| Before the advent of pencil and paper and writing, | | | | doubt in her family as she started her business |
| ancient peoples depended solely upon storytelling | | | | and used my story as a guide for her to set |
| to pass along the history of their families and | | | | boundaries with them to keep herself sane during |
| tribes from one generation to the next. Of | | | | this very crazy period of her life. You simply |
| course, it was an imperfect method, as we | | | | never know how powerfully your story will impact |
| humans tend to skew a story from our own | | | | others. |
| perspective and add details and nuances that | | | | In the teleclasses and coaching that I do, I often |
| weren't present in the original story. However | | | | tell my story of the scary and stupid way I |
| imperfect or exaggerated or simply untrue the | | | | started my business -- a way that defied all |
| stories might be, we all live in countries where | | | | professional advice and a way that I wouldn't |
| stories shape our history. Here in the U.S., we | | | | recommend to any of my clients -- but I |
| were all regaled as children with stories of Paul | | | | succeeded despite myself. I had quit my full-time |
| Revere's ride through Boston alerting the | | | | job without any savings, filed for divorce, put my |
| residents of the coming of the British, or if you | | | | house up for sale, sold my major possessions, |
| were a Texas kid, of the defeat of Santa Ana in | | | | loaded the car up with my dog and relocated |
| San Jacinto after the tragic loss of life to the | | | | halfway across the country, moved in with my |
| Mexican army at the Alamo. | | | | mother back into my childhood bedroom, |
| I've always reveled in stories. One of my favorite | | | | withdrew money from my retirement account to |
| pastimes as a child was to hang out with my | | | | get me through the first few months, and set up |
| mom and aunts for the "adult conversations" that | | | | shop in my mother's garage. I was just a failure |
| weren't really suitable for children's ears. However, | | | | waiting to happen, but I didn't fail, amazingly |
| I refused to leave no matter how strongly I was | | | | enough. I use this story to illustrate the point that |
| encouraged to go and play outside. I just wanted | | | | no matter what the odds, if you want to start a |
| to hear the stories of the "good ole" days" (i.e. | | | | business and be successful, you can do it --and |
| back in the olden days, as I gleefully referred to | | | | I'm living proof that anyone can do it -- and if you |
| those times) when they were growing up or | | | | don't have all of these risk factors staring you in |
| when things were different. Hearing stories about | | | | the face, you stand a much greater chance of |
| them in different contexts than how I knew | | | | success than I ever did! |
| them shaped both my personal history and my | | | | Share all of your stories with your clients--the |
| family history and connected me to them in ways | | | | good, the bad, and the ugly. It will make you |
| that I still value to this day. Of course, I l also | | | | much more human and much more approachable |
| overheard much family gossip, but that, then is | | | | with your clients. A coach with whom I have done |
| another story. | | | | some training, Chris Barrow, shares the story of |
| You can create the same kind of connection to | | | | his devastating bankruptcy when he was thought |
| your customer base by telling your story or the | | | | of as one of the most successful financial planners |
| story of a successful client. Stories help people | | | | in the UK. I admire Chris for sharing the failures in |
| create visual images of what you're trying to get | | | | his life and business as well as his successes--it |
| across. I'm apt to remember the story and the | | | | lets me know that he's human and he can easily |
| image it created much more easily than a bunch | | | | relate to whatever I'm going through at any |
| of facts or theories or statistics that just make | | | | moment in time. |
| my eyes glaze over. When I was a contractual | | | | Come up with a fairly short, 1-2 minute story |
| trainer for a virtual assistant training company, I | | | | statement of how you got to where you are |
| often told stories to illustrate the points of a | | | | today and how that impacted why you do what |
| particular class. About a year after one student | | | | you do. Make it interesting, share the ups and |
| completed this program, she told me that she | | | | downs and put your stories on your website, on |
| often thought of the story I told of how I | | | | your business card, in your brochure, on your |
| successfully set boundaries with my "doubting | | | | blog, and incorporate them into your elevator |
| mother" in the startup phase of my business. My | | | | speech. I guarantee you'll start developing fans |
| student was struggling with the same issues of | | | | right away! |