I was conducting an interview recently with someone who works in plant breeding. She happened to mention during our preparation that she plays rugby. It was not the sort of thing I would expect to hear from a young plant breeder, but it came up after I asked her for a little-known fact about herself.
It led to a great conversation about how playing a challenging (and often rough) sport can help someone who works in the agriculture field. The gumption needed to play rugby can help fuel the same sort of resourcefulness needed to be a good plant breeder.
In my previous column I discussed the concept of casuistry. Simply put, casuistry is an old philosophy that says we must understand that some problems are new and cannot be solved by applying old principles. Sometimes we have to approach problems in new ways in order to figure out the best path forward.
Promoting a business today is in many ways different than it has been in the past. People’s attention is pulled in many different directions. While tried-and-true methods of advertising are still relevant, storytelling is more important than ever in getting the word out about how you can help customers and making them feel comfortable you’re an expert in your field.
But how do you tell that story? The rugby example is a good one. You have to find a hook that grabs attention and pulls people in. You only have a few seconds to get someone’s attention as they scroll through a website, their social media feed or look through Google search results.
I’m guessing the word “rugby” might have piqued your interest when you saw the headline of this column. It’s not something you’d expect to read on a platform that caters to the needs of the seed industry.
That’s how I felt when my interviewee mentioned she played a contact sport known for being pretty rough-and-tumble. But it allowed her to tell her story in a new and exciting way that painted her as a person with interests, passions and goals — not just a ‘normal’ seed professional being interviewed.
Telling your story in new and exciting ways isn’t as difficult as it sounds — you just have to find that hook that helps put a new spin on it. You can do this by asking yourself that question — “is there something about me that not many people know? Something they’d be surprised to learn about me?”
That one bit of personal information likely holds a clue to the kind of person you are and comes with a whole story of its own — and that can give them insight into why you’re the kind of person they might want to do business with.
Casuistry is all about looking at things in a new way — including yourself. As you look for new ways to promote yourself and your business, ask yourself what it is about you that makes you unique and interesting — and go from there.
