A Shocking Family Revelation

During my recent trip to the Big Seminar, I was away from my wife and daughters, and I missed them. I pictured them sitting at home missing me too. After all, I was away from home…over my birthday…missing them deeply. So I thought the least they could do was sit at home all weekend and miss me too. But they didn’t. They decided to go live it up…without me. And not only that, it’s what they did that’s even more shocking…they went out to dance...for money!

Yes…It’s TRUE!

My wife dances for money. So do my daughters. They’re quite good at it. So good if fact, they dance circles around the other women. So here I am, hundreds of miles away in Atlanta, trying to make business connections that could improve my family’s life together, and they are out dancing for cheering men (and women) AND getting paid to do it. My oldest daughter was even hounded by a guy who was convinced she was “the one.”

So why am I telling you this? Why am I “fessing up”? Because I’m proud of my family no matter what. Plus, my wife DID something with the money she earned that really brought tears to my eyes…something very special…for me.

Now before you jump to any shady conclusions about my wife and daughters, I want to clarify exactly what it was they were doing. They were NOT hanging out at some seedy strip joint or men’s club…nor were they living it up as escorts at some convention for strung out, lonely businessmen. My wife and daughters were dancing at a Native American Powwow to honor our culture and traditions. The powwow committee at this particular powwow just happens to pay day money to all the dancers to help defray their travel and hotel costs.

So what did my wife do with her money that was so special? When I checked into the airline ticket counter to prepare for my flight to Atlanta, I checked two bags. One bag contained my clothing; the other bag contained two smaller bags…one with my portable audio equipment, the other with my video and digital cameras. Both bags went through the airport security screening process. The problem was, when my “media” bag came out the other side and was loaded onto the plane, my camera equipment was no longer in the bag. Yes…someone stole my camera equipment…and a government employee at that. Now I am jumping through all kinds of hoops to find it again and discover what happened to it. I loved that equipment…I found great deals on them…so it really started my trip off on a down note. Not to mention that this happened just a few days before my birthday…guess it was the TSA’s way of saying “Happy Birthday Tony!”

When I got back home, my family greeted me with a balloon and bags of every kind of comfort food I love…Reese’s Cups, Double-Stuff Oreo’s and Martin’s Cheese Waffles. What a family! But then my wife handed me an envelope. She told me that she knew my cameras meant a lot to me and she wanted to get me another digital camera to replace the one that was stolen. She didn’t know which one to buy so she decided to give me the day money she received at the powwow. That way I could buy the camera that best suited my needs. It brought tears to my eyes…it still is even as I write this. So, yes, I am still pursuing trying to get my camera equipment back. And YES, I have the greatest family in the world. I can truly say that it was a great birthday!

Now…to bring this all back to marketing…there is power in storytelling. In fact, it is the MOST powerful way to convey your message out there. Here are a couple quick tips on how to use stories effectively:

1. Be yourself. Tell the story the way you would tell it to your best friend on the phone. You’re already good at that form of communication--you have been talking that way for years now. If you try to write in a way that isn’t you, your readers will see right through it.

2. Always look for a hook. This letter was birthed out of something my wife said to me and it caught my attention. I just built on her statement.

3. Tell the truth. Nothing is worse than to have your customers find out that you lied or embellished your story.

4. Connect with your audience. Effective marketing connects with its customers in one or more of just a few ways. I have listed them below.

Effective marketing:

a. Makes them laugh
b. Connects at a deep emotional level
c. Shocks them
d. Wows them

Practicing these four simple steps will definitely put you on the right path to good storytelling and effective marketing. Start telling those stories!

Tony
www.thepublishingexpert.com

PS - Here's my wife dancing at a recent powwow. She's the one in the middle with the white skirt. My daughter, Courtney is in the pink to the far right.