I’ve just spent the last couple hours in intense focus…
I’m building out the “welcome mat” or “trip wire” offer for my Story Selling funnel.
Quick recap for those who aren’t familiar with the terms, this is my really low-priced entry-level product on the topic. That creates a buyer relationship and makes customers interested in what else I have to offer.
Typically, this is a product that goes for under $10 — and is worth much more. It delivers an overabundance of value.
The goal of this product, in a broader context, is to encourage your prospect to make that first transaction with you. That’s typically the highest hurdle in any customer relationship. And the one you want to make easiest to get over. Because getting the second, third, fourth, and so on transactions become much, much easier after that.
So, what will this product be?
It’ll be a video (or video series) covering 5 Proven Story Selling Templates and how to use them.
I previously offered up the #1 Best Selling Story Template (more on how to get that below, if you don’t have it already), and this actually shares 5 more! It’s practically giving away the farm. I know I have a ton more value to give beyond this. There’s so much more to story selling than just having the story templates. But the amount of value packed into this little product is incredible.
I want to pull back the curtain a little bit, because I think it’s instructive…
And so I’ve come up with a short list of questions to answer about this. About the creative process behind it. About the marketing and product creation strategy involved. About where my head is at as I’m putting this together.
I think this will do a couple things.
First, every day I’m tasked with coming up with incredibly informative, compelling content for you. And sometimes that means it makes the most sense to peel back the curtain and share what’s going on right now — even before it’s public.
Second, I hope it actually builds some excitement around this product. Story selling is one of the most powerful persuasive abilities you can have. Great selling and great marketing is almost always built around stories. Around narratives. I want you to be excited about this, because I know what a difference it made in my life, and what a difference it can make in yours. And so every little bit I can share, I hope, will help you see the importance of this concept.
Plus, since I’m starting the official “launch” of the Story Selling Master Class in about a month (August 9th), it helps to keep it top of mind! 🙂
So, without further ado, the relevant questions…
Why did I pick “templates” for this entry-point product?
I said above and I’ve said before (and I’ll surely say again, because I am quite redundant AND repetitive), that the strategy behind tactics is usually far more important than the tactics themselves.
That is, if you understand the thinking that created a tactic or system or process that works, you can apply it more effectively and adapt it to more situations than if you simply have the ABC instructions.
That’s why my Story Selling Master Class will not be focused on helping you identify your core story, or follow a specific story template, or something like that.
Instead, it will focus first and foremost on the foundation and thinking behind successful story selling. Only once the foundation is laid will it then go into the superficial tools and additional templates that will make applying the thinking “as easy as ABC.”
So why start with templates?
I learned from a mentor of mine (who is also a partner in a 9-figure direct marketing empire AND a regular reader of these essays) to “sell people what they want, give them what they need.” And the earlier it is in the customer lifecycle, the more important this is.
People want gimmicks. They want templates. They want a formula.
Perry Marshall calls this selling crack versus selling philosophy. Selling crack is easy. It gives you a quick hit, and it’s addictive. Selling philosophy is hard. It requires work to derive benefit from, and it’s easy to give up on.
The trick is to sell people the “crack” they want, and when you deliver it, mix it with the “philosophy” they need and that will benefit them most.
But at the very beginning, to bring people through the door, go heavy on what will give them the immediate hit. Give them a trick they can go out and perform today, to improve their life. Then, when they come back for more, you can dish on what you know will benefit them most.
How do I know what to focus on to be most helpful to my potential customers?
When people sign up for the wait list for my Story Selling Master Class, my first email asks a very important question. (Not signed up? Keep reading!)
“What do you feel is your single-biggest challenge to using stories to sell in your marketing?”
For those of you who aren’t familiar, this comes straight from Ryan Levesque’s Ask Formula, and from Glenn Livingston before him. (Ryan got his start as Glenn’s student.)
This question is very important. It’s been proven, in market after market, in business after business, to solicit a very important piece of information.
There are a lot of surveys that can be used to draw opinions out of people. But opinions don’t necessarily predict what people will take action based on.
What this question does though is tell you what problems and challenges people see as items they want to overcome.
And, in a broader context that I don’t have room to go into here, it can even tell you what people are most likely to buy.
So at the risk of tipping my hand a little too much, I’ll share some interesting findings.
I’ve really found that the biggest challenges people face when it comes to using stories in selling and marketing are…
— They want to know how to tell stories better. Maybe it doesn’t come naturally. Maybe you’re not sure how to tell stories in clear, compelling, and concise ways. Or maybe you just want those really easy-to-use templates for proven selling stories.
— They have trouble finding relevant stories to tell. Maybe you’re having trouble coming up with stories. Maybe you don’t know what questions to ask yourself or clients to draw out the most compelling selling stories.
— They’re not confident using stories in a selling context. Maybe you have trouble tying the story to your product’s benefits. Maybe you’re not sure how to transition into the offer. Maybe you’re having trouble really targeting your story to an audience of buyers.
There are a few other challenges as well. Not the least of which is how to use selling stories in industries or markets (such as selling B2B) where story selling isn’t as much of a norm.
Now that I know that these are the challenges you face though, I can tailor the content (as well as the marketing) to helping you overcome them. And by building my content and presentation around what you’ve told me the biggest challenges are, I can make sure that you’re getting maximum value from this!
What about the content: how is it presented?
I’m actually going really deep on these 5 selling story templates.
I was using mind map software as I was creating the content, and for each story type I created 5 “nodes” — the equivalent of a bullet point in an outline. The nodes are “Goals,” “Template,” “Questions,” “Sales Context,” and “Examples.”
Under each, and for each of the 5 story types I’m covering in this, I created a series of bullets or notes.
Each story type has multiple goals that it can help you accomplish, within a sales context. I go into each of those.
Each story has a template — a set of steps you want to follow to tell it in the most persuasive way, in the sales context, to achieve your goals.
There are questions you can ask to draw out the important details for each story type. These questions can be used in brainstorming for personal stories, or they can be used as you probe clients to get all the best details out for telling stories on their behalf.
The sales context of each story is important. This is where, in selling materials or in the selling process, each story type is most relevant. This is important, because matching the story’s unique powers to the right selling situation will give it the utmost power.
And finally, examples. I wanted to make sure I point you to good examples of the story types, in use, out in the real world. So you can study them and apply what you learn in your own story selling.
Why is this so valuable?
In short, I’ve structured this content to give you what you need, as well as what you want. Yes, the templates are included. But I went much, much deeper than that.
For each story, I gave you the tactical implementation as well as the strategic thinking behind it.
Even as you go through each of these 5 story templates with me, you’ll start to pick up the thinking behind master-level story selling.
It’s just a primer, of course, for what will be covered in the much more in-depth Story Selling Master Class. It hardly touches on some of the most important concepts in the higher-level program.
And yet, when you go through my presentation of these 5 templates, you’ll no doubt start to catapult in your story selling ability. Not just telling these stories in particular. But using stories in a selling and marketing context more generally.
You’ll get how to tell stories better. How to find the right stories to tell. How to fit the stories into a context that supports the sale. As well as how to adapt story selling into all sorts of markets and selling contexts.
So… How can you get these 5 story selling templates?
Well, you can’t buy them, yet.
In fact, I won’t officially make them available for sale until after I’ve launched the Story Selling Master Class, in early August.
I’ll do you one better, though.
Tomorrow, I’ll be recording this with my partner on the project. We’ll be putting together all the video breakdowns of the different story types. As well as creating simple one-sheet references for each story type, for easy ongoing use.
And sometime between now and the official launch of the Story Selling Master Class on August 9th, I’ll send out an email to the wait list for this program.
In that email, I’ll give you the opportunity to get this entire product FREE.
All that I’ll ask is that you give it a good and honest review to help me make sure it’s the best it can be.
If you haven’t yet…
When you sign up, you’ll also get a free PDF of The #1 Best Selling Story template, right away via email.
This is important though: I plan to keep offering the PDF free, but you will ONLY be able to get the 5 selling stories video product free up to the date of the launch of the Story Selling Master Class. Delaying is NOT in your best interest.
I hope that this peek into my thought process behind the whole launch has been fruitful for you.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
