From Today's Reading | Daily Insight On The Catholic Bible, Business, and Life

Tell Me a Story

Written by Wes Schaeffer | July 31, 2017

From today’s reading...

He spoke to them only in parables,...”

If an idea you want to sell,
Then good stories you must tell.

There’s a book from 2006 called “Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results.”

Facts are boring.
Stories are engaging.

Since we could draw on caves we’ve been telling stories to convey important concepts, traditions, and knowledge.

Apple struck a chord with their 1984 Super Bowl commercial.
Geico tells humorous stories so you know 15 minutes could save you 15% or more.
Paul Harvey told us “the rest of the story.”

We buy with our emotions.
We justify our purchases logically.

And I don’t just mean purchases that result in one handing money to another.

Every time two people meet, a sale is made.

  • “Would you like to dance?”
  • “Can I buy you a drink?”
  • “Would you like to super-size that for $1?”
  • “Can I have a cookie?”
  • “Can I have a raise?”
  • “Is this the best price you can do?”

In the military you know something good is coming when you hear “So there I was...”

In the deep South it’s time to take a load off when you hear “Well you ain’t gonna believe this...”

In fairy tales it’s “Once upon a time…”

Yet in business we start with “A copy of the presentation will be made available (so you can now pull out your phones and ignore everything I’m about to say, thereby guaranteeing I will have no influence on you as a result of our time together.)”

In our homes we start with “You’ll do your homework if you know what’s good for you.”

On social media we start with “Your side is dumber than a box of hammers.”

How’s that working out for you?

Every single conflict from fighting over the remote control to road rage to world wars is rooted in miscommunication.

Every single one star review on Yelp, refund request, and lawsuit is rooted in miscommunication.

There’s a bumper sticker that has been around for decades that reads “No justice. No peace. Know justice. Know peace.”

To have justice you must have open lines of communication.

To communicate you must be good at telling stories.

How badly do you want justice, prosperity, and peace?

Bad enough to take the time and apply the effort to learn how to tell stories well?

Stay the course.
Keep the faith.
Endure.

If you need help with inbound marketing, contact Wes Schaeffer your trusted online sales trainer.