“Can’t use stories in MY business…we talk about money!”

When I say “strategic storytelling” to a group, at least one person will say, “I don’t see how storytelling fits my business.” That’s especially true when the group includes financial services businesses.

That’s a reasonable comment if you buy into the most common advice offered for business storytelling: “Tell your story. Show how you struggled.” People don’t want to work with a financial advisor or a money coach who’s just recently rolled out of debt.

The advice to “be vulnerable” and “show you struggled” doesn’t work for most business owners. Those stories seem particularly dangerous for anyone who’s in a position requiring trust. We want to focus on their expertise and problem-solving success, not their weakness and loss.

But I have to meet a service-based business owner who couldn’t benefit from a good story. So let’s dive into the story basics,

(1) Your first step is to identify your story archetype, using this free guide. http://mycopy.info/brandsteps

(2) Start with the goal, not the story.

Let’s look at three financial planners — the same type of business but different approaches to branding.

Julie fits the Educator Archetype. She’s identified three ways a family might start a college fund…