If you asked your customers and employees what your company stands for, could they respond? Join us as author Fernando Pizarro illustrates the power of a good story and provides tips to get you started on creating your own strong company story that will help establish you as a thought leader.
34. Write The Book On It: An Expertist’s
Guide to Becoming a Thought Leader
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Editor's Notes
I’m fernando pizarro and I’m going to chat with you about expertism
You might ask what makes me an expert in making experts?
A lot…
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this isn't a topic that you've thought about too much, but I've thought about it a LOT.
The reason is - I used to be just like you. A business leader.
Then I had a Heart attack
And now I’m a ghost.
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Not that kind of ghost
Always wanted to explore a writing career
So I started off as a ghostwriter, helping CEOs in Silicon Valley tell the stories of their company.
Always wanted to explore a writing career
And In helping CEOs talk about sales, or customer success, or startups, I’ve found that the best companies and leaders have something in common.
----- Meeting Notes (5/9/16 10:37) -----
Design…
But also being formed in a garage…
…coming back from disgrace to run the company
Started in a harvard dorm room.
A fight with roomates…
drama
Making shoes soles on a waffle iron
Going to italy and finding good coffee everywhere – wanting to bring that back to seattle.
There is a narrative – highs and lows, conflict, heroes and villains.
How do you spend your marketing dollars? All companies spend money getting their product information out there. Then they tell a benefits story. But the ones that really develop a brand have a story that transcends their product and becomes a narrative.
Even in business to business, the Salesforce.com story is a david and goliath story – the idea of fighting against the big incumbents in traditional software. Marc Benioff is a genius for setting that story up.
What is the best way to tell a story, and how do you get it out there?
There is something special about a book.
People assume if you have written one that you truly know your topic.
People pay more attention to the ideas in a book
A book is a physical token, one that you can give your customers in a gesture as old as gift giving.
You don’t have to invent Klingon…but you can define the way your customers think about you and your industry…how success is measured, who the leaders are, what quality means.
The Seven Secret Screens of Interesting
Personal
Unexpected
Controversy
Humor
Social proof
Data