BACK TO THE BASICS
BACK TO THE BASICS :
The Story Customers Tell Themselves
BY DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT
Stories are universal . No culture has survived without them . Stories are widely recognized as an essential part of human cognitive development .
As social animals who crave connection with others , we find that stories — whether told orally , written on paper , or conveyed on film — are our most immediate way to enter the imaginative minds of others .
As toddlers , when we listened to someone telling a tale , we built emotional bonds with others while developing empathy , discovering morality and ethical behavior , and learning the ability to use language to express our thoughts and feelings .
Business and commerce continue to be fundamental ways we interact outside of our family . And while we may not fully realize it , stories are an inescapable part of how we communicate professionally too .
MASTERING THE ART OF EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESS
Critical to an understanding of story in business is how customers tell themselves the stories that define them ( their worldview ) and how these relate to the products and services they use .
For example , people using Apple products might tell themselves a story like this : “ I like great design and products that are easy to use , so Apple is the brand I buy .” This story intersects perfectly with the story that Apple tells about its products .
Similarly , a mother tells herself a story : “ I want the best for my family , so I buy only organic food even though I know it is more expensive .”
When the story that you tell customers matches the story that customers tell themselves , your business is in alignment . However , all too often , companies are completely out of alignment with their customers , which makes for difficult work .
It is really tough ( but not impossible ) to convince someone to change their worldview and therefore the stories they tell themselves . If you sell organic food but emphasize its low cost , you ’ re out of alignment because people accept that organic costs more . Organic being expensive is a deeply embedded aspect of people ’ s worldview and it ’ s the story they tell themselves . Since spending more on food because you care about your family doesn ’ t square with seeking out cheaper prices , the company that sells lower-cost organic food will encounter difficulty .
As storytellers , companies need to consider customers ’ existing worldview as they work on the ways they communicate to the market . Drawing from some of my past blog posts , here are some stories that people tell themselves that align with the companies they patronize :
“ I love visiting new places . I ’ ve been to all 50 U . S . states and over 100 countries and territories . I enjoy traveling to remote places I ’ ve never been to before .” This , actually my very own story , framed why I was so excited to research an Antarctica expedition . Yes , I am a travel geek . Having visited six continents , I was eager to travel to the seventh . Quark Expeditions ’ stories fit perfectly into my worldview .
OPEN CYCLE
“ Mountain biking is a big part of who I am , and I don ’ t mind paying $ 5,000 for the best bike there is .”
NOLA BUENOS AIRES
“ Small , exclusive restaurants that you can learn about only on social media are much more fun to visit .”
OR CONSIDER OTHER EXAMPLES OF STORIES THAT PEOPLE TELL THEMSELVES
“ A $ 900 Louis Vuitton bag is better than cheaper bags .”
“ Facebook is only for old people .”
“ Democrats are better at running the U . S . government than Republicans .” ( OR ) “ Republicans are better at running the U . S . government than Democrats .”
“ I care about the environment , so I drive an electric car .”
To best align the stories that your organization tells as part of its marketing and sales content , you need to first understand the stories that your customers tell themselves . +
David Meerman Scott is the author or co-author of 10 books and the series editor of six . Three of his books are international best sellers . David is best known for The New Rules of Marketing & PR . He has regularly updated the book and it is now in a 6th edition with over 375,000 copies sold in English and availabile in 29 languages from Albanian to Vietnamese . “ New Rules ” continues to be a top seller and is now a modern business classic . His latest book is The New Rules of Sales and Service : How to Use Agile Selling , Real-Time Customer Engagement , Big Data , Content , and Storytelling to Grow Your Business now in a new revised paperback edition .
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