Strategic Storytelling

A few weeks ago I was attending a special event when someone asked “How can I explain my service to other people? I’m going into a new market and people don’t get what I do.”

Of course, the answer is…

A recent article in Inc magazine asked this question: What makes you look better?

A story like, "I started with no talent or luck and worked my butt off;" Or, A story like, "I had lots of talent and …

How can I write about myself without sounding like a conceited jerk?

That’s the subject of this podcast.

You may have internalized messages like, “The nail that sounds out gets pounded down” You …

Numbers can be extremely powerful when you know how to use them -- and sooner or later you have to use them. You use numbers in your stories and also in your copywriting, especially on sales pages.

T…

Lots of business owners have been advised, "Just tell a story. Any story."

Or they're told, "Stories hold your audience's attention. Stories captivate your listeners."

All that is true. Absolutely.

B…

Storytelling for service-based solopreneurs isn't just for fun. It's not a device to gain attention and draw in a crowd of people from your niche. 

So what can a story do for your business? In this e…

Episode 151 - The second-most important character in your selling story is—drumroll, please—the guide. That is you! 

The guide is the person, spirit or animal who helps the hero solve their problem o…

We've talked about the hero in your story. We had an episode about the villain. And today we're going to talk about the character nobody mentions: the cheerleader.

You can't be with the hero all the …

In this podcast episode we are going to look at casting the characters in your story.

We’ve already talked about the villain. The other characters are the hero, the guide and the cheerleaders.

…

Do you want to create a story that sells - a selling story? 

In this episode of Strategic Storytelling, you'll see an example of the way we can transform a "good enough" story into a strong story tha…

Are you having trouble with branding your business? 

Maybe you've gotten tired of the whole process. You wonder if you need to bother with branding at all. 

That's because you may be trying to "brand…

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Michelle Mazur, a message strategist and marketing consultant. Her slogain is, "Make marketing suck less."

Let's face it: Most of us didn't go into business to be m…

Business owners, especially those with small businesses that offer professional services, often get advised to, "Make your mess your message." 

This is awful advice for marketing.

In this packed-ti…

Online course creation has become a major industry. If you're a business owner, your course gives you new opportunities to grow your business, find clients and gain credibility. 

Designing a course c…

Your story's location may seem trivial or straightforward. 

"It's a beach story." 

"One day I was in my home office..."

"Mary went home to apartment 3701..."

Don't those locations bring a special vib…

Branding and selling are very different activities in business. 

A branding story introduces you to your audience. It tells something about you and how you provide the service. 

A selling story makes…

It's really important to be innovative in your business. 

Being innovative is one of the ways people realize you are credible. You've gone beyond the basics to develop your own framework or explain y…

You've probably heard that "your story must bring out emotion in your listeners."

And that's because you've also heard, "People buy on emotions." 

But is that always true? 

Lots of times people make …

Does your story contribute to your strategy? Is your story a part of your brand?

You get all kinds of advice to "be sure your content includes a story."

The real question is, what is the purpose of y…

Calling yourself a "healer" brings special challenges in marketing. 

And in some ways, everyone is a healer. We all pay money to relieve our pain.

But when you call yourself a healer, people get conf…