The lowdown: Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand summary is a guide to growing your business using the key components that make a good story.
If you are one of those that think a new website is a be-all and end-all to all your marketing problems; well I used to be like you too until I read this book. However, will a colourful website without a clear message boost your business? Most likely not.
There are many mainstay points that you need to address in your message. Some of them include;
- Who you are
- The services you offer
- Why a customer should choose you over the competition.
This all comes together through a story. Stories have always been a way humans have communicated and today, in business, is no different.
A good story has the main character, problem, guide, plan, calls to action, failure, and success. Incorporating these with the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework (SB7) helps you create a catchy message.
This is how it usually works; the main character wants something- that is the problem. A guide appears with a plan and calls the character to take some action. By helping him avoid failure, they eventually arrive at success.
- Audible Audiobook
- Donald Miller (Author) – Donald Miller (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 10/10/2017 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins Leadership (Publisher)
The three key lessons from Building a StoryBrand are;
- Your customer is the main character
- Create a villain out of the problem you wish to tackle
- Devise a strategy to succeed and avoid failure
Lesson One: Your customer is the main character
When you think of success stories such as Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings. They all have one thing in common – a hero. The hero in this context is not you, but your customer and your narrative should focus on the customer.
Going on and on about yourself can be tedious and unrelatable for your customer. You basically become that a-hole at every party you’ve ever been to.
Lesson Two: Create a villain out of the problem you wish to tackle
Even when you focus on your customer, you should choose the specific problems you can solve. Listing all the services you offer can be pointless and sometimes, makes difficult reading for your audience. For example, a luxury resort discovered that instead of a lengthy text about their story on their website, they could gain more customers by offering relaxation and luxury instead.
Identifying your customer’s problem makes them feel understood, and this bridges the gap between you. In your story, the problem should be painted as the villain. It can be as simple as using distractions as the villain in your time-management app. An extra edge you can gain over the competition is offering a solution to the consequence of the external problem you identified. For example, presenting the idea that your potential client could be the owner of the ugliest house on the block could be the nudge he/she needs to hire you.
Lesson Three: Devise a strategy to succeed and avoid failure
Helping your client make the final decision is another important aspect. Every story comes to a point where a critical decision has to be made, and you need to exude both empathy and authority to guide the process. It was Master Yoda for young Luke Skywalker. Coming up with your plan can take any form. Companies such as Red Bull and Nike chose to be associated with athletic success and a life of glory.
My Personal Takeaway
After reading this book, it became apparent how Donald Miller used the StoryBrand 7-Part Framework (SB7) mentioned in this book to sell me on the idea of how the book can help me expand my customer base.
The book was his business as much as it was for me, the potential client. I figured, if it works this well on me, it can work on other people too if I applied it to my business.
Put Into Action
There are a lot of things in this book that you can do to grow your business. Some of them include;
- Make your customer the hero.
- You cannot solve all of their problems. Be specific.
- Make the problem a villain. Even attach some emotional significance to the problem
- Display empathy and ability to solve their problems.
- Reassure them your method works. Buying can be scary, especially the first time.
- Make it harder for them to ignore you. That nudge to action we mentioned earlier.
These are all tried and trusted steps to gain and retain customers for your business.
You should be looking at this book if….
If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, business instructor, or service provider and you have big plans for your brand.
a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!
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