I had heard of this book many times before, but it wasn’t until I shared the stage with Donald Miller at Business Boutique, a 3,000-person event in Nashville, that I realized just how impactful his message is. I witnessed only a small portion of Donald’s message on stage, but the little I heard was enough for me to finally pick up Building a StoryBrand—and I am so happy I did.
What I love most about Building a StoryBrand (Amazon link) is its absolute focus on the importance of your story. There is nothing more important when it comes to selling—whether it’s a product, an idea, a message you’re trying to get across or convince someone to take action on—than your story. [Full Disclosure: As an affiliate, I receive compensation if you purchase through this link.]
Where most business leaders and entrepreneurs flub is in their messaging. Ask any beginning entrepreneur to explain their business, and it’s usually a long-winded explanation that takes a day-and-a-half to get to the point. When you’re starting out, that’s okay. It’s hard to know exactly what to say about your brand and how to say it.
But, thankfully—a huge help—with this book you can clarify that message using a specific framework Donald shares called the “SB7 Framework.”
The SB7 Framework consists of:
- Character. (i.e. Your customer. Hint: you are not the hero of your story. Your customer is.)
- Has a problem. Any good business solves a problem, but the big distinction here is that it’s not solving an external problem; it’s solving the internal one that’s usually hidden underneath.
- And meets a guide. (That’s you, or your business.)
- Who gives them a plan.
- And calls them to action. (As Miller says, people don’t take action, unless called upon to take action.)
- That helps them avoid failure.
- And ends in success.
You may have seen similar frameworks to this before; I know I’ve learned similar things in the past, including the “I help _______ get _________ by _________ “ exercise. But, in Building a StoryBrand, Donald does a unique and wonderful thing by putting the customer into the hero spot. You just happen to be a part of their journey, not the other way around. I love that perspective. Whenever I’ve sold anything, I’ve told my story, and the solution I share is just naturally part of that story; not anything forced or shoved down anyone’s throats.
What I really love about this book is that it’s super actionable. It reminds me a lot of my book, Will It Fly?, in that it helps the reader progress by taking action all the way through, and you can really feel the small wins piling on themselves each step of the way. This book goes deep into one of the sections I talk about in Will It Fly?—about clarifying your message, or your position in the marketplace—and I’m so glad he does because this is really the most crucial step of the process. Once you clarify the story (again, not your story, but the story you’re creating for others) it makes everything else fall into place quite nicely; and then the selling just becomes a natural part of the story, and something your customers will want to take part in.
I definitely recommend Building a StoryBrand for any business or future business owner.
Buy the Book on Amazon