Your Story Can Make All the Difference

In Business, Your Story Can Make All the Difference. What’s Your Story?

BY TOM RUWITCH

ere’s a sad story I

Hsee repeated often in business. It’s a cautionary tale with some great business lessons: Business leaders invest big bucks in fancy marketing tools and technology. They hire smart people. They employ consultants. They execute cool tactics. They make all the “right moves” to deliver their pitch, and then… "SPLAT!" That's the sound a marketing campaign makes when it crashes. Money spins down the drain. And the business leaders wonder, "What happened!?" Sound familiar? I see it happen all the time.

FEEBLE STORIES RUIN MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Here's what happened: Their business story was feeble. It was out of tune with prospects' desires and fears. It didn't make prospects say, "Yeah! I can relate!" It didn't inspire them to say, "Tell me more!" It lacked any POWER. And here's the big lesson: When your business story lacks power, your marketing stalls...No matter how great the tool or how clever the tactic. The story is the nucleus of your marketing. If that core doesn't have power, your marketing will break down.

WHY I HELP BUSINESSES POWER UP THEIR STORIES

That’s why I founded Story Power Marketing – to help businesses power up their stories so prospects will tune in, stay tuned, and take action. It took me years to get this. When I got started as a business owner in the 90s, I made the same mistakes I now see business people repeat over and over. I grew my business, but not efficiently and comfortably. Sales was a numbers game. I cold-called until my throat was sore. I ran all over town, burning holes in my shoe leather. I hustled and pushed. It was slow, unpredictable, tiring, frustrating, and... unenjoyable…until this happened…

THE BEST BUSINESS STORIES ARE ABOUT YOUR PROSPECTS, NOT YOU

A prospect was so happy with our sales presentation that she jumped into the rep’s arms and gave him a hug. The prospect was Jane. The rep was Pat, our vice-president of sales. The company was MarketVolt, the email marketing firm I founded in 2001 and ran until we sold it in January. Pat told Jane about a new feature in our software. When Jane realized it would save her hours each week...and it would eliminate buckets full of headache and hassle… and it would make her job SO much easier… she literally couldn’t help herself, and she jumped into Pat’s arms.

That story lit a light bulb in my brain. I realized MarketVolt’s story was not about our features and benefits. Our story is Jane’s story -- eliminating headache and hassle, moving from stuck to unstuck, the journey from frustration to fulfillment. I re-told Jane’s story -- and other prospects’ stories – consistently after that. Those stories sold lots of software.

POWERFUL STORIES PUT PROSPECTS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS

Most businesses start by describing what they sell. They pitch without stories. Prospects tune out. They’re on guard. They’re skeptical. They resist. When stories evoke prospects’ before-to-after journey, prospects remember what you’ve said and crave more. They’re curious. They’re on the edge of their seats. They want to hear about your products and services. They’ve turned from resistant to eager. They’re eager to take action. This is not some far-fetched fairy tale about story wizards with magical powers. This is real. And it’s easier than you might imagine.

TOM RUWITCH is founder and president of Story Power Marketing. You can harness the power of stories to make marketing easier and more productive at StoryPowerMarketing.com/CountyLiving. Register for a free training: A Masterpiece Ad That Shows You...

HOW TO CREATE STORY-POWERED SUPER-MAGNETS TO ATTRACT LEADS, KEEP THEM TUNED IN, AND INSPIRE THEM TO ACT.

The free training runs every 15 minutes, on-demand and will reveal all the elements you need to weave powerful stories into your marketing.