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"I'll tell you a story about Jack a Nory;
And now my story's begun;
I'll tell you another of Jack and his brother,
And now my story is done."
- English Nursery Rhyme
For younger baby boomers and their children, the BBC spent 30 years using its Jackanory programme to support the notion that children should read more.
I am not sure what the creators of the programme would have thought about the way we consume the written word today but regardless of format, storytelling is as old as the human race and will never go out of fashion.
A clear articulation of your firm’s story and value proposition that differentiates you and your practice is the key to engaging clients and introducers. We remember stories and anecdotes in a way that all but the lucky few manage to retain facts and figures.
WHO C.A.R.E.S?
Your practice story needs to be considered through the eyes of all your key stakeholders:
Who are you?
Why should I work with you?
Why should I trust you?
What will my experience be like? What’s your process?
What will be the benefits to me?
Why should I recommend you to others?
BRUTAL CONSISTENCY BREEDS BELIEF
Clarity and consistency across all touch points in your business and, crucially, verbally, is vital for others to see you as you wish to be perceived. If, as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos once said, “ brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room ,” you need to ensure that your external audiences are both clear on who you are and able to articulate it clearly to others.
It is not a question of training your people up to be parrots but rather it is important that everyone in your firm is comfortable with your firm’s story and can articulate clearly and with confidence to the point that they can use their own tone and style when they talk round it, and add their own personal colour without muddying the central message.
Thus your story should serve to galvanise employees across the firm and anything that’s created solely in the marketing department or the boardroom, and which doesn’t evolve with input from staff and clients, is doomed to be a story no one wants to hear. Your story also needs to be dynamic and to be refined as you gain in confidence and your firm and the needs of your clients evolve over time.