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Most founders open conversations wrong.
"I'm a marketing consultant." "I run a SaaS company." "I help businesses grow."
Generic. Conversation killer.
Here's a technique that makes people lean in instead of tune out.
1. The problem
When you introduce yourself with job titles, you sound like everyone else.
"I'm a consultant" could mean anything. "I help founders" is what half of LinkedIn says.
People's brains file you under "generic business person" and move on.
2. The story hook technique
Instead of leading with what you do, lead with what happened to you.
Formula: "I [experienced something unexpected] which taught me [valuable insight]."
Examples:
"I got fired twice from the same industry for caring about customers too much."
"I lost $50K in 6 months trying to scale too fast."
"I built a profitable business while working 20 hours a week."
Specific experience. Unexpected angle. Makes people curious.
3. Why it works
Job titles are commodities. Experiences are unique.
When you share something that happened to you, people want to know what happens next.
"I'm a business consultant" = conversation ender "I got fired for refusing to upsell customers" = "Wait, what happened?"
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4. The implementation
Step 1: List 3-5 significant experiences from your career
Step 2: Identify the unexpected angle in each one
Step 3: Connect each experience to what you do now
Step 4: Test different hooks in conversations
Step 5: Use the one that generates the most follow-up questions
5. Real examples
Generic: "I run an LLC formation company."
Story hook: "I got fired twice from LLC companies, so I started my own."
Generic: "I help founders with storytelling."
Story hook: "I was a sports journalist who couldn't find work, so I started helping founders tell better stories."
Generic: "I run a content agency."
Story hook: "I was creating 6 hours of content daily, so I built an app to do it in 90 minutes."
6. The follow-up system
When they ask "What happened?" you have three options:
Option 1: Tell the full story (networking events, long conversations)
Option 2: Give the short version + business lesson (quick interactions)
Option 3: Bridge to your service ("That experience taught me exactly what founders need")
7. Common mistakes
Making it too dramatic: "I almost died" stories feel try-hard
No connection to business: Random personal stories don't build credibility
Too long: Keep the hook to one sentence, expand if they ask
Same hook everywhere: Different audiences need different angles
8. The results
Before story hooks: Polite nods, quick topic changes
After story hooks: "Tell me more," follow-up questions, remembered conversations
Conversion impact: 3x more follow-up conversations from networking events Memorability: People reference your story weeks later
Differentiation: You're "the guy who got fired twice" not "another consultant"
9/ My thoughts
People don't remember your qualifications. They remember your experiences.
The story hook technique works because it makes you human instead of professional.
Professional is forgettable. Human is memorable.
Lead with what happened to you, not what you're qualified to do.
Talk tomorrow,
Stephen
P.S. The story hook technique replaces generic job titles with specific experiences that make people curious. "I got fired twice" generates more interest than "I'm a business consultant." Experience beats expertise for opening conversations.
