So what’s your story?

Jerry L. Kennedy | TLT Social Media Marketing February 2014

You have to walk the talk to connect with customers.
 


Make your customers want to become a part of your story.
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IF THERE IS ONE WORD you might use to describe buyers in the Digital Age, it’s jaded. They’ve been pitched, prompted and persuaded into a perpetual state of presentation ennui. In a world where information about your competitor’s products and prices is just a click away, manipulative sales tactics and tricks are quickly becoming a thing of the past. They are ineffective at best, and a major source of irritation to potential buyers at worst.

More than ever before, the old sales maxim is true: people hate being sold to, but they still love to buy—just have a look at Amazon’s sales figures if you don’t believe me. The question is—how can you ensure that when the time comes to buy, you’re the seller they choose?

One of the easiest ways to get past the defenses of modern buyers is to master the art of storycraft. I first heard the term storycraft from my business partner, Michael Clark. Michael defines storycraft as the art of connecting with your audience (aka potential buyers) and helping them to discover themselves in your story. In other words, you help them understand why you do what you do, why they should care and, ultimately, why they should join you.

Think of your sales and marketing efforts as a political campaign. Just shouting “VOTE FOR ME!” from every rooftop and flooding mailboxes with flyers isn’t going to get you elected. An effective campaign inspires folks to get out and vote by getting them engaged in the story of the effort. If they can see themselves being an important player in the cause, if they can see a better life for themselves and their communities, they’ll be far more likely to get involved.

The same is true of your sales campaigns, except now you’re inspiring potential customers to vote with their dollars. Why should they pick you over the other candidates? How will their lives be better if they vote for you? How will they feel about being a part of your cause? And how can you communicate all of this effectively? The answer to all of these questions is storycraft.

I’ll use my local hardware store as an example. In the neighborhood I live in, I can buy a new shovel at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Orchard Supply Hardware…or at Emigh Hardware, the local, family-owned store. While I will have fewer options to choose from and will pay slightly more than I would at one of the larger stores, nine times out of 10 I’ll stick with Emigh. Why? Because I love their story.

Emigh is a fourth-generation, family-owned local business. They’ve been serving my neighborhood for 105 years. They’ve got 75 knowledgeable, friendly, smiling employees, so I can always get an answer to my questions. Compare this to some of the larger stores where it seems the only folks on hand are the ones staffing the cash registers. I can easily see myself as a part of Emigh’s story, keeping the corporate giants at bay by shopping local and supporting a small business.

But Emigh doesn’t just tell me the story of being a friendly, local business—they walk the talk. They provide impeccable service and are priced at least competitively, making my decision to shop there even easier. When I shop there, I feel like I am actually contributing to making my community a better place to live.

Don’t forget this important lesson—storycraft isn’t just the stories you tell, it’s the way your company moves through the world and how you follow through on those stories that will make your customers want to be part of them.

So what’s your story? Are you making it easy for your customers to feel like they’re a part of it? Do they get to feel like joining your cause will make their lives and communities better? Are you walking your talk, bringing the story to life by the way you move in the world? If you can answer yes, you’re on your way to mastering the art of storycraft.


Jerry Kennedy earned his stripes as an operations and sales manager in the lubricants industry. He is currently the co-founder of CDK Creative, a digital marketing agency that brings his real-world sales and operations experience to the world of online marketing. Learn more or request a consultation at http://cdkcreative.com. Email him at jerry@jerrykennedy.com.