Magic in the Room #63: The Power of Stories with Special Guest David Hutchens
July 7, 2021
Stories are the connection between data and emotion, between knowing about something and taking action. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Chris and special Guest David Hutchens discuss how to use stories to be a more effective leader.
In this podcast, Chris has often discussed how we only attract people that believe what we believe. It’s exactly the same when attempting to attract customers in business. The power of storytelling is communicating your beliefs to the market and giving potential customers an opportunity to choose if they align with you.
The power of stories can also be observed when we communicate our beliefs and values to job candidates. Potential employees choose how, when and if they should engage with your organization. But if we can't tell the story about what we believe, it's tough to compete. These are just a few reasons why Chris is passionate about getting comfortable with the fact that they won't attract customers who don't believe what they believe.
David Hutchens shares how Steve Jobs mastered this concept. The result was Apple customers would camp out on the sidewalk for a weekend, waiting for the next iPhone. Jobs did this by telling stories that attracted people who believed in something. At that time, Microsoft ads were full of data about processing power and capabilities. By contrast, Steve Jobs showed a picture of John Lennon and said, so you want to change the world?
Chris also shares how he was inspired by the think differently campaign. He reminisces about how Apple used the imagery of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon. The message was clear, do you want to be like these people who are heroes who thought differently? Do you want to be like them? Or do you want to be aligned with other ads that featured 14 bullet points of product specifications?
Apple's 1984 Super Bowl teaser commercial stated Apple Computer would introduce Macintosh, and you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984.'Computers were not just for businesses. Apple was leading the way by targeting younger audiences, innovators, creatives, and entrepreneurs. It encouraged audiences to break free and think differently. It would change Superbowl Ads forever too.
David reflected when he worked with a technology consulting firm to help with a presentation to win a $250 million contract. The client was saying, show us who you are. They had the technical solution and knew how to implement it. But he spent the weekend finding stories that they could connect to those solutions, not just to show how long the implementation would take and how much it would cost.
The message they wanted to deliver was when you work with them; you will be getting creativity and the ability to exercise resilience. When they won the account, they shared how their stories were instrumental in creating that human connection their client was looking for. So, when David is asked, what's the return on investment for a story? He always replies I know one group that will say it's $250 million.
You can find out more information on today's guests by checking out his personal website
and the Story Telling Leader. If you would like to start a conversation with Hannah, Luke, and Chris and learn how storytelling can move the effectiveness of your organization forward, email them at info@purposeandperformancegroup.com. Remember, you can also get a free Magic in the Room hat by going to www.magicintheroom.com.
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