My current passion is story-telling, and it would have served me well in a recent experience.

I was hired to head sales and marketing for a UK based Search Marketing firm. I had to lead the staff in the UK as well as build a US operation where none existed.

It seemed clear what needed to be done. Crank up marketing and lead generation. Seed a few accounts to get a user base. But none of that happened. Laptop, phone — and they expected results.

The writing on the wall was clear. Change the path or face failure.

I did it wrong. The right way would be to tell them the story of a company that tried to expand to the US, ran into problems, adapted and succeeded. This was so they could learn what needed to be done on their own. But instead, I simply told them what they needed to do. It was not well received. I was let go.

Learning to tell stories is a powerful approach is business and in life. Check out books by Annette Simmons like The Story Factor and Doug Litman for more.

What do you think? We love comments and people who share.

Jeff Ogden is President of Find New Customers “Lead Generation Made Simple” Check out the online show every Friday at 11am ET, “Laugh and Learn with the Fearless Competitor.” Find New Customers is one of few lead generation companies in New York.

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