00:00
Well, hey there, and welcome to this week's episode of The Enough Ready Podcast, the show
that empowers consultants and coaches to forge their own path to success in their businesses,
careers, and lives. I'm your host, Betsy Jordyn, and today we're starting a brand new series on
storytelling. So one thing I talk a lot about on my show and with my clients one-on-one is the
importance of brand messaging. And for sure, brand messages are super important for your
business. You wanna make sure that your ideal client knows exactly what you offer and what
makes you unique. But storytelling, it takes things to a whole new level. So the thing is about
storytelling, it's, it's all about building an emotional connection with your ideal clients and really
creating that sense of authenticity and identity for your brand. So it's not just about creating
the business value, it's about connecting heart to heart with your clients on a deeper, more
personal level.
00:51
So when you incorporate storytelling into your marketing and your branding strategies, you're
not just telling people what you do, you're showing people who you are. And this type of
emotional connection is especially important for consultants and coaches where trust and
credibility are key. So in this new series that I'm starting off, you're gonna hear from Diane Diaz
of speaking your brand, and she's gonna share with you all about the artist storytelling and the
role that storytelling plays in creating a breakthrough consulting or coaching brand, and how
stories can help you stand out from among the crowd. You're also gonna hear from Joy
Spencer, who is a storytelling coach, and she's gonna give you insight into the neuroscience
behind storytelling and how it actually can help you become a better consultant or coach. You
might be thinking that you don't have any interesting stories to tell, or just a gimmick, or maybe
especially if you work with corporate that your clients won't care, but that's not the case.
01:46
So what I'm gonna be doing today is I'm gonna be going over the four stories that your business
needs, and I'm gonna give you tips on how to get started in crafting those stories. Now, if you
wanna take your storytelling to the next level, definitely make sure that you hit subscribe so
you can hear these next two episodes that are gonna be super powerful and definitely join in
the Purpose to Prophets Academy, which is my membership community that offers live weekly
masterclass and hot seats, role plays, and other action learning opportunities. So starting in
May, we're gonna be working on developing these stories in our scripts and practicing our
storytelling so that when we're in front of our clients, we'll be on muscle memory. So to learn
more and join, head on over to www.betsyjordyn.com/academy. So now onto the show. So
let's talk about the first story.
02:34
This is a story you're gonna use all the time. This is the most important story in terms of just the
practicality, and it's your what I do story. So your, what I do story is what you tell when
somebody asks you, you know, at a networking event, at a party or wherever you are, they're
gonna say, Hey, so what do you do? And so you need to be able to have a story on the ready for
that situation. So what you, you don't wanna do when you get asked, what do you do is say
something like, oh, I'm a consultant, or I'm a leadership coach, or other cliche phrases that
leads to blank stares. You don't wanna be able to say things like I used to a long time ago before
I learned a lot about storytelling is I would say things like, oh, I ignite leadership and
organizational potential, and then people would look at me with a blank stare and then the
conversation would go dead.
03:20
So what you wanna do is use a framework that gives you a conversation starter, a way to
authentically engage clients. So your story is all about shining a spotlight on the transformation
that your clients get as a result of working with you. So it's not about your credentials, it's not
about your title, and it gets your clients like really inspired by what you do. So there's three
parts to this story. So here's how it goes. It begins with the first part, which is, so you know
when, so if somebody asks you, what do you do, you start off with, so you know when, and
then you fill in a narrative about your ideal client and the problem that they struggle with. And
then the second part of this story is the what I do part. So instead of sharing your credentials or
your title, you paint a picture of what you help your clients do.
04:06
And then the last part is the, which leads to, so you end strong by sharing the tangible and
intangible value your clients get by virtue of working with you. So for example, if somebody
asks you what you do, you don't say you're a consultant or coach, you say something like this,
you say something like, Hey, so you know when companies are growing from one size to the
next and the wheel starts falling off and everyone starts finger pointing, well, what I do is I align
senior teams around agreed upon strategic priorities, which help them grow smarter, not
harder. Something like that. You know, if you really wanna get into your story, you really act it
out. Like if you were seeing me right now, you would see I'm using my hands a lot and I'm really
pointing, and I'm, I'm being dramatic in it. You wanna engage people in the narrative of how
your business and how you're consulting and your coaching helps other people.
04:52
So, or let's say you're a coach, you know, you don't wanna just say, again, I'm a coach. You
would say something like, Hey, you know, when really smart people hit the top of their
profession and wonder what it was all for, and then they're looking for something else,
something more, and they just don't know what it is. Well, what I do is I help them transition
out of their soul sucking jobs and create a career in a life that they love. You know, that kind of
thing. So again, you're gonna use this story all the time. You're gonna use this on your website,
you're gonna use it at networking events. This is a very flexible script that you can use in a
variety of different ways. You can make it short, like let's say you're at a B and I event, and you
have to stand up and say, what do you do in a heartbeat?
05:28
You know, like that elevator pitch. But I would talk about it in more of a storytelling way. You do
it that way. Or you could expand it out if you have more time. Or you might really just
customize it to the audience. Like you might use their data and say, instead of like, Hey, you
know, when companies are growing from one size to the next and somebody starts nodding
their head, you know, then you might pause and say, Hey, tell me a little bit more. It seems like
you get what I'm talking about. And then you let them tell what they're struggling with or what
they're resonating with, and then you, you can say, oh, well what I do is I help someone just like
you, and this is what I do, like this is what my best clients go through. Something along those
lines.
06:03
It's extremely flexible. So this story's so important. We're gonna be working on this in the
Purpose to Profits Academy in May. If you wanna get better at your what I do story, definitely
join us and you'll have opportunities to develop your story and practice it and get feedback.
And also I do have a, I do have a PDF on my website that you can get ahold of right now to help
you start developing this story. So head on over to www.betsyjordyn.com/template hyphen
value hyphen proposition, and that will get you that free guide and you'll learn more about how
to create that story. So that's story number one. Let's talk about story number two now. Story
number two is your business backstory. So if you are a former senior leader who's left
corporate and all of the perks and benefits that go along with senior leadership, and you wanna
start your own consulting or coaching business, I promise you people are very curious about
why you would do this.
07:04
A lot of people don't understand why in the world you would lead, leave a title and bonuses
and all of the other things that come with being a corporate leader and the career
opportunities. So you definitely wanna have an answer to this question. So if you got laid off or
you ran into some sort of work related challenge, you don't have to share those painful details.
That is not something that you have to get into all of all of that vulnerability right away. But you
do wanna share the mission-based reasons for why you made this type of career change so that
you can inspire the person that you're talking to about what your business is all about. And by
the way, that person that you're talking to might very well be a potential client or know
someone who is. So for example, I talk a lot about how I left Disney and I started my own
business and I talk about how my dad died, and it was a wake up call for me.
07:54
So I could talk about all of the burnout and all the confusion that I had, but I might just really ta
try to make this story more relatable to someone who's in front of me. So I might say
something like this, I might say, you know, I know what it's like to wanna have it all to be a
great mom, have a successful career, but struggle with all the time constraints and pressure
that comes with a visible leadership role. But the turnaround for me came when my dad died, I
realized that I only have one life to live and I don't wanna have regrets, and I have these young
children at home and I did not wanna not be there for them. So I discovered that there was a
way to repackage my strengths and experience into my own business so that I could have
control over my career mostly my time, and now I help other accomplished professionals
transition out of their corporate job and create a consulting or coaching business that they love.
08:43
So that's my story. And so I'm really trying to paint a picture of like, all right, why I left, but I
wanna be able to transition it into something that relates to what my business is all about and
the mission and the higher purpose for it. So for my corporate consultants and coaches, there is
a story for you like this. So it might not be like leaving corporate and starting a coaching kind of
business like I have now. It could be something along those lines of, let's say that you were
working in a particular role or line of business, and then you realize like, oh my gosh, I can make
a bigger difference if I could take this expertise to other companies. You know, for example, my
client, Robert talks about his years working in operations also at Disney, and he talks a lot about
how he dis what he discovered about world class leadership, operations, and guest service, and
then the desire to take these principles to other companies who aspire to the same success that
Disney enjoys.
09:33
Something along those lines. So you wanna have a answer on the ready so that people
understand that you are really making this choice to go from corporate leadership into
consulting or coaching business ownership. Really ultimately because you wanna make a bigger
difference in a particular way. It really doesn't matter how you got to this place. I promise you,
nine out of 10 of my clients that I work with, none of 'em are actually, I would probably say 10
outta 10 of the clients I work with. None of them really come to making this type of career
transition without some sort of push, you know, without some sort of, you know, job
redefinition or burnout or something that's difficult. So this story's really reframing in your own
mind first, and then for the people that you're talking to that no matter how you got here, you
made a choice.
10:17
You made a decision to be a consulting or coaching business owner, and it's to make a bigger
difference. So you wanna be able to be ready with this story. The keys to success with this story
are what inspired you to leave corporate and start a business versus leaving a specific job and
not going to another job. It's why did you choose to make this move and how your business is
the vehicle for you making a bigger impact? So you're definitely gonna be using this story when
you get asked this question, and it's definitely gonna be on your about page of your website. So
here's your turn. I would love for you to think about this if you're currently our consultant
coach, regardless of what personal reasons got you to make that choice. Again, those painful
things like burnout, layoff, existential crisis of the thousands of options you have, because
you're a high achiever, you definitely had thousands of options.
11:07
Why this path? Why consulting or coaching, business ownership, really get clear about that and
that will help you really craft that story. So now let's talk about the third story. This is your how
story. So this is the story that you might include on the services page of your website or in a
proposal. And it's the story behind the success solution that you have created that you know
will lead to better client results than any other consultants or coaches approach. And especially
better than a client doing the work on their own. This is the story where you explain where you
saw the unmet or unmet needs in the market and you wanted to fill them, and how it led you
to create an approach that you now use with your clients that creates powerful results for
them. So for example, if you go to my website right now at www.betsyjordyn.com/roadmap,
you'll find my five steps from purpose to profits roadmap.
12:02
These are the steps that I take my clients through to help them create a profitable and purpose
driven business that's set up for sustainable success and scale. So real quick, real quick, here's
what the steps are. Number one, start the right business. Two, clarify your brand. Three, build
your website, four, get clients, and five, become a thought leader. So I created this roadmap as
a tool to explain, you know, my house story, which is I offer services that go deep where other
business mentors and coaches make gloss over or simply overlook, which is all about those first
two steps, starting the right business and clarifying your brand. So I use this roadmap all the
time when I'm meeting with a potential client, or I'm describing the unique approach that I use
is I will talk about how a lot of people will leave corporate and they will start a business and
they'll either go to step four and get clients, and then at some point they get stalled out
because they missed all the steps or go to try to build a website and they struggle because they
don't know what their business is all about, you know?
13:01
So I talk a lot about that. So I share this story in this type of way, but I also talk about this story
even on my about page because I explain more about why this roadmap is so important for me,
because when I first started my own business, I didn't build the right one. And I share about
how I pivoted my business to focus on this business and how I help other people avoid the
mistake that I made. So my client, Denise, who I interviewed in episode 62, she shares her
house story and how she came up with her unique and proprietary thrive coaching model that
she uses to help her clients in tech create thriving careers and lives. So the keys to success with
this story is your aha moment of wanting to create like you know, a better miles trap or when
you saw the unique value of your approach, and you need a visual way to convey that success
roadmap.
13:52
So here's your turn. Here's what I would love for you to do. Number one, become consciously
competent in your approach and why you follow the steps you do with your clients. And then
document that approach in a framework. You could use a process visual or an acronym, and
then isolate out the three to five things that make your approach unique, different, and better,
and comparison to what other consultants and coaches might do. So if you need help with this
one, we'll definitely be tackling this in the Purpose to Profits Academy also in May. So that's
story number three. Now, let's talk about the most powerful of all the stories and the most
vulnerable one. It's your bigger why story. I realize the importance of your bigger why story
when I was working with Brad. So Brad is an efficiency productivity expert who's very
passionate about efficiency and productivity, which on the surface may not seem like a very
sexy kind of thing to be passionate about.
14:47
But when I really dove in with him and we worked together, he shared the most powerful story
that I have never forgot. So he told me this story about how he was going through these old
family photos, and he came across a picture of his grandfather who was the same age that Brad
is at that particular point in time. And it was right before his grandfather died. And what
spooked him out so much is that he looks so much like his grandfather, and he realized in that
moment that why he loves productivity, why he's so passionate about it, and why efficiency is
so important. It's not just about like company maximizing their assets or saving money, it's
about saving people from wasting time and inefficiencies. You know, for him it drove him crazy
to see people having to work all these extra hours because operations are inefficient when they
could be doing what's most important in their lives, you know, being with their family or doing
their hobbies or doing all those other things.
15:39
And it was so powerful. I've never forgotten this story, you know? So I want you to think about
this story for a minute and how absolutely powerful it is. I want you to put yourself in his shoes
of a potential client who could work with either Brad or a different consultant on efficiency
issues and why you would not just go with Brad. Because clearly with Brad, it's not about a
paycheck, it's about purpose. He is driven and motivated to find the extra time and save the
company. Well, yes, for sure it's gonna save the company money for sure, it's gonna make a
bigger difference from that standpoint, but there's even a much, much bigger why behind it is
people can have the time to do what they need to do in their lives. Another example, I recently
rewatched Brene Brown's Ted talk about her personal experience with her research around
shame and vulnerability.
16:25
And you know, it's definitely worth the millions of views that she has gotten on this Ted Talk. It
is powerful, and she is a thought leader around shame and vulnerability, not just because she's
a great researcher and not even because she's such a great storyteller, which she is. It's because
of her personal experience with shame and vulnerability and how that transformed her life.
What she teaches comes straight from her heart, and I know you have a story that drives what
you do. I am a hundred percent confident of this because in all of my years mentoring other
consultants and coaches through their brand messaging, I have heard those stories. We have
unearthed those stories. And now these stories, they don't always have to be painful ones, just
real ones. So there is something that is, there is something that you see that is possible for your
clients and what you see for the world that they don't see yet, but it's all based on your own
lived experience and your wisdom.
17:20
So your business why story brings this deeper meaning into the forefront, and it allows you to
convey the person you are and what drives you as a consultant or coach. So these are the four
stories. So let's recap on this. Number one, storytelling is a powerful way to connect
emotionally with clients and establish your credibility. People don't care what you know until
they know that you care. And your stories are a way that you could demonstrate that you, you
care. You could say all the time that you care, or you can empathetically share your story, which
tells in an instant, like, yes, you get me as a consultant coach. There are four key stories that
you should consider sharing in your business. There's your what I do story, there's your why I
started my business story. There's how I do what I do story, and there's why I do what I do.
18:09
Story. And three, by incorporating storytelling into your marketing and your client delivery,
which you're gonna hear about from Joyce Spencer in a couple weeks, you can create a more
meaningful and impactful presence for your business leading to a stronger brand, which is what
you're gonna hear next week from Diane Diaz. And you're gonna be able to create such a
powerful difference. So don't be afraid to share your story. Your clients do wanna hear your
story. Even your corporate clients, they are humans and they wanna connect with you. They
don't wanna just hire a consultant, they wanna hire a person. They wanna hire someone that
they enjoy working with. This is our competitive advantage over the big box firms, right? Is that
they get a personal connection with a real human being. So storytelling can make a huge
difference in the success of your business and allow you to have a competitive edge that the big
firms don't necessarily have.
18:59
So that's a recap. Let's talk about the next steps. Here's what I would love you for you to do
first, start curating your stories. You've got a bunch of stories, right? It's just that they might not
be at the forefront of your mind, but think about all the stories related to your business. Think
about all the stories that you could tell about the differences that you've made for different
clients, or think about all those aha moments that you had that led you to do what you do and
how you do it. So just start being a detective on your own backstory and all the different
moments that really transformed how you saw what you do and why you do it. And then I
would say just pick what one of the stories to work on. I'd recommend the what I do story
because it's the least vulnerable and it's the one that you'll use the most, and then practice it.
19:42
You know, one great way to practice it is join My Purpose to Profits Academy, where you will be
able to have other people to role play it with. It's very important to practice the stories with
other people who are safe so that when you're in front of a client, you're seamless, you're
ready to go. So those are some of the next steps I would recommend, but I wanna make sure
that you walk away thinking about this, that storytelling is for consultants and coaches. So
that's it for today's episode. If you wanna learn more about storytelling in your business, be
sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss out on the rest of the series. And if you
haven't already, definitely join me and your fellow consultants and coaches in the Purpose to
Profits Academy at www.betsyjordyn.com/academy. And until next time, thanks for listening.
Thank you for tuning in. If today's episode lit, a Fire and u, please rate and review an offer
Ready on Apple Podcast or subscribe wherever you listen. And if you're looking for your next
step, visit me on my betsyjordyn.com. And it's Betsy Jordyn with the Y, and you'll learn all about
our end-to-end services that are custom designed to accelerate your success. Don't wait. Start
today.
