The Power of Storytelling for Service-Based Businesses with Beverly Cornell

 Discover how storytelling can transform your service-based business in this episode of the "Spark & Ignite Your Marketing" podcast with Beverly Cornell. Learn why storytelling matters, how to craft your brand's narrative, and the impact real customer stories can have on your business. Tune in for actionable insights that will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and grow your business.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why Storytelling Matters: Discover the impact of storytelling on your business.
2. Crafting Your Brand Story: Learn the key elements that make a compelling and authentic narrative.
3. Customer Stories: See how real customer experiences can showcase your expertise and humanize your brand.

P.S. Ready to spark your unique opportunities and ignite your marketing?

1. 📞 Schedule a Complimentary 15-minute Fit Call and let’s delve into your goals and answer any questions you may have.
2. 📘 Read Beverly’s book Marketing For Entrepreneurs a quick guide filled with actionable steps to help make your brand and business shine even brighter. 🎙️Or listen to Beverly’s Podcast where she interviews entrepreneurs to get inspired and gain new business and marketing insights.
3. 🎓 Learn more about marketing and Enroll in Our Courses designed to bring clarity to your business efforts. They’re easy-to-understand and self-paced, perfect for busy entrepreneurs like you.

Transcript

Beverly: 0:09

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Sparking Nightmare Marketing Podcast. I am your host, Beverly Cornell, and I am the founder and reputation and growth strategist at BC and Associates Marketing. And today we are diving into one of my favorite topics, the power of storytelling for service based businesses. Storytelling isn't just for those epic novels and movies. It's a vital marketing tool that can transform your business. Get comfortable and let's explore how you can harness the magic of storytelling to connect with your audience and grow your business. Why does storytelling matter? Let me start with a story of my own. So years ago, I met a small business owner. I think his name was Jack. I, it's been a while. Jack ran a local plumbing service and he had tons of technical skills. Like this guy was a master plumber. He knew everything. He had a great team underneath him but he really struggled. There was a lot of competition locally for him and he couldn't figure out how to stand out in a crowded marketplace. So we sat down and I asked him to tell me his story. This is the part I love. Why he started his business, the challenges that he faced and the moments that made all the work, all the blood, sweat and tears worthwhile. Jack's eyes really lit up as he recounted a time when he fixed a major plumbing issue. I think it was with their bathroom for an elderly couple just before Christmas, and it ultimately saved their holiday and family gathering. That story wasn't just about fixing some pipes. That seems pretty simple, but it was about restoring joy, And comfort and a family tradition. When Jack started sharing these stories about how he's helped so many people with his customers, his business completely transformed. People connected with him on a totally different level, a deeper level. And they trusted him way more. That is the true power of storytelling done right. To craft a compelling story, you need a few key elements. So my son is nine, and when we read stories, I often ask him four things. One is who the characters are, what is the setting, what is the problem, and how is it resolved. You always need a relatable character. You always need some kind of conflict or challenge, and you always need a really good resolution or solution. So think about your own journey. Who are the characters in your story? What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them? Your story doesn't have to be dramatic or epic, but it should be authentic, and it should come from the heart. Authenticity is what really makes your stories resonate with people. Every single service based business has a unique story. I know that I do. My story began 13 years ago when I met my active duty army husband. I was an executive for a tech startup and fairly successful at the time. And I was required to take my show on the road. My husband moved every two to three years based on the army's will.. And I knew that it would be very challenging to find a new high level marketing position everywhere we went. So I created my own position that was as mobile as my husband's career. That is the story of how we started. Why did you start a business? Was it your passion or was there a need that drove you to take that leap? For me, it was a passion for marketing. I knew I wanted to continue to do marketing. I love marketing. I loved helping people. I loved helping smaller businesses grow and really create something special. But I also knew I was going to have some challenges and I found a way to overcome some of those challenges based on our life as a military family. But these are all things that inspire you and maybe even force you to take a leap of entrepreneurship. For me, it was unplanned. For me, I'm accidental. Some people come from a long line of entrepreneurs. So they just knew always they were going to start a business, but your story. Your take, your specific situation is uniquely yours and you should share that. You should highlight the struggles, share the challenges you faced along the way. Did you have moments of doubt or major obstacles and how did you overcome it? For me, one of the biggest crossroads was COVID. We've all struggled with COVID, right? But then I realized after 12 years in business that my business wasn't my own anymore. After 12 years of helping so many customers because of referrals and word of mouth, my business was being created by my customers and not by me. So they were asking, Hey, Beverly, can you do this for me? And I was like yeah, I can figure that out. I'll do that for you. And this customer was thinking, can you figure this out for me? And I was like, yeah, I can figure that out. But you know what? Those weren't the things that I was really good at. And it really wasn't the things that made me happy. So after being completely stressed out, overworked making some big mistakes because I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing, didn't have a system in a process because I was just doing the things. I realized that it was time to really dig deep and figure out who I was, who I served, why I served, and what I was really passionate about. What lit me up inside it was as it relates to marketing and helping small businesses. And it helped me get super clear on who I want to serve and why I want to serve them. And that challenge, I think, made me a better marketer at the end of the day. And when you talk about your challenges and how you've overcome them, People get a sense of who you are and they connect with that in a different level. You want to celebrate your wins. You want to talk about those successes you've had and the positive impact your business has had on your customers or community. For me, it's seeing things like I had a customer that I worked with for a while and he ended up selling his business and making a profit. And he was going to retire. He was like, this is great. I did exactly what I wanted to do. And once it happened, he decided, maybe I don't want to just sit still for a while. Cause I think once you're on an entrepreneur, you're always an entrepreneur and entrepreneurs build things. They create things they find that exciting. So when he started a new venture, he called me and he said, Hey, Beverly, what are you up to? What's new? We've talked a little bit, got caught up and he said, I just want, I just love to have some of your feedback because you you always provided me clarity and you held me accountable and you weren't afraid to have dialogue about things like push me further or question. And I really valued that from somebody who was not in my business all the time, because entrepreneurship is lonely and it's nice to have that person you can trust that can help you work through things if you need to. And for me, I wanted to record it because that's exactly how I help. My clients. It's far beyond marketing. It's more than that. It's a true partnership. One of our core values is fusion. You know what our customers do is amazing. Their passion and their skillset is amazing. We love marketing and our system and our process is amazing. And when you bring those two together and create something entirely different, there is a new energy and a, and an action moving forward. This fusion. Of people and ideas that is so much better than individually. And to hear him say that lit me up. It excited me. And it helped fuel my fire to know that's my purpose and passion. And that it is, that's how people feel when they work with me. So you want to celebrate those moments and you want to share those moments with people. So they understand who you are, why you do what you do and how you can solve your clients problems. And then you want to look at the future. What's your vision for the future? What's the legacy you want to lead? Where do you see your business going in 10, 20, 30 years? And then how do you plan to get there? For me, The legacy I want to leave is, a small business, a service based business is an integral part of a community. And when a service business is successful, when they're doing really well, when they're thriving, which is what we help our customers do, they have ripple effects into their community. They support their employees support their families. They, because there's. Great causes within the community, like rescues and nonprofits, those types of businesses support the causes that really matter. And at the end of the day, as cliche as it sounds, it's the American dream. And, we are helping a business. Pay their son's college education or to buy the boat or to make the renovation, something that really matters to that small business owner. And for me, that is incredibly fulfilling and their success is our success. That makes me super excited to see that. That's the legacy I want to leave behind. And on top of the fact that I have a team that I am teaching to do the same thing. So the legacy is bigger and bigger. That matters to me. That's what I want. So what is yours? What do you see? What is the impact you want to make and why should your customer care? You want to share these elements. This creates a narrative that is not only engaging, but it builds the trust and the connection with your audience and your customers. Another really powerful storytelling tool is your customer stories. Think about a time when you made a significant difference in a customer's life. Maybe you helped them solve a tough problem, or you provided exceptional service that exceeded their expectations. One time we had a client who actually was doing a really solid job with their marketing. We worked them for several years. They had a manager that was rocking it and they asked us to do some training with them and then we let them go. And for me, that was like a proud mama moment who's kids going off to college. We've helped them get to that point where they can be successful independently and I can cheer them on and I've built this amazing relationship with them. I've built a friendship with them and I know if they need help down the way we're here for them, but to see them be that successful and to be autonomous is actually really amazing. And again, there's success for us to get to that point, to be that mature as a business was really amazing. Think about a time where you've made that impact on your customers and how it's changed them, but also changed you. Maybe you solved, um, something that they were just struggling with for years and years. It could be as little as you went above and beyond in a transaction. They were there having a bad day and you were there, you gave them a hug when they really needed it. These are small things that you can share, but by sharing these stories, you showcase your expertise, but you really highlight the human side of your business. One of the customers I worked with, one of my clients, she was a cleaning service and she had a customer who was she was a new mom and she was struggling to keep up with all the household chores, the laundry and the dishes and all the things that just pile up when you're a mom of a baby and the cleaning service stepped in and the customer just really described them as a lifesaver. Why? Because it gave her precious time to spend with her newborn. You can never get that time back. That's invaluable. But stories like these, they resonate so incredibly deeply with potential clients, and they build a very strong emotional connection that no marketing can do by itself. So how do you share your stories? Here's a few ways. So you dedicate a section on your website to your brand story, And your customer testimonials and case studies. You have your portfolio show all the ways that you help people use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to share short stories and visuals that highlight your journey and your customer experiences. You can write detailed blog posts that delve into the different aspects of your business and all the stories behind them. You can create videos where you share you, or maybe even your customer shares their stories. Video content is incredibly engaging and really helps put a face to your business. Remember to keep your stories consistent with your brand and your voice and your message. Authenticity and consistency are really key to making your stories impactful. I've seen firsthand how story telling can be so incredibly powerful. And like one of my clients who is a financial advisor was struggling to connect with their potential clients. And we worked on crafting and sharing his personal story. And why did that matter for him? He grew up in a financially unstable environment. He grew up incredibly poor, but he was inspired based on his personal experience to help others achieve financial security. So they'd never be in that situation. But the story, it's innately human and it resonated with his audience and it led to a significant increase in client engagement. And trust and it grew his business storytelling can transform your marketing from a dry pitch into a meaningful connection. It's about showing your human side and building trust and creating lasting relationships with your audience. So to wrap up the power of storytelling for service based businesses cannot be overstated by sharing your journey, being a little bit vulnerable, sharing your challenges, your victories, and the impact you've had on your customers. You can also create a powerful connection that goes far beyond the transaction. Thank you so much for joining me today on the spark ignite your marketing podcast. I really hope you're inspired to start sharing your stories and see the difference it makes in your business. If you have any questions or you need any further assistance, I am always able to chat and hear your goals, your challenges. Don't hesitate to reach out to set up a 15 minute phone call. Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations and actionable tips that you can use in your service based business. But until then, until the next time keep sparking and igniting.