Published on Mar 23, 2007

Most of us are familiar with the term “elevator story”. For those who might not be, it is what you would want one of your employees to tell someone who asked about what it is that your company does if they were greeted on the eighth floor elevator in a hotel headed for the lobby. It is what they would say in the time the elevator reached the lobby.

What would your employee say that would make the person who asked want more information? Would they all say the same thing? Could they make a case in that period of time that would make the listener think “That is who I want to do business with?”

Most companies don’t have that “story”. Their employees would be making statements like “We are the oldest”, “We are the biggest in our field”, or the always popular “Our people make the difference”.

Blah, blah, blah. What does that mean to ME? Why would any of these answers make me want to know more? Why would these answers cause me to ask for their business card?

If you want your company to stand out, you must have a story. You have got to have a compelling reason that makes me, your prospect, think “That is the company I want to do business with!”

I recently worked with a large insurance brokerage firm. They are a successful company who was telling the story about how their people make the difference. Who isn’t telling that story? That is exactly what their competitor down the road would tell me.

We started with candid dialog with what we wanted their culture to be…what could be their story. When we finally determined what was important to their clients, we figured out that knowing the status of claims and applications was important. Their clients wanted to go home at night knowing the status of their issue. Their story developed to “We are the company that let’s you sleep when the wind blows”. In other words, when problems (claims) occur, you will know that status every night…you won’t wonder what is going on.

This has become their passion and their story. It works beautifully.

Here are some tips for developing your story:

1) Make it brief. It should be one or two sentences.
2) Make it emotional or expressive. It should be something that they will remember.
3) Make it specific. It should apply to your company and your customers.
4) Make it timely. It should apply today and now.

Remember these tips and develop a story that tells your customers and prospects who you are and why they should do business with you.

Try this and you’ll own your customers.