Impact of Leadership

Your Customer is the Hero of the Story

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How to make sales

We all want to be the hero or heroine of the story.  It is, by far, the most attractive role. The hero fights the dragon, finds love, and wins the accolades. The hero is the warrior, the king, the maiden, the beauty. It’s Luke Skywalker in Star Wars or Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. It’s Cinderella or Erin Brockovich. These heroes fight adversity, overcome challenges, and finish triumphantly. That’s who we want to be.

 

Yet, in the world of business, you’re not the hero. The customer is the hero if you are trying to sell a product or service. It’s the athlete who won the race while wearing the shoes you designed, the mother who got dinner on the table using your famous chicken rub, and the corporate executive who impressed his boss using the program you created. Your product or service helps your customer become the hero. That’s how you make sales.*

 

This is applicable in the world of technology. The market is rapidly changing. New products are replacing old ones every five years or so. Imagine if you had created the Apple IIc and were sure that it was the best possible product on the market. Can you imagine trying to sell that thing now? No, because technology has advanced way past that model. If you were determined to make your product the hero instead of your customer, then your story would have been over as soon as the Plus was released.

 

 

So how do you make the customer the hero?

 

Start with the customer

Consider your customer first. Think about their lives and what needs they have. If they are the center of the story, get as interested in them as you are in Luke’s backstory. Understand their history, their desires, their needs, and their wants. Understand who they want to be, how they are motivated, and what they spend money on. Every conversation is important, no detail is extraneous. That means you need to figure out where your customers are and how you can interact with them—virtually, on the phone, or in person.

 

Identify the problem

Every good story has a problem. The adversity is what makes it interesting. Identify what kind of giant your customer is facing. Is it hungry children and only half an hour to make dinner? Is it complicated data that needs sorting? Is it an evil villain dressed in black plastic and leather with a breathing problem? Whatever it is, name it.

 

Show that you have the solution

You have the solution to the problem that your customer is having. Think of your product or service as the GUIDE in the story. You are Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are Gandolf, and you are the Fairy God Mother. You can help the hero get from where they are (“stressed out”) to where they want to be, (“peaceful bliss”) and you know how to get them there. This may require you to first tell your customer what the problem is. For example, a mother doesn’t know why she feels so frazzled all the time. So, you tell the mother her task list is too long, and no human could possibly complete it in the time frame she has allotted. So you offer her your exceptional cleaning service that is incredibly affordable and will help cross off at least 10-15 items on her list. Your service will help her be the hero in her home—she will be less stressed and the tasks will be finished. This applies to any hero, any problem, any product.

 

Do it again

Never stop this cycle. Identify your customer, figure out the problem, show how you have the solution, then do it again. Ryan Morris, IOL podcast guest and principal consultant at Morris Management Partners, strongly encourages business leaders to have a proactive mentality, no matter the market they are in. In his words:

  • Always be asking questions you don’t know the answers to
  • Consider allowing the sun to set on your products to create space for new ones that meet the ever-changing needs of customers (think Apple IIc)
  • Nobody wakes up and decides they want to buy what you are selling, you must continue to show them why and how.
  • Customer satisfaction must be a priority or else your customers will go be someone else’s customers.

Remember, identify your customer, figure out the problem, show how you have the solution, and then do it again.

 

The role of the guide in any story is underrated. Think of Yoda, of Mr. Miyagi, of Galadriel of Lord of the Rings. The guide has the wisdom, the foresight and the courage to help the hero. It is an honorable position to be the guide. May you go forth and teach your hero to slay the dragon. May the force be with you.

 

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*This post is based on the Storybrand Framework, created by Donald Miller. To learn more, check out the website, www.storybrand.com, and consider purchasing his books or attending a workshop.

 

This blog was written by Ashley Buenger:

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