mind the gap
DESCRIPTION
The success of your strategy relies on delivery by people who are already telling -- and believing -- stories about your brand and position. Do you know what they are? An excerpt from Storyworks: How Stories Can Advance Your Business Cause and Career.TRANSCRIPT
S H A R L E N E S O N E S
W W W . B R A N D S T O R I A . C O MC O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 2 B Y S H A R L E N E S O N E S / B R A N D S T O R I A P R E S S
H O W S T O R I E S C A N A D V A N C E Y O U R B U S I N E S S , C A U S E A N D C A R E E R .
A N E X C E R P T F R O M :
I T ’ S A L S O S H A P E D
B Y T H E P E R C E P T I O N S
A N D V I E W P O I N T O F
Others
Y O U R B R A N D S T O R Y I S N O T D E F I N E D B Y Y O U A L O N E :
E M P L O Y E E S S T A K E H O L D E R S
C U S T O M E R S P R O S P E C T S
I N F L U E N C E R S I N V E S T O R S
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4
D E F I N E D & D E L I V E R E D
B Y T H E P E O P L E W H O W O R K F O R A N D W I T H Y O U ,
I N W H A T C A N B E O R S E E M L I K E I R R A T I O N A L G L O R Y
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“ W E D O N ’ T H A V E T H E R E S O U R C E S ”
“ O U R B U D G E T I S N ’ T B I G E N O U G H T O W I N ”
“ T H E C O M P E T I T I O N I S J U S T T O O S T R O N G ”
“ L E A D E R S H I P D O E S N ’ T R E A L L Y W A N T T O C H A N G E ”
“ T H E R E I S N O C L E A R P L A N F O R G R O W T H ”
T H E I R
S T O R I E S
AreY O U R
R E A L I T Y
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The Story Gap
T H E
D I F F E R E N C E
B E T W E E N
Y O U R D E S I R E D S T O R Y
andT H E O N E ( S ) R E A L L Y
B E I N G T O L D
FA I L U R E TO MIND THE GAP CAN HAVE
SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.
FOR YOUR BRAND,
A POTENTIALLY FATAL FLAW
S I M I L A R T O T H E D A N G E R L U R K I N G F R O M A
F A I L U R E T O M I N D T H E G A P O N L O N D O N ’ S T U B E ,
S T E P P I N G S A F E L Y O V E R T H E G A P B E T W E E N T R A I N
A N D P L A T F O R M
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Y O U R J O B :
RelentesslyF I N D A N D W O R K T O
C L O S E T H E G A P S
S T R A T E G I S T , L E A D E R , P R O T E C T O R
O F B R A N D & B U S I N E S S
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T H E S T O R Y G A P Revealed:W H A T D O E S C A D I L L A C S T A N D F O R ?
5 D I F F E R E N T P E O P L E R E S P O N D W I T H 5 D I F F E R E N T A N S W E R S :
AM Y G R A N D PA R E N T S ’ C A R
BG A S G U Z Z L E R C E LV I S
DB I G , F L O A T I N G B O A T - L I K E R I D E
EH I P - H O P U R B A N
W H A T C A D I L L A C S A Y S :
T H E N E W S T A N D A R D O F T H E W O R L D
CAD 4 LIFE
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B E H O N E S T A N D A S K Y O U R S E L F :
W H A T D O Y O U
R E A L L Y W A N T
F R O M T H E P E O P L E
W H O I N F L U E N C E
Your Success?
“ B U Y - I N ” O R “ O N - B O A R D I N G ” I S M O R E A B O U T
W A N T I N G P E O P L E T O J U S T A G R E E W I T H Y O U .
W H E N Y O U A S K F O R F E E D B A C K D O Y O U
R E A L L Y , R E A L L Y W A N T I T ?
I F Y O U W A N T T O I N F L U E N C E T H E M
T O B U Y , F O L L O W O R B E L I E V E
C O N S I D E R
Their S T O R Y
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F O RB R E A K-FA S T
C U L T U R E E A T S S T R A T E G Y
- P E T E R D R U C K E R
T R I -U M P H SV I S I O N - P H I L C O O K E
C U L T U R E
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- H O W A R D G A R D N E R
S T O R I E S C O N S T I T U T E
a uniquely powerful currencyI N H U M A N R E L A T I O N S H I P S .
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To S U C C E E D W E
S E E K relationship.
W A N T A J O B ?
E S T A B L I S H R E L A T I O N S H I P S I N
A N E T W O R K T O H E L P Y O U .
W A N T T O S E L L M O R E ?
C R E A T E R E L A T I O N S H I P S W I T H C U S T O M E R S
B Y C O N S I S T E N T L Y D E L I V E R I N G O N Y O U R
P R O M I S E T O G A I N T R U S T .
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“ O U R S U C C E S S H A S
R E A L L Y B E E N B A S E D O N
partnershipsF R O M T H E V E R Y
B E G I N N I N G . ”
- B I L L G A T E S
“I Love People”
“ P H Y S I C A L A T H L E T I C A B I L I T Y
I S A D I M E A D O Z E N
B U T
R E L A T I O N S H I P S A R E
E V E R Y T H I N G ”
- B I L L I E J E A N K I N G T E N N I S C H A M P I O N , E N T R E P R E N E U R
A N D L E A D E R F O R S O C I A L C H A N G E
W H A T ’ S T H E # 1 T R A I T T H A T H A S L E D T O Y O U R S U C C E S S ?
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People W H O W I L LU N D E R S T A N D O U R S I T U A T I O N S A N D H E L P U S S O L V E O U R P R O B L E M S
H U M A N R E L A T I O N S H I P & I N T E R A C T I O N
C A N B R I N G V A L U E & M E A N I N G T O O U R L I V E S .
R E P R E S E N T I N G V A L U E C R E A T I O N A T I T S F I N E S T .
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B Y F I N D I N G C O M M O N B O N D S A N D
C O N N E C T -I N G T H ED O T S
A Q U I C K C O N N E C T I O N
B C O M M O N A L I T I E S
C O P P O R T U N I T I E S
D A F A S T T R A C K F O R W H Y Y O U S H O U L D C A R E
Help them achieve their aspirations
- H E N R Y F O R D
N O B O D Y C A R E S A B O U T Y O U R
C O M P A N Y O R P R O D U C T .
T H E Y C A R E A B O U T T H E I R
O W N D R E A M S A N D G O A L S .
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S T O R Y B A S E D
C A M PA I G N S
C A N I N T E G R A T E
FA M I L I A R C O N C E P T S
A N D V E H I C L E S :
L E V E R A G E T H E P O W E R O F E V E R Y O N E
A S A S T O R Y T E L L E R A N D P O W E R F U L
C A T A L Y S T F O R Y O U R B R A N D S T O R Y .
B L O G S V I D E O F O R U M S E V E N T S
A D V E R T I S I N G D I S P L A Y S
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H E L P I N G P E O P L E R I S E A B O V E T H E
M A R K E T C H A O S T O U N D E R S T A N D
T H E S T O R I E S A T P L A Y A N D T H E I R
I M P L I C A T I O N S F O R B U S I N E S S .
T H E V A L U E :
D E L I V E R I N G
Meaning
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M A R K E T I N G C A M PA I G N S
T H A T W O R K
E F F E C T I V E L E A D E R S H I P
I M P R O V E D N E T W O R K I N G
B E T T E R S E O
S T R A T E G I E S T H A T
L I V E A N D S U C C E E D
E N A B L I N G :
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ArtfullyP O S I T I O N I N G Y O U R
B R A N D F O R :
O P P O R T U N I T Y
P O T E N T I A L
S U C C E S S
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T H E
A U T H E N T I C I T YO F O U R S T O R I E S
P R O V I D E T H E
R E A L - L I F E P R O O F A N D
S U P P O R T
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S O , I F Y O U R E A L L Y W A N T M O R E T H A N A
M A R K E T I N G
S H O T I NT H E A R M
C O N S I D E R H O W Y O U A C T I V E L Y
C U L T I V A T E , N U R T U R E A N D D E L I V E R
Y O U R S T O R I E S T O R E I N F O R C E A N D
S U S T A I N Y O U R B R A N D
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M O R E
M E A N I N G F U L T H A N
A C A M PA I G N
C R E A T E , S U P P O R T A N D L I V E A
Storied Position
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GiveP E O P L E A N O T H E R
R E A S O N T O
Care.
S T A R T L E V E R A G I N G Y O U R S T O R Y
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Sharlene Sones is a brand-building and marketing specialist that understands the power of a story to sell your product, advance an idea, communicate your value and point the way toward potential.
As Founder of Brandstoria, Sharlene helps entrepreneurs and organizations tap into the heart of their brand. Her approach is rooted in experience launching hundreds of products in sports and entertainment, when she’d think about the strategy for a new product based on its fit with the larger story people held about the brand. Today, she connects this storytelling perspective with traditional branding practices that can surprise and delight in ways that matter.
Over the past decade, Sharlene’s worked with and consulted to a wide range of agencies, organizations and global brands including Benetton Sportsystem, Spalding Sports Worldwide, LPGA, Tiffany & Co, University of Pennsylvania, Sigma Designs, IMS Health, Forefront Records, Barnes & Noble Collegiate, Womens Sports Foundation and more.
She’s a frequent presenter of workshops and keynotes at conferences including Jeff Pulver’s BrandsConf, Reinvention Summit, and The Babson Forum on Entrepreneurship.
When she’s not working on someone else’s story – she’s living out her own in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Lehigh Valley, or, as she refers to it, “the deep, deep, deep suburbs of NYC.” And while she’s put aside a single-engine airplane in favor of a bicycle, you can find Sharlene using power tools: creating something on a wood lathe (Bowl? Pen? Art?) or tackling a DIY home project.
Sharlene earned her graduate degree in organizational dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in management from Babson College, where she serves on the board of the Babson Alumni Association.
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R