Lauren was tearing her hair out.

As the Regional Manager of 20 stores, she had one persistent problem: nobody hit their weekly sales call targets. She tried everything, shared the data, offered bonuses and explanations. Every conversation was like Groundhog Day: "Do you know the targets?" "Yes, Lauren." "Know why it matters?" "Yes, Lauren." They knew everything - they just hated doing it.

So Lauren tried something different. She shared a personal story. A story from her childhood. A story of how much she despised eating beans. She’d leave them till last, dreading the thought of having to eat them before she left the table. Until one day she decided to get it over with - eat them first, then enjoy the rest of dinner stress-free.

"What if we treated sales calls like beans?" she asked her team. “Get them over with early in the week and enjoy the rest of the working week?”

Fast forward a few months and sure enough, for the first time in years, the stores started to hit their sales call targets. "Beans" became the internal motivation to inspire them into doing the hard things to drive results!

Stories literally rewire our brains and drive action. Logic makes people think, emotion makes people act. Stories provide the emotional hook that creates real behaviour change. Everyone has a story - the trick is crafting them to be clear, emotional, believable, descriptive, surprising, and relevant. Don't just tell stories for the sake of it - make them count.

"Logic makes people think. Emotion makes people act."

Actionable Tips:

  1. 🎯 Use the story framework: Make stories clear, emotional, believable, descriptive, surprising, and relevant

  2. 🔍 Include specific details: Add names, places, dates, and sensory elements that bring stories to life

  3. 💡 Ensure every story has a point: Each narrative should lead to a clear insight or lesson

  4. 🗂️ Mix different story types: Use case studies, success stories, personal struggles, and aspirational journeys

  5. 📢 Share across multiple platforms: Tell stories in meetings, presentations, newsletters, and social media

  6. ❓ Ask for insights: Engage your audience with "What can we learn from this?"

  7. 🫣 Get vulnerable with personal stories: Share your struggles and growth moments for deeper connections

What's your go-to story that always gets people's attention and drives action?

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