Storybrand - Donald Miller

"Advertising is the soul of business". You certainly heard that phrase, right? However, can you apply it to the reality of your business? Donald Miller tells in "Building a Storybrand", everything you want to know.

You have a great product, a well-established company in the market, but you still feel your sales don't take off.

With this PocketBook, you'll learn a fundamental method for transforming the way you talk about your product that can elevate your organization's marketing level.

Interested? Then follow us to learn more!

About the book "Building a Storybrand"

"Building a Storybrand" is a guide that presents a method for presenting your company's products through the elements of storytelling.

After its release, the work reached the bestselling level of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

At the beginning of the book is presented a compilation of praises by great names about the work, from other successful book authors to great entrepreneurs who recommend using the method.

About the author Donald Miller

Donald Miller is an American author and speaker. He gained notoriety as a memorialist through his reflections on religion, faith, and the quest for self-knowledge. In 2003, he published his first bestseller: "Blue Like Jazz."

Nowadays, Donald is CEO of Storybrand, an organization that offers assistance to other companies in understanding and applying the method presented in this book.

To whom is this book indicated?

"Building a Storybrand" is indicated to marketing professionals who want to learn resources to present products in a much more engaging way to customers.

In addition, reading is also interesting for business owners who want to scale their business and improve the way they connect with consumers.

Main ideas of the book "Building a Storybrand"

• The customer is the most important of the sale, not your brand;
• Companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but consumers buy solutions to internal problems.
• Customers look for a guide with a plan;
• Consumers will only act if stimulated;
• You should not assume that people understand how your brand is capable of transforming their lives.

In the following, each category of the SB7 Method, which tells a story about a certain character through its product, will be presented in more depth.

This story is formed by the following sequence:

1. A character;
2. has a problem;
3. and finds a guide;
4. who has a plan;
5. and calls him to act;
6. this helps him avoid failure;
7. and ends with success.

Let's get to know more?

Download the "Building a Storybrand" Book Summary in PDF for free

Do you have no time to read now? Then download the free PDF and read wherever and whenever you want:

Overview: A character

The initial principle of the StoryBrand guide is to consider the customer as the hero of the story, not its brand. Every good story needs a hero, and it is its role to make the consumer understand that he is the hero of this journey.

Therefore, it is important to understand what your customer wants. From this, it is possible to "plant" a question in his mind, which invites him to know your story and to know how you are able to solve the problem he is facing.

What's more, it's interesting to turn the customer ambition that has already been identified into one factor, which should be your company's solution focus. Building a storybrand clarify your message so customers will listen.

Overview: There is a problem

In the second part of the book "Building a Storybrand", Donald Miller says that you should talk about the problems your customer is experiencing, because the more you do this, the more they will feel you know them and will be interested in your brand.

Following the concepts of a good story, it takes a villain to create a certain conflict to overcome. Therefore, it is interesting to villainize the challenges your customer faces, as it forces them to look for a tool (your product) to beat the villain.

According to the author, there are three problem levels that you are able to help:

1. External: a physical and tangible problem that will trigger internal frustration;
2. Internal: These are problems generated by frustration caused by external problems. This frustration is usually philosophically mistaken.
3. Philosophical: A bigger problem than the client himself.

To explain further, Donald Miller presents a practical storybrand example of Tesla:

• Villain: voracious consumption of gasoline, inferior technology;
• External: I need a car;
• Internal: I want to be one of the first to adopt this new technology;
• Philosophical: My choice of car should help save the environment.

Overview: The guide

If we stop to analyze the known stories and our lives, it is common to note that at some point, someone came as a guide in history and helped us overcome the problems faced during the journey.

And that's the role your brand must play in customer relationships, a trusted guide who provides tools, wisdom, and motivation to overcome villains and achieve their desires.

It is important to understand that your brand, acting as a guide, have the most authority to solve the problem, but the customer needs to understand that it is he who will get the solution (he is the hero).

Therefore, it is critical to focus on the success of your customer, not your brand, as this empathy creates a very strong connection between the two.

Overview: The plan

The best way to give the customer authority to show that you are able to solve their problems is by presenting an action plan, with a step-by-step guide that helps them find the ultimate solution.

This plan is what will be responsible for mitigating the risks that consumers feel and for building a bridge of trust between you, which is essential for them to take the necessary actions to help your product do their best.

Overview: The action

With the plan in hand, the next step is to challenge the customer to start acting. As stated in the main ideas at the book "Building a Storybrand", a client should be encouraged to take action as this helps them to overcome any existing doubts or fears.

To this end, the author suggests the use of call to action, which can be of two types:

1. Direct: They are simple and to the point. Examples: "Order Now", "Call Today"; "Schedule an appointment"; "Register now"; "Buy it now";
2. Transitory: They are more worked and usually offer something more to the customer, such as free information, satisfied customer testimonials, free samples or reviews.

Overview: Avoid failure

It can be seen that it is human nature to tend to avoid pain (or failure) even before seeking pleasure (or success). Therefore, the goal that initially moves us is to avoid failure.

Therefore, throughout every step of the plan you have presented to the customer, it is critical to demonstrate and remember that by following the steps indicated, the customer will be taking actions that will help to avoid a certain disaster.

Donald Miller explains that care must be taken not to become just a "prophet of the apocalypse" as this can scare and consequently drive away customers. However, it is always worth emphasizing that you offer a plan that can alleviate or end the pain experienced by the client.

Overview: Finishing with success

We all like a story with a happy ending. Therefore, the story of your client (hero) cannot end otherwise. It is important to give a clear picture of the success he can achieve by following his plan.

Donald says one of the best ways to do this is to force the client to imagine how his life would be better if the external problem he was facing was solved, how he would feel about it, and how it would be able to improve his environment.

There are three main ways that the best storytellers use to get their heroes to a happy ending:

• Get power and position (need for status);
• The union that makes the hero feel whole (need something external to complete);
• Self-realization and acceptance (need to reach one's own potential).

What do other authors say about it?

"Digital Business", from the author Alan Pakes says sales are the cornerstones of any business. That's why you should also focus on winning over your customer and showing that you have the right solution for them by guiding them toward selling your product.

In the book "The Sales Bible", author Jeffrey Gitomer advises: listen well to your customers. As the author says, this is related to the first rule of the sales world. Thus, the work gives a great tip: "Shut up!" Let the customer make up his mind, don't force his response, as that will make him uncomfortable.

In the book "Marketing 4.0" by Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya and Iwan Setiawan, the authors bring the importance of being aware of changes in the digital world and how it affects marketing.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

After knowing all the nuances of "Building a Storybrand" guide, to apply the knowledge in your reality it is important to understand the following steps:

1. Create a motto;
2. Create a lead generator on your site and collect email addresses;
3. Create an automated and systematic email campaign;
4. Seek and tell transformative stories;
5. Create a system that generates recommendations.

This makes it possible for your product history roadmap to be presented and spread to more and more potential customers.

Did you like this summary of the book "Building a Storybrand"?

So, what did you think about the SB7 methodology? Tell us your opinion about the book and leave your feedback about the text!

In addition, to know all the information in the book, the complete work is available for purchase at the link: