Suggested Readings

Founders School || Powerful Presentations || First Impressions || Impact Guide (PDF).

Wortmann, Craig. What’s Your Story? Sales Engine, Inc., 2006.

Fraleigh, Douglas M. & Joseph S. Tuman. Speak Up!: An Illustrated Guide to Public Speaking. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011.

Kauffman Founders School, Entrepreneurial Selling: What’s Your Story?, Craig Wortmann

Kauffman Founders School, Entrepreneurial Selling: The Story Matrix, Craig Wortmann

Miller, Anne. Metaphorically Selling: How to Use the Magic of Metaphors to Sell, Persuade, & Explain Anything to Anyone. New York City, NY: Chiron Associates, Inc., 2004.

Grothe, Mardy.  I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. 2008. (Note: for inspiration on metaphors)

Questions for You

Using S.A.M.E., create one simile, analogy, and metaphor for your product or service.

Test the results with 10 people to see how they respond, and rework it.

Keeping in mind that similes, analogies, and metaphors are culturally sensitive, create two more that can be used as backup.

Tools and exercises

Become a student of what you see and hear around you by looking for similes, analogies, and metaphors.

Create a S.A.M.E. list in your smartphone or in the cloud, and add to the list every time you see or hear an interesting one. Even write down crazy ones.

Create a Story Matrix(℠), using Craig Wortmann’s guidelines (PDF).

Continue to add to your Story Matrix(℠) as you recall or create new stories.