The challenges facing business leaders to grow their business faster than the market is increasingly complex.
Equally the challenges facing buyers, customers, and visitors, who are feeling overloaded with information, stretched and unsure of who to buy from.
The following is a comprehensive step by step solution that many of the best businesses in the world apply to grow faster. Apple, Salesforce, Zuora, Allbirds and millions of others. (The world’s best sales deck by Andy Raskin provides further reading)
No matter what you’re selling, the most difficult obstacle is your potential buyer’s reluctance to change from their current provider.
To win – start demonstrating the world has already changed – your prospective buyers are missing out now.
The framework – the hero’s journey gets more human attention and engagement.
It is the most used and most-loved storytelling structure in the history of humanity.
When would your business use it?
- CEO meets investors and makes presentations.
- Buying team are negotiating better trading terms.
- Sales teams meet prospective buyers.
- HR, it’s their north star to recruit the best.
- On all your digital assets – websites, landing pages.
- Telling a bigger story than just your products and services makes it easier for new buyers to choose your business.
There are five key elements of every compelling strategic narrative, and you should lay them out in exactly this order.
1 Name The Enemy | Big Shift
Start by naming the events that are getting in the way of your customer’s happiness. Finding who or what is to blame, and why.
When Elon Musk first presented his Tesla batteries solution to the world – his business strategy – his strategic narrative applied the hero’s journey.
His image of burning fossil fuels, climate change and the near-death of the planet gets huge support across the world.
This example of Greentek ( our client) of an Australian startup saving the planet by decreasing the amount of diesel consumed by 15% – resonates with fleet operators: reducing the amount of other dangerous gases by 15% and 18% – paints a clear picture of the Big Shift that’s going on in people’s lives – and naming the enemy for fleet operators.
Gong named the enemy as a lack of science stops sales teams from closing more deals. They have named their big shift Revenue Intelligence – and have gone on to be number one in the world helping teach sales teams to sell more.
Naming your potential buyers’ enemy differentiates your business — not directly in relation to your competitors.
2 Answer WHY now? ( this can also be the Old World | New World or Life and Death step).
Elon Musk says – we’re at a critical point in the growth of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration; if we don’t act now, things quickly get much, much worse. We should collectively do something about this,” his audience screams their support.
Greentek says – we are also at a critical point – diesel fuel is the second biggest killer for transport operators’ employees. Its life and death – with less fuel consumption you may mitigate your future legal risks and help save the planet and increase your profitability.
#3. Tease the “Promised Land”
Planting a seed in your prospective new buyer’s minds that the old way is the losing pathway – so how do I win now?
#4. Position your capabilities as the “magic” for slaying their problems.
Here you call out the obstacles to achieving the promised land and show how your business/product/service overcomes each one.
#5. Present your best evidence
Of course, even with a well laid out story, your prospective buyers will be sceptical (they should be since your Promised Land is by definition difficult to reach unless they use your products and services)
Present evidence of your business’s ability to deliver happily-ever-after.
A compelling strategic narrative is built from these four pillars – we call the Business of Trust.
The four steps are add
- Trust Assets – purpose and trust
- Fast Strategy – start with answering WHY – should your prospective buyers only buy from your business?
- Strategic Narrative – Tell a bigger story than just your products and services
- Strategic Pitch – deliver the elevator pitch in a couple of sentences.
5. Then be seen more, be heard more, engage more on organic social media channels where your ideal buyers are.
The difference is your prospective buyers walk towards your business.
Does it work?
Tien Zhou, the former number eleven employee (marketing director) at Salesforce then a decade later starts his own startup – Zuora – now with a valuation exceeding a billion dollars says of the framework – it always works.
We now live in a Social Selling Economy.
For many businesses, it is a life or death decision – live in world of beige – or spring to life with a compelling strategy that allows your business to scale up.
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We do everything or just a little – you choose. Check our accelerateyourbusiness.today for pricing and services.
Increasing your share of voice and engagement – maximises influence, revenue and market dominance.
If you have read this far, thank you for your attention. It means a lot. I hope this helped you even a little bit in better making sense of this topic. If so please share it with a friend who might also benefit from it.
Thanks for reading,
David
