Have you ever faced a blank page, saying to yourself, “I know I need a story…a good story…for business. But I keep drawing a blank.”

And most of the story prompts—those questions beginning “Tell me a story about” are not designed for business. They’re designed to get your personal stories. So you get prompts like, “What was your proudest moment…” which rarely helps your business.

As I’ve said many times, a business story serves a purpose. It doesn’t just amuse and entertain. It supports your strategy…which is rarely about helping you feel good about yourself.

In this episode I talk about story prompts and introduce my newest product—a list of 30 story prompts for b business stories, one for each day in a month. A no-brainer at $7 when you click here.

The podcast helps you understand:

• What is a story prompt and how does it help
  
  
• Why some prompts may work well for personal stories but not for stories you use in business
  
  
• A tip about how to start a collection of prompts for business stories
  
  
• A sample: 5 business prompts you can use now (with tips about how to use them)
  
  
• Why the prompt “Talk to your former self…” isn’t helpful for business stories

In this episode, I mentioned a movie: Harold and Maude - a classic oldie.

Introducing: 30 Prompts for Strictly Business Stories - Click here for immediate download. Just $7.

If you’re a small service-oriented business, you want to get people to talk about you! But how do you do this?

Small companies—especially service-based solopreneurs—can’t generate buzz the same way as big companies. They need to dip into their client’s backstories. When someone says, “You seem to be talking to me!” -- that's how your buzz begins!

In this episode, I talk about what it means for a solopreneur to create buzz. It’s not the same thing as big-company buzz.

You’ll get examples of stories that never became the subject of conversation, and how they’re different from stories that generated buzz.

You’ll also learn:

Why my first website didn’t get clients for relocation coaching

How backstories hold the key to going viral

3 reasons why backstories help generate buzz

RESOURCES AND MENTIONS:

Christina Hills - Get her ebook “Web Design for Non-Techies” If you click at a different time, you'll get a different resource.

Peter Guber - Tell to Win - Buy on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3G0dHNg

My book on relocation (free with Kindle Unlimited - available in paperback or ebook on Amazon) Click here.

My DIY 1course can help you find your client’s backstory. Click here.

FREE ebook on finding your client’s backstory. Click here.

My website.

"You're the expert." How do you feel when you hear those words?

You'd better get used to hearing that sentenence if you're a service-based solopreneur! Because when you sell a service, you’re selling expertise.

You’re offering knowledge and skills beyond what “everybody” has.

You hire a licensed electrician because a handyman might do the job...but you want to be sure they won't set the place on fire by mistake.

You hire a professional decorator because you want someone with flair who adds something to the project…something your best friend just can't do.

So how do you get labeled as an expert?

You can present credentials and testimonials. You can talk about how long you’ve been in business and point to a list of satisfied clients.

But your most effective strategy for presenting yourself as an expert will be the stories you tell.

They won’t necessarily be about you or your successes. These stories have specific qualities that communicate, “I know what I’m talking about.”

You’ll never have to say that directly. Your audience knows. In this episode, you’ll hear examples of 2 stories from a business book, The End of Average.

We'll analyze stories to see how they work.

RELATED PODCAST: Episode 128: How to use your brand archetype to brand yourself as an expert.

MENTIONED: Todd Rose, The End of Average

RESOURCES: How to create content that establishes you as a credible expert in your field - Self-paced course. Click here.

FREE Report - 17 surprising ways to use stories to market your business -

FREE with Kindle Unlimited - Grow Your Business One Story At A Time

You’ve got a nice draft of the copy, all set to go…but will your audience ever read that copy?

The answer is: Not unless you’re reeling them in with a strong headline!

The truth is, most people don’t get past the headline when they’re reading a sales letter. And yet headlines can be incredibly hard to write…unless, of course, you start with a good story.

In this episode you’ll get three tips for using stories to write headlines. It’s one of my favorite topics because we tell business stories to help the copywriting—not to entertain or amuse the audience.

You will learn:

• The purpose of a headline in copywriting (and it’s usually not to sell)
  
  
• Why an AI headline generator will often not be enough to get a great headline
  
  
• A good example of a client’s hidden backstory
  
  
• The kind of story that’s not helpful in writing headlines
  
  
• Why to write a headline for what the client consciously wants (not what you know is good for them)

And more!

RESOURCES

Free ebook on finding the client’s backstory: Click here,

Course on writing headlines: Click here.

Telling the right story, the right way, can lead to more clients and more sales.

You don’t have to come up with a story that keeps you in suspense--a story that could be made into a movie or a slick Superbowl commercial.

The selling story for a solopreneur calls for two key ingredients. You don't have to dig into your life story to come up with edge-of-the-seat excitement. In this episode, I'll share two ways you can tweak your story to turn listeners into buyers.

You will discover...

...the two tricks to get increasing sales from your story

...when a memorable story can work effectively to explain a concept (but not be a selling story)

...the trap to avoid when you share your client's problem with your audience

...the one element to include when you describe your solution

...some good examples of solutions that could become great stories

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to leave a review, preferably with Apple or Spotify.

Would you like to be featured in a future podcast? If you're a profit-oriented solopreneur, send me an email with a burning question about marketing or storytelling...and you'll be featured.

Related Episode: When nobody understands what you do, tell these 2 stories.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

Kendra Perry

My book Grow your business one story at a time

Cindy Bidar

Christina Hills

Article on pitching a story at networking events

Strategic consult

Video review

You've heard it over and over. Success come from hard work, not talent.

You're not a good writer? Not a natural business person? Just work, work and work some more.

So hard work is admirable, right? People are most impressed by hard workers?

Wrong.

Research studies asked this question directly, "What impresses employers and investors most?"

Employers and investors listened to stories of people achieving success by hard work...and stories of people who were so talented, success came easily.

And the winner? Listeners reported greater respect for people who found success easily.

If you think about it...we shouldn't be surprised. Who would you hire as an accountant: the one who struggled to get C's or the one who coasted through on A's without breaking a sweat?

So when you present your story...

This episode gives you

... 3 reasons why you'll get better clients by focusing on natural talent than by focusing on hard work.

...a recipe for presenting yourself using these insights - without bragging or self-promotion.

RESOURCES:

Inc Magazine article describing the research

Free Report on Story Archetypes

Podcast Episode Featuring Nicole Lewis-Keeber - How A Story Can Traumatize Your Audience

Strategic Intensive Consultation

Angela Wills created her Life Style Freedom business by making connections. She believed business doesn’t dictate your lifestyle: your lifestyle creates your business.

“I’m really passionate about helping business owners find a business model that supports their lifestyle.” - Angela Willis

Angela is a very down-to-earth business owner who’s built her business by understanding her clients. She understands the juggling act of being a parent and a business owner.

“That is a skill," she says.

"To me, it comes naturally now…the ability to connect with telling stories. Being approachable as well as businesslike is a skill…when people know who you are, they don’t even look at the subject line.

"They want to know you…it’ll become, ‘Angela has a course and I’m in.’”

Our interview was especially fun when Angela and I gave each other new ideas for connection.

I suggested that Angela focus on “connecting the dots” in her career move from chemistry to business. We talked about how she made that journey.

And then I asked, "But what about people in business who have trouble making connections?" That’s a question I have. I’m not a mom and I live in the city with a cat. Can people connect with me?

Angela says yes. People connect with all kinds of activities. “There are people who don’t go out a lot..but they bake bread. Or they do interior decorating.”

So she had some very specific suggestions for the way I can connect to people as a cat lady in the big city. For one thing, we cat ladies have problems with time management, just as moms do. They’re just different problems.

Highlights of the interview: :

• How Angela’s stories connect with her clients
• Why Angela believes everyone has the potential to connect with clients, using stories
• How Angela’s chemistry background helped her get started as an entrepreneur
• How to keep your business lean and simple (avoiding surprises and crises)
• Angela’s suggestions for helping me connect with an audience that’s very different from me

RESOURCES:

Link to Angela's free course

Angela's website Living Lifestyle Freedom

Cathy Goodwin's Website