What’s your story?

I’ve been thinking a lot about story telling lately and how it affects your own personal brand. Seth Godin recently wrote in his blog about “super powers” and asked people to think about theirs. I agree, but I’d like to add to it. Not only should people think about what they are good at, but they should learn how to articulate it. I met someone recently at an event who was in the commercial and residential plumbing business. I asked him what he did and he proceeded to recite his job title. I wasn’t really interested in his job title because job titles don’t help people, I wanted to know what his skill was, what was his super power. And more importantly, how did he use it. Instead of telling me his title, he could have said something like this:

“My name is Chuck, and I fight clogs, braze copper, and generally make life easier for people.”

Now this is compelling. It’s a more fun way to introduce yourself and will definitely get a few follow up questions. However, you need a story as well. Story telling is one of the most ancient and powerful forms of communications, yet today, it’s almost never utilized except for entertainment. Why not use it in your business? Chuck could proceed with a story about a very positive experience a recent customer had and how he saved the day. Maybe inject a little humor to get people laughing.

So, the next time you are at a business event, mixer, or dinner party, think about your “super power” as Seth suggests. Then look around the room and find for the biggest cluster of people. Chances are in the center of that group you’ll find a single person who is a master story-teller and a very successful business person.