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We don’t often cover sporting news on this blog. There are plenty of places for that. And as many of you know, I’m much more of a baseball guy than a football guy.
But Tom Brady’s retirement announcement in February reminded me of the value of storytelling, and an example I used at an NRTC conference last fall about a previous attempt by the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) to retire.
This picture is of a football.
It’s 11 to 11.25 inches long and is made up of 32 panels of water-proofed cowhide leather. It has a weight of 14-15 ounces and is inflated to a pressure between 12.5 psi and 13.5 psi.
These go for $149 – $169 new. I’ve seen used ones, which this one clearly is, for as little as $17.
This ball was thrown by Brady in a game on January 22, 2022, and caught Mike Evans for a 55-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Rams.
Tom Brady retired — the first time — and this ball was suddenly his last touchdown ball. On March 12, 2022 it sold for $518,000. Then what happened? On March 13, 2022, less than 24 hours after the auction, Brady unretired. The buyer, seller and auction company renegotiated, and the ball sold for $51,000.
What happened to that ball? It’s still 32 waterproof leather panels and 11.25 inches long.
The story changed.
The story behind something radically changes how we perceive its value. The story you tell about the service you provide impacts how your consumers or subscribers feel about the value.
Consider these stories:
- Are you selling a 250 Mbps synchronous broadband service? Or are you selling a reliable, state of the art connection that makes it easy for a family to do homework, stream movies and work from home in ways previous generations could only dream of?
- Are you selling a managed Wi-Fi app? Or are you selling a simplified and responsive tool that prevents mom or dad from having to be their own IT support after a long day at work
- Are you selling kilowatt hours at an affordable rate? Or are you delivering service that makes life better for only nickels a day, allowing families and businesses to stay comfortable, safe and productive?
Those are the stories we must tell, and they are dang good ones.
Will Tom Brady stay retired this time? I don’t know. But chances are whoever got his final touchdown ball has a very valuable piece of memorabilia — and a great story to tell.
Join us in March for StoryConnect, a conference focused on the power of storytelling. Learn more at www.StoryConnect.com.
