every day every person wakes up and Views the world through the lens of the main character every day everyone lives Their Own Story regardless of how altruistic and generous they may be every person is the hero of Their Own [Music] Story So if you talk to them about your story how cool you are or how your grandfather used to handpick olives to make olive oil or similar things you won't be able to capture the attention and Trust of your audience in fact you may even put yourself in a position where you're competing with the role
of the hero in your potential customer's life the secret to good storytelling isn't how interesting you are but how much the customer perceives that you can help them in their Story and there's a precise framework for doing this described in this wonderful book by Donald Miller Story brand let's explore it together people are interested in surviving better first and foremost they aim to feed themselves and have a roof over their heads once that is taken care of they seek to build relationships make friends and be part of a group after that they contemplate more philosophical
and spiritual matters that give life meaning and significance so if you start talking about yourself and your brand this doesn't help them survive better as mentioned earlier this is the first mistake that comes companies make great stories on the other hand center around survival be it physical emotional relational or spiritual if your story doesn't revolve around these aspects it may not be engaging enough the second mistake is that company messages are often complicated and require effort to understand which consumes mental energy imagine if every time we talked about our product the potential customers were on
a treadmill how long do you think they could maintain maintain their attention on what you're saying it would consume their physical energy but it's the same for mental energy if your message is hard to comprehend to resolve this stories come to our Rescue Stories are engaging and easy to follow the key point of branding is to create a simple message that we can repeat continuously to get into the audience's head with that message to understand how successful stories work we will draw many parallels with the world of Cinema all successful stories use a very specific
framework a character wants something but they encounter a problem that blocks them in the depths of Despair a guide enters their life providing a plan and setting it into motion the steps of the plan help the main character avoid failure and Achieve success for example in Star Wars A New Hope Luke Skywalker embarks on a journey to become a Jedi Knight and join the Rebellion against the evil empire to do so he needs the guidance of Obi-Wan Kenobi the plan is to trust the force if he succeeds the Rebellion avoids defeat otherwise it is crushed
all successful movies follow this formula it might seem typical but the skill of screenwriters and marketers lies in using this pattern creatively instead of in a predictable manner what makes a story clear and captivating if someone watching a movie can't at any moment pause and answer these questions something is wrong what does the main character want who or what is standing in the way of the main character getting what they want how will the main character's life change if they do or don't achieve their goal for instance I read this book during a long InterContinental
flight switching between reading and watching movies I watched Rudy first a classic sports movie about a guy who wanted to play football but didn't have the physical skills however through his determination he succeeded it was a fantastic film and I was hooked and glued to the screen the whole time since I liked it so much I found a similar movie American Underdog overall it was decent but at times I found it boring why it's because Rudy simply wanted to play football and it was clear that was his sole goal and the entire film revolved around
his struggle to achieve it in American Underdog the story was combined with a love story involving a single woman a mother of two children at times it wasn't clear whether the protagonist wanted a family and a stable life or to become a professional football player it's the same for your brand if you confuse you lose for business stories there are three questions that the customer must be able to answer if you want them to engage with your brand and your story what do you offer how will this make my life better what do I need
to do to buy it a well-constructed business story enables the customer to do so let's look at the details of the story brand framework called sb7 the character principal the customer is the hero not your company a story doesn't truly begin until we have a hero who wants something as soon as that happens the question in the mind of the viewer or listener is can they get it as a brand it's essential to Define what your customers want very clearly because as soon as we Define it and begin addressing them they start asking them m
m can this company help me achieve what I really want if you define what the customer wants effectively the customer is inclined to adjust their story in your direction if they see your company as a trusted and reliable guide a critical area where companies make mistakes is by setting too many goals and targeting too many types of people I understand it's challenging because companies often have multiple sales channels and various products and services however to have an effective story you must strive to find a single simple desire to fulfill initially you can do this by
finding a way to express multiple things in a somewhat generic manner making them understandable without being overly simplistic alternatively you can start by selecting one thing to focus on then once customers engage with you they will discover a world beyond your initial offer including other products and services however these shouldn't be promoted initially to avoid confusing your marketing message the problem principle companies tend to offer solutions to external problems but customers purchase solutions to internal problems the more you talk about the problems your customers have and can relate to the more interested they become in
your brand in movie Stories the problem is usually personified in a villain who obstructs the heroes for businesses the villain doesn't necessarily have to be a person but it must exist and share similar characteristics the company's products and services should be positioned As Weapons to defeat this enemy there are four characteristics to identify a sensible villain for your business one it must be the root Source frustration for example is a symptom the feeling the villain gives us the root Source the real villain could be high taxes in this case causing our frustration two the villain
should be relatable it shouldn't be something abstract or strange when people hear about it they should immediately recognize it as something they don't appreciate three it must be singular too many villains in a story only confuse the audience four it must be real there are plenty of villains out there choose something real not based on rumors the villain causes the hero three levels of conflict typically the villain presents an external problem to the hero through which the hero experiences frustration or inner emotions and philosophically speaking the villain is in the wrong and cannot be allowed
to win let's delve into these in more detail external problems these are the most commonly seen problems companies typically solve external problems the company that produces balls for athletes to play with the plumber who fixes a leak in the bathroom pipe and so on this is the easy part you won't have difficulty identifying which problems you are trying to solve for your customers internal problems companies try to sell their products based on external problems but in reality customers buy for internal reasons going back to films for a moment if the movie were simply the story
of how the hero must technically disarm a bomb it would be rather dull what makes it interesting is experiencing the frustration and emotions of the main character in every successful Story the hero faces some internal struggle and asks do do I have what it takes this is one of the key mistakes companies make assuming that the customer only wants to solve the external problem the reality is that these external problems cause frustration or other emotions and this is precisely what drives customers to call you for the solution if you can find your customer's frustration and
express it in words communicating how you can solve it along with the external problem you've hit the jackpot for example if you have a house painting business the external problem might be customers with aesthetically unpleasing homes but you might discover that this causes a sense of embarrassment in the customer in front of their neighbors a powerful marketing message could then be paint that will make your neighbors jealous philosophical problems there is an additional level of problems related to something larger than the story itself and has to do with the question why why is the story
important in the overall epic of humanity why is it important for Hamlet to avenge his father's death because the uncle is getting away with murder why is it important for Bridget Jones to find love because the beauty and worth of every person deserve to be recognized and celebrated by another using terms like shouldn't and ought can help bad people shouldn't be allowed to win and people ought to be treated fairly so what is the deeper meaning in your story for example a pet food store owner put it this way because even animals deserve to eat
healthy food or here's an example from a travel agent because this summer should be remembered forever the perfect promise of a company is when it can combine these three factors and simultaneously solve the customer's external internal and philosophical problem with its proposition when this happens in movies the viewer experiences a sense of pleasure and relief it's the climax of the film The most important scene here are some examples for businesses Tesla Motorcars villain gas inferior technology external I need a car internal I want to be an early adopter of new technology philosophical my choice ought
to help save the environment espresso villain coffee machines that make Bad Coffee external I want better tasting coffee at home internal I want my coffee machine to make me feel sophisticated philosophical I shouldn't have to be a barista to make gourmet coffee at home three the guide principle customers aren't looking for another hero they are looking for a guide in movies if Heroes solved their problems by themselves would it still be interesting no because the audience knows that if they were capable of solving the problem on their own they would never have had it in
the first place it takes an outsider to somehow guide the hero think Neo in The Matrix how many doubts and problems he initially had but there was Morpheus to guide him instill confidence and teach him how to fight in business you are that guide your business always position your company as the guide and your customer as the hero you are Morpheus and Neo is your customer the customer must find the answer to the question how do you help me win it's not about you it's all about your customer this is the biggest Point I've personally
got from this book in Stories the hero is never the strongest character initially they are full of doubts and problems the guide on the other hand has Authority but the story is rarely centered around them it should be focused on the hero in business to be recognized as the guide you must show empathy and Authority the guide understands the hero's problem with empathy and helps because they have the authority to do so they already possess or have achieved what the hero wants just be careful not to come across as arrogant by showing Authority in a
way that implies you know it all authority means you must demonstrate competence show testimonials statistics Awards and recognized logos of companies you've helped or that have mentioned you four the plan principle customers trust a guide with a plan the guide must provide a clear plan to the hero in Star Wars it's used the force in The Hunger Games it's win over the public to get more resources to be able to fight for you this essentially means clarifying how to do business with your company or removing the risk of doing so plans take two forms in
practice process plan to remove confusion from the customer's mind we simply outline the steps they need to take it usually includes between three and six points for example a schedule an appointment B allow us to create a customized plan C let's execute Ute the plan together agreement plans this kind of plan aims to clear up any confusion and calm people's worries for instance a used car company understands that customers worry about getting a bad car so this company explains that they won't sell cars that don't meet their standards and they put every used car through
a process to make sure it meets their quality standards so think about what your customers might be concerned about and tell them how you'll address those concerns with real actions five call them to action principle customers don't take the initiative unless they are challenged to do so in stories Heroes never take the initiative on their own there's always a challenge that pushes them to act Liam niss and taken would never have pursued the bad guys if they hadn't kidnapped his daughter Katniss everine in Hunger Games would never have volunteered if she didn't have to save
her younger sister who was chosen by the lottery if the main character of a story just looks in the mirror and decides to do it on their own it's not as interesting as being forced by some external factor that creates a challenge so you have to push the customer to do it now to start now to make a purchase you can direct them to your main offer or to a lead magnet which in the book is called a transitional call to action something free or low cost to introduce yourself to the customer and start a
relationship that will eventually lead to the sale of the main offer six help them avoid failure principle every human being is trying to avoid a tragic ending the audience remains in suspense until they know whether the hero will succeed or not just as in movies it should be clear what happens if the hero fails for your business you need to specify what happens if your customers don't buy your product or service what will happen if they don't solve their problem however don't overdo this point because talking about it too much could scare away potential customers
to make an analogy think of it like salt in a recipe a pinch of salt is needed to add flavor but too much salt ruins everything in the example of used cars examples of failures that customers might encounter if they don't seek your help include being deceived by the used car seller buying a lemon or feeling taken advantage of seven final success principle never assume people understand and how your brand can change their lives tell them in the end we must offer a happy ending to the customer it must be well communicated if Kennedy had
said I have a vision to create a highly competitive and productive Space Program no one would have listened out of boredom instead he said we're going to put a man on the moon clearly Define how your customer will be after they've taken your product or service there are three dominant ways to complete a story with a happy ending for the hero a they acquire some kind of superpower or status for the customer this means gaining a new ability condition or a new status B they Unite with something or someone that makes them whole how do
you make a customer whole for example you help them reduce stress lighten their workload or have more time to be themselves again see they experience some sort of realization or new understanding that makes them feel complete for customers this means feeling more fulfilled appreciating themselves more or helping them feel part of a larger movement that makes them feel like they are having a more impactful life don't overco complicate it keep it simple if you sell cleaning products your communicated happy ending is a floor that finally looks shiny and clean if you sell ice cream it's
a rich and creamy ice cream that tastes like heaven the key is to repeatedly show the customer how your product or service will make their life better and these are the seven points of the framework for creating an effective story but there's still something more to add in fact a great driving force that people have is the desire to transform they want to become a better version of themselves all businesses to some extent participate in the transformation of the customer but if you Embrace this concept fully you create passionate customers who become true fans they
become brand evangelists like the hero at the beginning of the story is full of doubts and in the end after defeating the villain and succeeding they have become a better version of themselves it is also possible to do and Define this transformation with customers smart companies therefore clearly outline the aspirational identity of their customers what kind of person do they want to become the best way to describe it is to consider how customers would like to be described by their friends for example for a pet food brand from passive dog owner to every dog's hero
or for a Financial Consultant from confused and IL equipped to competent and smart now with this framework you have all the elements to create a story for your brand this is very useful because every piece of marketing communication you create will be based on all or a part of this framework it's a constant guideline so it should be used as much as possible starting from your website the emails you send and the promotional materials you distribute in addition to this a business story created in this way serves not only external customers but also internally the
most successful companies create a real corporate culture in which there is a reason a purpose and a sense of belonging to work there traditional companies used to perceive this need and tried to define a mission statement that could fulfill this purpose however the mission statement is not enough it's too plain and impersonal a story is different and for your employees to know and feel part of something that has a purpose and helps Heroes your customers to get what they want and transform is vital most people do not create their own company and their own story
but they love to be part of and align with another's story this is very important and is a fundamental ingredient for alignment within groups do not take for granted that all your employees know the story just because you know it you can even use one version of the story for customer and another for employees where in this case they are the heroes of the story and the company is always the guide great we've already covered several things but there are two more noteworthy Concepts from the book that I feel like highlighting one is related to
testimonials as you know collecting testimonials is essential but you need to do it the right way simply asking customers to give you a testimonial without guidance leads to responses like I had a great experience highly recommended honestly those are not very useful no you should use the strength of stories when Gathering testimonials allowing readers to connect with a specific story and be touched by it to achieve this ask customers these questions that are designed to naturally shape a story from their answers what was the problem you were facing before you discovered our product how did
the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem what was different about our product take us to the moment when you realized our product was actually working to solve your problem tell us what life looks like now that your problem is solved or being solved put together the answers and you will get amazing testimonials the final concept is related to explaining what your company does concisely when you ask people what they do they often respond with things like well it's complicated or they might say things like my grandfather started a business and now
I this doesn't just happen in conversation but also when people are on your website or reading your promotional materials typically if potential customers don't quickly understand what your business does they move on causing you to lose many sales due to this lack of clarity now imagine having a oneliner a simple and direct way to explain your company a clear response to the question what do you do there are two characteristics that a powerful oneliner must have imagination and Intrigue if you manage to Intrigue the qualified Prospect to know more the oneliner has done its job
well here are the four components to create the oneliner if you have already created your story using the framework from earlier this should be quite easy the character this is your prospect the hero of your story whom you should have already created for example you might be selling Pilates classes to soccer moms your prospect should identify so when they hear soccer moms they should think Ah that's me the problem clearly Define the internal problem they have what's on their mind soccer moms are challenged with a busy schedule always bringing their kids to soccer practices and
games when the prospect hears the problem you communicate they should think I do struggle with that they might help the plan in the oneliner you don't have time to describe it in detail just give a clue for example for soccer moms it could be meaningful weekly workouts when the prospect reads or hears the plan they should think hm organize that way makes sense maybe there's hope the success this is where you paint how life could be for the customer after using your product or service for Saka moms it could be a sense of Health well-being
or feeling more attractive let's provide a few concrete examples incorporating all these components when someone asks what do you do you respond we provide busy moms with a short meaningful workout they can use to stay healthy and have Renewed Energy compare that with a common style of answering what do you do I run a gym let's use this channel to provide another example when asked what do you do I respond I provide engaging animated and detailed video summaries of the best business books for busy current or aspiring entrepreneurs who lack the time to read numerous
books themselves help helping them grow their businesses if this oneliner worked you should subscribe to the channel otherwise I'll call Donald Miller the author of the book to complain jokes aside for me it was a great book that taught me a lot and changed a couple of crucial points of view on how good storytelling should be done if you liked it too you can find more videos of this kind here on the screen or on my channel remember if you confuse you lose see you next time
