In the last post we looked at why mental simulations are almost as good as direct experience when you want to learn something (or teach something). And we learned that a story can function as a mental simulation.
How can a technology company provide mental simulations through story that create value for potential buyers? One way is to tell a story of an experience that communicates your values and your abilities. As buyers read your story, they will be simulating the experience you are telling. It will closely resemble the buyer having the same experience you did.
Here’s an example: This is a story that High Speed CNC, a specialized machine shop, tells on its website of how it responded to a downturn in the economy. (I don’t know anyone at High Speed CNC. I just happened to come across their web site one day.) High Speed CNC used the extra time on its hands to improve the processes in its shop and become ISO 9001 compliant.
The page describing their experience has all the essential elements of a story: a protagonist we care about (the owner and his business), an obstacle (the economic downturn), a narrative sequence, and a larger meaning.
By the end of the story we’ve learned some things about how Joe Munich, the CEO of High Speed CNC, does business:
- He values his people and tries to keep everybody together during a downturn.
- He looks for ways to improve the company’s capabilities in ways that are good for the customer.
- He is conservative in his financial practices. It will take more than a strong financial wind to blow him over.
- He’s willing to make capital investments in his business.
If High Speed CNC had simply claimed these characteristics on their web site, we would have been dubious. But by walking us through his experience of becoming ISO compliant, the characteristics are much more credible.
And because it’s told in the form of a story, we are more likely to remember the story and be able to share it with others.
Some other related posts you might find useful:
About David Crankshaw
[...] the next post we’ll look at how you can use stories to create a simulation for your potential buyers, a [...]