[TRANSCRIPT]

**0:00:00** - (A): However, today I will be going over what I will be presenting at the workshop tomorrow. And that is not my own strategy. That is someone else's strategy that I will be teaching. And you possibly have heard of it before, and it's called story brand. And this was a strategy that was developed by marketing guru Donald Miller, who if you have read any books about marketing, you have possibly heard of him because he is quite famous.

**0:00:31** - (A): He's written a number of different books that are New York Times bestsellers. So, yeah, he's certainly known in the marketing space. And he developed this technique called story brand, which I love for two reasons. The first reason is that it's very simple and I love things that are simple because they're easily implemented and they don't overwhelm and they don't confuse, which is great. And secondly, I love it because it's all about telling a story.

**0:01:02** - (A): And if you know me and if you know Red Platypus, you know that I freaking love telling stories. That's why I became a journalist and that's why I started my writing career as a journalist, because I love sharing people's stories. And that is why I have grown my own marketing business with a key core focus on sharing businesses stories in a way that connects with customers to sell more. So I freaking love Donald Miller's strategy because it combines two of my things being simple and easy to implement and telling a story. So, I mean, what could be better, right?

**0:01:36** - (A): So, in tomorrow's workshop, I'm going to be taking through my attendees this whole Donald Miller process. And I thought I would just share it with you today so that you can perhaps get a good understanding of the story brand framework. Sorry, story brand framework? And how you can use it to clarify your messaging and create compelling stories that resonate with your own customers so that you too, can sell more and grow your business.

**0:02:11** - (A): So, while the written branding guide that I have developed with my clients focuses on the who and the what and the why of your business, which is super important, the story brand technique focuses more on the delivery. So, like the how of your marketing, it allows you to take what you've learned from the written branding process that I go through in an early episode of this podcast and helps you to communicate that strategy more effectively using the story brand method, which essentially is like an engaging method to talk to your target audience.

**0:02:50** - (A): And if you want to implement this framework into your business, you will increase your customer engagement, your conversion rates, and overall, your marketing effectiveness will certainly be improved. So highly recommend you try it. So let's go dive into what exactly it is. So I've said it before and I'll say it again. Every business needs to tell a story. We as humans, since the dawn of time, have been natural storytellers.

**0:03:21** - (A): That is how our culture is built on storytelling. That is how we stick in the minds of our friends. And I mean anyone, when you are meeting up with your friend, you are sharing stories. That is how we like to communicate. And the human mind is a storytelling machine. I mean, it's how we connect with our loved ones and it's how we make sense of the world. And when stories are engaging and they really penetrate into our minds, they get past our defenses and they light us up. And that is when we remember them and we connect with them. And true engaging stories can change the course of our lives.

**0:04:03** - (A): And if you look at some of the best commercials that have ever been released, one that springs to mind is the like a Girl commercial, which you may have seen because it really I think it won awards and it went viral, but basically it's by a sanitary pad company called Always. So you're thinking, yeah, what kind of marketing is a period company going to do? But they did a great ad where they got older women when I say older women in their twenty s and thirty s and teenage girls and said, okay, we want you to run like a girl. And they ran like all silly, flapping their arms and looking all useless.

**0:04:48** - (A): And then they got younger girls under the age of ten and asked them to run like a girl. And they ran their little hearts out. And it was showing you how society makes. There's a flip that happens when kids become tweens or teenagers where they start to think society conditions them to think that girls are more useless than boys. And this ad is I mean, I'm not explaining it as well as the ad obviously delivers. It highly recommend you Google it. It's called like a Girl TV commercial by all ways, but it's super emotive and it really connects with you and pulls on your heartstrings and really makes you think about those throwaway comments that we often make.

**0:05:35** - (A): Oh, you're throwing like a girl or you're kicking the ball like a girl. Those things, it turns those throwaway comments on their head and really makes us reflect on the speech that we use. So this is a really effective method of storytelling and shows how sexist society can be. And if you're producing a product that is only for women, then what better ad than to send a strong female empowerment message?

**0:06:07** - (A): So yeah, that is a great example of effective storytelling. And Donald Miller really is the expert in explaining how to complete this effective storytelling in his book Building a Story Brand. So the framework of story brand is this you have a character in your story who is your customer, and that customer has a problem that they need to solve. They then meet a guide, which happens to be your business, who gives them a plan, which is the solution that you're selling and calls them to action to start the buying process.

**0:06:52** - (A): And this, in turn, ends in success. I-E-A happy customer and helps them to avoid failing. So you show them the FOMO, what they would miss out on or what would happen if they didn't buy your product or service. So it's quite simple, really. It's got a beginning, a middle, and an end. The customer on this journey who has a problem, they meet you, you show them the solution and call them to action. And they end up happy and they avoid failure.

**0:07:26** - (A): That is the framework process in a nutshell. So let's dive into this a little bit more deeply to truly understand how you can create this story brand framework and implement it in your own business. So let's start off with the character of your story. Who is the customer? Now, we need to remember that the customer is the hero of your story. You are not the hero of your story. Now, this is because brands often get confused with this point, right? They often feel like they're the superhero. They're flying in to save the day.

**0:08:10** - (A): But the truth is, no one really gives two hoots about your business. Hate to break it to you. What people really care about is how you are going to help them in their business, right? So they are the hero, and you are simply guiding them on this journey to success. You are not the hero. Do not let your ego get in the way in this storytelling, okay? So your customer is the hero of your story. And if you really want to create a brand message that connects, you need to always focus on how you are here to help the hero of your story survive and thrive on their journey.

**0:08:59** - (A): And you also want to make sure that your message of how they're going to thrive and survive is not too complicated. And it's super easy to understand because if we do not have these two aspects of our story, and that is we are not focusing on the customer and focusing on them being the hero and how we're going to help them. And if our message is too complicated and we're confusing them, then we've lost them. Okay? It's really vital that we nail this down in our marketing.

**0:09:35** - (A): So in your story, always pinpoint the problem the customer is facing so that they can see themselves in the solution. Because if you make this really clear about how you're going to take them on the journey as a hero and you're the guide, and they can see them arriving at their destiny at the point that they really want, to be at, then they are going to come with you along on this journey that you're guiding them on because they can see the end result.

**0:10:03** - (A): Right. So the customer is the hero. Your brand is not the hero. And every customer is on a journey facing challenges, and they're seeking a solution to their problems, right? So you need to position your brand as the guide who can help them to overcome these obstacles that they're facing and allow them to achieve their goals. Let's discuss an example at this point, right, where someone is positioning them as a hero in the story.

**0:10:36** - (A): So you're at a dinner party, and you're meeting a chef, or you're meeting someone for the first time, and you say, oh, what do you do? Conversation. Politely having a conversation. And she says to you, oh, I'm a private chef. I've always loved food, and that's why I'm a private chef. And then you say, oh, wow, cool. Like, what's your favorite restaurant? And DA DA, DA DA DA DA. And you go off and you talk about restaurants, and you actually never think the next time that you're hosting a dinner party to call that private chef, she doesn't really pop into your mind ever again.

**0:11:11** - (A): And that is because she made herself a hero of the story. She immediately said she's a private chef because she's always loved food, made it about her, and then discussed her favorite restaurants, which you know is fine, and it's casual conversation, and you're likely to do that when you talk about your own business. However, you need to flip this on your head when you meet someone, if you actually want to take them on the journey and see how they can be part of your story as the hero in your story.

**0:11:42** - (A): So let's try it again. You meet someone at a dinner party, and she says to you, I'm a private chef. And you say, oh. And then she says, yeah. You know how many families hardly eat together anymore? And when they do, it's not that healthy. Well, I'm a private chef, and I cook for families. And you're like, oh. And immediately you see yourself in that story, you're like, oh, our family hardly ever sit together at the dinner table anymore, and often we're just getting takeout, and it's not super healthy.

**0:12:18** - (A): Oh, I see myself in that. I think we need a private chef. And then you say to her, I think I need your services, actually, because we've got this dinner party coming up with all our friends and family, and I would love to just take the stress off and, yeah, can I learn more about your business? Can you see how that is completely different to the first elevator pitch, which wasn't really an elevator pitch. It was just talking about how she's always loved food and these are her favorite restaurants.

**0:12:43** - (A): You can't really see yourself in that story. But all of a sudden, when she's talking about this family that hardly eat together anymore, you're like, oh, that's me. Like, that is me. You're describing me. And all of a sudden, you want to work with her because you're seeing her as a solution to a problem that she's tapping into. You're seeing yourself as a hero in the story, and you're ready for her to guide you on the journey so that you can arrive at the epic solution that you see she's providing.

**0:13:09** - (A): Is this starting to fall into place now? So the way that this private chef discusses what she does as an elevator pitch in this second example allows the customer to see themselves in the story. Okay? So when you are defining who the customer is in your story, who is the hero? You need to think about what it is they want, as in what solution are they seeking? And you need to be confident in this communication so that you're attracting your ideal customer.

**0:13:45** - (A): I e the customer you actually want to work with. So you can see from this private chef example, she really wants to work with families because she mentions families, right? So, for example, in our business, I could say, are you struggling to sell as a small business? Why don't I help you share a story that connects with your customers and leads you to more conversions? Can you see how I'm straight to the point, like, you're struggling to sell as a small business, and if you are a small business that is struggling to make sales, you'll be like, oh, that's me. Oh, that's me. I really need help with that. And then I'm like, saying, well, I'm going to show you how you can share this story and connect with your customers and get more sales.

**0:14:25** - (A): And you're like, Hello, I'm here. I'm ready to work with you. Okay, so that's the first thing we need to do. We need to identify the hero of the story and what it is they want. So let's dive a little bit more into what it is that they want, as in what is the problem that you are solving for them? So you need to clearly identify the problem that your customer is facing, and your customer should immediately recognize that your brand understands this pain point and this challenge.

**0:14:54** - (A): So with a private chef example, if you're a family struggling to eat together, and that private chef is like, I cook for families because they hardly have time to sit at the dinner table anymore, and you're like, oh, that's me, you're immediately seeing yourself as that hero in the story. So there are multiple problems that a customer could face. And if you really want to speak to them deeply, then the best way to connect with them through the problem or the challenge they're facing is to really dive into the emotional or the psychological challenge, the philosophical problem that's bothering them, right?

**0:15:33** - (A): Not simply the external problem. So I often talk about this because people are like, well, what's an external problem? What's an internal problem? Can you clarify? So an external problem is like, you imagine you're someone who's recently had a baby, and you want to go to the beach right? And summer is rolling round, but you really need a new bathing suit because you don't fit into your bathing suit that you had pre children and you're going online to shop for a new swimsuit.

**0:16:06** - (A): Your external problem is that you don't have a swimsuit that fits. Okay? You're looking for a new swimsuit because you don't have a swimsuit that fits. That is your external problem. But internally, your internal problem, your emotional issue that you're struggling with, is that you're really feeling that you don't have the confidence anymore to rock your swimsuit on the beach, right? Your bathers on the beach.

**0:16:32** - (A): Because you're feeling really uncomfortable in this postpartum body and you just are unsure whether you actually want to take your clothes off at all and get in the water in an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny bikini. So that is really the internal problem, is that you're lacking in confidence, right? If you are selling a swimsuit effectively to postpartum mums, then perhaps you want to show women who have typical bodies, which is like larger bodies that are postpartum, because that is what you are postpartum. You often don't bounce back to your original body.

**0:17:15** - (A): You're no longer a size six or eight or wherever it might be. Maybe you want to show real women on your website, smiling, looking confident on the beach, really rocking that swimsuit, that outfit, to show your ideal customer that you too can feel confident when you're on the beach with a postpartum body. So you want to be talking to the emotional problem that the customer is facing. And this is the problem that the customer has when they're feeling about their situation, what's holding them back emotionally?

**0:17:50** - (A): We don't want to simply be talking to the external problem. Because the way we truly sell is when we start to tap into these emotions that customers are feeling and they can see themselves relieving themselves of this emotional pain or this pain point, this inner turmoil when you allow them to overcome a mindset block that they're struggling with and show them that there is another way and that this product will make you feel better or this service will relieve you of some kind of ailment that you're struggling with emotionally.

**0:18:29** - (A): That is when we're going to start to see a great connection with our customers and that relationship building. And when we have that relationship building with the story brand method, that's when we start to make more sales. So your customer is facing a problem and there is a villain in your story, right? This is the problem in the story as part of the story brand process. So who is the villain and how is the villain an emotional one? How is the problem an emotional one?

**0:19:02** - (A): So, for me, when I'm working with my clients, I know that they are often feeling overwhelmed and confused with their marketing. Overwhelmed because they are like, I know I need to be on social media. I don't know how to start on social media, or I know I need to rewriting blog posts, but I don't know what to do, or I know I need to write a new website, but I don't freaking know where to start. They're feeling overwhelmed and they're also feeling confused because they haven't really taken the time to sit down and understand their marketing.

**0:19:31** - (A): So they don't even know what tone of voice they should be speaking in when they connect with their customers. Right. They're feeling confused and overwhelmed. That is the villain of the story. That is the emotional pain points that my customers are feeling. So externally, they might just be struggling to post regularly on social media. That's an external pain point. But internally, they're feeling frustrated because they're feeling this overwhelm, they're feeling this confusion.

**0:20:01** - (A): They want to make more sales, but most of their referrals are coming from word of mouth rather than their marketing efforts. And this is causing them the overwhelm and confusion because they know they should be doing more, but they just don't know where to start. And that is the emotional villain of my story. And philosophically, they might have a mindset which is like, it's just not worth it because marketing, content creation, marketing, it just takes too long and I don't know what to do. So therefore, it's not effective, it's not going to help me.

**0:20:32** - (A): They're struggling with that mindset that maybe it's actually not really worth it at all. So that is the villain of the story. Okay, and then, so think, take like a minute or two, maybe pause this podcast and think about who is the villain of your story. What is that emotional problem that your ideal customer is struggling with and how can you sell to that? So take a moment, maybe pause the podcast and think about the villain.

**0:21:01** - (A): We'll be right back to the Committed Creative Podcast after this quick break.

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**0:21:50** - (A): Right. The next part of the story is that your hero is about to meet you. Your guide sorry, their guide in the story. Because as the brand, you are not the hero of the story, you're the guide. So you need to position your brand as a trusted advisor who can often offer sorry, a plan or solution to help the hero, aka your customer, overcome the challenge that they are facing. And we want to show both empathy and authority to demonstrate that we are the best guides in our industry, okay? We are the thought leaders. We are the guides that this ideal customer that has this villain, this problem needs to follow on their journey in order to have success, see success.

**0:22:41** - (A): And one of the best ways to do this is to be empathetic, to make our customers feel heard and understood in their story, because it's their story, right? We're simply guiding them along the story, their journey. So they need to be heard. So many times I see brands that just kind of yell at their customers about what they think that they need to hear. But very few brands take the time to actually listen to what the customers need and tailor that advice to suit that customer.

**0:23:13** - (A): Because every customer, although you might have an ideal customer in mind that has similar pain points, they vary slightly. And if we can tailor our language slightly and tweak it to connect to that customer, especially when we're doing like that one to one marketing boom, you will see great success. Because at the end of the day, people want to work with people, okay? They don't want to work with a brand.

**0:23:39** - (A): They want to work with the people who make up that brand. So you need to show empathy. And of course, you need to show authority because why should they trust you? And a good way to show authority as a guide or as a brand or as a person in business is to put testimonials on your websites. Have Google reviews. Ask past and current clients for Google reviews, you could do recorded testimonials. Your social media is a great gateway to showcasing your portfolio.

**0:24:15** - (A): You can put training and certifications up on your website. You can even build confidence in the hero of your story by allowing them to have a free trial or maybe offering them free returns because you have so much faith in your product or service. Okay? So there are multiple, multiple ways of how you as a business can show authority. And don't forget to be empathetic. So in my business, in Red Platypus, I show empathy when I work with my clients because I understand that creating content can be freaking overwhelming, right? I have been there. I understand it can be difficult.

**0:24:56** - (A): But I have developed a framework and a strategy that they can follow so that they can communicate clearly and easily with their customers. But I take the time to really listen to what they're struggling with to determine exactly how that strategy can work in their business. So I show that empathy and then authority. I show authority. I'm a former journalist. I know how to speak to audiences. I've had more than a decade working as a copywriter.

**0:25:28** - (A): I've helped brands share their stories for many years. I have authority. I have good testimonials, great Google reviews, et cetera, et cetera, blah, blah, blah. So I am demonstrating myself as a thought leader in my field, as a guide, ready to take the hero of my story on their journey and to kill off that villain or that problem that they're facing. Okay? Does that make sense? So how are you going to show your hero that you are empathetic and that you have authority?

**0:26:03** - (A): Okay, once you've thought about that, the next part is the fun bit. It's showing your hero the plan. The plan that you have to get them to their solution. So this plan needs to be clear. It needs to be effective. It needs to be something that will address your customers challenges, okay? Their specific pain points, their emotional pain points. How are you going to show them a roadmap for success? How are you going to reinforce your authority and make your customers feel confident about how you're going to guide them on their journey to see success?

**0:26:40** - (A): So you might want to present your products or your services as solutions to your customers problems, but show them exactly how they are going to use that product or service to see success. So this is why great brands use really good video to showcase products and customers using those products to get what they want to see success. This is why video can be a really effective tool in this part of the storytelling process, because you are actively demonstrating the plan to the hero of your story.

**0:27:17** - (A): You want to be consistent in this storytelling, however, so if you're constantly promising different things, people can get confused. And if you confuse, you lose. It needs to be simple and it needs to be the same value, the same kind of commitment, the same vision each time so that you become known for that core thing. So, for example, for me, I show people the plan. I have that written branding strategy that I go over with all my clients and that guides the beginning of us working together. That's the framework that we work off in all their marketing. And sure, the framework is tailored to suit each individual's business, but it's those bare bones that really I sell to start the process of working with me.

**0:28:08** - (A): And I put that process in all our proposals and our pitches. And honestly, everyone, once they see that proposal, they're like, yes, I want to work with you, because they can immediately see the value in the plan, right? I am guiding them. I am showing the hero that you are going to see success because we are going to implement this strategy. And clients I've worked with before have seen success from using this strategy. And I even send them an example of the written branding guide. And they're like, oh, I want that for my business because I can see how that is going to work.

**0:28:39** - (A): So you want to be really clear about this plan and the value that they are going to get the success they are going to see from using this plan. So be reliable and dependable with this plan, consistent and in all your interactions with your customers. So, for example, if you are a business that does luxurious commercial fit outs for companies, you might want to send them a capability statement. Or like in all the proposals that you send through, you might want to go the extra mile and show, these are the recent jobs we've done, and showcase a portfolio of the work that you've completed and talk about specifically the process of how you completed that work. So that we did this special project management system and we worked with our customers in this way or whatever it might be, but you show them the plan as part of the story on the journey.

**0:29:44** - (A): So our plan in the red platypus is that we have this initial workshop where we map out this written branding guide and then we guide them through the process and then they come away with this marketing strategy and then comes the upsell. We can sell them different products, sorry, different services to help with their email marketing, with their social media, whatever. It might be further on from doing that written branding guide. But the written branding guide is the initial plan that we sell.

**0:30:20** - (A): The next part of the story brand process is that you are calling the hero or the customer to action. So this is the part of the story where we want them to take action. So for example, if I send over the proposal and I'm like we are going to create this written marketing written branding guide together and I send through the proposal and then obviously I'm like, do you want to work with me or like should we schedule on a call to discuss the proposal? I go over it with them. I'm calling them to action. I'm calling on them to make a decision about whether or not they want to work with me for longer sales funnels in my business.

**0:31:10** - (A): Perhaps the first part might be to download a free freebie from my website to for example like a lead magnet, which might be to uncover your brand's tone of voice guide or something like that, something simple, a section of the plan perhaps that they can download for free and get a taste, a teaser. And then maybe the sales process, the funnel might be longer for that. As by downloading the lead magnet they're signing up to my newsletter and then I'm going to nurture them through an email marketing sequence before calling them to action. So the journey might be longer depending on how they initially engaged with my services.

**0:31:50** - (A): So once we have given them this plan and we've called our hero to action, the next part is to show them the success, right? So we want to demonstrate how the plan has been used in the past. To get success from our customers. So this is where your testimonials come in, your case studies, perhaps your Google reviews, your video testimonials. You can even showcase galleries of past works. So your portfolio, if you're a graphic designer, this is perfect for you. If you're a photographer, galleries are awesome for this part of showing the success because we want to be able to build trust, especially if your customer has never worked with you before.

**0:32:41** - (A): This is why repeat customers are golden and we want to hang on to our customers because we can skip a lot of the story because they've already heard it, they already know about the success of working with you. That's why repeat customers, I always love to build those great relationships with your existing market so that we don't have to constantly be hunting for new customers because our loyal customers want to stick with us for life. And that saves us so much time in marketing that reduces the overwhelm if you don't have to keep hunting for new clients.

**0:33:15** - (A): But anyway, I'm digressing. So in this part of the story, we really want to show success. We want to be able to build the trust with the hero and demonstrate the positive outcomes that can be reached by using the brand, your brand. So basically, we want to show the hero that by undertaking the plan on the journey, by working with you, it's a freaking no brainer. Like they can see their success, they can see the results. Working with you is a no brainer.

**0:33:49** - (A): Your plan is going to take them to success and Bob's your uncle, they're going to get what they want. So we want to spend more time engaging with the ideal customer and showing them this success. So, for example, with Red Platypus, we show them success. That once you work with us and you get this marketing strategy, this written branding document, all your comms in your business, it's going to be so much easier because you're going to know exactly what to say and how to say it.

**0:34:23** - (A): You'll be able to schedule your content in a way that remains consistent and really connects with your key audiences so that you can sell more. You're going to start to love your brand because you're going to really understand your brand and its online presence is going to be impactful. And you're going to know that you're going to be continuing to help the people that you want to help because you're offering your knowledge in a way that is so clear and concise that working with you is going to be a no brainer.

**0:34:54** - (A): This is the kind of messaging that we use, that I use when I talk to potential clients and show them that the success that they will garner when they work with me. And I love especially to show them that certainly in the PR aspect of what I do, that I'm really going to help to establish them to become a thought leader in their field. And this is awesome for businesses when they can see that brands that have worked with me have had that kind of media success, that they've been in the traditional media, that they've got themselves on the ABC and in really reputable media outlets, when they can see that I've done that for other clients, they're like, yes, I want to do that. I want a piece of that golden limelight.

**0:35:44** - (A): So when your hero of your story can see the success, they are like, I am following that plan because I can see myself solving those problems, those internal problems that I'm currently facing and seeing success. And another way that we can highlight this success is to show the FOMO to show the fear of missing out, to show that hey, if you don't hire me to help you with your PR, then you're probably never going to get in the traditional media because I have media contacts and it can be hard to crack that media sphere if you don't know who to talk to or who to connect with.

**0:36:23** - (A): And if you miss out, that's a huge market that you're not tapping into, that you're stopping your business from being seen up in lights and ahead of your competitors. So you want to talk about those negative consequences of not taking action. What is going to happen if they don't use your product or service? Don't be afraid to shine the spotlight on that too, of what they might be missing out on because this helps to create a sense of urgency and it motivates your clients to act, it motivates the hero to take action.

**0:36:59** - (A): And keep in mind the external motivation that is driving your customers decisions so they are more likely to act if they have clear external reasons to do so. For example, if you have a product or service that's currently on sale, they're more likely to act because there's that urgency. And also keep in mind the internal motivations which is like addressing once again their internal desires and emotions, their aspirations, their fears, their dreams.

**0:37:36** - (A): Try and connect with them on that emotional level when you're creating this FOMO, when you're showing this success. Because at the end of the day, you are delivering a transformation in this story. Them coming along for the ride as the hero meeting you as the guide, you are the guide that is going to help them to undergo a transformation in their business that is going to help them to avoid failure. So for example, if we were highlighting the FOMO with red platypus, if we were highlighting what they could have at risk is that if they don't follow our plan, our marketing strategy, then their online presence might continue to lack, they might continue to feel stressed that they're not looking as good as their competitors. They might have to continue with that overwhelm, with that confusion of not knowing what action to take with their marketing.

**0:38:32** - (A): They might ultimately fall behind in the online space and not win new clients. Okay? So that is what they want to avoid. We're showing them the failure that they want to avoid. And when you are showing your clients the transformation that you're going to give them, I'll give you an insight. There's pretty much a small number of things that most people are trying to solve. Most people have a problem where they're either trying to save money, they're trying to make money, or they're trying to save time or they're trying to increase their status or they want to connect with other people. So it's either they're trying to save money, make money, save time, increase their status, or connect with others.

**0:39:19** - (A): They're like the main five things, I would say, that most people are trying to achieve. When they buy any product or service, they are looking at these things. So if you're really struggling with the transformation, chances are it's one of these or it's a combination of the above. Like for us personally, when clients come to us, they want to make money, but they also want to save time because their marketing is taking up all their time and is confusing and overwhelming. They need it to be clearer. And they want to make money because ultimately they want to get more customers, increase their conversions, make more sales.

**0:39:54** - (A): You know the drill. You know my story now, right? So let's just quickly recap your hero. What do they want, meets the villain, the internal problem that they're facing. And then you the guide. You come along and you show empathy and authority, and you give them a plan, a process of how they're going to see success. And you call them to action. You drive them to take the action to follow your plan because you show them that they are going to achieve great outcomes, great success if they work with you.

**0:40:32** - (A): And if they don't work with you, then they're going to have some FOMO because they could potentially fall into a pit. They could potentially have certain failures. But at the end of the day, if you allow them to let you in as a guide, they are going to have a great transformation. And that ultimately is story brand. And I just want to pop in two other things to remember in this sales process of story brand, in this marketing process of StoryBrand.

**0:41:04** - (A): And those two things are that in the sales process, in this marketing process, we really want to create urgency because more customers purchase when there's a tight deadline, you often get those ticket sales right at the end of the like when the event's about to close. For example, when we had a blogging course many years ago, it was open for two years. Okay, we knew nothing about online programs, online courses at this point. So we literally just had it on our website for two years straight.

**0:41:34** - (A): But when we emailed our subscribers and let them know that we are literally shutting the doors on the program next week, we got more sales in that one week than we did for the entire two years. It's crazy, right? Because all of a sudden there's an urgency and people are like, oh my gosh, I'm going to miss out, I'm going to miss out. So to create this urgency, you want to think about maybe implementing some automations in your email marketing so it runs to a schedule. You can have like a countdown timer on your emails, limit your sales periods, really just have this urgency.

**0:42:10** - (A): And if customers miss out, don't reopen the cart for those customers. Put them on a waitlist and then you have a warm audience that you can market to the next time that you have a big sale or that you open your doors or whatever it might be. And finally, the last point I want to make is that you want to remove hesitation in this sales process. We want to be following up on every lead. We want to ask questions like what is preventing our customers from buying from us? If someone says, oh no, we don't want to work with you at this time, ask them why. So that you can implement this feedback into your story brand, into your story process, into your marketing efforts, so that you can give customers a sense of confidence so they want to buy from you and remove the hesitation by giving them a returns policy. That's really easy.

**0:42:58** - (A): Or as I said before, offer them a free trial. And remember, you're not spamming, especially during sales in your business, people often want to hear from you, otherwise they will unsubscribe. Right? There are certain businesses that I love to receive marketing emails from and they email me as much as like every three days. But their emails are so valuable, I'm not going to unsubscribe. So really try and change that mindset that you're spamming people with these marketing messages. Because if your marketing messages are great, if you've done the story brand process, if you've implemented a written marketing guide, then your messaging will be really on point and connect with these customers and you will not be spamming.

**0:43:38** - (A): Anyway, I feel like I need a glass of water. I've spoken a lot. I hope it's been useful. And until next time, here's to going all in on your creative pursuits. Thank you for listening to the Committed Creative podcast. I would be ever so appreciative if you could head on over and subscribe to the Pod or leave me a review. Or if you're so inclined, head on over to my website Redplatypuscreative.com and send me an email with some feedback. I'm all ears.

**0:44:07** - (A): Until next time, here's to going all in on your creative pursuits.