You can have a pizza at a roadside pizzeria where you stand in a queue at the counter, wait your turn, exchange some coins for the pizza, pick it up, take it outside, find a table and eat it. Or you can have the same pizza (or one that fails to match the roadside pizzeria in taste) at a fancy restaurant where a man in a suit takes your coat as you enter, finds you a cozy table, gracefully takes your order and ensures you can here the resident artist playing her instrument while you wait for the order.

Few people prefer the first option.

This is not just true about restaurants and consumer products. When you send across your resume and attend an interview, a good portion of the interview focuses on how you behave in a team, your personality, your attitude rather than your technical competence.

The core product, be it the pizza or your technical competence, is just a hygiene factor. It doesn't get you closer to the customer. It just puts you on the radar. If you think the world will knock on your door for having a great product, think again.

It is all about the story. The fancy restaurant sells a story of exclusivity, a get-away from the humdrum of life. The candidate with a wholesome personality and positive attitude sells a story of bringing new perspective and breathing new life into the team.

People buy stories.

Are you selling (telling) one?