Instead of asking direct questions like 'what's important?', prompt customers to recount specific, recent experiences. This storytelling method bypasses generic answers, reveals the 'why' behind their actions, and provides powerful narratives for persuading internal stakeholders.

Effective marketing isn't about telling your company's story. It's about inviting the customer into a story where they are the hero facing a problem. Your brand should act as the guide that provides the tool (your product) to help them succeed and win the day.

Your brand narrative is more than just the founder's origin story. It's a collection of every team member's unique background and reason for joining the mission. Empowering them to share their "why" adds authenticity and relatability to the overall company story.

Transactional questions get transactional answers. A "story-worthy" question, like "Tell me about the moment you first sensed trouble with your supplier?", prompts a narrative. This approach extracts the emotion, context, and deeper story behind an issue, leading to more authentic connection and insight.

A compelling narrative isn't just about what you do (external). It requires a personal "why" (emotional) and a steel-manned refutation of the dominant worldview (philosophical). This internal work galvanizes teams and resonates with customers.

Elite marketers don't rely on a single origin story. Like a musician with a song repertoire, they curate a collection of brand stories. They then strategically select the most situationally appropriate narrative to resonate with a specific audience, goal, or context.

Many brands mistake chronicling the customer journey for storytelling. True storytelling requires a moment of transformation, transcendence, or an 'aha' moment for the customer. It's about creating a feeling of being seen and understood, which builds a deeper emotional connection than simply listing events.

The first step to humanizing a brand is not internal brainstorming, but conducting deep-dive interviews with recent customers. The goal is to understand precisely what problem they were solving and why they chose your solution over others, grounding your brand messaging in real-world validation.

When you're not a subject matter expert in the audience you're selling to (e.g., marketers selling to developers), the most effective strategy is to rely heavily on your customers. Use qualitative interviews to deeply understand their world, which provides the authentic language and positioning needed for your messaging and campaigns.