Out of the blue, an opportunity presents itself. 

A company you’ve never heard of contacts you about retainingyour services. An old colleague from years ago refers you to an open position at their company. An energetic, young up-and-comer wants to be mentored by you. Someone from your network wants to collaborate with you on a project. 

You can’t believe your luck. Except, you know darn well itwasn’t luck. It took a bit of work and effort. You used storytelling to make this fortuitous turn of events happen.  

Let’s examine how you got here, starting with the end. 

You Are Contacted About the Opportunity 

Any of the scenarios mentioned above, or perhaps another. Itdepends on the work you do and what you’re looking for. But before someone contacts you about this opportunity, they have to… 

Remember You 

The person who contacts you about the opportunity has to beable to remember you when they are made aware of said opportunity. Most likely, they will not be looking at your LinkedIn profile or blog post when this opportunity comes across their desk. 

No. You have to occupy a space somewhere in the deeprecesses of their mind. So that when the opportunity comes to them, they think of you. 

In order for that to happen, they have to… 

Like You 

If there’s one thing I learned from Shawn Draper (and thereis certainly more than one thing), it’s that people like to do business with people they like. 

So in our little scenario here, the person in question, whowill ultimately contact you with an opportunity, has to have a positive perception of you. That positive perception is gained over time. 

At the same time, they have to… 

Know What You Do 

What you want is for people to think of you foropportunities that fit your area of expertise. So they need to be continually reminded of what you do, the value you offer, and why you’re so good at it. 

For them to have that awareness, they have to… 

See/Read/Listen to Your Content 

How can you expect anyone to know and like you well enoughto approach you from out of the blue with a fantastic opportunity if you don’t demonstrate your expertise? You can’t. 

So you have to show them. Repeatedly. Over and over. Gettingstuck in someone’s mind is not something that can be done with a single post. People have to consume your content on a constant basis. 

But you can put out all the content you want. People won’tpay attention unless it’s… 

Interesting 

You have to get people’s attention. And the way to do thatis to use storytelling. Or at least some principles of storytelling. 

Why? 

Because those principles of storytelling – emotion,authenticity, voice, vulnerability – are what make content irresistible. If you can do that on a consistent basis, you’ll start to get people’s attention, and build a reputation that will cause them to remember you when the time comes. 

But that will never happen unless you… 

Hit “Publish” 

The first step on your journey to landing that big,unexpected opportunity is to publish a post, a blog a podcast, and do it without fear. 

Then do it again. Because it may not be great the first time– it likely won’t. But you’ll get better over time. 

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Think this is all some crazy fantasy? It’s not. I’ve heardtales of it happening to others. And it’s happened to me. On more than one occasion. So get started on your journey. Today. 

Not sure where to start? I can help. As your storytelling coach, I can helpyou unlock the power of your own stories to become un-ignorable and unforgettable with your content.