LEAD MAGAZINE | 2019
of your life that got you to where you
currently are… Growing up, College,
first career days, early struggles…
Think about how it related to what
you do today. You have to take the
time to relate incidents of your past
to the success of your current journey
and how that can help others. The ”what”
becomes your “why” in it all. Another is GoPro. This camera
company has exploded in the years
since it was founded in 2002. Their
advertising strategy simply uses footage
from actual users filming with their
cameras to showcase adventurous
stories in the first-person. And those
stories are what sell the brand.
I remember when I was a kid of 17/18,
I wanted a record deal and was looking for
an entertainment attorney to represent
me because I was so young. I was so
frustrated then, that even considering
the fact that I may or may not have had
the talent, I couldn’t even get a seat
around a table to discuss my own future
in music. Thinking about that a year or
so ago, I realised that that moment was
probably the biggest driving force for me
building the business I’m in right now. To
provide a platform for someone to tell
their story, or rather to be instrumental
in positioning them at any table
they want a seat at… That same strategy can and should be
applied to every business out there.
Create your story and then use that
to make people remember you and
want to buy what you’re selling. Sell
your story rather than your product
and the product sales will follow.
Selling through your story is the absolute
key to being successful.
When and where does
“Storytelling” fall flat?
What
helps
you
decide who’s story will be
successful
and worth telling?
Most people have a story to tell, they just
don’t know how to position it. I believe
that PEOPLE are the most interesting
thing on the planet. Where most people
miss the boat on telling their story is that
they think their story is not important.
There is just ONE difference between
you and everybody else in your market
place and that is your story. No one can
copy that. There is a series of events
that got you to where you are and you
should never dispute or disregard that.
I - personally - try to help people who
help other people. That way the journey
goes further.
What is the structure of
a good story?
Some things to remember when telling
your story will be to talk about what you
did before, what helped you change
that, who did you impact along the way
and what will happen next in your life.
Try to remember 4, 5 or 6 key aspects
Well we - the Agency - can
get you all the recognition
and PR and branding in
the world, but without the
next step of “marketing”
and “selling” it will all mean
nothing. Most people do not
know (or even learn) how to monetise
the exposure they get; so we will get
them written up in Inc Magazine, or on
the Morning TV Shows, etc and it doesn’t
do what they thought it was going to
do… It most probably will not explode
your business if your marketing is
not in place.
Despite all this evidence, most
businesses and salespeople still rely
on product pushing, facts and figures,
and price. Yet, they find themselves
losing the interest of the prospects they
worked so hard to engage.
Consider instead
the brands that rely
on story telling.
Campbell’s Soup is one of those brands
and we’d bet everyone has heard of
them and even sipped one of their
soups. That’s because the company
has strategically interwoven its brand
name recognition with the stories of
happy and healthy American families.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com
The best thing usually to do with a great
article, story, book, or piece - that is
if it is good - is to use it as part of your
communication - to validate who you say
you are. On its own the “story” will not
sell, but it acts as confirmation of your
marketing material and your authority.
What would you have liked to
know sooner in life?
I want people to know that fear is part
of the journey, I mean I’m still scared
every day of my life. But if you allow
your identify to be determined based
on your success (or lack thereof) you are
treading in stormy waters. Failure and
struggle is part of the Journey to Success.
Even Disney have failed movies. You’re
always one bad movie, or book, or story
away from never getting invited to the
party again. It is up to YOU to decide
what will be your final story.
When I made the documentary about
Brian Tracy he said: “there is no failure,
just ways that it didn’t work”. So the
cliché goes something like “True failure
only exist when you quit”! I guess I would
have liked to know that your personal
identity should not be aligned to your
perceived failure or success, but based
on who you really are.
Nick, what are you really
proud of?
I’m also proud that I managed to stay
within my skillset. I built a business and
lifestyle around my strengths. I manage
to have balance in my life by choosing
to surround myself with really smart
and productive people. If I’m busy with
work, I’m productive in order to go home
and have a balanced lifestyle where at
least 50% of my time and activities
have to involve FUN. If it doesn’t involve
FUN, I simply don’t do it. I need at least
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