“What was it I saw in him all those years ago?”
Ready to go on a little (mis)adventure that started many years ago in a bar?
I was out with my wife on a hot date (well, as hot as they get when you’ve been married a few decades!) and we were discussing what our future might look like.
You see, we had recently returned from an extensive overseas holiday with the kiddilybumps and were in a reflective mood.
When I say reflective, I mean, well… poor. Yep, totally skint. We were considering selling a child into slavery to make ends meet. But going from two to one would represent a 50% loss. We considered that too difficult to recover from. You know… emotionally.
And when I say bar, I mean, um… sandbar. Yep, we were at the beach. Beaches are free!
Anyhoo, she’d mapped out her plan and we’d mulled it over and, of course, it was bulletproof. That’s just who she is.
Then it was my turn…
“Um, can’t I keep doing what I’ve been doing for the past 17 years?”
“No Steve. Our circumstances have changed. We need you to earn money now.”
“But my strength is relying on you to earn money. It’s my superpower. I can do it being my authentic self!”
Have you ever seen a supermodel staring at her 48th meal in a row of celery and lettuce? Neither have I. Yet somehow I knew my wife’s face had that same disappointed and aggrieved look about it as she stared incredulously at me.
And, I could almost read her mind… “What was it I saw in him all those years ago?”
So I filled my lungs with air, mustered the courage of a bull ant defending its nest and said…
But Steve, Why Have You Told Us All This?
If you’ve come this far and want to know what happens next, be sure to open the next email from me. It’ll be in your inbox in a fortnight. If you don’t want to know the rest, give in to temptation and hit that unsubscribe button.
- Stories engage people quickly
- Creating anticipation can be as simple as not finishing a story
- Stories are better teachers than text books (In merely 250 words, you already know too much about me!)
- Stories evoke emotions. Emotions drive purchasing.
Excellent question.
In addition to the list above, stories are memorable and, therefore, repeatable. You need people repeating your story to attract referrals because if you’re forgotten you won’t be receiving many referrals. So you need to know what your story is and how to tell it in a way that captures and retains attention.
Below is a link that will take you to a page on my website…
If you want to learn more about business storytelling, you can give yourself a Christmas present and purchase a set of 14 video Referral Masterclasses. Video 9 covers business storytelling.
The set costs AU$79. (That’s not a misprint.)
Otherwise, I’ll be giving away loads of tips and strategies over the next year on how to attract more referrals in this newsletter.
The next newsletter will focus on –
- Presenting to win clients. (Thereafter, each newsletter will alternate between referrals and presenting to win clients. It’s amazing how often the strategies for both intertwine.)
- Continuing the story. If you’re still with me, you deserve to know how I went from my wife, the ever-patient Lisa, wondering if she’d made a big mistake to being asked to train business owners to attract more referrals and present to win clients.
I hope all this has been of value to you. (And maybe a little lighter than your typical newsletter.)
Stay wonderful!
Steve.