We all get so wrapped up in our own business we can lose objectivity, lose perspective of what we actually do. It’s the not being able to see the wood for the trees phenomenon. Having someone else with which to bounce around your idea of ‘business self’ is an invaluable resource. Preferably you need a … Continue reading The power of another person’s perspective
Category Archives: Metaphor
Advertising is often the art, or deception, of putting a gloss on what we do. That is, trying to make a product or service bigger, or better sounding, than it really is. There’s an inherent danger in this approach. In the same way that if you tell a lie, you then have to remember what … Continue reading Tell an authentic story, not an imaginary one
It can be a tricky beast to uncover your why. And while ‘to make a living’ may be part-truthful, it doesn’t differentiate you from 95% of other businesses out there. If you’re struggling to provide a reason why someone might be interested in your product or service, try using ‘because’ after your ‘what’. You might … Continue reading Use ‘because’ to help you find your why
Your first story after the business name, a value proposition, has to do a lot of heavy lifting. And there may be a temptation, driven out of desperation, to merely state what you do. But a business (or an individual for that matter) should always try to move beyond such a ‘what’ statement. Potential customers … Continue reading How to perfect a heart and soul and value proposition statement
It’s all too easy to complicate the plan(s) we have for our business. ‘Strategy’ can often devolve to a knotty mishmash of ‘goin to’. For many people though, a clear statement, in your first story, of who you are, what you do and why you do it – is also a very succinct business master … Continue reading Your story is your strategy, your strategy is your story
The truth won’t kill your business, but a non-truth my well push it down that path. Having a value proposition which doesn’t resonate with who you are, or who people think you are is extremely counterproductive. You’re not only trying to fool your customers, you’re trying to fool yourself. As an example, for a few … Continue reading Why you should tell the truth when naming your baby
Adding more words to a message is easy. It usually adds up to simply being more noise. The ability to remove unnecessary, extraneous words, which add nothing to a narrative, is the main trick we need in our writing. What we leave out, the stuff that’s superfluous to the story, is how we demonstrate clarity … Continue reading Musicians play the notes, maestros play the pauses
The goal of any story is to have a reader, view or listener get the point…quickly and easily. It doesn’t matter whether the story is the reason why we’re late for a meeting or the moral behind an Aesop Fable. Someone is telling someone else what happened. The core idea of your said or read … Continue reading Why One Central Truth is vital for your key message
The great default word – solutions – should never be used in your value proposition, or Million Dollar Message. (Actually, there is one place is can be, race to the end if you want to know where). For a start, all businesses provide a solution in one way or another. So, to use it in … Continue reading ‘Solutions’ is not the solution (even if it feels like it should be)
Describing ‘who’ you are means unearthing your ‘what and why’ Telling someone you’re a lawyer or dentist tells me a little bit about your business. It is who, with a very small ‘w’. Such a generic description doesn’t reveal your heart and soul however. Using a broad descriptor for your who doesn’t provide an opportunity … Continue reading Finding ‘who’ means unearthing your ‘what and why’