As mentioned in the previous post, Why AEC Marketers Must Master The Power of Story, stories that connect on an emotional level are persuasive. But does this mean stories about your cat will help you win new business? No, there are three specific stories all AEC Marketers should master. These are the About Me, About Our Firm, and Who We’ve Helped narratives. Telling these stories well will make you and your firm more memorable, build authentic relationships, and demonstrate your ability to solve problems that prospective client may be facing.
Where To Tell These Stories:
The About Me Story
This is the story that introduces you to someone new. You want to make your first impression memorable and meaningful because people hire people they know (and trust). The only way to build trust is to share who you are in an authentic manner. The key to this story is to move beyond a list of your accomplishments, or a chronology of your work experience. Cold facts lack the emotional impact needed to connect with your audience.
The point of the About Me story is to explain why you do what you do. For example, tell why you are a marketer for an architecture firm that specializes in higher education. Once you answer why you do what you do, go back and build your story to arrive at this conclusion. For more information on story structure, read this post: How To Structure Stories To Win New Business.
The following story archetypes can give your About Me story a head start in connecting with your audience because there is built-in familiarity. The challenge plot has you overcoming a formidable challenge. Examples include David vs. Goliath, any underdog, or Star Wars. A rags to riches plot describes you as a normal person achieving something extraordinary. Examples include Cinderella, Annie, or Oprah. The what I’ve learned plot shows you, as the main character in struggle (often with yourself). An example of this is Abraham Lincoln and what he learned from the many failures he overcame.
David Lecours’ About Me Story Example
The About Our Firm Story
This is the story of your firm’s journey. Try to resist a historical timeline. A better approach is to focus on a few key milestones that add emotion, not just facts.
The About Our Firm story doesn’t tell what your firm does, or how, it tells why. The point of this story supports the purpose of your firm. For example, KAA Design’s purpose is to “design beautiful warm contemporary homes that enrich people’s lives.” Their next step to develop their story is to mine the company history for events that led them to arrive at this conclusion.
A good story involves conflict. This could be an internal strategic struggle such as trying to be experts in too many market sectors. Or, this could be an external struggle such as responding to a changing marketplace. Companies typically resist including struggle in their stories because they fear it will make them appear weak. But the opposite is true. Showing vulnerability adds power by showing that your firm is real and can overcome challenges.
There are a couple of timeless story archetypes that fit really well for About Our Firm stories. A vision plot that describes the future of your firm or the future your firm can create if hired. The recommendation here is to take a bold position, be polarizing. People don’t follow tepid leaders. A great vision plot is the I Have a Dream speech from Martin Luther King Jr. This vision plot is great for attracting likeminded clients and employees.
A revenge plot can be effective. Apple employed this strategy in their famous Mac vs. PC ad campaign. It can be more effective for AEC firms to seek revenge on a societal or building problem, not a competitor. For example, if sustainability is a core value of your firm, then taking revenge on inefficient buildings and climate change is a compelling story.
The Who We’ve Helped Story
This is not one story, but a series of short stories. These stories are so essential for Professional Service firms to tell because they demonstrate your ability to solve problems that prospective client often face. It allows prospective clients to see how your firm thinks, and deals with problems.
All you can sell is a future promise. The best way to demonstrate a future promise is by telling stories of your firm fulfilling past promises.
Challenge plots work well because they demonstrate overcoming adversity. Another option is the classic love story plot where boy meets girl, boy messes it up, boy works hard to get her back. This is a great opportunity to show vulnerability. Aquatic Design Group tells a story of specifying a pump that their vendor recommended without doing their own due diligence. The pump turned out to be insufficient for the massive university swim stadium they had designed. Aquatic Design Group took responsibility for the error, had the pump replaced at their own expense (costing half of their design fees), and won lifelong loyalty from the client.
Mine your past projects for bright spots. Share stories where clients adopted your firm’s unique value proposition, and how they benefitted. Develop your story by first establishing your point: why the client chose to hire your firm. The resolution is how your firm delivered, and what benefits the client received as a result.
I recommend that you have a Who We’ve Helped story for each of the main objections you consistently hear in your business development efforts. For example, if you consistently hear that your fees are higher than your competitors, share the story about how a previous client had the same concern, and how your firm added so much value to their project that any incremental fee difference more than paid for itself.
Randy Mendioroz, Aquatic Design Group, Who We’ve Helped Story Example
Conclusion
As Professional Service Marketers, our enemy is commoditization. Stories are the antidote. Nobody can legitimately tell your About Me, About Our Firm, and Who We’ve Helped Stories. Your stories are unique and they will set you apart from your competition.
What Do You Think? Have you used one of these stories? Was it effective?
Did telling your story inspire your prospective client to tell you their story?
As AEC Marketers, we are in the business of persuasion. Aristotle, the father of persuasion, defined it is a combination of logic (logos), emotion (pathos) and credibility (ethos). Our industry is really good at two out of three of these tactics: logic and credibility. But 67% would earn us a “D” if enrolled in Persuasion class. We must connect emotionally to be fully effective. Story is the perfect vehicle custom-built to deliver emotion.
Is emotional connection too squishy, warm & fuzzy, Kumbaya for the AEC industry? No, we are already using it. Our industry is built on relationships. How are relationships built? By creating positive emotional connections one person at a time.
Stories Help Us Lead
Quick, who are the greatest leaders in American history? I’ll wait for you to list three. Your list might include Kennedy, Lincoln, or Martin Luther King because a common skill among great leaders is the ability to tell stories. This extends beyond politics. When musicians, actors and athletes use story: asdefined as authentic expression that moves audiences on an emotional level, they become idols. While our goal may not be hero worship, storytelling helps us lead in business too. Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer of GE says, “you must first tell a story, before you can sell a story.” Leadership and storytelling are inseparable. Plato said, “people that tell stories rule the world.” Which market would you like to rule?
Story Allows Us In
Nobody likes to be sold. We feel manipulated. Our audience keeps their defenses up against our persuasive charm. But story can let you in. When people listen to, or read a story, they become physically more receptive. They relax their shoulders, release their jaw, and even lower their heartbeat. Story also induces mental relaxation. Listeners become less analytical and can reach a trance-like state. This is why parents read stories to their children before bedtime. Story connects to the subconscious and imagination centers of the brain. Story, like a Trojan Horse, gets us inside the gate to then move our audience to act.
Story Moves Our Audience to Buy
Human beings liked to be moved on an emotional level. It makes us feel alive. We seek out emotional experiences on the page, stage, screen and stadium to escape from our overly logical lives. While logic makes people think, emotion makes people act. We purchase using emotion and later justify with fact. Think about the last big purchase you made. Maybe it was a house or a car. Sure, you did logical research. If you are really nerdy, you created a spreadsheet comparing positive and negative attributes among your choices. But, when you had to decide, you probably went with your gut. You walked into your new house and it just felt right. Selection committees don’t choose a firm solely based on lowest fee (a logical decision). Emotional connection, a feeling that the team will be great to work with, influences the final decision.
As Professional Service Marketers, all we sell is a promise to deliver. This promise must be credible (your firm’s reputation) and logical (proven project delivery method). These two attributes will get you on a short list. Harnessing the power of story to connect emotionally can win you the work.
Your Thoughts?
Has your firm used story to win new business?
When have you used story? In bios, project sheets, firm overviews, presentation interviews?
Do you find written or oral stories to be more effective?
Within a monarchy, it’s essential to know your role. The same is true for great PowerPoint style slide presentations. Your effectiveness as a presenter will increase royally by understanding the purpose and relationship of 3 key roles: Audience, Presenter, and the Presentation.
Your Audience is King The only reason your presentation exists is to serve the King (your audience). Too many presentations fail because they are all about the presenter. When this happens, the King will demand your head. A great way to keep your head is to check your ratio of I/we to you. Use the word “you” at least three times as much as the words “I” or “we.”
As you develop the content of your presentation, keep asking yourself, “how does this serve my King?” This will be your filter for deciding what gets included in your presentation.
Your audience is a dubious King who wants to know why he should listen to you. To establish credibility, have someone else introduce you prior to going on “stage.” You must also be likable. Showing authenticity and vulnerability through personal story or self-deprecating humor is effective. The dubious King must then be persuaded why he should adopt your point of view. A combination of logical and emotional argument is best. Once the King likes you, decides to adopt your point view, then you must define the next action for the King to take.
The Presenter is the Star As the presenter, you are the Star hired to entertain, inform, or persuade the King. The King has come to see you, not your slides. Presenters often make the mistake of thinking their slides are the star. Don’t hide behind your slides believing they will perform for you. If, in your presentation, you simply read your slides, then do everyone a favor by canceling the presentation and send them a PDF. Think of your slides as scenery that supports your performance.
The Star deserves a spotlight. Presenters often make the mistake of turning off the lights to make their slides look better. Remember, you are the Star, not your slides, so make sure you are well lit. This will keep the audience awake and allow them to connect with you. Today’s projectors are powerful enough to project your slides, even in a well lit room.
You need to put on a show. All business is show business. You can still be authentic, but think of your delivery as a heightened version of you. Ramping up your enthusiasm, vocal variety, storytelling, dramatic effect is expected of you. This takes practice and knowledge. If you need help in this area (I certainly did), then I recommend joining a Toastmasters Club. It’s a fun, safe and engaging way to elevate your charisma in front of an audience.
Your Presentation is a Present As the Star, you are giving a present-ation to the King. The King doesn’t like to be confused. So it must be incredibly clear why you are giving this present, what this present is, how it will benefit Your Majesty, and what the King is supposed to do next with your present.
First, decide what the purpose of your presentation is. As Simon Sinek suggests in his famous TED Talk, start with why. Why are you giving this presentation? Is it to inform, entertain, or persuade? What is your topic? Then develop your unique point of view on that topic, a thesis that will run throughout your presentation.
Stephen Covey’s “Begin With The End in Mind” is a great way to develop presentation content. Consider at least 3 benefits the audience will receive if they adopt your thesis. Once they’ve adopted your thesis, decide what you want your audience to do next. A call to action is a powerful way to end a presentation.
Conclusion
A Star Performer brings a present to the King. This sounds like an intro to a joke. But, if you’ve been there, standing in front of your audience about to begin, you want to be taken seriously. To help you succeed, remember the roles. You are the Star, gifting your presentation (a present), to the King (your audience). Do this, and the crown will become yours.
As marketers, we are required to be persuasive. Externally, our primary job is to persuade prospective clients to hire our firm. Internally, we have to persuade our Principals, or CFO, to endorse and fund our marketing plans. Presenting with slides, using PowerPoint or Keynote, can be an incredibly powerful way to make an emotional connection with your audience. Therefore, this is a skill that all marketing professionals should possess. But very few of us have received any training in how to develop, design and deliver a persuasive slide presentation. For the next several blog posts, I will share my expertise as a professional speaker and graphic designer to provide you with simple, timeless tips to help you deliver slide presentations like a pro.
Why Should You Develop this Skill? To be perceived as a leader in your firm, you must be able to present your ideas clearly and persuasively. There is a direct link between leadership and presentation skills. In fact, Toastmasters International, the worldwide organization previously known for developing public speaking skills, has just rebranded with the tagline “Where Leaders Are Made.” Having the ability to present well will not only gain you the respect of your firm’s Principals, but will also serve you well in persuading your entire firm to embrace your marketing plan. Outside your firm, this skill will enable you to present at industry conferences and raise your value to firms looking to recruit you.
The Problem Most PowerPoint presentations are dreadful. You’ve probably heard the term “Death by PowerPoint” or perhaps you’ve read “Really Bad PowerPoint” by Seth Godin. Powerpoint is almost universally hated because most presenters develop, design and deliver slides that do not engage their audience. I’m sure you’ve suffered through a presenter turning his back on the audience to read 15 bullet points. Don’t blame the presenter, blame his education. With plenty of classes in Literature, English, and Writing, you were well educated in verbal communication. Unless you attended art or design school, you didn’t receive an education in visual communication. Yet PowerPoint forces people communicate visually. So, what do presenters do? They revert to what they know (verbal communication) by placing a bunch of bullet points on a slide. This is the quickest way to lose the attention of your audience.
A Great Presentation is a 3 Legged Stool The 3 legs to your presentation are Development, Design and Delivery. Remove one of these legs and your presentation will end up on its rear! You’ll want to begin with the development of your content. Consider why you are making this presentation, who is the audience, and what do you want them to do. Start to outline your main points and gather evidence, stories and imagery to support those points. Next, you’ll want to design simple, clear slides that support you and your message. I recommend including 1 message per slide. Finally, you’ll need to practice your delivery so that you are confident in front of your audience. Remember that you are the star, not the slides. If the slides can live on their own, then cancel the presentation and send the audience a PDF.
What Do You Think? Do you have a favorite TED Talk that effectively uses slides?
Do you have a PowerPoint horror story?
What tips can you share for creating slide presentations?
If you want to see the principles mentioned in this post in action, purchase a DVD or Online Download of Change the World Slide by Slide: How To Design & Deliver Professional Slide Presentations.
I love this infographic designed by Fathom Business Events to communicate how and why storytelling is a great brand building strategy. If you like this graphic, you might enjoy viewing my TEDx AFC speech titled The Power of Story.
by Dan and Chip Heath
by Dan Pink
