** Disclaimer: this blog posting is not about our own Paula Stout—she was not in an accident and drives Audis only. **

I spent some quality time on the plane last week thumbing through Fortune Magazine’s Fortune 500 Edition. On one of the first few pages was an ad for the Mercedes S-Class Sedan. It grabbed me. In 20-point type the headline read:

“If I had not been in the car I was in, I probably wouldn’t be alive … My Mercedes saved my life.”

Does it get any better than that? Whether or not you drive a Mercedes, this ad has teeth.

What’s different about this story—

• No “blind” or diluted quotes
• As picture and name of the customer advocate--Paula
• simple to follow, uncontrived, compelling story … we can all relate
• Customer commitment to, in the future, only drive Mercedes
• The “success” is a story, and the story is survival!!!!!

What’s ironic about most success stories and marquee customers today is that they’re at the intersection where less-than-remarkable customer experiences and legal departments / PR teams collide. The demand for volume has lowered the bar. If you could capture your intended customer at a glance and then direct them elsewhere for the rest of the story, would you do it?

After years of our own and other industry research into how prospective buyers gather and validate vendor claims, approach the decision-making process and influence internal constituents, it’s become so, so, so clear that emotion drives. People believe their own experiences first; the experiences of others to whom they can relate are a close second. Story consumers look for the less than linear pitch. They like to choose their own adventures. If stories lack meaning, people lose interest or become overly critical.

Could Mercedes have done more?

Sure. On top of this great story is a marketing opportunity. In addition to building an integrated marketing campaign centered around Paula and her story, Mercedes could have created and directed readers to a Web site that features Notes from Paula: a destination that tells the rest of her story, chronicles how she and her husband evaluated other car makers before choosing Mercedes and shows photos of the damaged car and what Paula is driving now.

Mercedes hit me in my old brain. Great stories should engage all parts of the mind and create a believable experience—one that personalizes the person or company taking it out of the realm of concept. People may buy “concept” once; but they don’t buy it fast or repeatedly. Further, stories must touch different parts of who you are—dig down into amygdala, the old brain. Why? The old brain (or the reptilian brain) is where decisions happen; this part of the brain helped man survive since the dawn. We form deep passions and opinions here, the old brain is where decisions are made. So why is it that nearly every customer tale we hear is diluted and without real meaning?

I recently heard a colleague pitch his refurbished medical devices company. He didn’t talk about the hospitals or practices the company serves but about the cost savings and life-essential value these tools bring to saving premature children, injured athletes and our aging parents. He told three stories of how his technology saved real people’s lives in way that no other company could.

Yes, some areas of the buying process call for us to be pragmatic and consistent. But as humans we gravitate toward shiny objects and things that make us feel safe. Stories must have that heart-felt emotional quality; they must be compelling and credible and believable. Thus, stories need to be told or translated both factually and emotionally by someone who gets the psychology of buying and retention—and of loyalty and love.

Promise Phelon, CEO Founder
Promise.Phelon@phelongroup.com