I’ve struggled with sleep for as long as I can remember.
Sometimes it’s waking up early; sometimes it’s struggling to drop off. There are no shortages of Apps to help. One of the best is Calm
Particularly effective are the ‘sleep stories’. Stephen Fry describes lavender fields for 24 minutes while Jerome Flynn takes half an hour to detail a trip down the Oxford Canal. I’ve never heard the conclusion to either.
They’re a bit like certain sales stories I’ve heard in that respect. Apart from the Sleep stories are purposely boring – sales stories aren’t meant to be. What they have in common is excessive detail. What they lack is rising action.
Here are 5 tips for more effective story-based pitches.
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My first novel was published three years ago. Along the way I’d written four books that were rejected, and had the book that was eventually published turned down by at least thirty agents. So when it came out you can imagine how jubilant I was.
Apart from I wasn’t jubilant at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I was very pleased – just not swigging Champagne straight from the bottle, or God you can take me now type pleased.
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Successful pitching is about ensuring that your story mirrors your client’s story more effectively than your competitors. Christopher Brooker maintains there are seven different story types. In business it often breaks down to two. Respond with the appropriate sales story and you enhance your chances of winning the deal…
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I like this story. It’s usually told to illustrate the difference between coaching and teaching, or just plain jumping in and doing something for someone…
A man found a cocoon. He watched a butterfly struggle to force its body through a small hole. It appeared to stop making progress.
The man decided to help the butterfly and cut the cocoon open. The butterfly emerged with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. The man expected the butterfly to take on its correct proportions. Nothing changed.
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