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Tell Me a Story

Home / Blog / Tell Me a Story

August 31, 2020 By Stephen Harvill Leave a Comment

I just saw the new Nike commercial and was once again reminded of how powerful a well-told story is.  I have a few pairs of Nike’s but I’m really an Adidas guy. But I was locked into this advertisement.  It was a magnificent example of how to tell a story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlB9I9zbpc

All glory is fading.

General George Patton

Stories that Stick

Stories are like fly paper; good ones are sticky and hard to get away from. 

Stories can wreck your heart or build you a tower upon which you can scream out your beliefs.  They can cement beliefs and transfer history.  A good tale can offer connections like no other tool.  They knife through complexity and generate a simple road to some understanding, someone being able to say; I Get It.

For me, stories are as powerful as breaking the bonds of an atom.  This is at the forefront of all we do at Creative Ventures. I can’t imagine a project that didn’t start with a story.  We open the door with “tell me. . . . “ and simply wait for the story.   Over the years we have worked with countless clients on adding story as a strategy, something to talk about, something to plan, something to actually install in a sales process.  Why?  Because nothing and I mean NOTHING is more powerful in creating a bond between buyer and seller than a story.

I’m talking about the right story at the right time.  It might be about a success; it might be one about a problem with a connection to a solution.  Stories generate the interaction every relationship is searching for.  I’m not talking about a pitch or a presentation; those are merely delivery modes, kind of like the relationship between a car and its fuel.  A great story in the sales process opens an emotional door, which is the most powerful thing you can do.

People think of a story in the form of books, songs, and movies, all these are great examples, but using story in your sales process is a little different.  It has to leverage the process or the service to reach a desired transaction.  You simply have to write to that goal. 

The Story Strategy

It’s a simple strategy.  It has only two parts; 

CRAFTING – The creation of the story into its core pieces; Beginning, Middle and End.

TELLING – The delivery of the story.

Crafting takes time and care, like growing an orchid.   Telling takes a key skill set found in the principles of good communication.

In this new world of strange times, you should be focusing on your stories.  You’re challenged to find a slot in the attention span of your clients.  This is the purpose of story and why you should make it a front and center strategy.  Start building these skill sets so that your teams become masters of this strategy, magicians that can weave a tale to build the relationships that lead to success.

And the fleeting glory of General Patton’s’ quote, well guess what?  With this strategy, you can capture that glory forever!

Blog,  Story

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