A Story by Robert McKee

A company can describe its features accurately and still leave people unsure why those features matter. A story adds context: somebody faces a problem, makes a choice and experiences a consequence. That structure can help an audience understand a service without beginning with a long catalogue of specifications.

Robert McKee and Thomas Gerace explore this approach in Storynomics: Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World. McKee is also known for Story, his book on the craft of storytelling. Their work offers a way to think about narrative in business, rather than proof that a story will always outperform other forms of communication.

Know who the story is for

Before writing an opening scene, identify the audience and the question they bring. A new customer may want to understand how a service works. An existing customer may need reassurance about a difficult change. Those needs call for different examples and different amounts of explanation.

Decide what the story should help the reader understand or do. The desired response might be to examine a case study, discuss a problem or request more information. A clear purpose makes it easier to remove details that are entertaining but irrelevant.

For a running example, imagine a fictional bakery struggling with missed collection times. Its customers are not interested in software as an abstract category. They want their orders to be ready and the collection arrangements to be clear.

Establish an understandable starting point

Introduce a person or team whose situation the audience can follow. Explain what ordinary life looks like before the problem becomes urgent. There is no need to invent a dramatic biography if a simple working situation provides enough context.

In the bakery example, staff keep orders in a notebook and answer changes by telephone. The system has worked while the shop was quiet. As orders increase, messages arrive through different channels and the team finds it harder to maintain one reliable list.

The important detail is the gap between the current process and the desired outcome. Readers can now understand what is at stake without being told repeatedly that the bakery faces a major challenge.

Let an event create a specific goal

A story develops when something changes. Perhaps a customer arrives for a celebration cake that has been recorded for the following day. The team now has a concrete reason to reconsider its process, rather than a vague ambition to become more modern.

The goal should be equally clear. In this fictional case, the bakery wants every order to have one confirmed collection time visible to both staff and customer. That is more meaningful than promising complete digital transformation.

For a real customer story, verify the event and obtain appropriate permission before identifying people. Changing details for privacy should not turn an ordinary difficulty into an invented disaster presented as fact.

Show action and a credible obstacle

The first response does not have to solve everything. The bakery might introduce a shared order form, only to discover that telephone changes still bypass it. This obstacle reveals why a tool alone is insufficient: the team also needs an agreed way of updating information.

A useful business story makes that learning visible. It should not suggest that customers were foolish before the supplier arrived, or that a product magically removed every difficulty. People, processes and limitations belong in the account.

The decisive choice could be to confirm each change through the same record and make one person responsible during a shift. That decision connects the earlier problem with an understandable change in behaviour.

Describe the result without exaggerating it

An ending should explain what changed and what the evidence supports. In a real case, distinguish measured results from impressions. Fewer corrections during a particular trial would not establish that mistakes can never happen again.

Our bakery remains an illustration, not a documented customer success. Its purpose is to demonstrate a narrative structure: a recognisable situation, a disruption, an attempted solution and a meaningful adjustment. Invented revenue figures would add false authority rather than improve the explanation.

Finish with a next step that fits the story. Invite readers to examine their own order process or discuss a comparable problem. Storytelling works best when it clarifies a decision while preserving the audience’s ability to question the evidence. A memorable narrative should support honest communication, not replace it.

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