It's Time To Leverage The Power of Story To Grow Your Business

Big idea: 

• The best way to get someone's attention is to show them how you can help them win their story.
• We have adapted to tune everything out except that which helps us solve a problem that is getting in the way of fulfilling our dream.

My Main 4 Principles For Capturing Attention

1. Everyone has a dream that is driving them each day.

• We are the main characters in a story: our story.
• Every good story follows a narrative of a character who wants something.
• There's something we want, conscious or subconscious.
• Their dream is what gets them out of bed every morning. There's also something that keeps them up at night...

2. Everyone has a problem that is keeping them up at night.

• There's a problem in the external world: like they need more money, to find a mate, do better marketing or find some faster internet.
• The problem gets in their hearts: It causes anxiety, frustration and fear they won't become who they want to become.
• When you speak to people's problems, they cannot help but listen.
• Talking about problems are the secret sauce for keeping someone's attention. 
• Have you ever walked into a bad movie halfway through and still had to watch to the end because you were hooked by how the problme would get resolved?

3. We are looking for a Guide to help us, not another hero.

• We tune out noise and search for help.
• We listen to influencers, binge on podcasts, read/listen to books, scroll through social media looking for help.
• Building A StoryBrand: We are all Luke Skywalker, Catniss or Frodo looking for a guide to help us win.
• When our companies market like we are the hero, we get tuned out. When we market like a guide, people listen.

4. Winning businesses seize market opportunities to help real people

• Their problem created a market for you.
• You know you won't be disrupted if there are people with problems involved.
• You may have competition but if you can show that you really care (and not just talk about how great you are) you will earn trust and win business over your competitors.

The Seven Questions You Must Answer To Create A Clear Brand Message

1. What do our customers want?

2. What are our customers' external, internal and philosophical problems?

3. How are you positioned our brand as the guide to the hero?

4. Have we created a clear plan for the hero to win the day?

5. Are our calls to action clear?

6. Have we helped our hero imagine how we can improve their lives?

7. Have we identified the consequence we are helping out here I’ll try to avoid?