What's in a name? Captivate and connect with simple business stories
When I meet with a prospective client, we’ll spend some valuable time talking about their business, particularly if I’m going to be blogging or writing copy for them. I need to know what makes their business different from its competitors, after all.
To understand more about the business, I’ll ask questions that aren’t immediately clear to me, such as how the company got its name, why it was founded, and what service its customers can expect. The answers are most often where the owners’ passions truly lie; it’s wonderful when their eyes light up and they start talking excitedly about their business!
We’re always being told that business storytelling is the key to success, and that’s because the more we know and understand about a company, the more opportunity
Throughout the course of these conversations and at networking events, it’s amazing how many illuminating stories I’ll hear – ones that business owners haven’t thought about telling before.
Finding the “whats”, “whys” and “hows” of your business
Something simple, such as how you came up with your company name, is often the route to an instantly engaging story (note that mine is not a fantastic example of this – since Nina The Writer should be pretty obvious!)
I spoke with two separate business owners recently, both of whom had company names that weren’t pretty obvious. On asking for more information, I found out that one had been named after a lucky charm given to them when they started their business, and the other in tribute to a beloved family member.
Telling a story like this in a blog post, or on your company website (the ‘About’ page is the ideal place) will help potential customers engage with you. You’re showing that there’s a real and approachable person behind all the formalities of business – and how many times are we told that in business, people deal with people?
If you’re looking for new ways to connect with people, you could do worse than taking some time to brainstorm all the “whats”, “hows” and “whys” that we all take for granted during the course of our endlessly busy days, weeks, months and years. Play around with them for a while, and when you find one that lights you up inside – well, you’re onto a winner!
Can I help you discover – and tell – an engaging business story? If you’re struggling for time or inspiration, let’s have a chat.
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