Tell Me a Story - Part 2
by Robert Hendrickson
[Continued from Part 1. If you want to return to Part 1, CLICK HERE]
My last article ended with my belief that the future of the garden center industry depends on these eight words... "Our future is in the stories we tell." But why stories and why stories now?
Because as humans we’ve been wired from the beginning to pass along stories in our lives. The first stories by our earliest ancestors may have started with a simple “ugh” sharing what was happening in their lives and other people listened.
According to experts with really big brains on this stuff, they tell us that 35,000 years ago, people were telling and actually drawing stories in caves. When they first found these drawings they wondered why so many of the same sketches were being drawn over the top of each other. Then someone thought to make a campfire like the first residents would have done and presto, the flames started to flicker and the animal sketches on the walls came alive! The world's first moving picture show.
It wasn’t until 10,000 years ago the cave dwellers got smart enough to start raising food instead of running down a wooly mammoth with a stick! It seems people back then would rather hear stories than find an easy way to eat.
But why stories now? Maybe because people are tired of hearing nothing but boring facts when it comes to advertising. Most marketing is nothing but a long list of product features and benefits along with arrogant claims on what makes one company better than the rest. But lately a few companies have made the switch from self-centered marketing to focusing on the customer's experience with the product.
A recent television ad for Camry ends with the tagline..."Everywhere you take it tells your story." What an insightful statement for a pretty basic car.
And the coolest retail store making waves in New York City? A store called Story where every 4 to 8 weeks the entire store changes its inventory and look to tell a different story about the products they sell. And major brands, even those with their own New York City stores, are fighting to be part of the story at Story.
I believe a story telling approach to marketing is the last missing piece of the puzzle to make sure garden centers are properly positioned for the present and the future. Other pieces needed to be a successful retailer, like a great place to shop, nice employees and quality products, are already in place at most garden centers. Or should be.
For garden centers that get it… the ones who are aware but aren’t afraid of the future… those that don’t need industry research telling them to change who they are… I believe the last piece of the puzzle will be enough.
Think of your company… your story… as a book. Based on what people who know this story stuff have taught me, every good story is made up of five components: 1. Characters , 2. Setting , 3. Need , 4. Resolution , and 5.Closure.
Every good story uses this five step process… movies, books, parables, Aesop fables and even Dr Seuss. There are stories waiting to be written about your company, your staff, your products, but most importantly, your customers. Stories people want to hear and stories you need to share.
1. The first Story Step is Characters. And since we’re talking garden centers, let’s start with characters involved in our garden center story. How about a family with young children... new homeowners with no landscaping in their backyard... a condo-dweller interested in growing veggies in containers... backyard wildlife enthusiast.
These are just a few of the characters that can be part of your story about plants… about gardening… about your company.
One exercise I do during my consulting visits is to pull the garden center staff together, throw a hundred or so photos of everyday people on the table then have each person grab a photo, fill out a persona profile then create a story about the person or family in the photo. Soon everyone understands we have a big, wide world of potential customers from every generation waiting to hear how the things we sell can enhance their lives and maybe even change their opinion about gardening.
2. The next Story Step is Setting. Where would our customers and future customers use the things we sell? In the front yard of a new home, on a deck or patio in need of plants and color, in the kitchen preparing a salad for guests, standing in a shady spot where nothing seems to grow. This list that could have dozens of other settings added. I intentionally left out having people in a garden center. Most garden centers only imagine their customers shopping instead of being where people actually want to use what we have to sell... at home. Big mistake.
3. The next Story Step is Need. What do people need in their life that could be satisfied with what we sell? How about success with herbs, color in the driest part of the yard, fragrant flowers, plants for butterflies. This list could grow to hundreds of possibilities.
4. The next Story Step is Resolution. This is when you, your staff, your company and your products step in and save the day offering ways you can address the needs customers are searching for.
5. And the last Story Step is Closure. Where you remind your characters who you are, where you are and why you’re their best option for meeting their needs. But remember... customers first... company last.
Five steps behind every great story and the five steps that let people know you understand what’s important to them and how you can meet the needs in their lives. Based on countless Story Step options, every company has the potential of creating years of marketing stories just waiting to be told. Go to Next New Planet dot come then Tools of the Trade and you'll find the lists and information we just covered.
"Our future is in the stories we tell."
I’m confident these eight words can take our industry into the future, connecting us with customers in every generation. There’s a story waiting to be told about every person, company, product and most importantly... every customer.
It's time to tell yours.
Robert