Impression Engineers | Information Design Specialty Products

Wookie photo by
Dan Christopher Photography

Just because you are small doesn’t mean you can’t have a huge impact on others…  We lost our precious Wookie over the weekend to his long battle with kidney disease. He was an inspirational part of the Impression Engineers family for over 12 years.

One of our clients is a wonderful storyteller. He recently sent me an ad with an inviting story written in the parable style. Very engaging and I got the moral: “Be clear and specific about what you want.” I had to chuckle, because while I got the “message,” I didn’t know what he wanted me to do with it. In short, no matter how well written, how clever the story, without a clear call to action woven throughout the story, it is not selling…

Story telling is an effective sales tool. We all like a good story. When writing a sales story use some of the basic emotions of joy, surprise, anticipation, acceptance, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. These emotions allow the reader to relate. An emotionally compelling story can be remembered for a lifetime.

A good story does not interpret “why” something is happening. Allow readers to have their own emotional responses. A little bit of intrigue is why readers find good stories so appealing.  If you know your target market well enough, you probably have a good idea of their response…

The best marketing stories are simple. Not too many characters or too complicated of a plot. Begin with a character(s) your target audience can relate to. Sympathetic is always a good place to start. A complicating situation develops. The character(s) try to resolve the situation—maybe even multiple ways.  As the story draws to a conclusion be sure you have woven in a call to action.

Please share your thoughts and experiences of taking our Relationship Building Strategy e-course below in the comments section of the page.  We greatly appreciate your feedback!

If your life has become root-bound and you have stopped growing, it is time to re-pot.
~Lucy MacDonald~

Your attitude can spread like wildflowers or weeds… Finally had a few moments of nice weather here in the Northwest. I planted a few blossoms. It’s been a late spring and many have been in a sour mood around here.

Develop a positive attitude

They are out there. Energy vampires are just waiting for a weak moment. Energy vampires are those you allow to “cross your line.” They usually have no conscious awareness they are “stepping across the line.” That is why I like the word vampires: energy vampires go about life “unconscious of their effect on others” and if allowed to, will suck you dry.

Energy vampires push boundaries. Having clear boundaries is essential to a balanced lifestyle. The placement of boundaries is directly related to self-concept and feelings of self-worth. Someone with weak emotional boundaries can end up feeling drained and wounded by others even if no fang marks are visible. Fang marks can be

• Excess criticism. It doesn’t even have to be about you to drain you, “Did you see the way that waitress treated me?”
• Personal attack. “You’re stupid to think that.” “You can’t do that!”
• Misplacement of responsibility. Commonly called guilt, "How come you didn’t stop me!"

Boundary setting problems come from distorted views about control and responsibility. Our perceptions and expectations will affect the kind and degree of boundaries set with individuals. Many are good at setting certain boundaries with certain people, yet cannot set boundaries with others. Setting boundaries can produce feelings of guilt and emotional debt. People with blurred boundaries may feel: