What’s Your Client’s Story?

One of the tools that  is so powerful in engaging a tribe in your business and what it has to offer is by telling your story and telling it in an authentic manner.  Getting too focused on your story means that you aren’t taking enough time to think about your end user’s story.

It’s not because we’re selfish it’s that there are times in our business when we get really focused on ourselves.

Chip and Dan Heath talked about the “Curse of Knowledge” in their book about crafting a message that sticks with people.  The idea is that we get so wrapped up into what we know and what we care about that we assume that everyone knows the same things and feels the same way.

This was a personal lesson that I learned early on in my management career.  When I first became a leader of people, I was under the mistaken impression that everyone would think they way I thought I do things they way I do things.  What I realized is that we all look at the world through a different lens and that’s a good thing.

So back to the “Curse of Knowledge”.  This is the very thing that proves costly to us when we put together a business or put out a new product or service.  We assume that everyone wants what we want and would approach things the way we do.  Then they don’t.

When we are focused on our story we are not focused on our client’s story.  When we aren’t focused on our client’s story, it’s impossible for us to know what they truly want.

It’s important to understand and know what you stand for.  It’s equally as important to take what you stand for and gain a deep understanding of how that supports your client’s values.

Here are some questions to ask about your business.

What assumptions have you made about your client’s and what they value?  How have you gone about testing these assumptions?  How can you better discover what it is that your client’s value?

What’s your client’s story?  Do you know?