The story secret to business success
The fundamental need of business is to satisfy needs. Stories create those needs - learn how to find the story of your business and you'll increase sales. How does it work?
How much is an old sock worth? Nothing, of course. But on eBay an old sock once sold for $200 instead of nothing. This is the same eBay where people have programs to automate last second bidding - anything to save pennies.
What accounts for this disparity? The answer lies in story.
But what does that mean?
One of the rules of journalism is that dog bites man is never news. But man bites dog, is. Heck, I would love to read about a man biting a dog. There's something plain intriguing about the whole thing.
Results of people using stories to sell stuff are fascinating. A wedding dress becomes an internet hit when a man puts it on and models it, telling the story of how his relationship failed. A piece of toast, when framed in a religious narrative, is picked up for thousands of dollars.
Stories touch something magical in people.
There are neurobehavioral explanations for why people lose their rationality. They are interesting but complicated. Put simply, once people have a story, they suspend their rationality. They become part of something bigger. How can this make your business money?
1) You are special. Do you know how?
There has to be something. If you can't think of anything, it's because you're not trying hard enough. Or it's because something is fundamentally flawed. If there isn't something that sets you apart from everyone else, good luck succeeding.
2) Your customer has needs. How do you fulfill them?
There are two basic levels of need. The simple, and the complex. The simple is, say, I'm hungry and want a snack. The complicated, more sophisticated reason is that I want something that is filling yet lets me feel like I'm not over indulging.
Figure out what both are.
3) Bridging the gap = success. How?
Figure out what the link between what makes you special and what makes your customer's needs special! Then take that link and make a story out of it. For the wedding dress: the man did not take the easy way out and sell the dress as just a dress. He made sure that the dress had a story; he identified what made it special.
Then he went one step further, putting it on and taking pictures.
This combination gave his audience what it wanted - a sentimental story, a laugh, and even those who didn't need a dress spread the word to those who did.
Follow the bar rule for success.
It's simple. Make your business proposition something you would mention Friday night at the bar with your friends. To do so, and make sales, follow the three questions above.