A house is not a home
My realtor just emailed me a long list since I’m looking at houses. But what I’ll buy is a home. So (sigh) I’m squinting at tiny pictures and reading dry lists.
Here’s an idea: 1. Read my list of wants and must-haves. 2. Then, send along a short story on each of the potential homes that fit my list.
The story should read something like:
“Jose and Maria Sanchez built this adobe home in 1945, after Jose returned from fighting in the Pacific. They raised five children in the light-filled five rooms, adding on a bathroom in 1955 so the two boys could have their own. Maria nagged Jose until he installed the greenhouse out back so she could start her tomato plants early for her big garden in the sideyard. Their kids loved to play under the big tree in the front, a century-old cottonwood that Jose was careful to keep when he cleared the lot for building. The kitchen was the heart of the family, where many a birthday cake was baked in the old gas stove. Sure, it needs a little TLC now, but it’s been full of love for over 60 years and you can feel it.”
Reading such a story, I’d be much more inclined to look (and get my checkbook open.) As it is, I’m crossing off whole pages based on what I can glean from the dry details.
It’s all in the stories, folks. And that’s true regardless of what you’re selling. Sure, you need the data, but that shouldn’t be your pitch.
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April 25th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Mary, check out one of my favorite books: The Story Factor, by Annette Simmons.
I think you’ll get whiplash from nodding in agreement.
April 25th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Nice post. I agree and personally struggle with “how to tell the story” without boring people? Any suggestions?
April 25th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
I struggle with the “how to tell the story” bit, too, but in my case it’s more a question of figuring out what story to tell.
April 26th, 2006 at 6:13 am
Well, we’re going to be boring to somebody if we’re interesting to somebody else (if that makes any sense at all
The best advice I can give is to put your heart into it and avoid “safe” marketing speak. So, we’re back to “having a conversation” with people when marketing.
As for which story to tell, I hear you! As a biz dev/marketing generalist, I got a million of ‘em.
April 26th, 2006 at 11:56 am
I used to consult with newsrooms on better storytelling.
The key is to realize that there are 1,000 ways to tell a story… and most of them are right. You just need to pick one, and stick with it.
You get in trouble mixing tones, swapping genres, and changing the target on the fly.