From Matilda's mess to business success

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Do you know the story of Matilda?

And, no – I'm not talking about the character from the children's book by Roald Dahl.

The Matilda I'm talking about is much older than that.

She was the chief character in one of the first poems I remember reading or having read to me as a child.

The poem was written in 1907 by a man named Hilaire Belloc and its full title is:

Matilda: Who Told Lies, and was Burned to Death

Now there's a title that doesn't pull any punches!

And, yes, it was written for children. 😲

You see, those Edwardians didn't beat around the bush when it came to teaching their children about right and wrong.

The book in which the Matilda poem first appeared was the catchily titled:

Cautionary Tales for Children: Designed for the Admonition of Children Between the Ages of Eight and Fourteen years

and it contained other gems (all written in jaunty rhyming couplets) such as:

Jim: Who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a Lion

Rebecca: Who slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably

Henry King: Who chewed bits of string, and was early cut off in Dreadful agonies

And (perhaps most frighteningly of all)...

George: Who played with a Dangerous Toy, and suffered a Catastrophe of considerable Dimensions

I don't know what fate befell George but, whatever it was, it was clearly deemed too grizzly to be included in the poem's title.

Anyway, back to Matilda......

In case you're not familiar with the poem, here's the gist of it:

Matilda is a young girl who lives with her aunt and has a habit of telling.....

Dreadful Lies.

One day, Matilda finds herself alone in the house. And a mischievous idea strikes her....

Tiptoeing to the telephone (clearly her aunt was quite wealthy) Matilda rang the fire brigade and told them her house was on fire.

Before long, firemen from all across London are rushing to Matlida's rescue.

Upon arriving at the house......

[that auntie really was loaded!]

But that was not the end of the story, because.....

(You really do have to read the poem in a very posh accent to make that rhyme work).

And, to punish her for her lies, Matilda's aunt refused to take Matilda with her.

So Matilda found herself home alone again.

But, that evening, a fire really DID break out at the house!

Matilda cried out from the upstairs window, desperate to attract the attention of passers-by.

But, remembering the previous false alarm (and presumably not noticing the smoke billowing from the building), everyone ignored Matilda's shouts.

And therefore, as the poem concludes......

Like I said, they didn't mess about those Edwardians!

Now I'm sure that if he were writing for a 21st Century audience, Mr Belloc would be encouraged by his editor to soften the ending of the poem a bit.

But the overall framework – the one of telling a story in order to teach a valuable life lesson – would undoubtedly remain the same.

And this isn't something that is unique to Belloc's poetry.

People have been telling stories as a way to teach things since the days when we lived in caves.

Jesus did it with his parables in the Bible.....

..... The Greek storyteller Aesop did it with his famous fables such as the one about the tortoise and the hare....

.... In ancient China, Confucius used stories to teach his disciples about kindness and moral integrity

....primary school teachers tell stories in assembly (or, at least, they did when I was a lad) which often end with the words "and the moral of the story is....."

And.....

I tell stories in my emails as a way to help me share business tips with you!

Why?

Because if I just launched straight into an email that said:

You should run Google Ads because......

or

You should build an email list because......

or

You should niche your business because.....

Then you probably wouldn't take any notice.

But if we start with a story that grabs your attention and gets you interested....

... well, then it means that you're far more likely to still be with me when I get to the tip or the lesson that I want to share.

Stories work because they're memorable, they're engaging, and they make abstract concepts concrete and relatable.

So, when you're communicating with your own clients – whether that's through your website, your emails, or your social media posts – remember the power of a good story.

Instead of leading with features and benefits, try using stories as metaphors to illustrate the lessons you want to teach or the advice you want to share – just like Belloc did with his cautionary tales.

Any story can work as long as you can draw a parallel between it and the point you want to make, even if the literal details are completely different from your client's situation.

So where do you find these stories?

Here are two simple approaches that work brilliantly:

1. Mine your own experiences: Look for moments when something went wrong, when you learned a lesson, or when you had to solve a problem. These don't have to be business-related. Some of my best email stories come from everyday situations – like changing a car exhaust, doing the weekly shop, or watching old films.

The key is to ask yourself: "What lesson could I draw from this experience that would help my clients?"

2. Collect stories from the world around you: Keep your eyes open for interesting news articles, historical events, or even conversations you overhear. I've written successful emails about everything from diamond heists to space missions to 1970s TV adverts.

The trick is to always be thinking: "What’s the analogy here? How could I connect this story to a business principle my audience needs to understand?"

Start building a simple list of potential story ideas. Jot them down as they occur to you. You'll be amazed how quickly you accumulate material if you keep your eyes and easr open.

And once you start using stories in your business communications, you'll find your prospects are far more likely to pay attention, engage with your content, and remember you when they're ready to buy.

All the best,
David.

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