story
325 posts
Effective Change
Even though nine of her children emigrated to England in the 1960s to find work, my grandmother never travelled outside Ireland. She refused to taste cucumber, even though my English aunt insisted on making cucumber sandwiches whenever she came to visit. Even after her doctor told her cigarettes wer
Better Marketers Show And Tell
Every day, we sell ourselves in adjectives that sell us short. Leader, expert, communicator, specialist, efficient, experienced, better, faster, cheaper. We’ve forsaken the effort of showing, for the convenience of telling. There is a better way. Don’t just tell us about the features and benefits of
Do’s AND Don’t Do’s
It’s worth remembering that it isn’t only what we do that people notice— sometimes it’s what we don’t do that determines our results.
Earning A Competitive Advantage
Very few new businesses have an unassailable advantage that makes them the only choice for a prospective customer. Most don’t make measurably superior products or own proprietary software. They haven’t patented a secret formula, and they don’t necessarily have more resources or talent than the next
Better Customers
When we know who we’re building for and what they care about, we get better.
On Being Valued
If we want to be valued for both the skills that differentiate us and the work that brings us joy, then we must find ways to articulate that value to our customers. Better stories create value.
Message Before Medium
Since our objective must always be resonance over reach, it isn’t the medium that should dictate our communication strategy—it’s the message.
Better Than Maybe
As marketers, if the best use of our resources is to only speak to the people who want to hear from us, then targeting every maybe is not a great marketing strategy.
Memorable Marketing
Memorable marketing isn’t just about what you say when—it’s about how you act at every moment.
How Obstacles Create Value
The better we understand the obstacle, the better we get at solving the problem. And the better we can describe the obstacle, the better we become at selling the solution.
When Marketing Works
Marketing works best when it’s in service of the customer.
The Bounds Of Possibility
Now that we are no longer bound by the constraints of probability, we must face the fact that we have a responsibility to own what’s possible. Opportunity abounds.
10 Benefits Of Strategic Storytelling
Stories do more than help us to tell and sell. Shared narratives are powerful catalysts for change and the building blocks of our culture.
The Empathy Advantage
On the face of it, the bus driver is paid by the hour to get passengers safely from point A to point B. But most of the value he creates for the bus company, not to mention the city, has nothing to do with his driving ability. It’s in the empathetic work of reassuring passengers…
Begin With Wants and Needs
All successful businesses do two things. They fulfil the unmet needs and unspoken desires of their ideal customer.
What’s Your Promise To Your Customers?
There are a thousand ways to stand out with a better story. And you get to pick one.
When Subjectivity Wins
Successful brands craft and tell stories for their ideal customers—the people who are ready to hear and believe them.The more subjective we can be in our sales and marketing, the better.
Get Specific To Get More Customers
The more specific you can be about who your work is for and who it’s not for, the better your chances of gaining traction with more people.
Values, Choices And Strategy
Sharing your values, and better, demonstrating them to your customers is a smart strategy. How are you doing that in your business?
The Myth Of Significance
Lately, we have come to believe in the myth of significance. Put our faith in being chosen, becoming ‘the one’. Striving to be bigger, noticed or more than, while simultaneously recounting a narrative of never enough. In our minds, significance boasts a title, resides in a corner office, speaks from
