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In 2nd grade I used an opportunity afforded during “show ‘n tell” to tattle on my neighbor. We lived on some acreage with horses, ducks, a cat and a dog. Our neighbor would ride his lawn mower around – not mowing necessarily, but using the mower like you might an ATV – drinking beer and tossing his empty beer bottles over the fence onto our property. I’d watch him through the woods. I don’t think he ever caught me catching him.

My mother was horrified that I shared that with my entire 2nd grade class, but it seemed noteworthy enough to me. I don’t remember any reaction from my teacher or the class. But it was off my chest and I know I felt better for telling on our beer swilling, bottle throwing neighbor.

Show ‘n tell is cool. And fun!

I still love it. I’ve got one neighbor still who is very show ‘n tell worthy, but it’s not quite as becoming to tattle on adults as it once was.

Businesses desperately need to learn how to show ‘n tell. It’s not much different than me reading “I Love School” to my granddaughter. It’s a story. With pictures. And everything. When you’re not quite 2-years-old, you need more than words to keep your attention. And Kinsley, my granddaughter pictured in my lap, won’t let me linger on any single page for much more than 5 seconds. Thankfully, I’m a speed reader (and page flipper) so I can maintain her interest.

Your customers and prospects have very similar attention spans. Then again, don’t we all? I guess we’re all battling the ability to maintain focus. We may be smarter than 5th graders, but most of us aren’t able to concentrate any better than a 2-year-old.

This makes the skill of storytelling even more valuable. Many businesses, especially what many called “traditional” businesses, don’t do enough work in crafting their story. I didn’t say in manufacturing a story…but in crafting a true, genuine story that is worth telling.

In the 2nd grade I knew I had a story that I really wanted to tell. It was interesting to me. My classmates were much like me so I assumed they might enjoy it, too. It had some classic elements. A main character – my neighbor. An illicit behavior – drinking beer. Another illicit behavior – tossing empty bottles into somebody else’s yard. That made the main character, an adult, the villan. Even better when you’re a 2nd grader!

Let’s talk about telling a more compelling story so our prospects are engaged enough to do business with us! Jay Leno’s Garage is a YouTube channel that does a great job of telling stories about the cars.

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Business people love to plan. How much revenue can we generate in the next quarter? How will we do it? What new initiatives do we want to launch? Let’s map it out and figure out how we’ll make it happen. We build a plan.

Plans are necessary, but don’t confuse them with purpose. They’re not the same, but I frequently encounter business people who think a lot about plans without ever thinking about purpose. Some confuse the two.

The plan answers what and how. The purpose answers why.

Purpose gives us direction!

Today’s show was recorded away from The Yellow Studio. It addresses some things I notice frequently, especially among managers who aren’t yet C-level. But…it also applies to each of us individually. What’s our purpose? For solopreneurs, I suspect it’s even more difficult than it is for those working in organizations because it’s lonely, personal and often daunting. Let’s see if we can wrestle some things down and learn. I know we can ask better questions. And that might just lead to better answers.

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Years ago some male actor was on The David Letterman Show and remarked, “You know that slot in men’s underwear? Why do they have those? Do they work?” David’s reply dropped me to the floor in laughter, “It depends on what kind of work you’re doing!”

Clients and prospective clients often remark, “Marketing has never worked for me.” And I’m reminded of Dave’s snarky reply. I think, or say, “It depends on what kind of work you WANT it to do.”

Marketing is something everybody feels they need to do better, but few give it the time and attention it truly deserves. People mistake movement for meaningful action. Like a shark, they think if they just keep moving then they’ll stumble onto something that might work. And it might not.

Today’s show is about some fundamental – but very important building blocks – truths about marketing. Your marketing!

Mentioned in today’s show:

• Episode 160 is about narrowing your market
• My tribute to my orthopedic surgeon who could put his thumb right on my problem
• The results of my Perry Marshall Marketing DNA test

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