 Who is this person? Why should you care? A creative approach to business building
We recently had the privilege of copy-editing the manuscript of a business book that’s soon to be released by a major publisher, and whenever we saw a mention of something like “Jim the CFO,” we’d jump in with our red pen. Why? Why should you care? And how on earth does this relate back to the subhead of this article and, most importantly, building your business? Bear with us. There’s a point to all this. Draw the reader in No, we’re not purposely changing the subject. We’re well aware of what we promised you at the outset of this article. That’s the set-up. This part, here, is building the backstory. But at the same time, it’s an intentional tease. “What the heck does ‘Jim the CFO’ have to do with helping me make more money?” We’re getting to that. That’s the pay-off. And all of the terms we’ve been bandying about—set-up, pay-off, backstory—are elements of storytelling. Storytelling. It is so important in building your business. Heck, we’d argue that it’s essential. How? There are a couple of ways to look at it. The customer’s story This is the most important story of all. Problem is, most people don’t think of it as a story. “We want them to buy from us! End of story!” is what you’ll likely hear. But think of their story. Then remember that there are two sides to every story. And in so doing, you’ve opened a window to more business. Let’s move from the abstract to the concrete:
That’s a gross over-simplification (“Suffering”!), but you get the idea. Sure, you want to back your presentation with quantifiable results, but if you can’t frame those numbers within the context of a compelling and relate-able story—and if you can’t grasp what your customer is going through today, without your help—you won’t move that person, or business, from “prospect” to “customer.” More concrete examples for you: These kinds of stories translate to case studies. Blog entries. E-books. Website copy. Ads. “No one wants to be sold to, but everyone wants to hear a story.” It’s an aphorism. Little wonder. Hearing, and following, a story connects to us at a deep emotional level. When we hear someone else’s story, we’re in a safe zone (“That’s not me”), where we’re not being judged (“I may have flaws!”), yet we’re unconsciously—or sometimes not-so-unconsciously—comparing ourselves to the characters in the story: “That sounds like my problem! I could learn from their experience!” It’s why storytelling, as a business tool, works. Your story Again, you can present your business in terms of hard numbers: how many hamburgers sold, to borrow a trope from McDonald’s. Yet how you came to be, why you do what you do, and how you help your customers to benefit, are the compelling and necessary framework for all these numbers. Vision statement. Mission statement. Positioning statement. They’re simply ways of codifying what we just described. Don’t let the marketing jargon intimidate you. Your leaders’ story Similarly, the bios you publish on your website, and promulgate on places like LinkedIn, should be more than bullet points. They should include a relatable origin and an admirable arc. They shouldn’t avoid the references to hurdles cleared and obstacles overcome; to the contrary, they should revel in them. Which brings us back to “Jim the CFO.” Did you know that, as a kid, Jim the CFO had wanted to be a fireman? Admitting that today might make him blush, but that’s humanizing, endearing. More to the point, he really is a firefighter today. Who is better at preventing the financial flare-ups and seeing through the smoke of battle than the company’s CFO? Who’s the guy who cares so much about his people that he won’t hesitate to rescue that kitten from the tree-top? Now, reading this, and learning this, you like Jim. He’s not just a numbers guy. He’s someone you’d want to work with. And isn’t that what business-building is all about? Need help finding and/or crafting your story? Contact us. We help people just like you to accomplish just that goal, all the time.
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