Most coaches have heard of Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework. His book, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Clients Will Listen, came out in 2017 and since then it’s been a cornerstone marketing model for large and small brands alike.
Here at the Coaches’ Coach, we implemented it in 2018 as a way to connect more deeply with our clients. It helped us crystallize our marketing message; more importantly, it helped us better understand our clients and prospects.
The central thesis of StoryBrand is that most businesses go to market with a very unclear, confusing, and self-centered message. We can all improve our marketing by focusing on our customers and making them the hero, positioning ourselves as a guide with a plan to help them.
Here’s a brief rundown of the framework, so that you can begin making the shift in your marketing (and help your clients do the same).
We can all improve our marketing by focusing on our customers and making them the hero, positioning ourselves as a guide with a plan to help them.
A BrandScript emphasizes the customer’s journey; you can sign up for a free StoryBrand account and create as many BrandScripts as you’d like, using their online tool.
A Character
With StoryBrand, you begin with a character who wants something. This is your prospect or customer. See how it immediately shifts the focus from you to them? You’re not the hero of their story–they are. (You are the hero of your story, which is precisely why so much marketing messaging is ineffective–you’re centering yourself, not them!) Start with them, and your messaging will immediately become more salient.
with a Problem
Why do business owners and entrepreneurs need to hire you as a coach? Why do the clients you coach need the products and services your clients provide? Because they have problems they need to solve. These problems can be external, internal, or philosophical (or all three!). But the better you can understand and articulate your clients’ problems, the more they’ll feel seen and understood, and your marketing messaging will resonate more deeply as a result.
Meets a Guide Who Understands their Fear
Finally, this is where you come in! You’re not the hero of their story, you’re their trusted guide. With empathy and authority, you meet them where they are on their journey.
and Gives Them a Plan
Here, you help them see the way through their difficulty by positioning your product or service as a plan that can help them resolve their problem. Do you see the throughline here? It’s not about what your product or service does–it’s about what your product or service does to help your customer solve their problem.
that Calls Them to Action
Invite your customer to take action on the plan you’ve presented them. Give them an immediate, actionable, simple next step to get started.
that Results in Success
Outline what will happen (to the good!) when they implement the plan. This is about outcomes, and painting a picture of how it will feel when their problem is resolved.
(or Failure)
What will happen if they don’t implement the plan their guide has presented them? What kind of tragic results will they encounter? What fears will be realized?
Inside the Coaches’ Coach membership area, you’ll find all the tools, frameworks, and systems we recommend to help you build a profitable business coaching practice and coach your clients more effectively. Sign up for a FREE 30-day trial to get access.
