THE BEST STORY WINS

There is nothing more powerful than a story. We've all seen this. It's a customer story that convinces your executive team to act on your recommendations, not data. It’s Simon Sinek's "why", that convinces your prospects to buy, not proof. It's a narrative that galvanizes your sales team, not a feature list. Why? Because humans aren't wired to remember facts; we're wired for stories.

Dan Pink, in his excellent book, To Sell is Human, says we're all salespeople now. But I think what he really means is this: we're all storytellers now. According to Pink, awash in data, we have an increasingly greater need to "place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact". Steve Jobs showed us that. The iPod wasn’t the best MP3 player; it just had the best story.

What's different now? The sheer volume of data we're getting exposed to. It's accelerating. And it's creating 2 types of people we work with:

Those who present with facts and figures and fail to make an impact.
Those who use information to craft a memorable story that drives their customers, board, or boss to act.

And for AI solutions, the stakes are even higher. There’s a confusing, proliferation of AI solutions, models, and GPT wrappers all vying for our attention. But here’s the thing: only 5% of B2B buyers are in the market at any point in time. And when they do buy, 81% buy what’s top of mind. So how do you stay top of mind? How do you create what marketers call mental availability? Make your AI business memorable. Tell a story.

But we all have heard this before. So why are we still drowning in data, PowerPoint decks, and feature lists?

Because it's hard! Behavioral Scientists call it “cognitive load.” It takes effort to create a good story. And if you’re not a TedTalker, you might face that proverbial blank screen and think, ugh, I can’t do this, where do I start?

Until now. Take a look at Narratize. Yes, I’m a fan, not paid to write this. It’s democratizing storytelling, making it a skill anyone in your organization can have. It uses AI to simplify the process of telling your story – any workplace story. Use it to:

Convert prospects into customers thru more compelling pitches
Set your salesforce on fire with a compelling kickoff story for new products or features
Convince your board or boss to spend more thru compelling customer stories
Summarize your market research data into a memorable, action-driving narratives
Get more than your fair share of what marketers call “mental availability” when customers are making a buying decision
Even make product documentation more engaging (yes, really)

Narratize is still in its early stages and getting a lot of traction, particularly with innovation functions within B2C and B2B organizations. While the home page is focused on “documentation”, take a look at its feature set and the compelling user stories on the bottom of its home page from Shannon, James, and Bellamy. And while they have a broad feature set, I’m also eager for more: elevator pitches, product concepts for market research, and taglines.

In a world where the best story wins, give yourself an unfair advantage. Don’t let a great idea die.

Tell a better story.

Storytelling resources

Matthew Dicks – He has a great book on storytelling, and was recently interviewed by Shane Parrish on the
Dan Pink, To Sell is Human
Andy Raskin – bespoke, compelling, strategic narratives. Andy is great at working with CEOs and just CEOs.
Narratize – storytelling for the innovators in your organization.