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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
The power of strategic narrative | Andy Raskin
May 28, 2023
02:02:49
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Episode notes
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Quick takeaways
- Starting with a shift in the world from the old game to the new game is more effective than focusing on problem and solution in a pitch.
- A strategic narrative creates a sense of urgency by naming the old game and the new game, rallying people around a movement.
- A strategic narrative aligns teams by naming the object or goal of the new game, providing a common purpose.
Deep dives
The Shift from Old Game to New Game
The traditional pitch method focuses on problem and solution, while a more effective strategy is to start with a shift in the world, from the old game to the new game.
Defining a Movement
A strategic narrative is about defining a movement and rallying people around it. By naming the old game and the new game, companies can create a sense of urgency and show the audience why they need to be part of the new game.
Naming the Object of the New Game
A strategic narrative requires naming the object or goal of the new game. This serves as a rallying cry for the movement and helps align sales, marketing, product, and other teams around a common purpose.
Creating a Compelling Strategic Narrative
The podcast episode discusses the concept of a strategic narrative and its importance in pitching ideas or products. It presents a five-step framework for crafting a strategic narrative: naming the movement, stating the stakes and winners/losers, identifying the object of the new game, highlighting the obstacles, and explaining how to overcome them. The host and guest provide examples of companies that have successfully used strategic narratives to reposition their offerings and capture attention. They emphasize the role of storytelling in creating an emotional connection and engaging the audience. The episode also touches on the relevance of the hero's journey in structuring a strategic narrative.
Applying Strategic Narrative to Product Launches
The podcast episode explores how the concept of a strategic narrative can be applied to product launches. It suggests that product leaders and managers can benefit from using strategic narratives to create a compelling story around their offerings. The five-step framework presented in the episode can be used to name the movement, identify the importance of the product, highlight the challenges it addresses, and explain how it can overcome those challenges. The guest shares examples of companies that have successfully used strategic narratives in their product launches. The episode concludes by emphasizing the need for CEO involvement in driving the strategic narrative and the impact it has on various aspects of the business, including marketing and sales.
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Andy Raskin helps CEOs align their leadership teams around a strategic narrative—a single story that powers success in sales, marketing, product, fundraising, and recruiting. His clients include Gong, Dropbox, Uber, Salesforce, Square, and IBM. In today’s episode, we discuss:
• What a strategic narrative is, and how to craft one
• How having a strategic narrative can bring alignment to your entire company
• Examples of strategic narratives in action
• Who needs a strategic narrative and who doesn’t
• Why Andy thinks about movements instead of categories
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-power-of-strategic-narrative-andy-raskin/#transcript
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Where to find Andy Raskin:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyraskin/
• Website: https://www.andyraskin.com/
• Podcast: https://andyraskin.com/podcast/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Andy’s background
(08:03) What is a strategic narrative?
(10:34) How Salesforce would have pitched the old way
(12:02) Examples of a strategic narrative in action
(15:23) How one piece of writing skyrocketed Andy’s career
(16:40) The power of writing online
(17:53) Two paths to writing online
(19:27) Naming the old game
(20:59) Naming the stakes
(23:29) Naming the objective
(25:17) Naming the obstacles
(26:35) Overcoming the obstacles
(26:57) How the strategic narrative parallels the hero’s journey
(28:25) Telling one story well vs. being a good storyteller
(29:18) The 5-step framework summarized
(31:33) An example of the 5-step framework in action
(36:12) The impact of shifting to the strategic narrative approach
(39:08) Companies that are nailing their strategic narrative
(40:36) Why Andy thinks about movements instead of categories
(44:15) Should every company have a strategic narrative?
(46:33) Signs that something is broken in your strategic narrative
(48:53) Steps to get started on your own
(51:36) How to reach Andy
(51:53) Why the second session is the low point in the process
(55:30) Why the CEO needs to be part of the process
(57:40) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/
• Marc Benioff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/
• Zuora: https://www.zuora.com/
• The Greatest Sales Deck I’ve Ever Seen: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-greatest-sales-deck-ive-ever-seen-4f4ef3391ba0
• Gong: https://www.gong.io/
• Tien Tzuo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tientzuo/
• Want a Better Pitch? Master the “Move”: https://medium.com/firm-narrative/want-a-better-pitch-master-the-move-5fbee071ca7f
• Star Wars: https://www.starwars.com/
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces: https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbell/dp/1577315936
• 360Learning: https://360learning.com/
• Nick Hernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoconut/
• Amit Bendov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitbendov/
• Drift: https://www.drift.com/
• OneTrust: https://www.onetrust.com/
• “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott: https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/pamela.golden/engl2327/shitty-first-drafts-by-anne-lamott/view
• Story: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/
• Out of Sheer Rage: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Sheer-Rage-Wrestling-Lawrence/
• Station Eleven: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10574236/
• Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/home
• Apple Watch: https://www.apple.com/watch
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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