How do you tell your story to customers and investors?

This is what customers, investors and partners are attracted to when they engage the product or services you set out to provide. For that reason don’t shortchange the process of clearing identity and articulating what your stand for, who you serve and why you are worthwhile investing time, resources and trust into.

The potency of oratory to evoke action through logic and emotion can encapsulate the purpose driven reasons for a company's existence. Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory and delivery effectively communicated aids in rooting the cause further for felt resonance of the story. Cicero has mentioned "...Nothing, therefore, is more rarely found among mankind than a consummate orator." Leveraging the style with both compassionate and cognitive empathy to convey this, along with Memory to support with data allows the alignment of logic and emotion to parallel being well received. The Delivery of this in oratory for story telling can elevate it even further and better suit. This is why Invention (purpose) known becomes vital in conveying.

As a brand, a business, the brand message has to be consistent. The story is the same no matter how many times we have told it, when we tell it, it must be truthful, heartfelt. However is our storytelling style, we can combine visuals with fresh narrative for different audience. We can be as interactive or informative as we want, the best way is to speak with passion, take our audience along with us on our journey, be engaging, feel the room.

I totally agree. A story should be tailored to its audience. Different people have different needs, interests, and expectations. For example, customers want to know how your product or service can help them, while investors want to know how your business can make money and avoid risks. When tailoring your story to your audience, it's important to do your research and understand their pain points, motivations, and objections. Once you understand their needs, you can frame your story in a way that speaks to them and addresses their concerns.

As a customer care representative at a logistics firm, We were facing a surge in customer complaints from a bridal store, Through diligent analysis and collaboration with my team, we identified bottlenecks in our supply chain, optimized road delivery routes, ensure constant communication with the brides to be, and implemented a real-time tracking system. We reduced delivery delays and customer complaints, earning awesome reviews, we became the go-to logistic firm for brides-to-be. This experience taught me the value of problem-solving, teamwork, and has since guided my career in investment banking, where I continue to apply my problem-solving skills to create value for clients and organizations worldwide.

I am a proponent of "don’t try too hard", being comfortable with who we are creates rapport far easier than those who are pretentious. Our goal in pitching ideas to investors is to earn their trust. If we don’t know an answer to a challenging question, take a pause, and ask for time to gather supporting data to address the concerns.

People want to hear authentic stories. Don't be afraid to tell customers and investors about the raw journey of the company. People understand that building is difficult and if anything, an authentic story builds rapport and can create an immediate emotional connection to your brand.

ONCE UPON A TIME …. This sentence puts you directly in the “curiosity mode”. FACTS TELL, BUT STORIES SELL ??? Storytelling is the art of using narratives to engage and connect with your audience. As facilitator of 100+ innovation projects, I have experienced that “Our customer‘s journey”, “Our customer’s main issue”, or “The way we create sustainable impact”, are wonderful subjects for convincing stories. A great example of storytelling is Apple's "Think Different" campaign, where they celebrated individuals who defied the norm, inspiring peeople to challenge the status quo and embody the Apple brand. This story-driven approach resonates with customers on an emotional level and helps establish a deeper connection with the brand.