NEW ORLEANS - The value of movies is not just in entertainment. In fact, many of them can help change how retailers do business, providing great metaphors that help retailers tell their own stories to stakeholders and customers ?" and ultimately create buy-in for companywide goals.

But don??t take our word for it...

"The ability to tell a story, to create a narrative, essentially is the ability to communicate a vision in a clear and compelling fashion. For a business to be exceptional it is critically important to be able to fashion a narrative that has resonance for employees, customers, business partners and any other links in your supply chain," said Kevin Coupe in the March issue of NACS Magazine about his book, The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies.

Coupe shared insights from his book, co-written with Michael Sansolo, at the Early Riser General Session Wednesday morning at NACStech. Using examples from movies such as Babe, Hoosiers, A League of Their Own and Jaws, he showed how the big screen can translate into how retailers can become better leaders, anticipate change, innovate, compete with other retail channels and build brand equity.

Babe, the story of a lovable pig that took on the task of becoming a sheep-herding dog, stole the hearts of audiences with its message of overcoming adversity. In business, the story also teaches us about expecting the unexpected and communicating with others constructively to produce maximum results ?" i.e., not "barking" at employees what you want them to do, but taking the time to explain the tasks clearly and, well, nicely.

Hoosiers, the Cinderella story of a small town Indiana high school basketball team, shows us that in business, "words matter." It??s the end of the game, the best player fouls out, and in comes the shortest "benchwarmer" who needs to make two foul shots. He??s nervous, the crowd is anxious, and the coach advises the team of what needs to happen when he makes the shots ?" not if. By choosing his words carefully, the coach ultimately instills confidence in his team to deliver results and get the job done.

When the going gets tough, it??s easy to thrown in the towel and quit. But, as Tom Hanks?? character advices Geena Davis?? character in A League of Their Own, "If it wasn??t hard, then everyone would be doing it!" The lesson here: It??s the hard that makes it worth doing.

Take, for example, Amazon.com. In Seattle, the online retailer is testing Amazon Fresh. Customers who order their groceries online by 11:00 pm will have their orders delivered the next morning to their doorstep by 6:00 am. Pretty convenient. And so far, it??s working ?" and it??s hard to do. The system is far from perfect, but if Amazon can stick it out and make it work, you??ll know it when Amazon Fresh expands into other markets.

And then there is Jaws. Although the shark itself can metaphorically take on a host of meanings throughout any business, from a Xerox machine to a tough-as-nails CEO, the real lesson is facing the reality of a situation. Everybody living on Amity Island is in denial that something in the water is killing its residents. But then three men trying to find the killer finally see the shark. It??s undeniably huge, and it has a lot of teeth. Then comes a great one-liner, but never something you want to be caught saying in the boardroom: "I think we??re going to need a bigger boat." The lesson is to always analyze the reality of the situation, particularly when the competition is chomping at your door.

For more on Kevin Coupe, check out MorningNewsBeat.com, a daily online information service that offers "news in context and analysis with attitude."

Look for more coverage of NACStech in the upcoming special issue of Convenience Store News, specifically focusing on NACStech.

NACStech wraps up today at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For more information, visit nacstech.com.