Recently I walked into the Qantas Lounge in Melbourne and was greeted by a very familiar face. A face I had not seen for many years. It was Joe who used to run the café where I lived, and it took me back to a Magnetic Brand Story about him.

Coffee and Trams

One morning I ordered a coffee knowing I was cutting it fine because my tram was due to arrive any minute. The tram arrived early so I told to Joe I was going to have to forgo the coffee. Then I went outside and jumped on the very crowded tram.

But the tram was immediately delayed because of traffic lights. I was standing near the cramped tram doorway, when Joe ran towards me, knocked on the door, passed me my coffee and said, ‘Have a great day.’ Not only making me feel special but no doubt impressing everyone on the tram who saw it.

I reminded Joe of that story when I saw him, and he commented that I must have a very good memory. But I don’t.

Unreasonable Hospitality

The reason I remember the story is because Joe carried out an act of unreasonable hospitality by delivering more than what I expected. This means that I will remember that experience for the rest of my life and reshare that story forever.

Behaviour that exceeds our expectations will always be memorable. Resharing the story and even thinking about it, takes me right back to that moment. It happened over 10 years ago yet I remember it like it was yesterday.

A Magnetic Brand Story

This is an example of a magnetic brand story, and they don’t just happen by chance. If you want to be known for exceptional customer service, you must be on the lookout to deliver outstanding experiences for your customers. You must seize the opportunity to be generous or caring or collaborative or whatever it is you want to be known for.

Five Types of Brand Stories

Out of the five types of brand stories I outline in my book, Magnetic Stories: Connect with customers and engage employees with brand storytelling, this is what I call Culture Stories. Stories that demonstrate your purpose, values and desired behaviours.

So, if you are interested in the power of brand stories then I have five questions for you.

1. Do you know what you want to be known for?
2. Do you proactively look for opportunities to deliver on that?
3. Do all your employees fully understand what is expected around values?
4. Are they empowered to deliver on these values?
5. Do you strategically find and share these stories internally to reinforce the desired behaviours?

Do you need help to strategically implement storytelling into your organisation?

Well, you know where to find me… and yes, I know that was technically six questions but I couldn’t resist!