What a Corporate Storyteller looks like and why you should care. This "proposal" was built after more than a decade of service as Chief Storyteller at IBM. The one thing that can beat a great product is a better story. This describes how a company might go about considering the hiring, or at a minimum, investing in the consultation of a seasoned Corporate Storyteller. For you to be remain successful and grow, your past journeys need to be combined with new visionary journeys and stories that captivate mindshare and market share. To do that they need to be shared in a way that motivates people to act. This is all about MOVING PEOPLE. And the best way to move people is with STORY!

1. © 2022 Louis Richardson
You’re only as good
as your Story!
What a Corporate Storyteller looks like
and why you should care.

2. © 2022 Louis Richardson
01 02 03 04 05
W
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Why do
you need a
Storyteller?
What does great
storytelling and
storytellers
looks like?
What will
success look
like?
What are
some of the
obstacles and
challenges?
What is the
business value
associated with
having a
Storyteller?

3. © 2022 Louis Richardson
01 WH Y
It’s not that you don’t do amazing things. You do.
It’s not that you don’t have great stories. You do.
The problem is you’ve existed so long by simply
leveraging your technology (what you do), that
you’ve lost our voice in sharing your story (why
you do it).
“People don’t buy what you do,
they buy why you do it.” - Simon SInek
It’s all about the WHY.
And STORY is how you share the why.

4. © 2022 Louis Richardson
WH Y
You are … (a description of the power and
differentiation of the organization in need)
For you to be remain successful and grow, your past
journeys need to be combined with new visionary
journeys and stories that captivate mindshare and
market share. To do that they need to be shared in a
way that motivates people to act.
This is all about MOVING PEOPLE
And the best way to move people is with STORY!
“What can beat a great product?
A better story.” - Louis Richardson

5. © 2022 Louis Richardson
02
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What does great
storytelling and
storytellers
looks like?

6. © 2022 Louis Richardson
02
They ENCHANT
They capture
people’s attention
If we are to be effective, we must
first be understood, interesting and
relevant. Otherwise we are
irrelevant and invisible.
“People are no longer buying goods
and services. They are buying
stories, relations and magic.”
Seth Godin
They ENGAGE
They impact revenue
and relationships
It’s not a buyer’s journey. It’s a journey
of belief. Skilled storytellers work
directly with clients and co-workers to
guide people along that journey.
“Great storytellers have an unfair
competitive advantage.”
Bill Gurley
They ENRICH
They build trust and
deepen relationships
Amazing stories are out there, waiting to
be discovered and shared. We share our
stories with people we trust. Stories from
the field will entice others to follow.
“You can tell a culture by listening
to its story. You can change a
culture by changing its story.”
Louis Richardson
WH A T G R EA T C O R PO R A TE STO R YTEL L ER S L O O K L I KE

7. © 2022 Louis Richardson
WH A T G R EA T C O R PO R A TE STO R YTEL L ER S L O O K L I KE
02
DO N ’ T
DIGITAL COPYWRITERS: While stories should be leveraged through digital channels, future survival depends on
the ability to effectively sell through personal interactions, conversations and
narratives. Especially when considering large deals, people still buy from people.
OFFICE BOUND: The great stories are born and raised in the field. Great storytellers spend the majority
of their time with clients, teams and market relevant audiences.
SCRIPT WRITERS: Storytellers write and what they write, others can use. But great storytellers write
material they personally use and it’s in that use they refine and perfect the message
and their craft. They usually don’t write words that only others speak.
PRESENTATION DESIGNERS: Like writing, great storytellers are often deeply involved in the design and development
of presentation and sales assets. But they are not purely a presentation building
resource. Designing a message is but one part of the complete lifecycle of a story.

8. © 2022 Louis Richardson
03
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What will
success look
like?

9. © 2022 Louis Richardson
I M PA C T
03
BUILD MIND SHARE
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The impact of your products
and services will be heard and
more importantly, believed.
It needs to be shared with
partners and clients as the best
possible path of their current
journey.
STORY CURRATION
Your team and clients generate
amazing stories of success.
These will be captured,
developed and amplified so
others can benefit from these
examples.
ENCHANT:
COMMUNICATION
BUILD SKILLS & RELATIONSHIPS
CLIENT STORIES
Your Storyteller will work with
clients to assist them in
discovering, developing and
recounting their own stories for
their own individual and
corporate success.
STORY CULTURE
Your Storyteller will spread the
culture of business storytelling
through internal enablement to
include workshops and training
assets. The goal is to enable
others to develop and share
stories as part of their client’s
journeys.
ENRICH:
ENABLEMENT
BUILD MARKET SHARE
CLIENT ENGAGEMENTS
Your Storyteller will serve to assist
in the building and progression of
opportunities. This will include
personal engagement in client
briefings, meetings and
workshops.
REUSABLE ASSETS
Your Storyteller will develop
assets that can be used by field
sales teams. These will include
the stories that are developed,
presentations, videos, and articles
that can be used in subsequent
journeys.
ENGAGE:
SALES

10. © 2022 Louis Richardson
04
C
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What are
some of the
obstacles and
challenges?

11. © 2022 Louis Richardson
04
C H A L L EN G ES
Story is not an afterthought, it’s an essential element
Effective incorporation of business storytelling is not defined as
simply adding story on top of current behaviors and practices.
This will require openness to reimagine the entire customer’s
relationship and journey with their data. This will require
inclusion of your Storyteller in strategy and account planning as
well as leveraging their skills in delivering customer facing
presentations. This may require at specific points in the journey,
individuals who know more about how and what will need to
yield the stage to the storyteller to share the why.
This isn’t about tech, it’s about touch
You may have a rich history in leveraging innovative technology.
But today, more than ever, tech itself is not enough. To move
individuals and organizations along what could be a tough
journey requires more than the technology to get them there. It
requires they see the destination, have the desire and feel
confident in their ability to reach it. To quote Maya Angelou,
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you
did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.”
This is different and will require trial and trust
Historically, companies have not developed the behavior
around the incorporation of story within the client’s journey of
belief. But it’s become evident and widely accepted that this
discipline will show itself to assist in building stronger and
richer engagements. This will take time and patience to make
the change, but will pay off in large dividends.

12. © 2022 Louis Richardson
05
R
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W
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D
S
What is the
business value
associated with
having a
Storyteller?

13. © 2022 Louis Richardson
05 R EW A R D S
YOU CAPTURES
YOUR STORIES
BUILD CONNECTIONS
& DEEPEN
RELATIONSHIPS
Your Storyteller will focus on the
curation and communication of the
stories that embody the value you
offer your clients. These artifacts
will be used to build awareness and
drive replicant behavior
throughout the company.
YOU WILL ESTABLISH A
CULTURE OF STORY
REAL WORLD FIELD
EXAMPLES FOR OTHERS
TO FOLLOW
Through field and customer facing
interactions with sales teams your
Storyteller will establish the value of
this approach to the field and the
client’s data journey, by modeling
and coaching story behaviors that
lead to success.
YOU DEFINE
YOUR VOICE
INCREASED
MIND SHARE &
MARKET SHARE
Your conversations will be
perceived as interesting and
relevant to a broader audience,
thereby affording you increased
opportunities to challenge and
change beliefs to align with your
brand and point of view.

14. © 2022 Louis Richardson
C L O SI N G R EM A R KS
You are positioned to make a difference.
How much of a difference is the question at hand.
You have a wonderful collection of talent, assets and resources that have been
honed through the conquering of real world challenges. You’ve been in business
for a number of years and have an impressive history and client base. You have
been what most would deem successful.
“So what?”
Or better yet,
“What now?”
With a little more effort and focus, you can grow.
What interests me is the thought of just how far can you grow. What I like to
explore with my clients is this question:
”What are you capable of?”
And if you want to go even further, consider having a skilled Storyteller helping
you find your voice.
”What are we capable of?”

15. © 2022 Louis Richardson
If you have any questions or
if I can be of service to you,
let me know.
Louis Richardson
Corporate Storyteller
louis@creativitycrisis.com
(404) 374-8455
“This is what we
Storytellers do. We restore
order with imagination.
We instill hope again, and
again, and again.”
Walt Disney