociates.com/ Kenneth Northcutt

    Every people and businesses have their own story. Now, sharing the most honest and compelling stories can create a bunch of identity and can even build dignity to one’s self. Thank you very much for sharing this thought-provoking post. I’ve enjoyed reading it. 

  • Anonymous

    I am a big believer in “Telling Your Story”.  Our ancestors did not sit around campfires to listen to speadsheet or graphs.  Those who can tell a compelling story have always found more success.

    This is my complaint about too many speakers.  They have great content, but they do not care how they communicate.  They think that their brilliant ideas alone are enough, so they invest nothing in their speaking skills.  This leaves most business talks flat.  I compliment you for your journey to improve your skills.  If everyone who spoke regularly cared about how they impacted the audience ….meetings would instantly be better.

    My mantra… “Just because someone is smart or has done something cool… it does NOT mean they belong on stage”.  This does not mean we should favor “fluff”.  It is not too much to ask for both content and style from those who speak in public.

    Yeah to you for being so open about your efforts!

  • http://socialdeviants.blogspot.com/ janet

    Your timing on this post is amazing. I’m actually co-hosting an event on Dec. 7th about how your story shapes everything from how you build out your web site, to how you have sales conversations to how you create your social relationships and strategy. As your story evolves so does your business, and I love that you tap into the importance of moving beyond the often obvious and intriguing origin story into the story that actually includes them — the “I’ve been there, too story” and the “it taught me this” hopefulness and reflection. Ugh. You rock. Thank you! I can’t wait to share this with my peeps.

  • http://twitter.com/gillie Amie Gillingham

    I wholeheartedly agree. I know it’s the stories that get me, not the facts. And yet, when I look at our business, I struggle to see what our story actually is. I mean, I know we have one. 11 years in and we’re struggling almost as much as the customers we serve. But honestly, I don’t know how to turn that into a positive point that drives customers to come and stay rather than run screaming into the night.

    • Margielinn

      I certainly can relate to your story!  Do we have to fake it until we make it, or tell the truth of how hard it is to do the business I am in? 

  • http://twitter.com/mitchjackson Mitch Jackson

    Facts tell and stories sell.  I’ve been incorporating stories into my jury trials for 25 years resulting in one win after another. But don’t tell anyone… it’s been my secret weapon :-)

    • Anonymous

      “Facts tell and stories sell.” Priceless. 

  • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

    This is a surprisingly difficult task for me to do because the facet of the story I tell really changes upon the audience of who I tell.

    If I talk to my old colleagues from academia. I would start by stating I came from humble beginning with a sharp intellect… eventually getting into MIT twice and having a successful career bridging three fields and helping developing methods for understanding carbon nanotubes systems.

    If I talk to people in my current business, I start by stating I love to make 1+1=7. I enjoy finding a business that is great but needs a stronger web presence, and then providing them the technology to get up and out there… spreading their message to the world. 

    If I talk to people in the field I want to land in, I start by stating I came from a rather difficult upbringing and all things came to a head in college. And when I had the choice to quit and/or give up on my principles, I pushed out seeking for ‘a new way.’ Along my travels I’ve discovered a lot of wonderful techniques, methods, and programs that can change a person’s life for the better… and now I want to share those with the world.

    It goes back to the setting article form yesterday. My world still exists in multiple settings and contexts… and thus my story shapes to said context.

    Ultimately I want my story to be the last one listed. And I’m making it happen, one day at a time :)

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  • http://www.stephaniebrandtcornais.blogspot.com Stephanie Brandt Cornais

    Great post! Storytelling is so important! Once, I interviewed for a job, and didn’t get it.  Later, I asked why I didn’t get it, and he said I was too young and inexperienced, but that I was a very good storyteller.  I remember walking out of his office thinking, well, shit. What in the world am I going to do with that skill?  Now that I am in social media management and blogging, I am SO happy that I have that skill!  You probably already know this, but if you do a search on Hero’s Journey and Storytelling, you will find some practical information about how to tell a good story.  P.S.  I heard you in Tallahassee, and you were a wonderful storyteller!

  • http://twitter.com/CareerTips2Go Daisy Wright

    Interesting and timely post Chris. Am getting ready to help my job search clients tell their stories, so when I heard about the book last week, I ordered it. Received it last night and dived into it immediately – bleary-eyed and all. So far, so far good!

    Daisy

  • Mary Ulrich

    I always think my blog posts have a happy ending–the conflict resolved. I have emotional blocks and can’t seem to write the story until my problems are under control.

    I also fear a story-in-progress will take a bad turn if read by the villans in the story. Blogs are so different than memoirs because the stories are now-current-unraveling. They are chaotic enough that good or bad guys can affect the endings.

  • Jake Molson

    Maybe we do want stories. But we also need realism. Your example of the cars is perfect – doesn’t matter what story they tell us to fall in love with the product, if we can’t afford we can’t buy. That’s realism, and that trumps storytelling every time.

    • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

      I disagree. There are large segments of the population that live vicariously through ‘reality TV’… peering into lives they can’t afford or would never live themselves. And yet, they are enthralled by their stories. 

      Even people who can’t afford an iPhone knew Steve jobs and could admire/hate the story of apple. It’s a much more powerful story than that of MS, which is more known of just being a software company.

      I think it matters regardless. Attention and mindshare is still part of our lexicon, water cooler conversations, wants, wishes, etc.

  • http://www.facebook.com/FitOldDog Kevin Morgan

    Hi Chris,
    We are a story-telling species. I was scared to death of public speaking until after many years of practice, including four years of toast masters and hundreds (literally) of scientific talks, small and large, from an audience of 1 (literally – drove 800 miles, paid) to >500, all over the world, I realized that I was just telling stories. Not neuropathology, biochemistry, applied mathematics, or transcriptomics, but stories.
    Then public speaking became an enjoyable process.
    I finally realized that it wasn’t about me, it was about the story.
    Shyness vanished like the mist in sunshine.
    It was during such a story (invited keynote address to a scientific society) that I decided to leave science. I decided this whilst talking about paradigm shifts in Biology and I was having one; thank goodness. Misoneism has never been my problem, and I needed to move on with my personal story. So, here I am talking to people that I didn’t know existed, such as yourself. My pleasure, for sure.
    The story teller is much appreciated in human society.
    I enjoy your posts, btw.
    -k @FitOldDog:disqus 

  • Anonymous

    Taking nothing away from Peter Guber, I discovered another fantastic book on storytelling that I highly recommend. Check out “Resonate” by Nancy Duarte. “Technology has given us many ways to communicate but only one is truly human: in-person communications. Genuine connections create change.”

    I love telling stories in a business setting setting as much as I do in personal interactions. I find it to be such an effective way to establish common ground, break down complex topics, and get to mutual understanding and agreement much more quickly. The story itself can be just as important as the product or the service, because if I do it right that becomes a big part of what the client decides to buy. The solution delivers and fulfills on the relevance, emotion, and promise of the story.

    Thanks for the recommendation Chris. I plan to pick up Peter’s book this weekend. 

  • http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com Michael A. Stelzner

    Hey Chris,

    This is SO important.  I think stories connect us as people.  We were read them by our parents and just love a good story!

  • http://www.sparringmind.com Gregory Ciotti

    A whole lotta truth in this post, people have a hard time connecting with data and faceless facts, stories are what drive true connections.

    Your comparison with the ‘texting and driving’ is definitely a notable one, and really drive the point home as to how important a story can be in effecting impact.

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  • http://twitter.com/MattSearles Matt Searles

    I don’t know, I think people want a good story well told, end of story.

    sorta

  • http://www.scott-powers.com Scott Powers

    Chris,
    I read Peter’s book over the Summer and started incorporating my story in with my blog posts. Needless to say it has given me huge momentum in building my list and creating raving fans with my business. I even used one of my more personal stories on my About page. Not only has it helped to stand out even more unique, but people are feeling more connected to me and it has opened up some big opportunities!

  • http://www.businessandsoftwarestrategyforglobalisation.com Mae Loraine Jacobs

    Definitely, a well-told story is much better than a list of hard facts and achievements. But this doesn’t have to mean the prose should overshadow the latter. It’s all about striking good balance between story flow and information. 

  • http://www.nohelphere.com Sarah Goshman

    I like your point about how some of us get stuck telling the founder’s story over and over and don’t pay attention to telling new stories. That’s going to help me a lot, I think. Thanks for the clarity!

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