A journalist asked the infamous Willie Sutton, “Why do you rob banks?” and he answered, “It’s because that’s where the money is.” Another journalist asked him, “Why do you rob banks with a machine gun?” and he answered, “It’s because they won’t give you money when you show up with a great personality.”
The story of Willie Sutton and his responses to journalists offers valuable lessons for businesses and marketers. Much like Sutton targeted banks because they were where the money was, it's crucial for businesses to focus their messaging on the audience most likely to be interested in their product or service. This highlights the importance of identifying a target market and concentrating efforts on reaching it effectively. Sutton's consistent use of a machine gun to achieve his goal also underscores the value of straightforward and consistent messaging, which helps build trust and credibility with an audience.
Mastering the elements
Here are five important components of a business story:
1. A sequence of related events
The narrative should unfold in a logical sequence of interconnected events, and this structure keeps the audience engaged and allows them to follow the story with ease.
2. A time and place marker
Clearly specifying when and where the story unfolds is crucial, as this provides context and also helps to establish a connection with the audience, making them more receptive to the story.
3. A central character
A well-defined central character serves as the anchor of the story, and this character should be relatable and engaging, helping the audience connect with the narrative on a personal level.
4. A surprise
To maintain audience interest, introduce an unexpected twist or unpredictable event, as this element adds an element of intrigue and keeps the audience eager to know what happens next.
5. A business point
Every business story should convey a clear and relevant message or lesson, and this could be a strategic insight, a moral, or a takeaway that aligns with the objectives of the narrative. The business point is what makes the story not just entertaining but also instructive and valuable.
I think by weaving these five components together effectively, you can create a business story that captivates your audience, making your message more memorable and impactful. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting about your business storytelling sequence.
Guiding entrepreneurs
Sometimes being an entrepreneur can be really lonely. Mentors can help to open hives of thought that an entrepreneur may not have considered. Mentoring is an age-old practice of transferring knowledge and experience through personal relationships. The benefits of having a business mentor is often overlooked by eager entrepreneurs who want that instant gratification. A mentor can help entrepreneurs learn how to navigate many of the challenges typically faced by social entrepreneurs.
Mentors have been present in all walks of life and all disciplines for thousands of years and a good mentor will teach you how to think, not what to think. Contact me via e-mail if you are looking for a business professional with the experience to provide personalised support, sound business advice and encouragement to help you develop your own abilities and insights.
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes
The results that are expected of us in selling are sales, and the only time that we are working is when we are doing something that contributes directly to that result. Selling is when you are face to face with real life customers who are willing and capable of buying a product (or service). Today’s businesses are learning from the science of change that they must recreate themselves even when they would like to believe that the old business will go on forever.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Which means to have a vision and even though the vision is in the air or sky, you start to build a foundation under your dreams. All high achievers are result orientated, they dream big dreams and focus on results not activities. The key is to be clear about the results that you are trying to accomplish and ask yourself the following questions:
1) What results are expected of me?
2) What am I supposed to produce in my job?
3) Why am I employed here?
Please reach out if you have questions about how it can impact your organisation or yourself.
Think like your customers
Sales and marketing are different functions, marketing is to attract people who are interested in the benefits of your products or services. And selling is the conversion to buy from you rather than from your competitors. You can’t sell if you can’t attract interesting prospects. In my experience the very best companies think like their customers, they are obsessed with their customers. They think and talk about customers all the time, they call and visit their customers, and they personally responded to customer complaints. They are just obsessed with their customers.
I think the key to success is to make your customers happy, then make them happier than your competitors. You must wake up every single day and think - How can I make my customers happier? The foundation is having a great product or service and just as importantly is the need to provide a great customer experience. Making your customers happy from the beginning to the end is so important and it’s the key to repeat business, customer retention and rapid growth. Every successful company, without exception is obsessed with taking good care of their customer experience once they get them. What do your customers want? What do your customers need? Contact me via e-mail for a deeper dive into your customer experience strategy.
How does what we do change the lives of our customers?
Running a business is very hard. You have to stay true to yourself, your passion and be consistent. You can reduce stress by not having strong opinions on subjects outside of your expertise. Today, customers expect you to know them and know what they want, in the moment.
Contact me for coaching, consulting, workshops or lecturing via e-mail and let’s arrange a non-binary virtual meeting to discuss the opportunities.
“Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art. - Peter Drucker”
Love Is A Dirty Word In Business
For many, love is a dirty word in business. Bringing love into the workplace, it’s platonic, but it’s there. I love these people and I am going to support them doing great work and we are going to do this together. According to Richard Branson, “Customers should not be first, employees should be first because if you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your customers.”
Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so!
Having a deep purpose to the why we do things, it’s not just a job, it’s not just a salary. I understand that these things are so important and people get caught up in working for organizations because they have obligations - but there is a choice about picking something that you are passionate about. And then the human connection, recognizing your own humility - I think Brené Brown’s The Power of Vulnerability Ted Talk from 2010 sums it up quite nicely.
There Are Some Similarities Between Planting a Garden and Growing a Business
CREDIT: Getty Images
A gardener will plant seeds of different varieties to harvest what he has planted in the future. He takes great care in nurturing his garden in order that his harvest will be as great as possible. Growing a business is very similar as in nature because you only get out of it what you put into it. A good business plan requires a good business structure which will allow your business to support other businesses, and be charitable with your resources to help others.
Finding the best people is like finding the best soil and being generous with your time. Knowledge, training and leadership are just like using the best water and fertilizer you can find for your garden. Picking out the bad parts and replacing them with the things that work is like making sure you pull the weeds when they pop up. Pulling the first percentage of your crop and saving it for next spring’s planting ensures you have seed for the next year’s harvest. So, putting a little into every employee’s pocket in bonuses and paying them well for working hard ensures that they will be back next year to help make your business grow even more.
Taking your prize-winning growth to market and showing what you can do with your crops gives notice to others that you just might be the person they want to get their produce from. Taking your people along with your brand or product to market shows you have value. This not only shows that you value the product your team produces, but also it shows you have value in your team, and that without them you have nothing.
Planting a garden and growing a business are very much alike and it is how you show off the people that support your business as this makes all the differences to the outside world. The business owner who lifts-up and praises the people who make his company work is the business owner that people will want to do business with.