My Worst Mistake in Storytelling

Before I understood the dynamics of storytelling, I followed the advice to “let people get to know you.”

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash.

I’d just started my first website, which was focused on midlife career change. I had studied metaphors but wasn’t aware of the power of storytelling for business.

Somewhere I picked up the idea that it’s important to share your experience. I was also told that clients would want to work with someone who was “different from them.”

Well, I didn’t have to try too hard to be “different.” I wrote up a story about how I’d always been a “free spirit.” I traveled a lot. I moved a lot. I didn’t give into a lot of “should” messages.

What was wrong with this story?

First, it didn’t fit my style of marketing. I didn’t know it, but I was already an Educator archetype. Prospective clients didn’t want to hear about me. They wanted insights into career change and relocation.

Second, when you tell a business story, your target audience needs to join the story. They need to feel they’re in there with you. People couldn’t relate.

Many of my clients had families; in fact, I soon learned that career coaches get lots of calls along the lines of, “I want to move but my partner doesn’t,” or, “My 14-year-old kid won’t move with us.” I…