Why Telling Your Story Will Not Grow Your Business (And What to Do Instead)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VidhUB66R4

Summary

TL;DR — Telling your company's story directly will not grow your business; instead, focus on inviting customers into a story where they are the hero and you are the guide. While your company's origin story has a place, it should only be shared after trust is established and when it serves to deepen the relationship by showcasing how you became the guide capable of solving their problems.

Key points

• Businesses often mistakenly lead with their own story, values, or mission, which fails to connect with customers who are primarily seeking solutions to their problems.

• The Story Brand framework positions the customer as the hero and the business as the guide, a crucial distinction for effective messaging.

• When telling your company's story, it should be framed as the "backstory of the guide," explaining how the business overcame a problem similar to the customer's.

• A structured formula (The Whole, The Calling, The Refinement, The Dark Knight, The Miracle, The Breakthrough, The Better World, The Moral) can be used to craft an engaging and memorable guide's backstory.

• This backstory is most effective when shared during informal settings after a sale is likely, not as an initial pitch, to build deeper connection and trust.

Takeaway — Focus on the customer as the hero and your business as the guide, and only share your company's origin story as the guide's backstory when it serves to build trust and demonstrate your ability to solve their problems.