Remember Cinderella? She had a fairy godmother to act as a guide. Just a wave of the wand and Cinderella had her dreams: a ticket to the dance, complete with gown, slippers, travel, and footmen. A modern godmother would also give her some advice on making conversation with strange princes…but presumably that happened magically, too.
Today’s guides are different.
To remind you, Cinderella is the hero. Her problem? Getting to a ball. Her family, collectively, is the villain.
She’s sitting alone in the cinders, feeling sorry for herself, when her guide appears.
Unlike your clients, Cinderella doesn’t have to make a decision. She doesn’t interview a series of guides to see who’s the best. Maybe another godmother would give her a 3 AM deadline, instead of midnight? We’ll never know.
But here’s how you’re different. Your hero has to go through a choice process. What does she really need? Personally, I think she needs a lot more than a ticket to a ball; an assertiveness course with the goal of self-empowerment would go a long way with Cinderella. But no: in her world it makes more sense to opt for the fairy godmother and the magicwand.
Your story can’t be like that. You have to show Cinderella’s thought process. Maybe she’s a ditzy broad who’ll settle for the instant gratification of the ball. WIthout a prince at her side, she won’t get very far. Or maybe she just doesn’t know how to choose a guide.
And that brings us to your role. Who are you? The person who helps Cinderella find her own solution? The person who waves a wand? Or something in between.
These are just some of the questions you have to answer in your selling story. This is Strategic Storytelling Podcast Episode #151. Listen here on your favorite platform.
