Tell Stories About All that Makes You Different

Long before writing or cave drawings, there was fire. People would gather around a fire at the end of the day to eat, kibbutz, plan and - most important - to tell stories. Stories of the hunt. Stories of new discoveries. Stories of the children. Stories of threats.

Fire destroys, but also renews, plant life on Table and Bighorn Mountains in the Pusch Ridge.

Our ancestors had oral traditions and storytelling as a way of sewing communities together long before recorded language could save them for future generations. We are a species uniquely rooted in storytelling as a method of explaining concepts, feelings, and building support. And, in the immediate past, we have become a much more skeptical culture, questioning the validity of statements and looking for the validity of things we are told.

Storytelling, however, is still the best way of building relationships, trust and rapport. Tell a buyer you have the best tires in the industry, and he assumes you are bragging. In fact, defense shields go up and she is ready to prove you wrong.

Provide stories of your tires being used on a successful around-the-world trek, and suddenly your potential customer can feel and comprehend the value of the tires. Tell how your tires are made and why they are made that way, and interest grows. Storytelling combined with education can help your small business grow.

We recommend making as much of your communications with prospects and current customers story-based as possible. Use real examples, testimonials, personal and business sketches, information about your causes and case studies. Storytellers promote ideas and grow relationships.

We help people tell recurring stories that have a cumulative effect and bring your business to mind when a product or service is needed. Here is a suggested plan for doing that.