If your company's story is ‘I offer this and it costs this much’, then unfortunately it's the wrong one.

Did you know that when information is missing, our brains simply build a story around it so that we can explain things to ourselves? Numerous neuroscience studies have shown that people prefer to process information in narrative form and automatically generate plausible stories even when facts are incomplete.

German war equipment in the school war

So, for example, you hear about a break-up between your friends. 'Have you heard, Sissi and Franz are no longer together!' and without knowing what exactly happened with them, our brains start to construct their own stories and we try to explain how it happened.

Or you see a small argument on the street. Two boys are pushing each other. One of them is blond with white socks and hiking sandals, the other is more of a southern type with a football under his arm. Who started it? Depending on who you voted for in the last general election, you probably already have your answer without knowing the background.

Spoiler, it was the blonde guy. The one with the tennis socks and sandals. That was me as a 7-year-old saying a stupid thing and getting a football in the face for it. Not paying attention. It was my own fault. That's what I tell myself today.

The brain tends to immediately construct plausible explanations from incomplete information. And that is why this realisation is particularly important for your brand or company.

If you fail to tell your story yourself (i.e. your marketing and branding), then your potential customers will just do it themselves (without them wanting to. It just happens).

Many people visit your LinkedIn page or your website to get an idea of who you are. If you fail to define your story at that moment, these potential customers (or future employees) will simply use the information they already know from elsewhere. For example, they simply compare prices or how nice your fruit basket in the reception area looks in the photo. I think fruit baskets are great, by the way! But it's not your story.

This narrative thinking complements the purely logical explanation of a matter. That's why stories are so important for your company.

We remember content that we experience as a living story better than isolated facts. So don't just tell your customers what you offer and how much it costs.

Tell them why you do it, how passionate you are about it, what you have achieved so far and what your vision is for the future. Only then should you mention the price (or the fruit basket).