Building Relationships through Small Steps

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Do you know the power of intertwining your personal narrative with your business journey? Do you know how to find the thread that unites that story with your agency’s mission and values? Today’s guest is a narrative strategist who built his agency around helping entrepreneurs shape their stories to attract the right clients by communicating their goals and values. Discover how owning and sharing impactful stories can set owners apart from salespeople and lead to successful outcomes.

Matthew Woodget is a self-proclaimed "hopeless story addict" and the founder and Chief Storyteller of Go Narrative, an agency focused on supporting changemakers by helping them reshape their narratives and align them with their vision.

Matt believes in the importance of stories in building meaningful connections and achieving collective business success. He delves into the common pitfall of sharing too much information too soon, leading to missed opportunities in sales. He highlights the power of owning and sharing compelling stories to differentiate oneself and drive success.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

• The power of a well-crafted narrative.

• The Seven Types of Business Stories.

• Finding the heart of your story. 

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What is the Power of Narrative and Storytelling in Business?

As a narrative strategist and lover of stories, Matt knows the importance of storytelling in business and personal relationships and its power in shaping one's narrative, building meaningful connections, and ultimately achieving collective success with and through others.

Although he doesn’t particularly like the term storytelling, Matt recognizes it as a powerful tool to get people’s attention. To him, we are all constantly interpreting the world around us and building a picture. The way we communicate this is where we start to touch on the concept of storytelling, whether it is to get somebody’s attention, get children to learn an important lesson, etc.

In today's fast-paced and competitive world, the ability to tell a compelling story is more important than ever. Whether you are a business owner, a salesperson, or an individual looking to make an impact, it can be a powerful tool to communicate your message, connect with others, and achieve your goals.

By mastering the art of storytelling, agency owners can effectively communicate their unique value proposition, and personality, and create a memorable impression on others.

7 Types of Business Stories: Crafting Your Agency’s Narrative

In December 2022, Matt decided to study some popular story models. In his research, he found that, while it is a well-known and powerful storytelling framework, the hero's journey may not always align with the needs and goals of a business. Instead, he decided to focus on Booker’s Seven Basic Plots and used it as the base to create a similar framework that can be adapted to businesses.

His model presents things business owners deal with every day in a language they’re used to using. It’s a tool for clients to add to and create their own stories and provides a practical way to get people started on the journey of shaping their stories.

The 7 types of business stories outlined by in this model are:

1. The Challenge

2. The Pivot

3. The Catalyst

4. Innovation

5. Improving Experiences

6. Changing Perceptions

7. Growth Mindset

Each serves a different purpose and can be used strategically to convey messages, inspire action, and drive change within an organization.

Finding the Heart of Your Story and Discovering Your 'Why'

Things are considered cliché because they ring true. However, people tend to use clichés as a crutch, forgetting to tap into what they really mean. Instead, your authentic story — your why — is the one you draw power from and drives you. It comes from your early formative years when you figured out how to live and it starts to manifest when you choose how you’re going to live.

When he works with clients, Matt ultimately aims to identify the heart of their story (the answer to “Why do I do this?”) and the head of the story (the practical aspects); Finding the heart can be the trickier piece, and it may take going back to your childhood to find that aha moment where something clicked about the person you would become, the values you uphold, and the reason you ended up doing what you do.

Identifying these elements can help individuals gain a deeper understanding of their motivations and drive and uncover the core values and beliefs that guide their actions and decisions.

Storytelling as a Bridge to Connect Teams, Clients, and Communities

There is no denying the profound impact of storytelling in its diverse forms and its ability to forge deep connections with others. Once you have honed your story, the key to effectively conveying it to your audience is to first instill it within your team. You may be very intentional with your agency’s story if you don’t ensure everyone on your sales team knows and believes in that story. It risks being lost in translation when they seek to convey it to clients.

Storytelling can be a powerful tool for building empathy and understanding and by sharing personal experiences and perspectives, agency owners can create connections with others and foster a sense of community. This can be especially important in today's fast-paced and often disconnected world, where people seek that sort of connection and recognition in others’ stories.

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