Why Good Stories Never Lose Their Value

3 people have decided to sell their house. Let’s call them John, Michael, and Ian. 

John decides that the best strategy to get the highest price possible for his house is to give it a new lick of paint from top to bottom.

Michael decides that the best strategy to get the highest price possible for his house is to lay down some new carpets and hang some new curtains.

Meanwhile, Ian decides that he is not going to spend any money decorating or improving his house but instead will tell a story about it to each of the people who arrive to view it. This he believes will secure the highest price possible for his house. 

All 3 houses go onto the market for sale at exactly the same time.  

John & Michael look admiringly at their gleaming walls, and soft comfy carpets feeling sure that when viewers arrive, they will be bowled over by how lovely their respective houses look, and the offers will come flooding in leading to a bidding war. 

Meanwhile, Ian quietly rehearses in his head the story he's going to tell. 

Viewers begin to arrive to view all 3 houses. John and Ian point out the respective features of their houses, making sure to highlight all of the time and money that they’ve spent making it look so attractive.

Meanwhile, Ian quietly & confidently shares the story about his house with each viewer, choosing not to point out any particular features to them. 

After a few weeks, John & Michael are scratching their heads. Things are not going as planned. While they are happy with the level of interest in their house, the offers that have been made are well below their expectations. What are they doing wrong? 

Meanwhile, Ian has a problem of more pleasurable kind. He has already received 3 offers over the asking price for his house. Clearly his story made an impact on the viewers. 

3 months later, John and Michael are still trying to find a buyer for their house. John decided that he must have painted the walls the wrong colour so re-paints them in a different colour scheme.  

Michael decides that carpets are clearly not what buyers are looking for so rips them out and installs laminate flooring instead. 

Meanwhile, Ian has completed the sale of his house, and has moved into a new one that doesn’t have newly painted walls or comfy carpets. 

What is the story that Ian told to help him sell his house so quickly and for over the asking price? 

Well, the specific content of the story is of less importance. What is more noteworthy is the decision that Ian made. The decision to invest his time in developing a story that captured the imagination of the viewers rather than money on painting, decorating and furnishings.  

A story that connected the house to the emotional needs of the viewers so that irrespective of the colours of the walls or the softness of the new carpets, would make this the house they really wanted to move into. 

The moral of this story should be obvious yet is often forgotten in a business world where new so much emphasis is placed on the latest new features.

If you want to charge a premium for your product or service, and you aspire to build secure long-term relationships with your clients, focus on the benefits you are creating for them not the features that are easily substituted. 

Bottom Line - Learn to tell stories as the good ones always stand the test of time. They'll always trump the headline grabbing but superficial ones that we see so much of today.