Donna Loughlin

#322: The 6 Ways to Humanizing Your Tech Story

As a futurist and developer sharing a new, innovative idea to the world can be tricky. And if you can find a way to deliver your tech-driven story that doesn’t zoom across your audience’s heads then you can supercharge your story to be agile and relevant in the marketplace.

But how do you communicate your complex message to a non-technical crowd? It’s being able to bring in the human component into your narrative. Focusing on the human factor and user experience will give them the in-depth understanding and appreciation they need.

A master storyteller herself, Donna Loughlin, joins us this week to share how you can humanize your tech-driven stories through her six-step process. Donna is the founder of LMGPR and is known for her work with futurists and innovators. She has launched more than 500 companies taking them from stealth to market leaders since forming her PR agency in 2002.

Prior to establishing LMGPR, Donna spent more than 10 years leading creative PR programs for several high-profile consumer and business services and IPOs in Silicon Valley for global market leaders in the consumer and business tech sectors. She has also held leadership positions with global PR firms Burson-Marsteller and Edelman Public Relations.  (more…)

Chad Wilson

#331: How to Evolve Your Brand Story as Your Customers Change

Customer experience is literally a memory. If you can create a positive impact that results in lasting loyalty, endorsement and evangelism then you can become unforgettable to your patrons and build life-long relationships.

But your customers can only be advocates of your vision if you pivot with their needs. Your brand story must evolve with their stories. 

Here to help you keep your brand story evolving and relevant is marketing and branding master, Chad Wilson. Chad is the Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Marketing at Grand Canyon Education, Inc, a shared services partner dedicated to serving colleges and universities with a team that has been leading educational transformation since 1983. He manages everything from strategic creative development and consumer research to dynamic media plans and multi-platform initiatives. 

As part of his work at GCE, Chad has directed the brand story transformation of Grand Canyon University, Arizona’s premier Christian university committed to making private education affordable. From a struggling institution to one of the fastest growing universities in the country thanks in part to a visionary leader and the brand storytelling work Chad and his team have produced. His creative leadership has led the University to become an undeniable force in higher education with brand campaigns that have contributed to the exponential growth from roughly 13,000 students to 115,000.  (more…)

Mark Smyth

#330: How to Close the Connection Gap With Your Story

In the world of Sales, we often find ourselves making selling harder than it needs to be. And if you can communicate your message with resonance, clarity and simplicity rather than weightless and meaningless statements then you can connect with your audience on a primal emotional level to excite them into action and expedite your sales.

But your messaging isn’t connecting because you’re making it too complex. It doesn’t need to be! The ABT is a simplified, succinct, powerhouse sales tool you can use to deliver your message with transparency and conviction so you can close the connection gap and get your customers from where they are to where they want to be.

In this episode, I’m joined by sales force, Mark Smyth who believes simplicity, clarity and meaningful connection are the keys to solving today’s most complex sales challenges. Mark is an entrepreneurial Sales Performance Coach, strategist and is the founder of HUSSOUL, a sales and consulting firm dedicated to coaching sales and marketing leaders and their teams on how to leverage narrative superpowers to clarify their story, their impact and simplify their lives. (more…)

Wayne Moloney

#329: The 6 Buyer Archetypes and the Stories You Must Tell Them

Your customers and prospects come in an array of personality types. And if you can understand their behaviors then you can unlock the key in determining what makes them tick, how you can work effectively with them and recognize their genuine influence within their organization to persuade them to ‘sell themselves’ on your offering.

But your selling isn’t succeeding like it could because you’re not connecting with your buyer’s personality type. When you identify their archetype, then you’ll know which stories to tell that’ll move them to action. 

Australian business growth specialist, Wayne Moloney, co-author of the new book The Wentworth Prospect: A Novel Guide to Success in B2B Sales reveals the six archetypes you’ll come across in sales.

Wayne has a global background with over four decades in roles from salesperson to Managing Director. He has helped a diverse range of businesses in Australia, Asia and Europe to achieve their revenue and profit goals.  (more…)

Wesleyne Greer

#328: How Sales Managers Use Storytelling to Coach Their Teams to Success

Most Sales Managers often feel selling is daunting and you want to find a way where it feels good, authentic and easy so you can drive your team into action and accelerate your sales growth.

But you have to ditch that sales mentality! You have to change your whole communication approach by shifting your focus onto your audience. Make them the star of the story. When you switch your perspective and start seeing yourself as a person who is there to help solve their problems as opposed to being a salesperson forcing to seal the deal, that’s when your brand story will quickly connect, stand out from the pack and get you the results you want.

A former chemist turned superstar sales strategist, Wesleyne Greer is here to teach us how she found her brand story and was able to separate herself from the hordes of undifferentiated sales consultants to design her own unbeatable market category. 

With over 12 years of sales and leadership experience, Wesleyne knows the challenges that come from being able to stay at the top of your game. She is the founder of Transformed Sales where she coaches underperforming sales managers and empowers them to become confident sales leaders.  (more…)

Jim James

#327: How Story Attracts Attention to the Unnoticed Entrepreneur

As a business owner, you know content marketing is king. And you want to share information that will capture attention to increase your exposure and send your engagement rates through the roof.

But despite all your efforts, you feel unnoticed.

Your messaging isn’t connecting because you’re not amplifying it for engagement. When you focus on making it simple, innovative and context-sensitive that’s when your audience will sit up and finally take notice.

A well-seasoned entrepreneur himself, Jim James shares in his new book, The Unnoticed Entrepreneur; 50 Ideas for Your Company to Stand Out, his powerful Speak PR methodology – Storification, Personalisation, Engagement, Amplification and Knowledge. He takes us through his five-stage approach that will help you create a framework to build a simple and structured approach to your public relations.

Jim is also the Founder and Chairman of EASTWEST Public Relations Group, having over 25 years of marketing experience in both business and consumer facing industries in Asia. His impressive array of clientele includes Sony Asia, Roche Vitamins Asia, Nortel Networks, AT&T, Philips Consumer Electronics and Microsoft.  (more…)

Gerhard Gschwandtner

#326: The Powerful Sales Stories a Positive Mindset Creates

A positive self-image is key to living a happy and healthy life and if you can shift your self-limiting beliefs into self-empowering beliefs then you can truly transform your life to become a more impactful leader, help you achieve your goals and lead you to higher levels of success.

But you’re not changing the imprinted negative narrative you’ve told yourself as a child, holding you back from achieving the success you want in your personal and professional life. When you train your mind to see yourself and the world with increased clarity, you can make better decisions and become a better version of yourself.

Today, I am joined by a leading sales guru, Gerhard Gschwandtner. Gerald is the founder and CEO of Selling Power Magazine, and CEO of the Sales 3.0 Conferences. He has trained over 10,000 salespeople in Europe and the U.S and has incredibly turned Selling Power magazine into the world’s leading sales management magazine. He has a strong mission to contribute to the success of sales leaders with SellingPower.com, a sales intelligence platform that’s visited by over 300,00 sales leaders every month.

Gerhard is also the creator of the Peak Performance Mindset Workshop designed to help salespeople transform self-limiting beliefs into self-empowering beliefs and help them achieve their full potential, exceed quota and shift their mindset to achieve peak performance both personally and professionally. (more…)

Ron Sciarro and Paul Preston

#325: How a Story Propelled Their Brand to Market Dominance

Most executives now embrace storytelling as a powerful business tool and if you use story to communicate your authentic purpose then you will raise the perceived value of your brand.

But most brand stories fall flat because they talk about what companies make versus what they make happen in the lives of their customers, colleagues and communities they serve.

Therefore, tell your story on purpose; what you stand for that makes you stand out.  A clearly defined brand story highlights the impact and real-life transformations your business achieves for your customers. 

Two people who know a ton about creating brand attributes and narrowing your focus to key messaging are Paul Preston and Ron Sciarro, co-founders of Aqua-Tots Swim Schools. They have found huge success in propelling their brand to an international level, becoming the world’s largest swim school franchise.

Ron oversees leadership development, training and operations strategy, helping franchise owners and their senior leadership teams with the execution of franchise systems within the Aqua-Tots core values.

Paul is the president of Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Franchise Holdings, and oversees strategic planning, growth and franchise development of all Aqua-Tots openings worldwide. 

Together, they have worked alongside leaders in other industries partnering with multiple brands to create franchise opportunities, and are passionate about offering people a safe place to live out their dreams in business and in the community. (more…)

Greg Head

#324: The Sales Power of a Focused Brand Story

We are now living in a golden age of entrepreneurship where pursuing a start-up consultancy or business has never been easier. And you want to make sure you can grow your startup in a way that creates a valuable experience for your customers and prospects so you can gain consistent sustainable growth.

But you’re hindering the success to your startups exponential growth because you’re not tackling the biggest roadblock – getting crystal clear in defining exactly who you serve and what exactly your thing is for your audience so that you can make aligned decisions and actions that will accelerate your business the fastest.

Today, I’m bringing in one of the biggest champions of Arizona’s tech scene and has spent decades in the startup world, Greg Head. Greg is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different software companies in the CRM industry, including one IPO. 

He is now an active mentor, advisor, consultant, podcast host of Dallas Software Podcast, and a speaker helping founders of early-stage software startups all over the world.

Greg is also the founder of Gregslist.com, the up-to-date list of local software companies and SaaS jobs used by thousands of founders, tech leaders, investors, and job seekers each month. He runs his own consulting company, Scaling Point, where he works with startup tech founders on marketing strategy, messaging, and scalable marketing execution.  (more…)

David Pullan and Sarah Jane McKechnie

#323: Why the Most Skilled Storytellers Start With the ABT

For many businesses, the most challenging part of telling their brand story is unlocking the complexity of their messaging. And you want to be able to communicate your story clearly to your audience so that it connects, resonates, and inspires them to take action. But your stories aren’t converting because you’re overcomplicating it instead of simplifying to a structure and language your audience can actually understand.

That’s why today’s episode is all about how you can use the immense power of the And, But, Therefore (ABT) framework to build authentic and memorable connections with your audience. That way, you can win them over and start putting the power of your story at the heart of your business success.

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