Using Stories to Sell Stuff

Reading an old Dan Kennedy book (purchased for 50 cents from my local library. Short story long? It was falling apart so I asked them to tape it. They said they’re going to chuck it when I returned it, so I gave coughed up 50 big ones (little ones), they stamped it “Discarded” and now it’s mine. But I digress…)

On pages 64-65 of Kennedy’s No B.S. Sales Success (1996 reprint), he exposes the cosmetics industry, an industry that uses stories, celebs and secret ingredients like sheep sperm and dew collected from tulips grown on the sunny side of the Alps to create a mystique that helps them hawk their wares.

“…as much as consumers hate hearing this, all of these products are pretty much the same. In fact, there’s only one manufacturer for every 50-100 different brands, labels and product lines—all with the same ingredients. The only significant differences are the packaging, the price and the ‘story’.”

No doubt about it, stories work. We’re not buying “gunk in a jar”. We’re buying a story. And the mystique that goes with it. Colonel Sanders secret recipe. How Cadbury gets the caramel in the Caramilk bar. (Warning: Scene Spoiler) How elves baked our cookies out in the woods.

Would adding a powerful story or secret ingredient or process help you create some mystique around your stuff? Worth considering.
Tsufit