Testing the story

Before finalising the core narrative, pressure test story concepts and draft messaging with both colleagues and customers through surveys, focus groups, or interviews.

Rapid iteration on what resonates most, makes adoption smooth.

Validating story messaging with colleagues and clients is a crucial step.

Here is a rapid iteration framework, with some examples of what you might expect to learn from each step:

Conduct colleague focus groups across key departments (3-4 people each) to assess resonance.

Suggested workshop agenda:

• Show the story video summary

• Gather feedback on clarity, excitement levels, motivational impact

• Identify any elements that fall flat or need refinement

The kind of outputs you might expect to get:

• Overall vision resonance score: 8/10

• Suggest adding more continuity innovation elements

• Hard for non-client facing roles to see their part

Run an online survey with 50 clients evaluating the solution story’s appeal.

Objectives:

• Assess key message recall and differentiation

• Identify language confusing or needing refinement

• Gauge willingness to recommend/endorse

Insights you may generate:

• Message Recall Score: 90% able to recite core themes

• Some vocabulary like "continuity" tested unclear

• 65% very likely to recommend Logisticks after exposure

Here’s an example of the survey you might send out:

We recently developed some new messaging to highlight Logisticks’s approach to transforming post-purchase experiences through integrated continuity fueled by data intelligence.

We would greatly appreciate your candid feedback to help us improve our storytelling to new potential clients. Please take a few quick minutes to watch this 90 second video overview and respond to the questions below:

[Insert Vimeo link to 90 second Logisticks solution story animation video]

We need just a few minutes of your time. Your responses will help us build a better Logisticks to continually improve the service we provide to your business.

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how compelling and exciting did you find Logisticks’s vision for integrated continuity experiences? [1 least – 10 most compelling]

• What was the main takeaway or theme you recall from the video? [Open text box]

• Was any language or messaging unclear or confusing? If so, please specify which pieces. [Open text box]

• How motivated would you be to serve as a reference and endorse Logisticks’s approach publicly to new clients after watching this video? [Not motivated – Very motivated scale 1-10]

• How likely are you to recommend Logisticks as a trusted partner assisting other retailers based on this messaging? [Not at all likely – Extremely likely 1-10 scale]

• What (if any) suggestions do you have to improve Logisticks’s core solution story or better highlight their key differentiators to prospective customers? [Open text box]

Interview 5-10 executive stakeholders on strategic alignment

• Confirm vision/messaging aligns to corporate priorities

• Assess comprehensiveness of opportunity areas covered

• Gather final input on refinements to maximise impact

Insight you might generate:

• Vision fully reinforces corporate growth pillars

• Emphasise B2B expansion and global scale more

• Reframe from post-purchase to integrated experiences

Here’s how this interview might be pitched:

Our solution story is critical and to make sure it’s exactly what the business needs, we want to validate its strategic alignment and that it resonates with our mission and objectives, and supports our growth KPIs and OKRs.

To get the most from our time together we'd like to explore these questions. If you have half an hour before the meeting, please do pull together some thoughts for the best possible outcome.

Strategic alignment

• How well does our core brand vision outlined in the video reinforce Logisticks’s central growth pillars and corporate strategic priorities over the next 3 years?

• Based on our existing business plans, is the continuity model positioning us strongly relative to key competitors in post-purchase experiences? Are we sufficiently distinctive?

• Do the highlighted opportunity areas of subscription expansion and global platform scale adequately reflect priorities outlined in our 2025 expansion roadmap?

• Does showcasing predictive personalization innovations align with the product capabilities our engineering teams are currently building out through AI advancements?

• From an investor perspective focused on impressive expansion, how strongly will this continuity messaging resonate in terms of category leadership and future-proof momentum?

Story resonance

On a scale of 1-10, does this core solution story generate high levels of excitement that spark motivation and momentum internally across departments?

Are there any elements of the larger continuity narrative that fall flat or may confuse certain internal teams? Where can messaging be clarified?

What's your assessment of workforce readiness and appetite to rally behind integrated experiences as a defining vision guiding day-to-day initiatives?

Which key proof points resonate most strongly vs. which claims around continuity and personalization need additional supporting evidence before publicising broadly?

The results of this phase will complete the story. You may need to revisit the artefacts you created in the story development phase. But ultimately the work will be exactly what everyone needs. You’ve validated it against the needs of all your stakeholders

And don’t forget - this is just chapter one. You’ll be back to refine your solution story every quarter, ensuring your business’ growth through authenticity, humanity, and empathy.