Superpower Storytelling
Chapter 1: Why Your Business Needs Storytelling
Listen to Chapter 1 of the Audiobook here:
“Why communication of your ideas is essential to growing your business and crushing the competition”
Imagine that today is one of the most beautiful days in a long time. The weather is gorgeous, not too hot, not too cold.
There’s that snap in the air. It’s spring, it’s beautiful. And it’s a Saturday. You got to sleep in and now you get the chance to spend the day with your favorite companion.
Think of your spouse, child, best friend or your pet. You suggest a brisk walk to the town square to have a nice cup of coffee. You put on that favorite jacket and you make your way down to the coffee shop.
You and your companion get in line, order your favorite caffeinated beverage then sit down to wait. You’re lucky. You found the last open table right outside.
As you walk back to the table, you look over and about 50 feet (15 meters) away, you notice a blind man sitting down in the town square begging for change. Holding a sign that says: “I’m blind. Please help me.”
You hasten to sit with your companion, excited for their company and the beverage that is coming. The smell of roasting beans has your palate piqued.
A few minutes pass and finally the barista calls your name. You jump up excitedly and you walk to get your beverage(s). As you walk back to your table, you see something strange.
A woman appears in the square. She’s kind of out of place. She’s dressed in all black, has on bright red heels, a thick woolen scarf and is carrying a large black bag.
Holding your coffee cup(s), you take special note of her presence as she stops in front of the blind man. Curiously, she opens her purse and pulls out a marker. Bending down she takes the blind man’s sign and scribbles something on it.
You shake your head bewildered, as your palate anticipates the first sip of your coffee. You place the cup(s) on the table. You take the much anticipated first sip. Your beverage is superb and sparks a delightful conversation with your companion.
Taking the last sip from your coffee cup, you rise to leave. You look over at the blind man once again and notice a crowd of people surrounding him.
You can see everyone’s dropping change into his coffers. Now you’re even more curious. You’ve never seen something like this. You decide to make your way over and see what all the fuss is about.
As you walk over, you see more and more people putting more and more change in the blind man’s cup. He’s actually emptied the change into his jacket because the crowd filled his cup.
Your gait speeds up as you approach, pulling your companion along. All you can think as you approach is: What the heck does this sign say? You’re 30 meters away. Now you’re 20 meters away, the brisk spring weather heightening the effects of the caffeine.
As you look over the top of the gathered crowd with your companion, you see the new sign. Your wallet is out before you even realize. You finally reach the blind man. Placing a bill in his cup, you bid him good day. You pull your companion to your side, take in a deep breath of the brisk spring air and walk through the town square grateful.
What does the sign say? It says: “It’s a beautiful day, and I can’t see it.”
Why this story? Well let’s have a look. I want to you to think of you your brand and your business as the strange mysterious woman dressed in black with the red heels, woolen scarf and carrying the black bag.
I want you to think of your audience or prospects as the blind man. You can see things that your audience can’t see and you can help them get them get the results they want. Why? Because you know how to help them tell their stories better.
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Stories are key to introducing new concepts by using information and ideas that your audience or prospect already knows.
Let’s talk for a second about an article of clothing that you’re currently wearing. Did you try on that article of clothing in front of a mirror before you wore it out on the street? Have you ever decided against wearing something that you tried on because it didn’t fit well?
That T-shirt, or those pajamas – if you’re working from home – or maybe you’re commuting to work and listening/ reading this in a pair of jeans or a choice pair of shoes. Did you try on those items in the mirror before you wore them out of the house?
Did you check that they fit okay, if the colors looked good on you and if they paired well with some of the items you already own? Or did you ask friends or family what they thought about your new item?
I’m going to guess that you did at least one of the above before walking outside. Now you might not be a fashionista but you probably tried on the shirt before you went outside. You tried on the clothing because you liked the brand and it resonated with you. Trying on a new article of clothing is exactly how we can think about storytelling.
Let’s take the concept a level further and talk about the spaghetti sauce market in USA. I know it sounds crazy but walk with me for a bit.
One of my all-time favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell in his book What The Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, recounted the story of Howard Moskowitz. Moskowitz is an American market researcher best known his work on horizontal segmentation. What the heck is horizontal segmentation and what does that have to do with spaghetti sauce and storytelling?
Well, let’s discuss that.
In the 1980s, Prego, a well-known spaghetti sauce manufacturer, hired Moskowitz to find out which spaghetti sauce they should make more of. During his research Moskowitz had a eureka moment.
While compiling taste test data for American consumer preferences for spaghetti sauces, he could find no clear discernible preference for one single type of spaghetti sauce. There was no “perfect” sauce for everyone. The research showed that American preferences fit into three separate camps:
There are people who like their spaghetti sauce plain; there are people who like their spaghetti sauce spicy; and there are people who like it extra chunky.”11
While on its face this may seem inconclusive, Moskowitz recognized this as an opportunity for Prego. For starters, there was no extra chunky spaghetti sauce in the 1980s. With his market data in tow, Moskowitz recommended that Prego create a new category and introduce a product line of extra chunky spaghetti sauces. “Over the next ten years, Prego turned their line of extra-chunky spaghetti sauces into 600 million dollars.”
A market for chunky sauces was certainly alive and well and, as of 2004, Ragu, a key competitor to Prego, introduced 36 different varieties of spaghetti sauce to compete and serve the varied preferences of the spaghetti sauce market.
What’s the lesson?
Different people have different wants. There is no one perfect solution – or perfect spaghetti sauce. There are only perfect solutions and perfect spaghetti sauces. By appealing to the varied preferences of spaghetti sauce lovers, Prego was able to satisfy their customer base with the perfect solution for them as individuals. They invited those with whom the product resonated to partake in their preference and pointed those who didn’t resonate toward other products that better suited their individual preferences.
As such, each person has their own clear product or solution preference that resonates with their own specific context to tell their own story.
Stories allow us to try on new concepts, to test new products and to see new visions before we actually execute on
them. Stories are the connective tissue between humans, allowing us to create human moments that resonate.
Stories allow us to bridge the gap between the humanity that we want to present and the businesses we want to scale. When you’re speaking to a prospect – whether from a stage, on the phone or in person – they might not know about you or what you do.
To understand a little bit more about your methodology, the method behind the madness of your products and services, they need to meet you before anything else, and the first and best way is by telling a story.
After all, who you are is the most interesting thing about what you do, not the other way around.
Remember that every time you’re about to speak with a prospect. You first have to think: “How can I help someone try on our methodology, our mindset, our expertise or get a taste of our brand experience – just like trying on a T-shirt while looking in the mirror, or picking a spaghetti sauce?” Let’s create the space for our prospects to see if we fit their preferences.
If the T-shirt fits, is comfortable and matches with their current wardrobe, they’ll know that it’s a good option for them. If the spaghetti sauce excites their palate, they’re going to buy more of it. A story is a way for folks to know that they are on the same team as you and that you’re cut from the same cloth.
Stories are how people try on new concepts and experience new situations before they invest. The right stories fit like a
bespoke pair of shoes, a custom-made suit or complement the palate like the perfect spaghetti sauce. Stories that ar- en’t for us don’t resonate – or fit.
Now pretend that you are wearing a fine custom-made suit. A beautiful T-shirt, a nice pair of earrings or a great pair of shoes (Nike Air Jordan’s perhaps?) and folks on the street compliment you on your items, telling you that it looks really nice on you.
Can you remember when you wore your best pair of shoes and received lots of compliments? Compliments in this case are conversions. You look good, you feel good. Like making a successful sale, the story you tell about yourself through your wardrobe converted with your audience.
Stories convert.
You’ve helped people get over the hump, get comfortable with what’s on offer and now they can see themselves in the action. You’ve changed the name and made the story about them. Remember this quote?
Change but the name and you are the subject of the story.
– Horace
Central Park
Let’s pretend that we’re discussing New York City – my hometown – and we’re focused on Central Park. During our discussion, it comes out that you’ve never visited New York City.
And now you’re curious about New York City. You’re specifically asking me about Central Park. So I do my best to explain to you what Central Park is like.
Most people would say something like:
”Central Park is a large park in the middle of a sprawling metropolis. It’s one of the few places with trees in New York City. Some of the world’s most expensive real estate surrounds the park. The Park runs from 59th street up into 120th street in Harlem. But Prospect Park in Brooklyn is way better.”
Now with that explanation you might have a decent idea of what to expect from Central Park when you go. Yet, if you’ve never been, that explanation doesn’t land as well as it could.
However, If instead our conversation went like this:
– “Hey, have you been to Central Park?”
– “No. I haven’t yet! I’ve always wanted to go! What’s it like?”
The best move would be to say:
– “Tell me about the largest park in your hometown or where you currently live.”
And then I’d ask you questions about your local park like: “Where is it located? How large is the park? Does it run north to south? What are some of the attractions at this park? How many people visit on a weekly or yearly basis?”
You’d tell me that your local park is four square miles. It has a freshwater lake with a few smallmouth bass. You’d tell me that you enjoyed sitting by the lake and having picnics with your family when you were a child.
You’d mention that the park sits on the east end of town in one of the nicer neighborhoods. You’d tell me that you’d often go there to watch birds and of the many incredible sunrises you’ve watched while fishing. You’d say that next to the lake there’s a basketball court and baseball diamond. And that you remember watching your first concert there as child.
I’d thank you for this information, then ask If I could share details of Central Park in comparison. I’d proceed to explain that Central Park.
New York’s Central Park was the first urban landscaped park in the United States. Built in the 1850’s, Central Park runs 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from north to south. Central Park sits at the center of Manhattan, connecting six historic neighborhoods (Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Lenox Hill, Lincoln Square, East Harlem and Central Harlem).
Central Park has a zoo. Compared to your small pond, where you can go fishing, we have three lakes where you can get in one of those swan boats with a date and spin around with the paddles.
Where your park has three entrances, Central Park has like 20 entrances. You can cross from the east side of Manhattan to the west through one of its three crosstown streets. They’re the definition of crosstown traffic.
So much so, that Jimi Hendrix, The Voodoo Chile himself, wrote a song about it in the 1960’s. Jimi Hendrix. In case you’re wondering... Nope. The traffic hasn’t changed since then. Not a bit. Still sucks.
There’s an Egyptian obelisk in the park. You know where else has Egyptian obelisks? Egypt! Oh! We’ve got sports too. Baseball, basketball, ice skating and hockey, if that’s your bag. It’s a big park compared to the one in your hometown.
There are plenty of beautiful scenic walks you’d recognize from plenty of films...
What did I just do?
I’ve framed a new concept in reference to something you already know. Now I’ve got your attention. You’re invested emotionally. It’s almost like you’ve been there already. You’re picturing yourself there.
The memories of going to your local park with your friends or your family are at the top of your mind. I brought you back to a moment of your own. This is the superpower of storytelling: helping someone to tell their own story better.
Branding
The most common objection I hear about storytelling is some version of:
“Telling my stories won’t work with my audience. I don’t want to build a brand. I don’t wanna be at the face of my company. I’m not self-important.”
I understand the concern. You’re not being yourself, so you’re not important to your market. But that perspective is misplaced at best. Allow me to explain why. For those reading and thinking the same thing... this is the wrong way to think about yourself.
It’s also the wrong way to think about your audience. This line of thinking is exactly the opposite of what your audience wants from you and your brand.
The common belief about branding is to become well known. Famous even. Everyone from every place knows your name. There’s nothing wrong with being well known, but it’s a different challenge entirely.
Branding for our purposes sits in direct contrast. We want to leverage storytelling to become known well. Being known well means that you’ve built a reputation. And you can use it in more ways that you think.
Take The Bad Guy, Chael Sonnen, a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend, for example.
Sonnen is the first of his kind. Revered by many as the greatest trash talker In the history of sports. His often witty and cutting remarks had no equal save for the weight of his fists.
Over a career spanning two decades, Sonnen achieved success by leveraging something unique. He built his brand story to create chaos, dislike and court controversy.
Over his career he fought 49 times, earning a record of 31 and 17, achieving career winnings in the neighborhood of $1.7M which he was able to parlay into endorsements and business ventures getting him to an estimated net worth of $10 million at the time of this writing.2 3 Not bad for taking a heap of punches, huh?
Why would he do this? Simple. It was his marketing tool. The persona served to drive interest to his sport and to promote his bouts.
Sonnen didn’t always know this.
Sonnen stared his wrestling career at the age of nine. Long before the bad guy was born, a young Chael recalls watching boxing in the living room with his father.4
Together they would watch the greats of that era: Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
Sitting around they would talk about the fighters they we wanted to see. They didn’t want to see the guy with the good cross or the powerful jab. They wanted to watch a guy that could entertain. A guy that could tell a story that would bring them along a journey.
Sonnen points to honing his ability to captivate through story starting as early as the third grade.
“I remember being in in the third grade and Mrs. Stanford [telling] our whole classroom to tell a story you have to have five W’s: who, what, when, why. and [I] noticed that a lot of guys don’t know the five W’s when they tell a story.”
It donned on Sonnen that a great fight is nothing more than a great story. That it almost never has to do with this fighter’s credentials. It’s about telling a good story.
“A great promoter is just a great Storyteller.”
The Bad Guy was born.
Now retired, Sonnen reflected on his life and career on the Flagrant 2 podcast with Andrew Shulz.4
He spoke in depth about his decision to tell his story as a heel in his industry.
If you’re asking what a Heel is, think about Hollywood. Sonnen notes that there are only two characters in Hollywood, a good guy and a bad guy. A heel and a face.
The heel plays the villain, the antagonist, the bad guy to the face’s, hero, good guy persona. They are the yin and the yang of classic storytelling. Opposing forces ever at odds. The precarious battle for power between them always hanging in the balance.
In the fight game, selling a fight and getting attention is the essential role of the heel.
A fight must have a purpose. There must be something at stake. Something worth paying attention to (a mission or a vision).
This purpose must be clear to the audience. Purpose is best shared in the form of a story that the audience can connect with. To Sonnen, you must be yourself at all times – or at least be in character – to connect with the audience.
Each fighter – in our case, entrepreneur, founder, manager – must decide which character to play.
Do you want to be the heel of the industry or the face? No answer is right or wrong – it’s what works for you. Once you pick a side, though, you MUST stay there.
Sonnen refers to this as a fierce adherence to one’s code, even if it means breaking the “rules.”
It’s all about what’s at stake.
Can your brand go beyond that? Sure. If you’d like it to. However, the best place to start is with building a deeper reputation for those you want to serve. Think about branding as the way to become known well by the people who matter in your industry. We’ll tackle this exercise at the end of this chapter.
Here are three quick stats for your consideration:
“Out of all business decision makers, 84 percent start their buying process with a referral. And Google is the very first place people look after getting a referral.”5
A referral is a story told about you to someone else in your market. Get your industry greats to tell stories about you and watch the volume of referrals increase.
Next, “82% of people are more likely to trust a company when their senior executives are active on social media.”6
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Executives who use it as a tool to humanize themselves, their company and their mission build trust faster than those who don’t. Which side of this equation do you want to be on?
And lastly, “Only 33% of buyers trust messages from a company while almost 90% of customers trust recommendations from someone they know.”6
Recommendations are key. Empower your audience to share relevant stories about you so that they know you’ll help them tell their own stories better.
A brand is more than pictures, quotes and being self-important. Much more. We all need to remember that a brand is a promise. A promise of consistency, quality and adventure.
A brand can represent whatever aspects of you that you want. Branding is about speaking to the subconscious mind of your audience and getting them emotionally involved in the journey.
If you were to look at my brand, yes, I have pictures of myself. They’re professional photographs. I’m invested in building a brand that promotes quality, positivity and creativity. I tell stories about my life and my experiences. I always relate my experiences back to a theme (see Chapter 2 for more on Theme) or value for the audience’s benefit. Period.
To the untrained eye, it looks like I’m the main focal point of what I do, but actually I’m not. The MISSION I’m on is the center of my brand.
I am but a vessel to share the reminder that we are humans solving human problems in a business context. And that to lead, sell and live authentically, we must use story.
Street Vendor Storytelling
I’ve had the fortune to travel a fair amount in my career. One of my favorite activities to do while traveling is to go people-watching. I’ll go to a town square or local market, sip a cup of tea and watch how the people move. It’s fascinating. I watch how people communicate, how they build and how they sell.
I particularly enjoy watching street vendors build rapport with pedestrians. Street vendors have to get customers into their “stores.” Their efforts to capture attention range from annoying to downright genius. Watching street vendors open conversations on the street is a fascinating experience to behold.
These vendors showcase their ability to draw on the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and how we want the world to perceive us. Street vendors are able to read people and drive them to action – fast.
Their technique of choice to coax you to open your wallet? The pattern interrupt. I found one of my favorite examples of this a few years ago, when I went to Istanbul, Turkey, to lead a series of sales workshops at a University Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program.
On one of the few days in which I had free time, I wanted to take advantage of my time in the historic city. I went for a long walk and wound up in a hilly neighborhood called the Galata Tower Square.
Perched atop of a hill in the neighborhood that bears its name, the Galata Tower is one of the famous peaks piercing the skyline of Istanbul. The tower is an homage to the many cultural influences in the region: a mix of Ottoman, Genoese and East Roman.
Depending on who you ask, the tower has a few important timelines. The first dates back to 528 AD. The Byzantium Empire Anastasios built the tower as a lighthouse. The Empire needed a lookout point against the siege of the Genoese.
The second dates back to 1348 AD. The Genoese repurposed the tower to serve as a surveillance outpost. (I bet you can tell that the tower didn’t help the Byzantium Empire much against the Genoese).
From there, the tower became a fire detection outpost for the Ottomans and eventually a dungeon during the reign of Süleiman The Magnificent.
One of the most interesting stories about the tower, however, comes from the life and works of Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi in 1638 AD. Çelebi constructed wings made of wood, jumped from the top of the tower and succeeded in flying all the way to Usküdar Doğancan, some four miles away. One of the first manned flights in history... predating the Wright Brothers by 268 years!7
Aside from its storied past, the Tower is a beautiful piece of history. Well worth a visit. Which is how I happened upon it during my trip.
I arrived at the bottom of the hill and walked up the steep embankment. With every step, I could feel the age of the area. The buildings sit slotted tightly on slender winding streets. So slender in fact, that most cars wouldn’t dare pass. Mid-morning commuters filled the streets. Walking up and down taking in the sights with the crisp morning air.
As I started my ascent, I took out my camera and I saw a gentleman with a shoeshine box walking down the hill toward me. The box was of typical Turkish design – wooden with a golden trim. The box doubled as both storage and as a platform from which the shiner might ply his trade.
The moment before he passed me, his shoe shining brush fell from its box. I heard the brush clatter on the pavement. The brush landed a few yards behind my feet. The shoe shiner continued on, unaware. I noticed and I was hesitant
to mention it as I was about to get on my way and I didn’t have much time.
I looked over at him and then I remembered The Golden Rule that my parents taught me: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I called after the gentleman. Mind you, I speak zero Turkish. I made a veiled attempt to call after him with the word I believed to be “Hello.” I shouted: “Merhaba,” in his direction.
Spinning on a dime, the shoe shiner turned around. I pointed to his brush on the pavement. He hastened back to pick it up and made his way over to me. And with a pained smile on his face, he said to me in broken English: “Bless you! I feed my family with the shoes shine.” Nodding, I gave him my best thumbs up and say, “Okay, great!” and I turned to go on my way.
Blocking my path, the shoe shiner perched atop his shoe shining box and offered to shine my shoes for free as a thank you. Politely, I declined his offer and made a move to leave. He cornered me again and insisted on shining my shoes. He said, “You give me back my work. I must thank you with a free shoes shine. It is Turkish way.”
I declined again, because I had on a pair of brand new Vans and I didn’t want my sneakers covered in anything. I started walking away for a third time. At that exact moment a window on the corner apartment three stories up, popped open.
A person started screaming at the man – in English – saying, “You always bother the tourists. Leave them alone.
Stop with dropping your brush trying to make them pay you!” During this verbal fracas, I made my escape. I proceeded up the hill, flabbergasted and inspired.
My sales brain started kicking over at what just happened. What an incredible method to generate leads! To be fair, I don’t like this method because it relies on manipulation of the prospect – me. Playing on someone’s honesty to get them to stop and use your services.
Now while manipulative in its intent, there is a certain genius to the structure of the tactic. The method relies on storytelling at its core.
Here’s how:
Storytelling allows each of us “to drop the brush” in front of our audience, inspiring them to pick it up and bring it back. It invites the prospect to start the conversation themselves.
Storytelling connects on an emotional level. It’s an important step to build the three key elements of buy-in: KLT – Know, Like and Trust. Buy-in, in this instance, means making a sale or rallying your team, or others toward a mission, cause or vision.
The shoe shiner played on the story I tell to myself about wanting to be honest and forthright – just like my parents taught me to be. He manipulated me into helping me tell my own story better... He reminded me of my brand.
I took action accordingly. While his tactics are a bit shady, they do share an important lesson about storytelling: The
story must resonate with the individual for it to be effective and drive them to action.
Take a moment and write down a few thoughts in your Superpower Storytelling Workbook about how you could drop the brush for your audience.
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A brand is a simple concept. A brand is nothing more than a promise. I’ll agree that the term “Branding” is an over- used these days. And I get it. This adds infinitely more friction to the idea of having a brand.
Here’s the deal though: if you don’t have a brand or you’re not building one, you’re allowing the market to decide who you are and what your value is. You give the market the opportunity to decide how to view you and to decide what your story is.
This becomes more important with our interactions be- coming increasingly digital. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer not to give the market that much power over my image. And neither do you, that’s why you’re read- ing this book.
Look at tools like Open AI’s Chat GPT. The tool gained one million users in five days.8 The fastest tech tool to reach that coveted mark. For comparison, Twitter took 24 months, Facebook 10 months and Instagram 2.5 months.9 At the time of this writing, Chat GPT has an estimated one billion monthly site visitors and 100 million active us- ers and growing.10
The tool is nothing short of incredible. Its speed, clarity and breadth are scratching the surface of what’s possible with AI. And just think, this is the worst the tool will ever be. It’s a fascinating and scary time to be alive.
As a result of the tool, millions of “experts” will come on- line in the next few years. The “experts” will boast “knowl- edge” that they have little understanding of. Knowledge they never experienced or learned.
Their expertise will show a capacity to access a knowledge base and publish information. That doesn’t make an ex- pert. Nor does it prove a track record of understanding a subject or method.
In times like these, real experts with a proven track record will separate themselves. They’ll rise to the top through their works and the stories they tell. Their brand will reflect this.
Building a brand is important these days and it starts with story. Once we know what stories to tell, then we work on delivery.
Remember how we discussed that the whole goal of story- telling is to help your audience better tell their own story? Now it’s time to dive into one of the ways storytelling can help business owners build audiences.
The Importance of Storytelling
One of the key metrics of success in business these days is audience building. However, there’s a misconception about audiences these days. The metric you’ll hear marketers ob- sess over is reach: “How much reach will this post get?” or “What’s the reach of your podcast?” or “What’s the reach, reach, reach?” etc.,etc.
While reach is an important metric, it’s a vanity metric. Sure you “reached” a few people with your message but the reason we leverage storytelling is because we strive for res- onance. It’s not enough to simply get in front of a large audience. The goal is to build an engaged one.
You can pick whichever one you like. I don’t know about you, but I know which one I choose.
One of the best articles on the subject is Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans.11
Kevin Kelly – former Editor of Wired Magazine – penned this epic blog post back in 2007.
For context – the iPhone1 debuted that year, Facebook (Meta) exploded on the scene unseating MySpace (remember MySpace?) and Rihanna’s Umbrella infected the air- ways peaking at #1 on the Billboard charts. Yep. That’s a long time ago.
1000 True Fans is a quick read and full of value. Recom- mended reading for sure but for our purposes, I’ll give you the TLDR.
If you have 1,000 people who love your work, you have the makings of building a sustainable business or a thriving community. The math works regardless of your vocation.
Let’s dive into the numbers behind three scenarios.
If we have 1,000 people paying us $100 a year ($8.33/ month) we have a $100,000/year business. Not bad.
If we have 1,000 people paying us $1,000 a year ($83 a month) we have a $1 million/year business. Pret- ty cool, huh?
If we have 1,000 people paying us $10,000 a year we have a $10 million/year business.
You can see how this concept grows exponentially. By ad- justing the price for your 1,000 true fans you can achieve massive growth. This works both financially and from a community perspective.
The important part about this though is not so much the price. It’s about the number 1,000. The number 1,000 is im- portant because it’s not a huge number. We’ve all seen “in- fluencers” or businesses with millions of followers. Seeing followings of that size, it can become a big mental exercise of “I’ll never have that many followers,” or “I’ll never be able
to have that many people care about my story,” or “I’ll never be able to turn my small following in to dollars.”
Building an audience – something that should be exciting and fun – becomes an, “Is this even worth it?”
In fact. Yes it is.
Have you heard of Arii? Arianna Renee, better known by her handle @Arii is an Instagram influencer whose account boasts some 2.6 million followers. In 2019, Renee decided to start a clothing line. It failed miserably. How misera- bly? Renee wasn’t able to meet the manufactures minimum production threshold of just 36 T-shirts sold to get her line produced.12
Let this serve as a reminder that “celebrity” and “reach” don’t necessarily equal resonance. Just because people are watching doesn’t mean you’ve captured their attention. You’ll be fine.
That’s why I love the sheer simplicity of the 1,000 True Fans Framework.
First, you’re able to wrap your head around what the num- ber 1,000 is. You’ve likely touched $1,000 or you have 1,000 followers across your social media accounts or on your email list, etc. 1,000 – it’s an approachable number.
Let’s break it down even further.
Let’s say you were to take the time to build relationships individually. It would take you about three years, talking to a brand new person each day to reach 1,000 people. (You
could talk to three people a day and achieve the same in less than a year.) Now the big project of having 1,000 peo- ple to pay you $8 a month, $80 a month, or whatever your rate, is less daunting. That’s perhaps my favorite part about the framework.
1,000 True Fans takes the opaque and it boils down to some- thing attainable, i.e., I wanna have a $1 million business or I need to have an audience size of 100k to achieve my mea- sure of success. It also makes the importance of storytelling clear. Getting to the magical number 1,000 starts with sto- ries. Find your tribe by speaking directly to them.
It starts with your brand. Your brand starts with your promise. Your promise starts with who you are behind your business. That is what gets people to identify with you and say: “Yes! You’re the person who understands me. I want to learn more about what you have to offer.”
To be clear, it’s okay if your audience size isn’t in the tens or hundreds of thousands or even in the millions. We’d all love to get to that level. That’s the whole reason for this book*.
Okay, let’s be serious again. Building relationships with 1,000 True Fans is all you need to ensure your success.
Do some quick math to back into the revenue number you want for yourself using this model. I guarantee that you’re closer than you think. This is a great way to start looking at your audience with understanding.
*Shameless plug - Follow me on social @stephensteers_ ;)
Here are some quick metrics that you can use to get one more true fan today. In one-to-three years’ time, you’ll see how doable it is. It requires the commitment of being you, telling the world about yourself and what you’re up to. Or leaving it up to the market to decide who you are. The choice is yours.
It doesn’t require a huge amount of time. All it takes is consistency. Consistency is the silver bullet.
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Let’s step back into the branding sector for a moment.
The most important part of a brand is the subconscious emotion it conjures in the audience. Activation of the sub- conscious further illuminates the importance of storytell- ing. In order to conjure relevance in the subconscious, you need to show up for yourself first.
How do you show up for yourself?
By putting yourself out there. Talking about what you do and inviting people to have conversations about it. Sharing stories about what you do and why it’s important to your audience = growth. 100% assured. When you show up for yourself, it’s proof that you can show up for your clients, for your family and for those around you. The stories are the cords of your brand that people are going to attach to.
Let’s take a deeper look into the importance of storytelling for your business. Regardless of who you are, what you do,
or your goals, if you aren’t building a brand, it will mean trouble for you in the coming years.
Here are some quick statistics on branding to set the tone: 90% of the video, audio, photo, and text-based content con- sumed today by Gen Z is created by individuals, NOT cor- porations.13 Let that sink in for a second. Damn near 100% of the content consumed by a whole generation is created by individuals.
Gen Z are those born between 1997-2012, which would make them between 11 and 17 years of age at the time of this writing. There are a host of reasons why Gen Z – the most connected generation – who grew up with the inter- net, prefers viewpoints of the individual.
One important note is if we look at the world, the classic institutions that Millennials, Gen X and Boomers had deep trust for are eroding.
Banks are failing left and right, government is centralizing and a college degree isn’t worth what it used to be in the job market.
Gen Z is in flux and have taken to the internet to fashion their lives. They trust the individual and are driven by val- ues. 86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support. 13
You might say to yourself, “I don’t work with Gen Z. This means nothing to me or my business.” And that’s exactly the wrong way of thinking.
You may not have anything to do with them now. But what about ten years from now? They’ll all be of prime working age – which means you may hire from this generation when they have an increased share of influence and buying power. Furthermore, having a great brand can bring the expenses related to hiring and training down by as much as 50%.14
If you want your business to exist and to grow exponen- tially, this is the group that’s going to keep you in prime position to win over the coming decades.
Let’s dive even deeper:
89% of buyers stay loyal to brands that share their values.13 This works for both B2B and B2C. Brand loyalty manifests itself as buyers returning to the brand over and over again, sharing the brand with others and representing a brand with satisfaction. How will a shopper know if a brand shares its values? By the branding and the stories shared by the brand, of course.
77% of B2B marketers say branding is crucial for growth.14 Using this stat as our launch point, it’s clear to see that branding is important for building loyalty and connection with prospects.
Physics, the governing scientific principles of the universe, has a law called entropy. The law of entropy states that there are no static forces in the universe. You’re either growing and improving or you are decaying and shrinking.
If you’re not building, you’re breaking. Period. There’s chaos and there’s order, both attainable through motion but
there is no middle ground left in today’s marketplace. If you don’t have a brand or are not building one yet, you’re seeding market share to your competition. No matter which way you slice it.
Deciding Your Storytelling Path
There are two schools of thought that we should break down before you decide which direction to go in. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a direction. You need one as well.
If you are part of School A:
You’re a new entrepreneur or a freelancer. You’re launching your first company. You’re looking to establish yourself and raise your profile in the marketplace. You’re thinking about your story and haven’t used it yet. If that’s you, there’s a great opportunity to start writing your narrative.
This will work well for you because you’re starting fresh. And I know It sounds intimidating and scary, but to become an authority, it all starts with consistency. If you want to be a thought leader in your market, you won’t have to unlearn bad habits to be effective. But you’re new, so you can start with what works: the art of storytelling.
If you are a part of School B:
School B is for the veterans in the room. You’ve been around for a while, have won a few customers and you’re making a good amount of money each year. You’re thinking about how to take it to the next level because things are stagnant.
You don’t know what to put out there, what it’s going to look like or what people will think or feel (or insert your own fear here). I get it. I’ve been there too. There are lots of ways to approach these fears. It’s my job to give you the tools, tips and tactics to make storytelling in business your newest superpower.
I hear from my clients all the time that they’re “uncomfortable” putting themselves out there. They tell me that they’re not looking for the limelight or for attention and cite two main objections about putting themselves out there: fear of judgment and lack of preparation.
Fear Of Judgment
The first is that you have a fear of judgment – for who you are, for what you’re going to say or for your delivery. Let’s call a spade a spade. Your fear of sharing about your life, business or customers comes from a fear of judgment. Plain and simple.
Take a breath and acknowledge this. You’re the one telling yourself that people are going to judge you. The truth is that no one is thinking about you enough to judge you. They’re thinking about themselves and their own lives.
Let’s take a step back and remember that no one actually cares about your message until you give them a reason to. This doesn’t happen overnight. This is the first step in getting started and keeping consistent.
Secondly, you’re being selfish. You’ve been through a lot in your life and business career. The world needs more authentic leadership. Keeping your story to yourself is doing a disservice to the world and isn’t helping anyone.
Lack Of Preparation
If we’re able to better prepare, we’ll automatically have less fear of judgment. We must remember the importance of storytelling: we’re helping our audience to tell their own story better. Remembering this allows our emotions to take a backseat. Or at least stand a bit further afield of the initial fear.
This way we’re able to put the story at the forefront – blocking the feelings of judgment – through the use of story. We’ll illustrate this point further when we discuss The Five Elements of Storytelling in Chapter 2.
Each of these elements enables the audience to find their own place in the action.
Yes, the stories are from our lives, businesses and experiences, but every story is 100% built to share lessons with our audience so they can see the parity in themselves.
Storytelling is less about us – the messenger. It’s all about the audience. Every story is and should be about your audience.
It’s the same thing with your brand. Do you want to invite people to experience who you are? To become members of an exclusive club? Are you the all access company that welcomes all comers?
Are you the type of brand that’s fun and quirky or are you more serious?
There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s what works for you.
The question is simple: Are you summoning your people to come and find you? Are you sounding the sweet drums of celebration in the distant jungles? Are you welcoming your tribe back home?
Are you cutting through the noise of the marketing quagmire? Story is the bridge to get them into the boat. Tell your story, show your results. It’s how each of us can get to know, like and trust a brand or a person. Branding, storytelling and growing a business are all about building trust quickly.
Whether you use their products or services, brands are consistent across markets. Some great brand storytelling examples are Hilton, WeWork and McDonalds.
Have you ever visited a WeWork, eaten at a McDonalds or spent the night at a Hilton Hotel? Each of these multi- national brands boast thousands of locations all over the world. If you’ve visited any of them, you’ve seen the consistency of their branding.
Design elements, level of service and the quality of the experience, etc. The markers of the brand are evident. The story is the same whether you’re in Mumbai, India or Scottsdale, Arizona. The expectations are set.
When we visit these places we have an idea of what to expect. We know the story that the brand is telling us and we know how we relate to it.
WeWork – Strong internet, a steady supply of coffee and a community of entrepreneurs.
McDonalds – Fast Food, Open Late, Ronald McDonald
Hilton Hotels – A great night’s sleep, top notch service with comfort and style.
These brands have grown for exactly that reason. People are able to count on them no matter where they are in the world. We can count on these brands to help us tell the story we need to make our lives better.
You can do the same thing. Branding yourself, with your stories gives you a unique space in the market.
Remember, no one‘ s going to find you on their own. In the words of Christopher Charles Hampton, “It doesn’t pay to be the world’s best kept secret.”
Now that we know the importance of communicating our ideas and what storytelling can do for our businesses, lets dive into what a story actually is.
