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In Episode 263 of Anecdotally Speaking, hear how a potter turned a late payment request into a meaningful conversation through storytelling.

In this episode, Shawn shares a story from Entrepreneur magazine about a potter who transformed an awkward debt collection into an opportunity for empathy and connection. By recounting a past experience they shifted the conversation from transactional to relational, prompting an honest reply and resolution.

Mark and Shawn unpack why this approach worked, exploring concepts like connection stories, vulnerability, and pull vs push strategies.

They also discuss the use of written stories in business communication and how to keep them conversational for more impact.

Explore our upcoming public programs here.

For your story bank

Tags: Storytelling, Connection, Connection Story, Empathy, Vulnerability, Sales

This story starts at 0:53

A few years ago, there was a woman, we’ll call her Claire, who was both a potter and a fabric designer. She’d been running her business for some time and had built up a nice little network of customers, including some great wholesale clients.

One day, one of those wholesalers, let’s call him Bill, suddenly stopped replying to her emails. On top of that, he owed her about $1,700. At first, she did what most people would do. She sent polite reminder emails, nudging him to make the payment. But after a while, she could see it wasn’t getting her anywhere.

Then she had an idea. Instead of sending another standard payment request, she decided to tell Bill a story.

In her email, she began:
“Bill, I want to tell you a story. When I first started this business, I had a great customer who regularly bought my work as a wholesaler. Every month, without fail, he’d make the payment. Then one day, he stopped. I chased him for months, sending messages, following up, doing everything I could to get paid.

Eventually, I got a message from his wife telling me he’d been ill… and had passed away. I felt absolutely terrible. I’d been badgering him the whole time without realising what was going on. I promised myself I’d never let that happen again.

So, I just wanted to ask, are you okay? Is your health okay? I’d rather understand what’s happening than make the same mistake again.”

She sent the email. Almost immediately, Bill replied.

He said his health was fine, but his business had hit a wall. He admitted he felt embarrassed about it and hadn’t known how to respond. He thanked her for her concern and promised to send the money as soon as he could, which he did shortly after.

The experience reminded Claire of two important things: first, you never really know what’s going on in someone else’s life; it could be catastrophic, it could be wonderful, but you can’t assume. And second, a more human, empathetic approach can transform a difficult business interaction into a meaningful conversation.