The strategies outlined in the previous chapters are powerful-but only when applied. This chapter provides four paint-by-numbers story formulas that help you mobilize all the personalized details, relevancy layers, and engagement techniques we've covered. Each formula is optimized for specific time constraints and audience complexity, giving you a clear structure to follow whether you have 1 minute or 20 minutes to make your case.
A Paint-by-Numbers Approach
Stories are the vehicle for delivering all the personalized details that make your message meaningful to buyers. These four formulas progress from simple to sophisticated, each building on the concepts from earlier chapters while providing a structured path forward.
Formula 1: The Spark
1 Minute Story
When to Use
Elevator pitch, cold outreach, quick introduction, hallway conversation
Core Concept
Create immediate curiosity and relevance
The Spark Structure
Their World
15 seconds
One sentence about THEIR challenge or opportunity
Example:
Most CIOs we talk to are being asked to cut costs while accelerating digital transformation.
Bridge Moment
30 seconds
ONE compelling insight, stat, or story that reframes their thinking
Example:
We worked with a CIO who was exhausted from defending IT budgets while his CEO demanded faster innovation. After reimagining how they prioritize tech debt, his team launched 3 new customer experiences-and he walked into his next board meeting showing 40% infrastructure savings.
What If Question
15 seconds
A single question that opens the door to conversation
Example:
What if you could do the same? Would you have 15 minutes next week to see how?
Formula 2: The Value Bridge
5 Minute Story
When to Use
First meetings, discovery calls, shorter engagements
Core Concept
Connect a single stakeholder's challenge to your solution's outcome
The Value Bridge Structure
Their World
1 minute
Content Breakdown:
- 2-3 sentences on industry/ecosystem trend (20s)
- 1-2 sentences on their company/department challenge (20s)
- The specific stakeholder's goal or pain (20s)
Example:
Financial services is seeing a 3x increase in AI-driven fraud attempts. Your CFO mentioned in the earnings call that improving risk management is a top priority this year. For you as Director of Fraud Operations, this likely means your team is drowning in false positives while actual threats slip through.
The Bridge: 2-3 Capability Moments
3 minutes (~1 min each)
Content per Moment:
- Brief setup: what you're about to show (10s)
- The capability in action (30s)
- Tie back to their challenge + include metric/KPI (15s)
- Optional: Quick social proof or customer story (5s)
Example Moment:
Let me show you how our ML model prioritizes alerts... [demo 30s] At Acme Financial, their lead analyst told us she used to dread Monday mornings-hundreds of alerts, most of them false. Now she focuses only on real threats. She actually started mentoring junior team members again because she had the time. Her investigation time dropped 60%.
Their Future
1 minute
Content Breakdown:
- Describe their day/role AFTER solution (30s)
- Use their KPIs and language (20s)
- Ask: 'What resonates most for your specific situation?' (10s)
Example:
Six months from now, picture your senior analysts doing the strategic work they were hired for-not drowning in alert queues. They're confident, your team retention improves, and in your quarterly review, you show the transformation: false positives down from 80% to 15%. What part of this journey would have the biggest impact for you?
Formula 3: The Stakeholder Symphony
10 Minute Story
When to Use
Multi-stakeholder demos, mid-stage sales cycle
Core Concept
Orchestrate value across multiple roles while showing interconnections
The Stakeholder Symphony Structure
The Ensemble
2 minutes
Content Breakdown:
- Org-level challenge affecting ALL stakeholders (30s)
- Visual stakeholder 'placemat' showing 3-4 roles and their interconnected goals (60s)
- Preview the journey flow (30s)
Example:
Your customer experience is fragmented across 12 systems. [Show visual placemat] Sarah in Sales can't see service history. Mike in Service can't update product info. Jennifer in Ops has no visibility to customer sentiment. And your VP of CX is flying blind on where to invest. Today we'll see how connecting these roles transforms your customer experience and your bottom line.
Individual Movements
6-7 minutes (~1.5-2 min per stakeholder)
Example Stakeholder:
Sarah told us she felt embarrassed on calls-customers expected her to know their history, but she was fumbling through three systems. [Show unified view] Now Sarah sees the complete customer story in one place. She walks into every conversation prepared and confident... And when Sarah updates the opportunity, watch what Mike in Service sees instantly... At Acme Corp, their sales team reported feeling more trusted by customers-and their sales cycles shortened by 30%.
The Finale
2 minutes
Content Breakdown:
- Return to org challenge from Part 1 (20s)
- Show stakeholder placemat again with 'future state' (40s)
- Cumulative metrics/KPI impact (30s)
- Ask: 'Which stakeholder's journey resonates most?' (30s)
Example:
Remember the fragmented experience across 12 systems? [Show updated placemat] Now Sarah walks into calls confident. Mike resolves issues on the first contact. Jennifer finally has the visibility she's been asking for. And your VP of CX has the analytics to invest wisely. In your next executive review, you'll show the summary: customer satisfaction up 25 points, resolution time down 40%. Which of these transformations would have the biggest impact on your Q2 goals?
Formula 4: The Remarkable Experience Playbook
20 Minute Story
When to Use
Executive sessions, strategic deals, high-stakes presentations
Core Concept
Full application-bookends + remarkable moments + complete relevancy stack
The Remarkable Experience Playbook Structure
Opening Bookend: The Landscape
3 minutes
Example:
Healthcare is in the midst of a value-based care revolution. CMS just announced new quality metrics that tie reimbursement to patient outcomes, not just visits. Your CEO said in last quarter's call that improving patient outcomes while reducing readmissions is your #1 strategic priority this year. For your Care Management team, this means coordinating across providers, catching at-risk patients before they decline, and doing it all with staffing shortages. Miss these metrics, you leave millions on the table. Hit them, you improve lives and your bottom line. Today we'll see how your Care Coordinators, Clinical Directors, IT Operations, and CMO can work together to transform patient outcomes.
The Relevancy Foundation
3 minutes
Present stakeholder relevancy map as visual infographic showing 3-4 stakeholders with their context, objectives, KPIs, and challenges. Show how stakeholders interconnect and reference back to ecosystem trends.
Act I: Remarkable Moments
10-11 minutes (~2.5-3 min per stakeholder)
Example Flow:
Maria told us she'd been a Care Coordinator for 10 years. She knew Mrs. Johnson was at risk for readmission, but had no way to flag it until it was too late. She used to lie awake worrying about patients like Mrs. Johnson... [Audience member], can you help Maria by clicking on Mrs. Johnson's record? [Hands-on moment] You see the AI flagged her as high-risk 3 days ago. Maria now has time to intervene-she catches at-risk patients days earlier and acts before problems escalate. Remember those new CMS quality metrics we discussed? This early intervention directly improves your patient outcome scores. In her last quarterly review, Maria's readmission rate had dropped from 18% to 11%-exceeding the 15% target. And because Maria logged this intervention, Dr. James can now see it in his dashboard-which brings us to his transformation...
Closing Bookend: The Transformation
3 minutes
Example:
Maria now sleeps better-she knows her at-risk patients are flagged early. Dr. James finally has the visibility he's been requesting for two years. Your IT Ops team reclaimed 40 hours a week from manual data entry. And your CMO has the story to tell the Board. Here's what the transformation delivered: quality scores up 23 points (exceeding your 20-point goal), readmissions down 35%, patient satisfaction up 28%. Remember those new CMS reimbursement metrics? You're not just meeting them-you're in the top quartile. You went from reactive sick care to proactive health management-and that's $3.2M in additional CMS reimbursement.
What Will They Say?
1 minute
Content Breakdown:
- Pose question: 'When you're talking about this with [key stakeholder not in room], what stands out?' (20s)
- Listen for THEIR remarkable moment (20s)
- Ask: 'What would make this a must-have vs. nice-to-have?' (10s)
- Collaborative next steps (10s)
Example:
When you brief your Board next week on this Care Management transformation, what will be your lead story? [Listen] Great-that's exactly what we want to explore deeper in the next session. What needs to happen between now and then to make this a strategic initiative vs. a pilot project?
Workbook: The Story Readiness Check
Before delivering any story, ensure you have these six ingredients ready:
Ask Yourself
If No, Then...
Am I telling a story, not listing features or giving advice?
Wrap your message in a transformation narrative
Does my story follow a transformation arc (before, challenge, after)?
Add a clear before state, obstacle, and outcome
Does my opening hook grab attention with "How I/they + achievement"?
Reframe your opening to lead with the result
Am I using simple language a friend would understand?
Remove jargon and shorten sentences
Does my story end with a question that invites conversation?
Replace closing statements with an open question
Could my audience retell this story to their team?
Simplify until the core is repeatable in 30 seconds