Recently, in two separate emails, I mentioned the band Love and Rockets and a storytelling structure. Both are going to come back today.

First, Love and Rockets. They have another great song, “No New Tale To Tell.”

In the song are these lines:

People like to hear their names.

I’m no exception,

Please call my name.

In other words, just like your momma taught you, be nice and don’t make it all about you.

Now for the second one, the story structure, Boy Meets Girl. In BMG you are not the main character. Your customer is the one who meets the girl. Your customer is the one who loses the girl. Your customer is the one who gets the girl back.

You are simply the one who facilitates the getting back of the girl, when the girl is lost in the second leg.

A reminder: BMG is a story in three sentences: Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Insert your product or service towards the end of the second leg.

Boom, story made, and it only took you a few seconds.

See? There’s no big mystery in storytelling for business. Make the structure a habit, and you’ll only need a few seconds to make a story.

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Insert your product or service into the tail end of the second leg.