“There’s no such thing as a boring business, just boring marketing.”

— Smart Marketing Exec

Here’s a falsehood I hear from small business owners in the professional services game all the time… “My business is boring. No one cares about my story.”

And it’s true, some people might not care about accounting or the finer points of contract law, at least when looking at these services from a surface perspective.

But the same folks are very likely to be captivated by a compelling tale. Even if it’s about accounting or contract law.

Because, who can resist a good story?

The short answer, of course, is nobody.

Here’s a quick comparison that illustrates this fact perfectly…

The Compelling Tale of…Franchising

Once upon a time, a good friend (and former bandmate in my first LA rock band, American Zero) was a marketing manager with Relax the Back.

And quite a few years back, he hired me to write a series of articles for a micro-website on buying a franchise.

For those unaware, Relax the Back doesn’t own or operate any “corporate” stores. Their business model is entirely franchisee-driven.

So, obviously, franchising was an important topic.

One of the articles in the series was on “finding the right franchise attorney.” Not exactly a thrilling topic. But my friend, the RtB marketing manager, gave me some high praise on that particular submission…

“Man, that franchising attorney article was so compelling. And I couldn’t give a hoot [I’m paraphrasing here, obvi] franchising attorneys!?”

In the case of this article, I found the right narrative thread and turned a seemingly “boring topic” into an engaging and insightful lesson.

On the flipside…

The Boring Book About an Exciting Rock Band

My favorite band of all time is Rockford, Illinois’ own Cheap Trick. I’ve obsessively followed the band and collected their records for nearly 30 years and seen them in concert about a dozen times (and counting).

So, back in 1998, when the first official Cheap Trick biography was announced — Reputation is a Fragile Thing — I snapped up a copy ASAP.

But while my excitement level for the book was stratospheric, I couldn’t make it past the second chapter. The prose was so excruciatingly dull, it made watching paint dry seem like a thrill-seekers paradise.

The endless recounting of long-defunct bands (that fed into Cheap Trick’s official lineup) most people never heard of (and even fewer cared about) made the first book about my favorite band completely impenetrable.

So, as you can clearly see, it’s NOT the topic that makes a subject boring — It’s the presentation.

Which brings us to the meat of our discussion here…

Your Business Isn’t Boring, But Your Approach to Marketing Might Be

When professional service business owners claim their business is “boring” and no one cares about their “story,” it’s usually an excuse to use the same old boring approach to marketing. Boiling down to messaging that says…

• We offer xyz services.
• We have xyz expertise.
• And we have xyz years of experience.

If this is you, guess what? Your competitors are saying the exact same thing. Moreover, your prospects are ignoring you.

First of all, you don’t stand out or make a real impression when you’re doing the same ole thing as everyone else.

And secondly, prospects are more likely to work with a business they like or feel a connection with. Which means if you’re presenting the same old same old, there’s nothing to like and no connection to make.

So, the million-dollar question here is…

How do you stand out?

And this *DING-DING-DING* brings us back to your “story.”

Because what sets you apart more than the unique tale of your business?

Not your history or backstory, but how your business impacts the world.

Of course, the next question is…

How do you craft your “story?”

The following are ten questions I cribbed from the book, Everybody Writes, by Ann Handley, the leader of MarketingProfs, to help get your storytelling juices flowing…

1. What’s unique about your business?

You have a real estate brokerage that exclusively lists historical and architecturally significant homes, uniting unique properties with uncommon buyers.

2. What’s interesting about how your company was founded? What’s interesting about the founder?

You’re the accountant who always wanted to be a professional baseball player. And your obsessive love of following baseball stats led you into a career where you obsessively track numbers.

3. What problem is your company trying to solve?

You’re an attorney who exclusively works with condo and townhome owners trying to recoup damages from Homeowners Associations resulting from common area disasters.

4. What inspired your business?

You looked around and realized there was no commercial real estate firm exclusively dedicated to property management, leasing, and sales of retail shopping centers.

5. What ahh ha! moments has your business had?

You spent a decade in commercial property leasing and suddenly realized you have the contacts, expertise, and resources to handle commercial property sales, too.

6. How has your business evolved?

You started out as a general real estate attorney but realized most of your clients were commercial property landlords and tenants, so you pivoted to specialize in commercial real estate contract law.

7. How do you feel about your business, your customers, yourself?

You feel like your business is doing good. Because your aim, above all else, is to help people. You’re not just another service provider. You’re a partner who’s invested in your clients’ success.

8. What’s a less obvious way to tell your story? What about an analogy rather than an example?

Like a teacher, police officer, or firefighter, you got into professional services to help people.

9. What do you consider normal or boring that others think is cool?

Tax law seems pretty route, but clients get really jazzed when you shave thousands off their income tax bill.

10. What’s your vision, and how will it change the world?

You didn’t aim to become a wills and trust lawyer. You were motivated to help people protect their family’s future.

Obviously, there’s a long way to go from here to creating a finished story. But asking yourself these key questions gets the ball rolling. And it’s a significant first step in moving away from the same ole boring approach to marketing.

Need Help Telling Your Story?

How about we get together, I ask you these questions and record your answers, and shape the results into messaging you can use across all of your marketing channels?

Sound like a good plan? Let’s chat! 310.466.7893 | ryan@ryananys.com