Strategic Storytelling

Most business advice says: "Show empathy. Tell clients you've been there too." But here's the truth: clients don't care if you've walked in their shoes. What they care about is whether you understand their challenges—and whether you'll treat them without judgment. In this episode of Strategic Storytelling , you'll discover: Why oversharing personal stories can backfire with clients. The #1 rule of...

How To Sell A Service No One's Heard Of: Storytelling Strategies For Innovative Offers When you're offering something that's new to your audience—whether it's brand new to the world or simply unfamiliar to your audience—you face two major challenges: they're confused about what you offer and they don't see the value of the service. In this episode of the Strategic Storytelling podcast, I will show...

What is the most important question to ask about storytelling?  It's not "How much did this story express your feelings?" or "How much do you want to tell this story?" or even "What is the impact of this story?" It's "What is the business purpose of this story?" Why am I telling this story? Whats the ROI of this story? After all, when you tell a story in a business environment, you are investing t...

Storytelling can become more productive when you start with a template. And it's not easy to find templates for business stories.  In this episode, we explore a surprising (and fun) story structure for service-based solopreneurs, adapted from a holiday classic and inspired by Ann Handley's Everybody Writes.  This story template covers a lot of bases. It's a variation of a success story. It focuses...

  If you've ever been asked, "How did you get started?" you know how often this question comes up in podcasts, interviews, networking events, and client meetings. But instead of giving a throwaway answer to satisfy their curiosity, what if you could use that moment to attract your next best client? In this episode, we explore how you can transform the most common origin story question into a power...

  We usually talk about the stories we tell about ourselves.  We use stories to showcase our marketable qualities. We explain and promote our offers. In this episode, we flip the script. We focus on getting other people to tell their stories. Often their stories will be essential for our own marketing.   For example, when you interview a podcast guest, you want that guest to tell an exciting story...

We all hear that stories are powerful—but do they actually bring in sales? In this episode of Strategic Storytelling , I  break down how stories make money for your business, both indirectly (as a smart marketing tool) and directly (by increasing conversions). You'll learn what makes a story profitable, how to align your storytelling with strategy, and what to avoid if you don't want your content...

When you're a solopreneur or running a right-sized business, hiring a mentor isn't as simple as following someone else's success story. In this episode of Strategic Storytelling , we unpack the reasons why traditional mentor models — often built for corporate careers or celebrity entrepreneurs — don't work for most small business owners. You'll discover: Why their story may be inspiring... but use...

What do invisibility, time travel, and telepathy have in common? It's not just a party game or a job intervew question, "Choose your superpower." These 3 storytelling superpowers that can transform your marketing. In this episode of Strategic Storytelling , we'll explore how to: Make your writing "invisible" so your message becomes the star (not your clever wordplay) Use time travel to guide your...

IN this episode of Strategic Storytelling, we explore why your real, everyday stories—not dramatic or overly polished ones—are often the most powerful for your content. As an example, I talk about  ]how comedian Loni Love stayed true to her voice despite pressure to "play a character," and how that lesson applies directly to your brand storytelling. If you've ever been told your story isn't "excit...

Struggling to find the right words for your marketing? In this episode, we unpack why your business story isn't just relatable — it's a strategic treasure trove!  You'll discover how storytelling becomes a diagnostic tool to uncover your most powerful marketing message. Whether you're a coach, freelancer, or creative entrepreneur, your story already holds the key to your branding, positioning, and...

A lot of solopreneur marketing challenges become easier with a story -- and with knowing the clients' backstory.  In this episode, we're tackling a challenge many solopreneur service providers face: how to sell when your offer seems "non-essential" or even frivolous. From personal shopping to manicures, pantry organizing to lighting setups — these services are often dismissed as luxuries. But as t...

  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 ma...

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 fo...

"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 o...

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 u...

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...

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...

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 u...

Solopreneurs often get advised to show their real selves--to come out from behind the website and reveal who they really are. And one way to do this is to tell stories. What's wrong with this advice? First of all, "Just tell a story" means, "Curate a good story portfolio." A story may represent your self...but you have many selves. The first part of this podcast talks about this point. Which self...

When you tell stories, do you ever think, "That's all well and good for life coaches with personal stories. But I'm a technical person who wants to help people discover new ways of thinking about their actions. Talking about finance seems to call for discussions of numbers, trends and charts with percentages in three colors. Jacquette Timmons brings a different perspective. She's a financial behav...

Oh no...the New Year begins with two tasks a lot of us dread: planning and taxes. I can't do much about taxes, but this episode is all about making planning more realistic and more fun. Most people make plans and schedules with their left brains. So you get cold, analytical plans...or even worse, daydreams about the future. That's fine if you're a big business...if you sell cola, beer, or sportswe...

What kind of stories can you tell to explain complex or unusual concepts? What metaphors?  This podcast gives just one example: How do you explain web development, especially the role of designers and copywriters? One way is to use a football metaphor. Each player on a team has a role to play. The copywriter is the quarterback and the designer is the offensive line. How do these roles work togethe...

What does it mean to know your client? This episode was created after I saw an email encouraging. entrepreneurs to know their customers. Demographics, psychographic, big problem...anything, they said. There's a better way. Find their story. What brought them here? What have they tried? Those are the questions that will help you write the copy. If they say, "The other way took too long," you how th...