Entries by Jim Signorelli

Using the 3R’s Method To Tell A Sales Success Story

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If you’re in sales, you know that one of your most important ways to build credibility is through success stories. However, many success stories are more like success reports. They often consist of lifeless facts that every salesperson in the organization is told to present to every prospect. As such, they are usually presented as….

Our Father Who Art In Starbucks – Customers Support Brands With A Purpose

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I recently came across a major marketing study conducted by this big public relations firm called Edleman. They interviewed 8000 people. And they found that 86 percent of us want to do business with companies that have a “noble purpose” – one that goes beyond selling stuff. 86 percent! As if it isn’t hard enough….

Story vs. Assertion: Which Is Better For Your Brand?

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One of the first things we do in our Business Storytelling Workshops is give respondents a mini-quiz to see if they can tell the difference between a story and an assertion. It is rare indeed when anyone gets all or even most of the answers correct. Albeit a common mistake, I’d like to show you….

How To Elicit Your Prospect’s Business Story

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Much has been written about storytelling as a business tool. And for good reason. Storytelling can be an extremely powerful way to influence, motivate and inspire others. However, it is common for storytelling trainers to err by disregarding differences between business storytelling and recital storytelling. Stylistically, business storytelling should be more casual than careful.  Indeed,….

Brand Storytelling: Turning Your House Into A Home

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What makes your brand special? If you answered by talking about your brand’s unique advantages and consumer benefits, you own a house, not a home. Don’t feel lonely.  There are plenty of companies doing the same thing.  And they all have lessons to share. Take Xerox for instance. At one time, having a  Xerox machine….

5 Tools For Oral Business Storytelling

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Oral stories told in a business context, make up a unique category within the whole storytelling genre. They fall somewhere between the extremes of your basic TV news story and stories delivered by performance artists. Stories told in business settings are necessarily short, conversational, and only work if they make a relevant point. Nevertheless, business….

Business Storytelling Tip: “Burn The First Reel”

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In the 30’s and 40’s, Frank Capra was one of this country’s most famous screenwriter/directors. In his memoir, The Name Above The Title, he recounts how he saved his award-winning movie, Lost Horizons, from dying a premature death. “I ran up to the cutting rooms, took those blasted first two reels in my hot little….

Using Metaphors To Tell Brand Stories

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I recently heard Ellen Degeneress describe people who talk too much. “Being with people like this,” she said, “is like being on a highway without exit signs when you have to pee.” Back in the day, when I used to wear ties to work, a colleague once asked me, “Why do all of yours look….

The Real Hero Of Your Brand Story Is Not Your Customer

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I would never even think of telling someone they have an ugly baby. Moreover, I’m not the guy who will admit that you really do look fat in those jeans if asked. However, if you believe that you should cast your customers as the hero of your brand’s story, my conscience obliges me to risk a….

The Important Differences Between Storytelling and Storybranding

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People often think of business storytelling and storybranding as the same thing. Both can be found in the same story toolbox, but they are as different as a flat blade and a Phillips screwdriver. Both storytelling and storybranding are part of attraction marketing. Storytelling is the more commonly used tool. You may not be aware….