We all love a good story: something with which we can engage, something that draws us in and resonates with us on some level, conscious or unconscious, right? But what makes a story good? What is it that draws us in, hooks us, makes us keep reading, keep watching or keep listening? Is it the plot? Is it the romance, the drama, the twists and turns?
No. The plot, the romance, the thrills and the twists and turns are the fluff around the edges, the icing on the cake; the thing that keeps us engaged is character – maybe just one character, or maybe several. At the heart of every good story is a character with whom we can connect. Sometimes we connect through empathy, sometimes through disgust, and sometimes we can’t explain why we connected, we just did.
I guarantee that for every story you have ever thought to be good, if I asked you why you would talk about characters in that story. Take movies – we buy because the pitch (the trailer, the blurb, the write-ups) persuades us it’s worth a look. Whether we watch to the end depends on what we find inside. The best car chases, the most spectacular effects, the steamiest romances will only hold our interest so far. We may stay sat down to the end if for no other reason than we bought the ticket so we’ll damn well get our money’s worth, but we’ll only be engaged to the end if we connected with a character in the story.
And the same is true in business: at the heart of every great business is a great story; and while the story may be one of triumph over adversity, or the journey from rags to riches, or of struggle and breakthrough, at it’s heart will be a character with whom we connect. Potential investors will look through the numbers, they’ll assess the product, they’ll review the market; but even if every box is ticked the answer is still in the balance. The same is true of potential clients: the slickest pitch, the most elegant of solutions will not guarantee you the business. Ticking boxes simply gets you through the door.
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….stay focused.
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This is a bonus post, being as it’s Christmas.
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