Building A Story: Clarify Your Message So Customer Will Listen - Donald Miller

Building A Story: Clarify Your Message So Customer Will Listen

The best way to communicate a message to humans is by telling a good story

Create your own StoryBrand! You will have a competitive edge when you craft a compelling story that describes your brand. Add the ability to create a sustainable relationship with your customers and position your product in a way that makes it irresistible. The result will be the retention of the attention of your customers and a guaranteed growth to your business.

In “Building a StoryBrand”, Donald Miller reveals why the central character is not your company, how to deal with a problem as an enemy, and why losing money is worse than winning it.The following chapters explain practical steps you need to take to build the right storybrand that will attract customers to your business

Clear messages that speak to customer’s needs are essential for effective marketing

You cannot leave room for ambiguity. Effective use of language is more important than aesthetics. For example, you may have the most beautiful website on the block but use language ineffectively. Such beauty is a waste.

Your message must tell people three things:
• Who you are
• What you do
• Why you are the best fit for the job

Potential customers must not have any difficulty understanding your message or relating to your story. If they do, they will take their business elsewhere without hesitation.

At the heart of your message, you must convey exactly what you do.

Ask yourself: Will this product or service help people survive and thrive? If yes, that’s your message.

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, it is important to arrange your services or products according to their level of importance to human survival. Physical needs come before psychological needs.

Think of this as a pyramid. Food, sex, safety, and shelter are the most basic needs we have as humans. Then, we progress to the need for companionship and friendship. At the top of the pyramid, we have the need for self-actualization. Understanding this hierarchy can provide the leverage to hone your message and entice customers.

We all have a desire for acceptance. We want to have a sense of belonging somewhere. We all need to eat and drink. Use this knowledge to explain how your product will help customers satisfy those needs and flourish in life.

For instance, if you are into professional enhancement training, your website must literally state that you train people. Then you must find a way to craft a message that shows how professional training connects with the survival needs of your customers. You could show how being professionally trained can help them earn more money to take care of themselves. Being skillful can also help them to be friends with great people in the society

A well-told story is organized information which follows a 7-part framework

Sometimes, we get so engrossed in a movie or novel that we lose track of time while enjoying the stories they tell.

What differentiates a good story from ordinary talk is that a story is organized information. Our desire for orderliness and continuity explains why we like listening to stories. We also remember stories long after they have been told because it is organized.

Like a melody, a good story sticks in the mind after a single listen unlike the erratic honking of cars and random sounds we hear and forget almost immediately. Music follows rules and recognizable patterns. Good stories also have a pattern they follow.

An easy way to get this done is by following the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework aka SB7 Framework.

The SB7 Framework taps into the power of story-telling. The framework identifies the 7 most common components of a story.

The key elements that make up a good story are:
• Character
• Problem
• Guide
• Plan
• Calls to action
• Failure
• Success.

The remaining chapters in this summary will explain each of these modules in turn. For now, a skeletal explanation of how the components fuse together is given.

The character is the center of attention. The story revolves around her. She desires something difficult to get. This difficulty constitutes the problem. Just when she is about to give up, a guide shows up and presents a plan that can solve the identified problem. The guide asks the character to take action based on the plan. To avoid failure, the character must follow the plan to get her initial desire.

This story arc can be crafted for every type of brand.

Once you’ve got your script sorted, it will provide the ammunition you need to win and keep the attention of your customers. The next chapter will zoom in on the character.

The character in your business story are the customers and you should focus on one desire

Every good story has a hero. The Harry Potter series has Harry Potter. Game of Thrones has Jon Snow, depending on the season you’re watching.

Customers are kings and queens. Let your story focus on their needs and wants. Tell the story through their eyes. It will stick and they will naturally come to you when they want something in real life. Your brand will be attached to that need.

To understand how important it is to make the customer your main character, consider an example of a travel company. The website of this company showcases beautiful landscapes across the globe, their beautiful offices and a story about them. Basically, it talked about everything else but the customer. This example shows what not to do. The message is unclear and it does not address the needs of the customers.Rather than focus on what their company could do for the customer, they showcased their company. People might admire the landscapes and beautiful offices but cannot connect their need to what you’re saying. Your website should talk more about them than you. They should easily see why they need to contact you.

Your customer must be the main character in your brand story. Get them engaged by targeting their desires. To be more powerful, focus on one desire. There is no point in listing all your services. It will only create confusion and make it difficult for your customers to see how your message meets their needs.

For the travel company, someone eventually discovered that customers need to travel effortlessly. This discovery led to a redesign of their website to focus on how their services lift off the burden of making travel arrangements from their customers. The message became clear and concise. Everyone knew what the travel company offered

By turning the internal problems of your customer into a villain, you can keep them interested in your offer

People like to feel understood. Simply stating the problems your customers face will engage them with the solution you provide. Clearly state the problem in a way that shows that you know where the shoe hurts.

It is not enough to have a hero in a story. There must be a villain too. Therefore, this challenge or problem that your customers face must be presented as the villain of this story that must be defeated. If your product is a time-management app, it is useful to present distractions as a villain. Make all the things that steal time into a mini-villain and it is these villains that will become the problem your product helps to overcome.

Internal problems might be more pressing than external ones sometimes. Feeling frustrated about the fact that you don’t have enough time to rest may be an example of an internal problem that the time management app might provide solutions to.

If a customer’s house needs painting, the fact that you’re a painter will not make him choose you over any other painter. But by making a villain out of the fact that he might be the owner of the ugliest house on the block, you might be able to show him how to overcome this villain by hiring you. Tell the house owner that you are one of the very few painters who can restore beauty to the house with paint

A careful combination of empathy and authority will guide your customers in the right direction

In the movie “Lord of the Rings,” Frodo bears the horrible weight of the One Ring. Like every other story, the hero finds himself in a difficult situation and needs to navigate his way out of it.

In this time of confusion, a guide appears to clear the path and provide support to the hero. Frodo had Gandalf the Great as his guide. The Guide can take any form. It could be a teacher, a parent, a team coach or in the case of Frodo, a Wizard. The primary role of the guide is to enlighten the hero on what can be done to achieve something greater than what they thought was possible.

Your company is the guide in your brand story. It exists to help customers overcome life’s problems.

Empathy sets the tone for a trusting relationship. It shows your customers that you understand their plight and you can identify with them. Customers will take your advice seriously only if you build such a relationship with them.

Authority is not established by being overbearing or condescending. It is earned from showing integrity and delivering on your promise. You need to prove that you can do what you said you would do. Deliver!

At this juncture, all the main characters in your story are clearly stated. You know the hero of the story, the villain, and the guide. It is time to tell a compelling story

Laying out a plan is the key to ensuring your customers commit to a purchase

The fact that your customers trust you and your ability to deliver does not mean they will commit to a purchase. Buying a product or service is a different story entirely. You must come up with a plan that will guarantee their decision to buy.

Think of it as a group of people who have to go across a stream to the other side but are afraid of getting wet. Your role as a guide is to hurl stones into the stream that they can step on to get to their destination without getting wet. The crossing stones make up your plan.

Show your customers what to do to make a purchase or make the purchase absolutely risk-free. Showing your customers what to do is called the Process Plan. It tells them how to buy a product and how to use it. Explaining the process helps to eliminate confusion and increase the possibility of retaining the customer.

If a customer wants to get a product, they may have difficulty deciding if the product is a right fit for them. You need to help by listing the steps they need to take to ascertain that they are making the right choice. These steps form the process plan.

The second method — an agreement plan — helps to eliminate the fear of purchase.

For example, offering a money-back agreement or assuring customers that they will leave with products that meet their needs and standards, will boost the likelihood of making a purchase.

Direct or transitional calls to action will guide the customers toward making a purchase

Challenge your customers to take action. Do not wait for attention. An average of 3000 advertisements call out to consumers every day. Therefore, you need to stand out of the crowd if you will be the chosen one.

Be bold and clear about it. On your website, provide multiple calls to action. Use different terminologies and spread it across the website. Words like “Click Here to Buy” or “Buy now” or “Register” are examples of direct call to action.

A transitional call to action is another method of guiding customers to make a decision. It differs from the direct call to action in that it seeks to maintain a friendly relationship with customers rather than getting them to place an order. The endgame is still to get them to make a purchase.

Each time they encounter the problem that your product solves, they think of you and not the competition. To do this, you need to offer them something significant free of charge. Kind gestures stick with customers and make them return to you in the future

Exposure to the implications of failure can provide motivation for customers to buy

The possibility of the hero getting killed is why we stay glued to the screen in a movie. We want it to end well for the hero but we are not unaware of the possibility of the hero suffering a loss or losing his life. Jon Snow died in Game of Thrones and was not brought back to life until the next season.

Behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman published a paper in 1979 that reveals that the dissatisfaction people feel after a loss is usually greater than the satisfaction they feel from a gain even if the quantity remains constant. For example, it will hurt more to lose $500 than to gain $500.

Hence, you must be clear about the disadvantages of not buying from you. For example, a professional advancement training outfit that sets out to train people on Public speaking or presentations must spell out the possibility of career stagnation that can come from not learning how to speak to a group of people. Additionally, you must show them the danger in deferring such training to a later time when they feel they will need it.

An insurance company that seeks to protect people against potential losses must accentuate these losses in their advertisement and show how buying their insurance will guarantee protection

Share a vision that shows your customers how your product will transform their lives

One thing that makes stories so powerful is that things can end badly for the hero. When you are the hero of the story, you do not want it to end badly. Your business must lay out the happy ending that your product offers after dangling the dangers of not buying before the customers’ eyes.

For example, Nike has a slogan that says “Just do it.” With it, they show their customers that they are not just into the sales of footwear and athletic gear. They believe in a lifestyle of inspiration, drive and glory. Every customer is invited to share in this belief

“Starbucks was delivering more value than just coffee; they were delivering a sense of sophistication and enthusiasm about life.” ~ Donald Miller

How can you create a vision that your customers will be willing to share?

Three strategies can be useful:
• Status
• Completeness
• Self-acceptance

Sell status. When you make provision for something like a premium offer that provides additional services that others can’t have, you will find people longing to achieve that status. People want what they don’t have and they are attracted to what separates them from others.

Sell completeness. Your product needs to hold out the hope of fulfillment to customers. They should get the feeling that they are not complete without your product. Hence, they should strive to surmount all others to be united with what you are offering.

The third strategy is self-acceptance and actualizing your potential. Make people comfortable in their own skin. Help them to accept themselves for who they are. When your product identifies with everyday people and shows them that there is nothing wrong with them, they will identify with you.

When the nerd who has been a good guy in the movie eventually wins the heart of the beautiful girl, it gives all male nerds a sense of identity, improves their status and makes them feel complete. Everything has a happy ending.

Conclusion

You can make your marketing efforts effective and rewarding. Use the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework to create and communicate a clear message that addresses the needs of your potential customers. The framework has 7 modules that are essential to telling a riveting story — character, problem, guide, plan, calls to action, failure and success.

The main character in your Brand Story must be your customers. Everything revolves around them. It is their problem you are trying to solve. The story must focus on them.

Identify a specific desire and make it into a problem that needs to be solved. This problem is the villain that the hero of the story must vanquish. Present a troubling situation that the hero must find help to resolve.

Your company is the guide that provides wisdom and help to the hero in the hour of need. Show clearly that you understand their frustration and have the capacity to help them out of the quagmire.

Lay out the steps that must be taken to defeat the villain or assure your customers that they are in safe hands and the only outcome of this situation is success as long as they follow your guidance.

Prod them to take action by asking them to buy your product (direct call to action) or encouraging them to establish a relationship with you (transitional call to action) that will make them remember you whenever they have this need. You can do this by giving them a memorable gift.

Explain the dangers of not taking decisive action now and show them how making the purchase makes them part of something greater than them. Sell a vision and not just a product. The sense of identity and belonging will create a long – lasting bond of fellowship between your brand and your customers.

Try this:
To show your customers that your product will help them achieve their dreams, associate your brand with someone who is already successful. Take Red Bull for example. They associate with successful athletes to show that Red Bull gives you wings. To whom or what can you associate your brand to feed your customers with inspiration?