Once upon a time….
by Sunil Bali, Chief Energy Officer, 02-10-11
I spoke at an Entrepreneurs Conference this week. There was no shortage of energy, enthusiasm and good intentions, but most of the sales pitches I heard from the budding entrepreneurs were rather disappointing.
Any sense of intrigue was quickly lost after being subjected to a bland monologue of facts, figures and soporific data.
Research clearly shows that people love buying but they hate being sold to.
We want to be captivated by compelling stories and salient facts that help us to make a good decision, quickly. This is what the best advertisers do.
Take the following examples:
Toyota: "This Toyota will last for many years"
Vs.
"My father drove this Toyota for 100,000 miles without any problems"
iPod: "It has 16Mb of storage capacity"
Vs.
"It can store over 3000 songs"
UNICEF: "£10 will make a real difference"
Vs.
"£10 will feed a family for 10 days"
As the man who brought us the Post-it Note, 3M’s Art Fry says, "It’s one thing to have an idea, but if you can’t communicate it to others, you’re dead in the water."
The best communication is short, emotional and adds value, like the Conservatives game changing poster in the 1979 UK election:
By crafting your own personal experiences into stories and revealing that which is common to us all: our humanity, you enable people to connect with you.
In a world of excess information, overflowing with choices, the great communicators inspire, motivate and influence others by infusing a human element into their communication through the simple telling of stories.
So if you want your colleagues, friends and family to buy into you and what you say, it’s time to become your own CSO: Chief Storytelling Officer
Everyone has some great stories to tell. What are yours?
Quotes
Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me the truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.
– Indian Proverb
Self expression must pass into communication for its fulfilment
– Pearl Buck
It isn’t that they can’t see the solution, it is that they cannot see the problem
– G.K. Chesterton
You can and you must tell a story if you expect to succeed
-
Seth Godin , bestselling author
Humour
Kids on Love and Marriage…..
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
– Ricky, age 10
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
- Alan, age 10
WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person forever by then.
- Camille, age 10
HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the
same kids.
- Derrick, age 8
WHAT DO YOUR MUM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don’t want any more kids.
- Lori, age 8
WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
- Lynnette, age 8
On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
- Martin, age 10
WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they’re rich.
- Pam, age 7
The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn’t want to mess with that.
- Curt, age 7
The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do.
- Howard, age 8
IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
- Anita, age 9
To your success,
Sunil
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