If you are a fan of Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the Stars) then you will know that the best stories are the ones where the journey has been the most transformational. By that I mean the celebrity has gone from rhythm-free, mum or dad-dancing to the Blackpool Ballroom and beyond.
Those first few weeks can be painful to watch but become more life-affirming as the competition progresses. They overcome challenges, lose, gain, lose and regain confidence as they learn new routines. Self-belief rises and falls like an American Smooth.
So how do they do it? They are paired with a professional partner who has been through it all themselves. Their partner has faced the same challenges and understands how to get through them and succeed. They have won competitions and been recognised for their talents. They have empathy and authority.
When we as business owners have empathy for our customers' predicament and can show authority in how to deal with it we play ‘the guide’ rather than ‘the hero’ in the customer story.
Heroes need a guide to help them win. If Luke Skywalker had never met Ben Kenobi, he would not have learned how to use The Force and destroy the Death Star. Similarly, customers need you, your service or your product to help them overcome the problem they have and succeed.
Building a StoryBrand author Donald Miller says that the day we should stop losing sleep over the success of our business and start losing sleep over the success of our customers is the day our business will start to grow.
Obsessing over how to improve your customers’ lives will place you as their professional dance partner, heading toward the victorious Glitterball.
At Simple Story Marketing we help purpose-led businesses bring change with simple, story-based marketing; content for your website, social media, and email campaigns that connect with your customers.
P.S. If you want to make 7 simple changes to your website content so it makes the customer the hero visit the homepage and download the free PDF.
