Joelle Prochera

#454: Is Magic Real? Coincidence, Serendipity, Synchronicity & Storytelling

#454: Is Magic Real? Coincidence, Serendipity, Synchronicity & Storytelling

Coincidences. Serendipity. Déjà vu.

We’ve all experienced these surprising, sometimes unsettling occurrences where perhaps the universe is trying to tell us something.

Trying to show us the way forward. It almost feels like magic at times.

But is magic real in our life or do you just consider this stuff woo-woo? And if you do discount these random acts of synchronicity, what might you be missing out on?

Joelle Prochera, Master Coach to Fortune 500 executives and the self-described Messenger of Magic has been paying attention to the coincidences in her life and has been keeping a serendipity log for decades.

She says that when you truly pay attention to these chance encounters they can excite and even sometimes unnerve you. But, these chance encounters can also show you the natural way forward in your career and life.

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Leslie Koch

#453: How to Engage Hispanic Audiences With Your Storytelling

#453: How to Engage Hispanic Audiences With Your Storytelling

Hispanic consumers make up over 18 percent of the Total U.S. population, which equates to about 62 million people, according to the US Census Bureau’s most recent American Community Survey.

It is an important market for brands considering it grew by 23 percent over the last decade.

But a lot of marketers are missing out because they either don’t know how to connect with Hispanic consumers or are intimidated to try because they are afraid of making a cultural misstep in their communications that might do more harm than good.

Today, you’ll learn why the majority of US Latinos want brands to acknowledge their cultural heritage, to speak directly to the Hispanic community in a culturally relevant way, and how to tell stories that resonate with them.

Leslie Koch is VP, Social Media for TelevisaUnivision. Sshe shares with you how to reach and engage the Hispanic audience in a way that resonates authentically in culture through music, sports, and other passion points.

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Clate Mask

#452: 6 Keys to Conquering the Chaos to Grow Your Business

#452: 6 Keys to Conquering the Chaos to Grow Your Business

You are growing a robust business but at what cost to your personal and professional wellbeing?

Clate Mask, co-founder of Keap and author of Conquer the Chaos: The 6 Keys to Success for Entrepreneurs, discusses the importance of automation and process mapping in small businesses.

He emphasizes the need for entrepreneurs to find a rhythm of execution that balances personal and business goals. Blocking time for creativity and reflection is essential to keep your inspiration flowing.

We cover his six keys to success with the Personal Keys of mindset, vision and rhythm because you need to get this right to have long-term, balanced growth in your business and personal life.

The three business keys include strategy, automation and leadership.

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Kat Greenbrook

#451: How to Create Business Impact With Your Data Storytelling

#451: How to Create Business Impact With Your Data Storytelling

Have you ever found yourself lost in space, and by space I mean the vacuous void between creating meaning with data either you are trying to communicate or someone is laying on you?

The problem is when we don’t use stories to create context for our numbers, we confuse the mind with what I call the “Malaise of metrics.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn your data into drama and your statistics into stories so people understand what you’re trying to communicate with your numbers to create a real impact on the growth of your business.

Kat Greenbrook is a Data Storyteller from New Zealand and the author of the new book, The Data Storytellers Handbook: How to Create Business Impact Using Data Storytelling.

She is a consultant, workshop facilitator, industry speaker, and founder of the data storytelling company Rogue Penguin. With a unique blend of science, business, and design, she empowers data professionals to communicate data effectively through storytelling

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Park Howell

#450: How to Accelerate Your Marketing Momentum With the Storytelling Flywheel

#450: How to Accelerate Your Marketing Momentum With the Storytelling Flywheel

You can learn all of the story structures you want to make your business communications more clear, compelling and effective.

But if you don’t have a dynamic content strategy on how, when, where and for what purpose you are telling your stories, then you won’t have the impact you seek to grow your revenue, your people, or your brand.

On today’s show, I’ll show you how to build a powerful Business of Story “Know, Like & Trust” Storytelling Flywheel strategy to not only accelerate the momentum of your marketing but to also rapidly increase your sales.

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Jeff West

#449: How to Use Fusion Points to Overcome Sales Objections With Your Stories

#449: How to Use Fusion Points to Overcome Sales Objections With Your Stories

One of the most exciting moments in business is when you land that big client or ideal customer.

But you typically have to go through a ton of rejection for every one win.

If you know that discouraging feeling, then you’re in the right place because we have Jeff West with us today.

Jeff has created the concept of Fusion Points™ where you tap into the intersection of emotion and logic.

He says Fusion Points are powerful for motivating yourself through tough times that all salespeople experience. Plus, they’re a great way to connect deeply with your prospects and customers as you understand their Fusion Points that move them to action.

For over 30 years, Jeff has coached and led sales teams in multiple industries and was among the top sales performers and leaders in the nation including field sales management with the Fortune 500® insurance company, Aflac.

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Steven Winkler

#448: How to Turn Boring Product Marketing Into Vibrant Visual Stories That Sell

#448: How to Turn Boring Product Marketing Into Vibrant Visual Stories That Sell

You know the adage that your product marketing is not about what you make but what you make happen for your customers.

Stories about outcomes are far more compelling to your customers than boring bullet points of product features and functions.

But the majority of marketing in the business-to-business world is wasted because it’s product-centric versus customer-centric.

Our guest today, Steven Winkler, former Global Marketing Leader at HP, shares his experience with the power of visual storytelling in marketing.

Hear his fascinating journey from the world of tech and digital marketing to leading global marketing teams.

Steve dives deep into the hurdles and triumphs of bringing visual storytelling to the forefront at HP. One of the strategies was shifting from product-focused photography to storytelling that puts the audience at the center.

And you won’t believe the impact it had on the company’s marketing efforts.

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Ty Bennett

#447: The Formula for an Influential Story

#447: The Formula for an Influential Story

When was the last time you blew away an audience with your statistics, your charts, graphs and numbers?

Perhaps you looked out on the crowd and saw them dozing off or staring out the window.

And then you inserted a seemingly insignificant personal story that grabbed their attention.

You were surprised by their reaction, especially given that this was a little anecdote that delivered a powerful punch.

In this conversation, Ty Bennett, author of  The Power of Storytelling: The Art of Influential Communication, discusses the power of storytelling in marketing, leadership, and sales.

He shares personal experiences and insights on how storytelling can engage and move people. Ty emphasizes the importance of struggle and solution in storytelling and provides a formula for influential storytelling.

He encourages individuals to be aware of storytelling opportunities, capture stories, and record themselves to improve their storytelling skills. Ty’s book, ‘The Power of Storytelling,’ offers further guidance on mastering the art of storytelling.

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Jim Oliver

#446: How Your “Rags to Riches” Story Builds Trust for Your Brand

#446: How Your “Rags to Riches” Story Builds Trust for Your Brand

Famous American author Kurt Vonnegut said that the most powerful story in the world is…

“A man gets in a hole and a man gets out. It doesn’t have to be about a man and it doesn’t have to be about a hole. People love that story.”

That’s why your “Rags to Riches” story is always the most compelling one you can tell to build trust.

But you might be thinking, “That’s great, Park, but I haven’t achieved my riches yet, so I don’t have that story.”

If not, take Vonnegut’s advice: it doesn’t have to be about “rags” and it doesn’t have to be about “riches.”

I’m sure your origin story – why you do what you do – is filled with plenty of conflict that provides the juice in your tale.

Our guest today, Jim Oliver, author of Make Bank Without the Bank: The New Rules of Money, revolutionized his financial planning business called Create Tailwind when he started sharing his story.

From a challenging upbringing in the foster care system to working in a casket factory at 13, Jim turned his life around, becoming a leading expert on the Infinite Banking system to create astounding personal wealth.

In this episode, Jim exposes flaws in the traditional financial system and highlights the value of income-generating assets. Dive into the concept of Infinite Banking, where you become your own banker, freeing yourself from reliance on traditional banks.

He underscores the power of education and learning from others for achieving financial independence. Jim also delves into the evolution of retirement, now seen as financial independence, and shares valuable insights into getting started in real estate investing.

Discover why Infinite Banking isn’t widely known, and the crucial role of financial education in taking control of your financial destiny.

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Bob Burg

#445: How to Activate Your “Know, Like & Trust” Storytelling Flywheel

#445: How to Activate Your “Know, Like & Trust” Storytelling Flywheel

If you’re a business storytelling practitioner, then you know how a singular compelling story will move your audience to action.

But storytellers aren’t always as effective as they could be because they lack a story-connecting strategy that leads your prospects on a journey to quickly becoming life-long customers.

Have you heard of the Flywheel Effect popularized by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great and then detailed in his monograph called Turning the Flywheel?

The idea behind the Flywheel Effect is to create a virtuous cycle of connecting with strangers who turn into prospects that lead to customers who become promoters of your product or service.

Those promoters in turn share their experiences with people who have not heard of you but need your offering (strangers) to become prospects, customers and promoters…

…and your Flywheel builds momentum taking on a life of its own to help build your business faster and easier.

The Business of Story Storytelling Flywheel

It occurred to me that business storytellers could achieve the same effect with a storytelling flywheel strategy that helps them become better known, liked and trusted.

1. You activate your Business of Story Flywheel by using the ABT (And, But, Therefore) agile narrative framework to make your brand value proposition crystal clear to your ideal customer. This is what helps you become better known for why you do what you do to help you stand out in our crowded, noisy world.
2. Then you build your likability as you use real-world stories that illustrate the impact you make for your customers. This builds momentum for your Business of Story Flywheel as you apply the Five Primal Elements of a Short Story for Big Impact and the 10-step Story Cycle System™ to focus and humanize your presentations and long-form communications.
3. You become immensely trusted when your customers return as repeat buyers and maybe more importantly share your brand story with their worlds, which, of course, makes you even better known, more likable and trusted.

To test my hypothesis on the potency of the Business of Story Flywheel, I invited legendary sales guru, Bob Burg, on this week’s show. After all, Bob coined the popular sales sentiment of…

“All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.”

 

For over 30 years Bob Burg has successfully shown entrepreneurs, leaders, and sales professionals how to communicate their value and accelerate their business growth.

Although for years he was best known for his sales classic, Endless Referrals, it’s his business parable, The Go-Giver, coauthored with John David Mann, that has created a worldwide movement.

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