155 Should Your Origin Story Make You Seem Lucky or Good?
Strategic Storytelling
A recent article in Inc magazine asked this question: What makes you look better? A story like, "I started with no talent or luck and worked my butt off;" Or, A story like, "I had lots of talent and I got lucky." Believe it or not, audiences valued luck and talent more. This episode raises the question: "When do you tell a story of luck and when do you tell a story of hard work?" Most people can attribute their success to both. It's all in how you tell your story. This episode explains... ...3 reasons why an "I got lucky" story will make the storyteller look better than an "I worked I...
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033 Bragging 101 Build Your Personal Brand With Strategic Storytelling
Strategic Storytelling
Many service business owners lose clients every day because they're held back by fears like ...
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154 It's a numbers game: how to sell with numbers on sales pages and stories
Strategic Storytelling
Numbers can be extremely powerful when you know how to use them -- and sooner or later you have to use them. You use numbers in your stories and also in your copywriting, especially on sales pages. The way you present your numbers can make your price seem small and your outcomes seem large. You can also seem to presenting honest results rather than made-up, imaginary numbers. In this short episode you will discover… …how to make prices seem small and results seem large …how your numbers can make an outcome seem more realistic (at least some people think so) ...the common numbers bias...
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153 Business storytelling: 4 key reasons to share that story
Strategic Storytelling
Lots of business owners have been advised, "Just tell a story. Any story." Or they're told, "Stories hold your audience's attention. Stories captivate your listeners." All that is true. Absolutely. But stories can do a lot more than entertain your audience. And when you tell a story as a solopreneur, you need a specific reason. In this podcast. we first look at 4 key reasons to tell a story. You'll notice that any story you tell will brand your business. People remember you as "that woman who...'" or "that guy who..." So buckle up and learn... ...4 reasons to tell a story; that is,...
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152 4 Ways Your Business Story Will Make Your Marketing Easier
Strategic Storytelling
Storytelling for service-based solopreneurs isn't just for fun. It's not a device to gain attention and draw in a crowd of people from your niche. So what can a story do for your business? In this episode, you'lll learn how to use stories to make y.our marketing easier. You will learn... ... 4 ways you can use stories to complete marketing activities - with samples ...Why every story you tell is a branding story (whether you plan them this way or not) ...What’s different about a selling story ...3 guidelines for telling a business story (the second will be a surprise) Resources: FREE: ...
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151 The Guide Character in Your Selling Story
Strategic Storytelling
Episode 151 - The second-most important character in your selling story is—drumroll, please—the guide. That is you! The guide is the person, spirit or animal who helps the hero solve their problem or problems. The way you write yourself into your story will have a huge impact on your audience. They’re considering hiring you as a guide and they want to know several things. You want to convince people that your story is special and that you are unique. How do you do that? In this episode you will learn: The 3 major roles the guide can play in solving the hero’s problem....
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150 The Surprising Character in Your Business Story: The Cheerleader
Strategic Storytelling
We've talked about the hero in your story. We had an episode about the villain. And today we're going to talk about the character nobody mentions: the cheerleader. You can't be with the hero all the time, no matter how good you are. The cheerleader helps the heroes achieve their goals by just being there. You as the guide can help the hero find supportive cheerleaders. Sometimes people have to pay for this support, but often that support is available if your client--the hero--knows where to look. Sometimes you show them why it's important. When you help the hero find a cheerleader, you gain...
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149 The Hero in Your Business Story
Strategic Storytelling
In this podcast episode we are going to look at casting the characters in your story. We’ve already talked about the villain. The other characters are the hero, the guide and the cheerleaders. Who is the hero of your story? The hero has a problem. Often it’s a serious problem. Sometimes it's trivial, like a leaky faucet. You have a more dramatic story when the hero has a serious problem that requires steps to solve. You are the guide who solves that problem. We will talk about the guide's role in the next podcast. Here's what we cover and what you will...
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090 How To Craft A Selling Story for Your Small Business
Strategic Storytelling
Do you want to create a story that sells - a selling story? In this episode of Strategic Storytelling, you'll see an example of the way we can transform a "good enough" story into a strong story that delivers sales. The business owner (a financial executive - a corporate controller, to be exact) found a need for a product she could create. She needed a story to get prospective customers involved and motivated. Her first story was not bad...but you'll see what we did to make it even better. In less than ten minutes, you will learn ... ...how to make a good story great...
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069 ENCORE Small Business Branding: Your Brand Is Not Your Beach Towel
Strategic Storytelling
Are you having trouble with branding your business? Maybe you've gotten tired of the whole process. You wonder if you need to bother with branding at all. That's because you may be trying to "brand like the big guys." As a small, service-based business, you can't use the same approach. You'll learn... ...why big companies use brands like a beach towel (and solopreneurs can't) ...why your brand starts AFTER you drop the beach towel and go into the water. ...what you, as a small business, have to communicate when the brand is YOU My book on Amazon: . FREE GUIDE to...
info_outlineYour story's location may seem trivial or straightforward.
"It's a beach story."
"One day I was in my home office..."
"Mary went home to apartment 3701..."
Don't those locations bring a special vibe to your story? The story's location tells a lot about your characters and about you.
If Mary lives in apartment 3701, she'll seem different from someone living in apartment 301.
She'll seem even more different from someone living on a farm.
If she lives in the middle of a city, her whole life will be vastly different from someone living in the suburbs, let alone in the country.
If you're working from a kitchen table you're very different from someone working from the patio of a large estate.
In this episode we touch briefly on the power of a story's location.
Does your story's location fit your story archetype?
What if you want to change the story's location? And why should you?
What are some mistakes people make when assigning a location to their story?
Listen here for the answers.
RESOURCES:
FREE: What is a story archetype (and what's yours)?
COURSE: What is a story that sells - a selling story? How does that differ from a paid story?
FREE PODCAST: What is a Role Model story archetype? Who's a good example?
FREE PODCAST: Can your audience relate to your story?