See a photo of Doug, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, and Part 2.

Q&A with Doug Rice, Question 3:

Q: Who has been most influential to you in your story work and why?

A: Two names come to mind. The first is Seth Godin [pictured at right]. Seth is the artist of the marketing world. He actively promotes concepts in business that thinkers before him would consider too abstract but are now considered vital to business success: dialogue with customers (Permission Marketing), storytelling (All Marketers Tell Stories), non-conformity (Purple Cow), employee empowerment (Linchpin), and risky innovation (Poke the Box). I’ve learned more from Seth about helping my clients tell their stories than I have from all other thinkers combined. If you haven’t read anything by Seth Godin, regardless of what industry you are in, read it now. It will revolutionize your perspective.

The second thinker that has influenced me in storytelling is Anthony Iannarino [pictured at left], sales superstar and author of The Sales Blog. The vast majority of my digital network can be attributed to referrals from Anthony, and he has taught me the power of the Internet as a platform for storytelling. He is a world-renowned speaker and sales trainer with all of his businesses coming to him as a result of his blog. He is a testament to the fact that, if you have a powerful story to tell, there are people out there that can benefit from it. I learn from Anthony daily and use him as an example for all of my clients of what can be accomplished through the power of the Web.