Show. Don't tell.
Show your customers you care without ever telling them.
It has long been said that “Actions speak louder than words”. Words are easy to say but aren't credible without proof.
Today’s advertising is so inundated with unsubstantiated claims that it becomes difficult to stand out, even when your claims are truthful. Actions, on the other hand, speak for themselves. They tell a story of who you are, not just who you say you are. Telling your audience how much you care isn't as powerful as showing them an action you've taken that proves you care.
Telling your audience how great you are, “We provide excellent service” or “Top notch quality” just sounds like you have a swollen head. People don’t like to be told how to feel or what to think. They want to make the decision for themselves. Self-serving advertising is not persuasive. Storytelling on the other hand can make you sound humble, fearless, compassionate, impactful and honest.
“Storytelling is a form of selling.”
– Roy H. Williams
If you are great at what you do, don’t tell them how great you are; show them by telling them a story. Let the customer come to the right conclusion themselves.
Here’s one that will show you how powerful a good story is.
“When I was seven years old, I held my father’s head in my hands as he took his last breath and died. A thing like that stays with you. It helps you understand that relationships – people – are what life’s all about. You gotta tell’em you love’em.
This is J.R. Dunn. So now you know why I became a jeweler. Fine jewelry is one of the ways we tell people we love ’em. When I got older and fell head-over-heals for Ann Marie, the love of my life, I didn’t have enough money to buy her an engagement ring. She married me anyway. Go figure.
But I can promise you this: If you’re thinking of getting engaged to the love of your life, come to J.R. Dunn Jewelers in Lighthouse Point. No one in Florida, no one in America, is going to give you a better engagement ring for your money than me. One of the great joys of my life is to make it possible for guys to give the woman they love the diamond she deserves.
There was nobody there for me when I needed an engagement ring. But I promise I’ll be there for you.”
After hearing this ad, you now know, with absolute clarity what kind of person J.R. Dunn is and what mission he’s on and why he’s dedicated to it
Intentionally leave out the obvious, people will naturally search for the moral of the story. The context in which the story is told will bring the meaning.
It’s in our nature to derive meaning from stories.
Be vulnerable. Be epic. Tell stories.
How do you show your customers that you care?
Morty Silber, CEO
Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner