The Power of Story
Last night I was at Bartell Drug’s looking for bleach to clean my deck. There was a lot of grunge and grind out there and I needed something strong. As I walked in I noticed “Seventh Generation: free & clear” Chlorine Free Bleach. This particular bottle of bleach read “non-toxic * hypo-allergenic * degradable” – furthermore it pronounced, ever so humbly in the top right hand corner: “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. – From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy”
I’m going to be honest: I’m not entirely sure what “hypo-allergenic” means. I could look it up on Wikipedia, but that would disingenuous- I didn’t know what it meant when I chose to buy the Seventh Generation brand. More importantly, I’m not entirely positive the gradation of difference the level of “non-hypo-allergenic-nous” the Seventh Generation brand “has” over the pure run of the mill bleach brand either. I know I could incline myself to say “well, bleach is bad…and of course this stuff is clean…it comes in a white bottle and it says so” but that would miss the point. I’m not sure what “non-toxic” means and even though I know they are a Native American Indian tribe, I’m not quite sure the whole story behind the Iroquois either.
So why did I end up paying double for “Seventh Generation”? Because I like the story! I’m not sure to what extent I helped to save the environment this morning as I cleaned my deck and brushed the run off down the pipes, but it was sure worth the extra $3.00 I spent to know: “At least I did my best to do right by myself and environment”. It ‘felt’ clean. It’s a good story.
I admit whole heartedly: I’m not a scientist and to be totally honest, I’m not sure what all the green verbiage means. And if pressed, neither do most. The point is not how much we know about it – the point is the story! People are buying a story when they walk into Whole Foods and when they buy a Prius. Sure you can try and coordinate rational differences between a Prius and Hummer: miles per gallon, fuel efficiency, etc. But really – tell me the difference? What is the REAL difference to you – the atoms that compose the structure that is your body – in eating organic v. conventional?
Lewis Black said it best: “And for all we study about health, we know nothing! Is milk good or bad?” Not a hand amongst sold out, silent hall went raised. “I rest my case” as everyone burst into laughter.
We love the story. We buy the story. And I’m happy to do it. I feel better: physically, mentally, and spiritually.
As a small business, take heed: define your story. The story about you and your business is already there – it’s not a question of that – it’s a question of how much you want to participate in the active formation of what that story is.
What is the story you’re telling every day?
