Storytime [Part 1]
How to turn marketing messages into memorable stories with the Hero's Journey
With a deeply rooted desire for meaning in our lives, it’s stories that bring our experiences into focus: stories we tell about ourselves, about others, about the past, and about the possibilities of the future. Many stories fade, but some stories stick. Our stories are often retrospective, painting a picture for the place we inhabit in the world. And other times, we use stories prospectively when we want to make a change in the world – or to change someone’s mind. In those cases, our stories need to stick.
For the past two decades, in a variety of roles spanning software engineering, product management, entrepreneurship, and marketing (not to mention fatherhood and dozens of personal endeavors) — the through-line in my life has been story telling. Though, I never quite labeled it as such; I had things to say and I’d obsess about how to say them — how to manifest the excitement I felt about a particular idea to a family member, friend or colleague. In hindsight, it’s this obsession that put the wind in my sails – connecting the dots forward through my career into more exciting and influential roles.
Now, with hindsight, I can say that this doesn’t need to be a personal obsession to be part of how you leverage the power of stories. While there is certainly an art to storytelling, there are only a few kinds of stories. Knowing how to lay the scaffolding for these types of stories can make all the difference in how our message is received and remembered.
In this series, we’ll explore three popular story-telling frameworks. First up: The Hero’s Journey.
The Hero’s Journey
Popularized by Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey is found in many classic tales including The Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Here’s an adaptation for how this story format can be used in a sales presentation context.
*The ordinary world* Here we earn some credibility. The story should start by painting a familiar picture for the audience. This is what their world looks like today. Opportunities, challenges and all. As the story teller, you show the audience that you get them.
*Call to adventure* Now we tease the opportunity for a change that the customer seeks to achieve. There’s untapped market to capture, growth, efficiencies to be gained, competitors to squash, demand to be created. Here’s where you start to deepen the reservoir of motivation that you will draw from later.
*Meeting the mentor* Provide one magical insight that only your business can know. In this story, you (or your business) are the mentor. Describe how your expertise and solutions can be a guiding force for the customer to succeed in this adventure. They are Harry, you are Dumbledore.
*Crossing the threshold* Introduce a decision. Perhaps it’s as simple to partner with your business or buy your product. Perhaps it’s to embrace a hidden problem that you’ve illuminated in the prior step of the story.
🌪️ At this point in the story, we’re leaving Kansas. We are now asking the audience to trust us in imagining the possibilities of your partnership. We embark!
*Trials and allies* Here we paint the picture for the enemies that lurk and the allies that fill the landscape of this story. Cast a light on the audience’s competitors and how they will fall short with your businesses assistance. Discover allies that put wind in the hero’s sails (think market trends, policy changes, partnerships and integrations.)
*The Climax* Make it real, don’t rely on their imagination. Present a case study or milestone where a customer, with the aid of your business, successfully tackles a significant challenge or achieves a crucial goal.
*The Transformation* Portray the impact of this future by showcasing the improvements and benefits the customer experiences as a result of implementing your solutions and guidance.
*The Return* Bring it home. Reflect back on the goal, the call to adventure, that we set out with. Now, your the customer, the hero, is armed with a new perspective and new tools (your expertise, your product) after having imagined this journey. With your offering and the opportunity clearly listed out, your audience is back where they started with the motivation to realize the story you have laid out for them.
Storytelling is an art, and like any art form, it requires both technique and creativity. The Hero's Journey provides a time-tested scaffold for your narrative, but the magic lies in how you choose to color it in. Every presentation is a unique opportunity to give your audience something they will remember. Draw from your understanding of their world, your expertise, and the potential of your partnership. With the Hero's Journey as your guide, you can create a narrative that inspires action.
Start experimenting with this framework in your next sales pitch and let the power of storytelling work its charm.
Hero’s Journey ChatGPT Prompt
Get a head-start on your Hero’s Journey narrative with my ChatGPT Prompt – free until the end of this week.
Next time on Cheat Codes
In the next article, we’ll explore “The Challenger Sale”, a framework that has revolutionized sales strategies in health-tech and beyond.