Stories Mean Business - Nick Warren

Here’s a puzzle…

Most leaders agree that storytelling is powerful, but few can articulate why.

Here’s a big clue >>

In the New York Times bestseller, Pre-Suasion, Robert Cialdini demonstrates our vulnerability to tiny signals …

His examples blow my mind:

In each of these cases, the unconscious 'landscape’ bleeds out into the decision making brain.

Small things can make a big difference.

Which hints at why storytelling can be so powerful.

Well-crafted stories aren’t small … they command, direct and focus attention.

That’s why they can reshape reality.

Tomorrow, I’ll reveal the 3-line story that launched my web agency in the late 1990s.

It’ll be right here at 7.17AM, London time.

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Trust is the most under-valued and under-discussed quality in business.

Here’s why …

Four years ago, we brought Tala back from Battersea Dogs Home. 

She was our 3rd Collie, but our first rescue dog.

I admit, I had doubts.

She'd been found, tied up and abandoned near some derelict outbuildings in the north of England. For reasons I prefer not to think about, she was particularly scared of men.

She hid beneath the kitchen table for days, eventually learning to trust my wife and kids.

With me, she kept her distance for weeks and months, but I wasn’t worried.

I knew I had to build trust, and building trust is easy. 

Here’s how it works.

1) Make a small promise.

2) Keep it.

3) Make a slightly bigger promise.

4) Keep it.

5) Repeat.

In Tala’s case, the promises were easy to make. Never move too quickly. Never shout. Never raise a hand.

Wait for her to come to me.

The key word here is 'wait', because waiting is something we aren’t that good at in business.

We want the leads now, the sales now, the money now.

That’s why trust is undervalued and under-discussed.

Because we can’t buy it, borrow it or hack it.

You can only keep our promises, and wait.

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Do you sell simplicity?

I only ask because...

Two thoughts:

1) Simplicity on one side requires complexity on the other.

2) Business that sell simplicity unlock great value.

I've sold complex and I've sold simple. The pitch that works best is 6 words long.

We talk. I write. You publish.

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It’s helpful to remind ourselves that EVERYONE online is:

But it’s equally important to remember that EVERYONE behind those pics is 100% real.

Act accordingly.

(*This figure comes via Will Storr’s great book, The Status Game. Studies show that however successful we are, we always believe that true happiness will arrive when we have about double what we have now. A sobering thought.)

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Yesterday, I tried to take a new profile photo.

Huge mistake.

Huge lesson.

"Just be casual", I told the grizzled guy staring back at me. "All you have to show is that you’re approachable, intelligent, creative, experienced, responsive, dependable, funny, understanding and amazing at what you do."

30 minutes later, I abandoned the effort when it (finally) reminded me of a decision I made years ago.

Back in spring 1999, I was getting ready to phone my biggest consultancy client.

He was one of the dot-com pioneers and he was paying serious money.

But the work was going slowly.

So there I was, lining up my excuses and marshalling my arguments. Figuring out how to keep my reputation.

And then this thought crashed into my head.

Stop trying to look good. Be good.

However long it takes.

That’s the path.

Which is why, yesterday, I decided to stick with what I have.

I’m not a huge fan of the grey hair or the wrinkles around my eyes.

But I’ve earned every one.

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Last month, I put out my 1,111th daily podcast.

This month, I’m writing 31 posts on LinkedIn (as a challenge to myself). 

Doing a podcast is easy. 

Writing a post is easy.

Staying consistent is hard.

First, it’s work.

Then it’s a muscle.

But eventually, it becomes your identity.

Which is why you should do it.

Don’t make podcasts. Don’t write posts.

Do your thing.

But whatever that is, go further than you’ve gone before.

Become someone who builds their muscles, identity and brand.

Nick

P.S. Follow me to follow the test.

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Two businesses. Which are you?

One is a hunter-gatherer. It grinds hard to sell, pushing out every day to chase opportunities, smash objections and make sales.

The other is a blacksmith. It grinds hard to build a centre of gravity, establishing expertise, reputation and status.

Both work, but only one attracts opportunity like water flowing downhill.

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Persuasion tactics in brief ...

Tactics have consequences.

Act accordingly.

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For 1%, life works like this:

Attention > Money

For the rest of us, the reality is closer to:

Effort > Attention > Opportunity > Work > Skill > Money > Trust > Reputation > Influence > Craft > Status > Wealth >

Sustainable accelerants include:

To be clear. We are in the 99%. Act accordingly.

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