Business of Story

There is a raw energy in narrative and evolved leaders use story to empower people a catapult them to action. But we often look just upon the surface of a tale or anecdote without appreciate the story elements, like protons, electrons and neutrons, that power it. Until today's show. Our guest is Paul Skah,  who specializes in the "why" behind what really makes business storytelling work, and the actions you can encourage your audience to take through story marketing.  He knows how to engage the psychology of decision-making that nudges us to choose washing powder "A" over washing powder "B". This knowledge helps companies sell more, or sell the same products at higher price points. His expertise even ventures into the unknown world of AI and how that will impact our storytelling in the future, which he shares with us on this episode. Listen now to hear Paul's fascinating, scientific approach to brand and business storytelling, and some of the ideal elements formulated in "Goldilocks" conditions to help you craft and share stories that have real power to shape your universe (and your customers' purchase decisions). Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: http://bit.ly/StorytellingTools Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event. Plus, he shares three tests that ensure you have a good story. If you want to learn more from Paul, he's also the author of three best-selling books (as in "Marketing Book of the Year" best-selling) and a public speaker sharing his story wisdom all over the world. Three chapters of his upcoming book, Narratology, are available for free on his website.  

What is it about TV shows, movies, or those viral Facebook videos that keep you glued to the screen? The answer is quite simple: story. And if you are able to create a story that the audience can truly connect to, you’ve struck gold.  But it takes hard work, focus and the ability to produce, edit and learn. Jason Ensler has mastered the art of striking gold with storytelling. On today’s show, he shares his evolution as a film director and storyteller and what you can learn from his experiences as you grow as a brand and business storyteller. Jason has a resume a mile long. You have no doubt watched shows that he’s has directed and executive produced including Hart of Dixie, Grace and Frankie, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Goldbergs, and more. On this week’s show, you’ll learn what it takes to find those hidden moments in a story that will make your brand the brand that people are glued to. Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: http://bit.ly/StorytellingTools Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event.

Jen Dille wears many hats, she is a mom of four and project manager for Sure Spark Marketing. But one of her more recent hats that she has picked up in her “spare” time is that of the licensee and co-organizer of TEDxGilbert alongside her daughter, Mara.  Maybe you haven’t even heard of TEDx, so allow me to explain –TEDx is a local TED talk event that is put on independently by a member of the community. Just this past March, Jen put on the first ever TEDxGilbert event here in Phoenix. Sounds easy right? Well it’s actually no easy task. There’s more to it than just booking a venue and selling a few tickets. From finding speakers to getting permits, it is easy to feel like you’re drowning. And no one knows that feeling better than Jen Dille. In today’s episode, Jen shares with us what really goes into putting on a TEDx event. And I share what went into delivering my first talk at the TedxGilbert event and all of the trials and tribulations of making both of them a hit. Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: http://bit.ly/StorytellingTools Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event.

In 2016, Avantpage, a language translation company, set out to give their already successful company a revamp. They wanted to start standing for more in the world. They did this by redefining not only their brand strategy, but their brand story. Avantpage has been able to really hone in on their brand voice as activists in order to adequately spread their message and motto –empathy beyond words. On today’s show we have Luis Miguel, international translation expert and owner of Avantpage, with his director of marketing, Sabra Rubentstein. We have had the opportunity to work with these two over the last couple of years and through that, have gotten to work alongside what I think is one of the strongest brand stories we have been involved with. They will show you how their business has improved by more than 30% as they found their activist brand voice to differentiate themselves from their competition, and how you can, too.

Parker Howell, award-winning virtual reality filmmaker and director of Red Bull’s first stereoscopic first-person V.R. music video, shares his experience in virtual reality storytelling and how to push the envelope with your brand storytelling.   Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: https://businessofstory.com/telling-business-story-ebook/ Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event.

Kylie Slavik, former slam poet gone "accidental digital marketer," shows you how long-form storytelling can generate millions of dollars for your clients in the fleeting online world.

You grow up in school writing stories paying attention to the structure of the stories you’re telling. But when it comes to business, you may need to be doing just the opposite. Have you ever sat through a presentation that is packed full of statistics and numbers that it nearly puts you to sleep? We’ve all been there. Sometimes, no matter how passionate the presenter actually is, it gets drowned out by all of the numbers and statistics. And that’s because they are too hung up on the structure of the story rather than the story itself. Today, Lynn Ferguson, self-proclaimed “Entertainment Mongrel,” with her eclectic background as a comedy writer, stand-up comedian, playwrite, director, producer and sister of the former host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, helps you go beyond that structure and find the heart and soul in your business storytelling. Lynn says that in business, it all comes down to honesty. Successful stories come from a place of truth. If you are honest in your storytelling, people will care. It’s time you embrace your story and use it to dig deep and use your story to your business’ advantage.

Nick Westergaard, author of Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World, describes how to craft a brand story that will help you rise above the noise using seven brand storytelling dynamics.

In 2011, Kelley O’Brien made an ironic transition: she left her career at a health agency to work for one of America’s favorite guilty pleasures: Krispy Kreme. That’s because Kelly, the former Director of Social Media at Krispy Kreme, is all about bringing joy to her customers, whether through an inventive community health center promotion, or planting a donut Easter egg in your Instagram feed.  Any business can hop on Instagram and post a photo of their product in hopes of reaching a customer. But it’s through storytelling that you give the customer something to really connect with, beyond just that photo. My mom always said, “Everything in moderation.” But when it comes to a brand’s digital storytelling, believe me, there is no moderation to be found. On this week’s episode, Kelley shows you how the doughnut giant uses entertaining digital storytelling to connect with 11 million people through branded social media channels to live out the brand’s mission of bringing joy to fans.  Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: https://businessofstory.com/telling-business-story-ebook/ Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event.

The power of anecdote is so great that it has a momentum all its own. No matter how boring the facts are, with a compelling brand story, you feel like you’re on a train that has a destination. Those anecdotes are told using stories. Stories sell. And as an entrepreneur, your #1 job will be to sell yourself and your services or products to potential clients. There is no doubt that storytelling works to connect with people on a primal level and move them to action. Telling your story in an enticing and compelling way is half the battle. So forget about what you believe your "story" is right now and find your scenes: those moments that have shaped who you are today. Our guest today is all about enabling your superpower through embracing the unique scenes that have made you, you.   Michelle Weinstein knows how to use a story to sell. She's an entrepreneur extraordinaire and survivor of the infamous show Shark Tank. Michelle also runs ThePitchQueen.com, where she works with entrepreneurs to teach them how to sell themselves and their services effectively without annoying prospects or driving them away with boring sales pitches. In this episode, Michelle will show you how to close any deal that comes your way, sell more of your products or services, and turn a NO into “YES” so that you can serve more people and make a bigger difference in the world. It all starts with finding your superpowers, forged from your experiences, moments, and scenes. Remember: Compelling storytelling is ALWAYS about the moments. Your moments or are composed of your experiences that define your beliefs, which lead to your truth.  When you unwrap your truth, you’ll find your superpower. Become a Master Storyteller Grab your free copy of The 5 Stages of Grief in Telling YOUR Business Story: https://businessofstory.com/telling-business-story-ebook/ Like what you hear? Bring Park to your next event.