What’s their compelling story? What’s yours?

Everything had a story.  Every person, every product, every sales opportunity, everything.  Where it came from, how it evolved, why it exists and where it’s headed. 

As a business, you need to know your story.  Where you came from, why you exist, what benefit you provide.  And before you can effectively market and sell your product or service, you need to know that story. 

But before you can do that, you need to know your customer’s unique story.  Not just the story they’re telling the world, but the story behind why they might need you.  What got them to where they are today, what challenge or need or pain has that created, and where are they headed?

Then, your story becomes their story.  You create and communicate a story that takes your prospect from present to future, by telling a story of how wonderful the future will be with your product or service as the enabler of that future.

Stories aren’t about features, or new releases, or tactics.  Your story needs to take into account the past and present, then predict the future.  If done right, your prospects will directly connect with and start to believe that story.  Now you’ve created value.  And it’ll be hard to say no to a good story like that.