What Great Story Would You Tell?

Business leaders often say they “have a great story to tell” and yet often the story they’re referring to is less a story than it is a list of capabilities or features about their process, products or services. It’s important to remember that great stories are about people, not products and services.

It’s easy to confuse a story with a sales pitch and it's important to know the difference. Every business has stories to tell that illustrate its core purpose and connect with prospective customers. It starts with understanding the core purpose of the business and then finding the stories that prospective customers will care about. Red Wing Shoe Co. did an excellent job with this years ago. The shoe and boot company based in Red Wing, MN understands its audience and they indeed have a “great story to tell.” Their story is about quality American craftsmanship and creating products the right way - products that help their customers operate at their best. A fabulous brand and yet their story did not end with American made, craftsmanship and creating products the right way.

Several years ago Red Wing Shoes brought its stories to life in a video series called, “Work is Our Work”. The stories they told emphasized all of the aspects of its brand and they packaged it in several videos. One of the most memorable videos is a short documentary called Crazy Horse Monument: Five Against the Mountain. It’s a story about Casimir Ziolkowski the son of Korczak Ziolkowski, a Polish-American sculptor who was commissioned by the late Oglala Lakota Indian Chief, Henry Standing Bear, to create the Crazy Horse Monument in Crazy Horse, South Dakota. The piece tells the story of the commitment, craftsmanship and attention to detail that has gone into sculpting Crazy Horse. The lead character shares his emotional perspective of what this work means to him. The piece is compelling and powerful. It’s a story that connects the viewer to Red Wing Shoes at an emotional level and communicates its core purpose in a way that a typical advertisement would fall woefully short.

In “Crazy Horse Monument: Five Against the Mountain”, Red Wing Shoes recognized it has a great story to tell and they did it the right way - through the work ethic and values of one of its customers. Through Casimir Ziolkowski, Red Wing Shoes told a story of American craftsmanship, passion, care and "doing it the right way." This story is anthemic of the Red Wing Shoes brand. Casimir Korczak personifies Red Wing Shoes and brings the brand to life.

What are your stories? Who are the people who personify your brand? Are they your customers? Your team members? These are the people who can share the stories that communicate your core purpose, just like Casimir Ziolowski did for Red Wing Shoes. Your business stories matter. Save your video sales pitch for presentations and website filler. You have a great story to tell, just go find it.