Telling Your Story
Telling your story to potential customers
Stories can be very powerful – they trigger emotions in the listener/reader and are easy to remember.
Are you telling your story to potential customers?
Taking my own advice
Last week I was at a networking meeting talking about an upcoming business development workshop Managing Your Story and how we (and potential customers) like to hear the story behind a business. I realised that I had not been telling the story of how I came to be running this series of workshops with Lucy Rennie…
Telling our story
Around 12 months ago I met Lucy at a couple of networking meetings. I was about to run a group coaching taster session and we talked about taster workshops in general. We arranged to meet over lunch and talk some more.
Over lunch we toyed with the idea of running a joint taster workshop of interest to new business owners. We agreed to investigate potential venues and to flesh out our idea.
Over a couple more coffees and a Christmas lunch, we decided to build a plan for a programme of six business development workshops, designed to support new business owners on their journey of managing a small business. We decided to cover topics that we ourselves had found useful as new business owners.
Meet, like, know, trust
To bring something different to each workshop, we decided we would ask others that we had met through networking, if they would like to speak at our workshops. We brainstormed the people we would like to hear from. To our delight, despite these being really new connections, everyone we approached said yes – they would like to speak at our events!
That’s something to celebrate in itself!
And so we booked the venue for six workshops and put together flyers, using others from our new networks to design and print the flyers.
Then we started recruiting attendees – we marketed on social media and at networking events, sent emails, picked up the phone…
And the workshops have been great fun to run! We’ve had great feedback from the participants and the speakers.
“Informative workshops, packed with value”
We’ve also had great feedback on the flyers and on the programme as a whole – how we’ve brought together various experts in their fields.
An opportunity to thank our trusted partners
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved:
Lucy Rennie – Lucy Rennie Communications
Andy Nevett – Freedom Financial Planning
Clare Holden – Clare Holden Consultancy
Rachael Chiverton – Rachael Chiverton Ltd
Louise Mosley – NB Coaching
Gayna Cooper – Gayna Speaker
Peter Beard – PJ Beard Consulting
Gayle Hainsworth – Hainsworth Creative Consultants
Sharon Taylor – Paragon Printing
Also to the participants who have embraced the interactive nature of the workshops and shared their experience, knowledge and stories:
Thank you for telling your story!
So, towards the end of the year (which is rapidly approaching!), we will have another Christmas lunch (yay!) and be able to look back on where we’ve come from our planning lunch last year. :)
Start telling your story
Sometimes we can feel that we don’t have a good story or that everyone else’s story is more interesting!
– but others may not see it that way…
I’m always fascinated by the stories told by my Bird Table members, for example, when they talk about how and why they started their businesses and the challenges they’ve overcome.
(I often get goosebumps just listening!)
Are you telling your story?
Please tell us your story in the comments below…
To find out how I can help you in telling your story, spreading the word about your business or your achievements, recognising your strengths and successes please get in touch via the contact form or call me on +44 7526 740486.
Best wishes!
Sian
A lovely and inspiring post Sian. Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring me to share my own x
Thank you Nina! Sian
I’m planning a workshop on happiness and telling my story will definitely be a part of it. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Kasia! Sounds like a great workshop! Sian
Inspiring blog Sian especially for those considering self employment but….I started my holistic business 16 years ago after being predominately housebound and bed-bound for 7 years through chronic illness, I am now housebound again with different health challenges and now help holistic business owners build their business around their present challenges. So many people can’t see ways around their present life chalenges
Thank you Eileen! Your story is inspiring! Sian
Thanks for the encouragement! You are so absolutely right – our advice doesn’t affect people near as much as telling our story.
Thanks Trish! Sian
What a great success story with networking and workshops. Very inspiring! Thank you for sharing your story. 😀
Thank you Patti! I think sometimes we can take our own story for granted. Sian
I definitely agree sharing your story is so powerful! I love how you created an opportunity out of networking which benefited other women in their business.
Thank you Raphaela – I hadn’t seen it from that angle! Sian