187 - The Ultimate Story Template - Based on a Cheesy Christmas Song

Show Transcript

SCRIPT OF EPISODE #187

Note: This is not a transcript. It’s a script for the episode. There may be some minor changes.

If you want to be more productive with your business stories, I recommend using templates. A good story template reminds you of what’s important to include in a business story so you won’t forget an important part that leads to sales. It also helps you stand out so you don’t sound like yet another AI voice out here.

This episode introduces a really good template based on the  Christmas song “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. It’s not my template: this comes from Ann Handley’s book, Everybody Writes, which I heartily recommend. I  customized her template to help service-based solopreneurs.

So welcome to Strategic Storytelling. I’m your host, Cathy Goodwin, and today I’m going to introduce you to a template I came across just the other day. It’s from the book by Ann Handley, Everybody Writes.  And you don’t have to take notes. I have created a guide to templates that you can download. 

What I like about that book is that Ann Handley comes right out and says that a marketing story isn’t a fairy tale. She shares several elements of a good marketing story, and I especially loved her example of making a business story from the Christmas song, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. In the unlikely event you don’t remember the story, Rudolph was born with a bright red nose. The other reindeer laughed at him because he was different. But one day Santa needed a bright light to guide his sleigh in a foggy night so he selected Rudolph to lead the pack. After that, Rudolph was included and welcomed into the fold.

 You may be skeptical about the reindeer’s reaction and you might question the value system of accepting someone because of what they can contribute. But hey…that’s business!  And that’s another story.

Ann Handley says the story has these parts:
First: We have the guide who solves the problem. In this story Rudolph is the helper

And Santa is the hero. Santa is the one with the problem.
1 - “Once upon a time, there was Rudolph. A young sad deer.
Second: What he can do: He has a very bright nose that can light up a room.

Third:  People – potential clients – doubt that he has value because he’s not like the others. They don’t see what he can do. 
Fourth: We have a last-straw moment or a crisis that must be solved. But one day there is a terrible fog.
Fifth: How dies that generate a need for a vguide: : Someone needs him to help the kids believe in the magic of Christmas.

Sixth: Why is that important: And that matters because otherwise Crhstimas would be canceled.
Seventh: Someone gets a kiss. (Id say just a handshake or high-five.)

I’d like to point out briefly that there’s a similar example to the Rudolph Story in a book for young children called Danger the Dogyard Cat. It’s a detour from my main point so I’ll add a paragraph in th show notes. About a cat who ends up leading a pack of dogs in Alaska. 

Sp let’s see how this works as a business story. I’m going to illustrate with a money coach. A money coach is a coach who helps clients develop a better relationship with money and achieve financial goals. They don’t have to be financial advisors or accountants; they deal more with the behavioral side.

First: We have Susan who is a money coach.
Second, How is she unique: Rudolph had a nose.  Susan has a gift for helping people build a better relationship with money. She has a 7-step budgeting program she’s developed to help even the most spendthrift clients.

Third: What are the clients’ hidden or spoken objections? They think they’re too far gone to be helped. They can’t believe a coach who’s not a financial planner can help them. 

Fourth: What was the client’s last-straw moment that led them to hire a coach? The client really gets tired of dealing with demanding, unresponsive landlords. Her last one was ridiculous. She really wants to buy her house but doesn’t see how that’s possible. OR He’s been working his butt off and really wants that glorious cruise vacation for himself and his wife.
Fifth: How does that generate a need for a guide? These potential clients realize they can’t do it themselves. Or they want access to a proven system.
Sixth: Why is this important? Why does it matter? This point is about values.  If the clients don’t solve their money problems they’ll be out on the street. Or they can’t deal with yet another landlord without going crazy.  Or maybe they’ve been warned to take time off to avoid a heart attack. Or they want to bring family together. 

Seventh: A high five. What does that look like? 

What do I like about this template? First, it puts the focus on the client as hero, nott the story of the coach. And second, it covers all the points you might want to make in a story. It’s a variation of a success story. Third, it clarifies roles. In the Rudolph story, the hero isn’t Rudolph it’s Santa, who has the problem that Rudolph solves. It’s like when I analyze Cinderella stories and find that the godmother is really the guide because she solves the problem and Cinderella is the hero–the client becomes the problem. With the money coach the client has the problem.

I can't resist pointing out that the Rudolph story and the Cinderella story both depend on luck, not craft or strategy. Rudolph has his bright shiny nose and Cinderella’s godmother has a wand. But then again, if you’ve done a really great job, your clients might feel that you’ve performed magic yourself, or at least used your natural gifts to get the result. 

I have another podcast 

episode where I suggest that people value natural gifts even more than hard work when they evaluate someone

I’ve also prepared a short giveaway you can request : I wrote up a summary of Ann Handley’s template tailored for service-based solopreneurs. – it’s currently free but at some point you may find that a price tag as been added. 

Thanks for joining me on this podcast. Please leave a rating and a review if you enjoyed learning about the Rudolph template. That’s how we grow!  So please tell your friends and colleagues. Come visit my website, cathygoodwin.com, where I have free and paid offers for you. If you’d like to work with me, I recommend the Strategic Intensive, a powerful 90-minutes where we dig in and revise your marketing. 

So thanks again for listening and have a wonderful rest of the day!