Even if you have the best product in the marketplace, you’ll lose to an inferior product if your competitor communicated more clearly. The first mistake brands make is they fail to focus on the aspects of their offer that will help people survive and thrive. The second mistake brands make is they cause their customers to burn too many calories in an effort to understand their offer. If you haven’t identified what your customer wants, what problem you are helping them solve, and what life will look like after they engage with your products and services you can forget about having them engage with with your brand. What you think you are saying to our customers and what your customers actually hear are two different things. And customers make buying decisions not based on what you say but on what they hear.

Story is the greatest weapon we have to combat noise, because it organizes information in such a way that people are compelled to listen. The point of branding is to create simple, relevant messages you can repeat over and over so that you “brand” yourself into the public consciousness.

Here is the outline for nearly every impactful story: A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION. That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.

THE STORYBRAND FRAMEWORK

A Character. The customer is the hero, not your brand.
Has a Problem. Companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.
And Meets a Guide. Customers aren’t looking for another hero; they’re looking for a guide.
Who Gives Them a Plan. Customers trust a guide who has a plan.
And Calls Them to Action. Customers do not take action unless they are challenged to take action.
That Helps Them Avoid Failure. Every human being is trying to avoid a tragic ending.
And Ends in a Success. Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. Tell them.

Every human being is already speaking the language of story, so when you begin using the SB7 Framework, you’ll finally be speaking their language.

Move the heart to move the mind