The Story Selling Podcast

The storytelling work I do with my clients is entirely interview-driven. I interview people to explore and document their story, then present that story outwards through their marketing communications. 

However the customer stories you gather can also be used to develop new products, drive innovation and sharpen your competitive edge. Stories can face inwards as well as out. Listen in to my conversation with Remeny Armitage, founder of Brilliant and Human, as we discuss:

• Why you can’t rely on automation and AI to present the ‘real you’
• How to discover what your clients are really saying about you – and how to use that feedback within your business
• How to develop clients into advocates
• Why to prioritise customer interviews as a process
• Common feedback Remeny hears during her interviews – and the direct impact on client revenue
• How to act quickly on client feedback (and why this matters)
• How to gather client feedback at exactly the right time

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Links mentioned in the conversation:

Remeny's website: Brilliant and Human

Remeny's LinkedIn

The "customer journey" is one of my favourite marketing metaphors. If you sell high value services, you usually need to take new potential customers on a 'journey' before they're ready to buy. 

But what should that journey look like? And is it all about the tech? On this episode I interview customer journey architect Aveline Clarke. Listen in now as we discuss:

• The difference between the human customer journey and the transactional customer journey
• Why the ‘customer journey’ is not the same as your marketing tech stack
• How to avoid the pendulum of marketing shiny objects
• Why talking about ‘what you do’ can sabotage the customer journey
• Why the customer journey begins with who you are, on the deepest possible level
• The customer journey planning process Ave goes through with her clients

Links mentioned in the conversation:

Aveline's website: Journey Point

The 6 Star Business podcast

Aveline's LinkedIn

“Which email marketing platform should I use?” is an evergreen marketing question! It takes real time and investment to setup any email marketing tool. You need to be sure you are making the right choice.

On this episode I interview systems expert Gareth Everson. Listen in now as we discuss:

• The difference between ‘software’ and ‘systems’ – and why it matters!
• Gareth’s 8 core eight core customer processes, and why lead generation is rarely the real issue
• The correct thinking behind selecting the right software
• Why using an entry level solution (such as Mailchimp) isn’t necessarily a problem
• Why it is beneficial to have a single view of the contact
• Integrations you might want to consider
• How to document your systems outside of your email marketing software

Links mentioned in the conversation:

Gareth’s Lemonade Plan website / book

Gareth’s CRM Growth Systems (for agencies)

Gareth’s LinkedIn

Publishing a book can be a great way to attract a steady stream of qualified prospects. BUT, writing a book is a lot of work! At least, that's the assumption...

In this episode I interview Vicky Quinn Fraser about the concept of 'MicroBooks'. A MicroBook is a short nonfiction book that delivers a powerful transformation to the right reader. Listen now to learn:

• What a ‘MicroBook’ is and how to make it mighty

• How to leverage changes in publishing to share your message with a wider audience

• How to write books that generate real, qualified leads for your business

• How the best books provide a tangible transformation

• How long a MicroBook should take to write

• Whether to dictate your MicroBook rather than write it

• Tips for effective self-publishing

• How to use AI as part of the writing process

Links mentioned in the conversation:

Politics and the English Language (George Orwell) (or on Amazon)

IngramSpark (one self-publishing option)

ProWritingAid (similar to Grammarly)

Vellum (Vicky's typesetting software for Mac)

Vicky's website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

I might have been living under a rock for a year, but it feels like 'ChatGPT' has burst onto the writing scene in recent months. Could this be the tool to (finally) automate your copy?

Well no, of course it isn't. But it can still play an important role in your writing! On this episode I caught up with copywriter James Daniel to discuss how. Listen now to learn:

• How to use ChatGPT to produce quick first drafts
• The limitations (and dangers) of relying on ChatGPT
• Why ChatGPT can be a valuable rearch assistant
• Why ChatGPT will never (fully) replace human input
• The potential of ChatGPT for storytelling and scriptwriting
• How to use ChatGPT in your writing workflow
• Differences between ChatGPT and Jasper.ai

Links mentioned in the conversation:

Our analysis of Jasper.ai
Jon Loomer's work with ChatGPT
James' website: jamesthecopywriter.co.uk

Video can be a fast, effective way to build trust with new potential customers. The trouble is, most business video misses the mark. We worry about the technicalities of lighting, equipment and presentation, when what matters most is the script.

On this episode, I interview copywriter James Daniel. James runs a video production service called Scripteroo. As the name implies, he's all about the script! Listen now to learn about the different types of structure you can use for your video. 

James has also offered a free set of video script templates, which you can find at https://scripteroo.com/video-script-templates/.

Humans are rationalising creatures, not rational creatures. We tell stories to ourselves and each other all day long. At the highest level, these stories perpetuate or challenge the 'status quo', or the way things are.

I've recently helped a friend and client, Derek Dearden, to publish a book about this called The Letter from 2100: A Possible World for your Grandchildren. On this episode I interview Derek about the book and explore Derek's experience with Amazon's self publishing platform.

Derek's website is https://oneworldthatworks.org/

Did you know that storytelling can help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) efforts?

To discover how, I recently spoke to copywriter and SEO expert Sam Boyd. Listen now to learn:

• Why to get 'beta readers' for any substantial piece of writing
• How stories can help you 'sell without selling'
• How stories can be used to illustrate the need for a product
• How to place stories in customer testimonials
• How to tell customer stories that sound authentic (because they are!)
• Why your stories don't need to be perfect
• How long your articles should be
• How often to publish
• How to organise your content to boost rankings
• How to write compelling case studies
• How long an SEO content project should take to deliver results
• How to research content ideas

Sam can be found at www.copysmiths.com.

A few months back I was interviewed by Danny Iny's team at Mirasee for their podcast Making It. On the show I talked about my journey into copywriting and some key lessons along the way. 

Danny's team have kindly let me republish the interview here, so listen in and enjoy the show.

The Making It show can be found at https://mirasee.com/podcast/making-it/. Strongly recommended.

In this episode, I explore how stories can help communicate your purpose and values. Listen now to learn:

• What barefoot running taught me about storytelling
• How storytelling allows you to understand yourself better, and gain perspective on your own values
• How to leverage the fractal nature of storytelling to build trust
• How to select stories that illustrate your core values