Matt Ravden

Methodology

Betraying my tech B2B heritage, I’ve come up with an acronym that captures my approach to building a narrative around a singular proposition, or stress testing an existing proposition you’ve already developed. I don’t always stick to it religiously, because it depends what work you’ve already done yourselves. And the stages often overlap. But it’s a useful construct nevertheless.

Distinction

Is our story sufficiently differentiated from the rest of the ‘noise’ around us?

Authenticity

Is it real? Can we live up to it? Are we trying to be something we’re not?

Resonance

Does this story get the right reaction from different stakeholder groups.
Do staff buy into it? Do customers relate to it? Are investors excited by it?

Engagement

How do we take our (new) story to market? How do we make it live?

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE STORY JOURNEY

Start (but don’t stop) with Why

Tech companies are brilliant at explaining what they do, but less good at explaining why they do it. I like to go back to the beginning. Before the beginning. What was the germ of an idea that lead you to set up the business? What problem were you trying to solve that needed solving? If that wasn’t clear at the time, is it clear now? If not, Houston …

Talk about the future (from the customer’s viewpoint)

Stories have to be aspirational. I like to think they should gently stretch the business from where it is today. If it fails to do that, it won’t inspire; if it stretches too far, it won’t be authentic and you’ll struggle with alignment and internal buy-in. I like founders to think about their legacy. Let’s write a press release from the future.

Describe the perfect state (from the customer’s viewpoint)

B2B sales tends to focus on pain points, which is ok if those are broadly recognised by your potential buyers. But if you’re being aspirational and telling a story that relates something ‘new’, then maybe there aren’t pain points that people will recognise? So, don’t restrict yourself. Instead, talk about your perfect customer, using your services in the perfect way, and gaining the best possible advantage in doing so. You can talk about the obstacles to getting there later, but hook them on the vision right at the start.

Make it real (and from the customer’s viewpoint)

If you can’t point to customers who are early adopters of your story’s promise, then find some who fully buy into its potential. It’s important to show that at least some elements of your vision are already happening, and the race is on. Don’t miss out.

Outside In, not Inside Out

Forrester has long touted the idea of telling your story from the customer’s perspective, rather than from your own - and you can buy the book! I’m a big advocate of this. It forces you to continually test the relevance and resonance of your message with / to a potential customer. And not just any customer. It’s the customer with the highest possible expectation of what you can deliver (even if that has to be hypothetical).

Show, don’t tell

There’s almost always complexity somewhere near the heart of these stories. But it’s critical that when you tell the story, the recipient ‘gets it’ unconditionally. If the reaction is “yes, but …” then you’ve got to re-explain. Sometimes, this is about illustrating what you mean in real-world terms (whether or not your examples are real-world of hypothetical). And although I’m a words person, we might need to step into pictures and video at this point.

Understand purpose

You may not be hiring me to help you find your purpose, but nowadays it’s irresponsible to build a narrative without ensuring that purpose is built in to it. I’m not a purpose specialist (though I know someone who is), but businesses today need to be looking at their broader impact on the world, beyond profit. Being purpose-led not only makes the world a better place, but it makes you a better business. And a more successful business in the longer term.

Celebrate as a business

If we get this right, it’s game-changing, not just for the founder / CEO but the whole business. The whole point of this exercise, in my view, is that the story no longer ‘belongs’ to any one individual. It belongs to everyone. If, together, we can get everyone in your organisation aligned and inspired by the story, armed with the tools to make it their own, then the results will be truly transformative.