I'm so happy to introduce you to my guest, Lisa Bloom. Over the last 15 years, Lisa has created her company out of a simple idea. The idea that stories are powerful. They are possibly the most powerful form of influence and persuasion ever. Today, we're talking about mastering the art of storytelling in your business, in your life, how that can show up in ways that it can help you to make a bigger impact to close more sales, to develop trust and so much more. I know you're going to enjoy this conversation. And I can't wait to hear your takeaways. Enjoy.
Lisa shares with us her insights:
- Suddenly they began to open up; and they began to talk; and they began to actually interact and meet my eye. Meet each other's eye. Laugh. And suddenly we could open up a conversation because the story bridged the gap plus created trust in me. I was a human being. I was a real person. I had the same challenges and the same experiences that they had when suddenly they trusted me. They were open, and you know, they opened up, and I can tell you it was one of the training experiences that they told me later that they never forgot. And it wasn't because of what I taught them. It was because of the stories and I saw this happen again and again and again. And so, as we run our own businesses whenever you want to create engagement, whenever you want to build trust, you know, one of the most effective ways to do that is through story. And while you're doing that you're creating credibility and you're giving them your history. And that you're giving them your all the highlights of your career. Like you don't have to say, you don't have to list off your resume. You just tell a story, and they understand...
- And I have come to see. Yes, there are a very small percentage of people who are, you know, born storytellers. But, like the people who are great at telling jokes, they don't have to try. They just got this humor, you know, there are people like that. But it's not the majority by far. But what I have seen is that everybody's telling stories all the time. It's what happens around the dinner table. It's what happens in meetings. It's what happens in any social environment. We're naturally storytelling animals. That's what we do and so much so that there's now a lot of neuroscience to talk about the impact of story and how it affects us. And you know, we are as a species, we're trying to make meaning all the time. And one of the ways we do that is through story.
- I had a challenge many years ago when I was starting out. I had a marketing coach who said to me - 'Lisa, if you want to build an audience, you need to tell a story every week in a block and send it out to your audience'. And my first reaction was my life isn't that interesting like where am I going to find this story every single week. That's insane. And she just said - 'I trust you. I think it'll be fine. Go for it'. And I did. And for ten years religiously, on a Tuesday, I would send out a story to my list. And I built a list of thousands and thousands of people. The main way I built my list was through telling stories once a week for ten years. I found the stories and it wasn't that my life suddenly got more interesting. It was just that I was able to take stock of these moments where something happened that made me feel something. And there's a story in there and we all have these moments. So it's about learning to become aware of them; learning to share them. And of course, there's art in the art of storytelling. Of course. We become better, but we become better as we practice. You learn the skills, and then you apply it in your business. You apply it to every part of your business because wherever there's a story, it's going to be more engaging, and it's going to be more memorable.
- So I always believed in that. And then it was a matter of figuring out- 'Okay, well, how do I turn it into a business? And how do I make it pay me what I need it to pay me. And how do I take the next step when things go wrong and I'm all alone. Then nobody gets what I'm doing because you know that's the case for most entrepreneurs. You're very much in love with that. And how do I, kind of step by step, find the kindred spirits that I can share this with them, that I could talk to? And how do I find the clients that are willing to pay me? And how do I, you know, I had to figure all that stuff out. But I kept going because I think I just believed in it. I always believed in possibility. Maybe, I'm a kind of an optimist and a hopeful person in my nature. But that's not to say it hasn't been difficult. There were times where I was literally on the floor - 'I think I just can't do this anymore. This is so hard, so hard it didn't work'. Whatever it was I was trying to do. And then somebody would offer a hand. Somebody would suggest - 'Well, why don't we look at what happened and see if we can fix it, or why don't I share something with my audience'. Or, there was always somebody who helped lift me up, who guided me, who I was willing to kind of surrender and say - 'Okay, I'll just try this thing because I don't know what else to do'...
- Well, I guess first and foremost, I've become a role model to my sons. You know I always thought I would have daughters. I was always this, you know, big feminists thinking I would bring up this great strong women. And I ended up with four sons. And so becoming a business owner or a successful business owner, and I think I'm a fantastic role model for them. So they see women who can do that, who can really find something they're passionate about, and that they love and want to be successful. So I think that's probably the first thing that comes to my mind when you say who I've become. But I also, I've become very, quite driven. I mean, maybe I was always driven. But I think, driven in terms of I know there are things I can do that I want to do. And the more the business grows, the more I'm able to do it...
Lisa is an inspiring and passionate keynote speaker on the business and art of storytelling. She offers practical guidance, clear strategies and inspiring revelations based on a wealth of experience and an exceptional talent for finding the story in every moment.
Lisa’s speaking style is warm, approachable, and entertaining—bringing enormous enthusiasm, insight, and energy to her presentations.
As a speaker, coach and trainer, Lisa has delivered powerful messages to people all over the world including Entrepreneurs, Corporate organizations, Non-profits, Professional groups.
Learn more about Lisa:
Free gift - Audio book:
https://story-coach.com/story-advantage-toolkit
Websites:
https://www.story-coach.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/storycoachinc
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Storycoachinc
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/storycoach