Recently I was reading: “Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits” by Debbie Millman which offers a great look into brand identity and thinking from a designers perspective. Each chapter of the book is a dialogue between Millman and a respected leader in the graphic design world lending their expertise. One particular chapter the notion of customers buying items at garage sales came up. Why do people enjoy purchasing items at garage sales? My first thought was, “Well it’s cheap!” However that was not where this was going. According to the author and her colleague people enjoy going to garage sales because they like to find items that have a story behind them.

People like a good story. How true this is. So this got me thinking, every business is selling something right? Whether it is a product, a service, a promise, a dream, but is the story enticing enough to get people to buy it. Does the story supersede the price? Does the story supersede the quality? These are great questions to start asking yourself if you are in business. In addition to is my company telling the story I want it to? Is it clear? Is it concise? Is it consistent?

Think about your favorite companies for a minute. What is their story? What do they stand for? What is it about them that makes you go back? Chances are they have a wonderful story, and it is very clear on what they stand for. The message is so clear in fact that you know exactly what you are getting and their values align with your own values to some extent.

It is vital that your company has a definitive message. What do we do? What do we deliver? How do we deliver it? Outline these key factors, and make your story consistent across all avenues where your business is viewed.

People are like a good story, its your job to tell it.