Welcome to The Rachel Kurzyp Show.

Just last week a client shared something with me that made me stop and think.

She shared that she was frustrated by having to dumb down her content so that she could sell.

When I asked her why she thought this, she told me she’d been taught that simple stories sell.

This is a misconception. So if you have been taught this too. Know that you’re not alone.

I want to correct this statement.

Simple ideas sell.

Nuanced stories connect.

These two concepts are related but are very different. 

And I’m seeing that those in my community who believe they have to dumb down their stories aren’t making the sales they want because they aren’t using storytelling effectively in their business. 

So if you are feeling the pressure to create more and more content in an attempt to connect with your dream clients. Or are struggling condense all of your messages, expertise and and ideas into a 15-second Reel, keep listening.

Because today I’m sharing why using nuanced storytelling is so important, the three elements to a good story and how you can incorporate nuanced storytelling in your marketing.

So what is storytelling and why is it so important?

Storytelling describes the cultural activity of sharing narratives, whether verbally, visually, theatrically, or through the written word.

Human beings are natural storytellers. So when someone shares an interesting and engaging story, we lean in and want to know more. 

Effective storytelling allows us to connect deeply with our dream clients by conveying information and emotions in an impactful way. 

The stories we share and hear stay with us and can motivate our day-to-day behaviour. 

This is why as business owners we need to tell stories.

What are three elements of an effective story?

1. Hero

Your marketing stories need to be focused on your dream clients; a relatable, 3-dimensional character. The biggest mistake I see my clients and community makes is to cast themselves as the main character.

2. Obstacle

Your dream clients come to you because they need to overcome a challenge or would like support to achieve a result they desire. You need to communicate what that is in as much detail as you can so your clients know that you see and hear them.

3. Resolution

Your offers (services, products or programs) act as a solution of sorts. This is why it’s important that you show that you can get your clients from where they’re currently at to where they want to be. This is the part that many of my clients and community skip over. If your dream clients don’t see your offers as one possible solution they won’t choose to work with you.

Ways to incorporate storytelling into your marketing

There’s a lot of emphasis on telling stories and sharing how-to, educational content. And while I highly recommend you create this content, I believe too much emphasis has been placed on these types of stories. They are so many other stories you can be sharing. Here are three other stories you need to be sharing to get more clients and make more sales. 

1. Case studies and testimonials

Great stories act as a mirror and allow us to see what’s possible. That’s why sharing case studies and testimonials are great at showing how you help your clients have a transformation and get results through yout offers. It’s not enough to just say “I help my clients have $10k months.” Speak to the tangible and intangible benefits your clients have experienced as a result of working with you. The time it took, the resources that were needed, and the challenges faced along the way. 

If your potential clients aren’t choosing to work with you, it may be because they can’t see the process they need to take to get them from A to B and you haven’t encouraged them to take action. 

2. Your journey

The tendency to simplify your business journey to quick grabs like “I did this one thing now I’m booked out” is eroding the trust you’ve built with your community. We can tell when something is fake or doesn’t add up. Instead, speak to your humanity: your skill sets, qualifications, and lived experience. I know my dream clients choose to work with me because I’m still learning and growing. I share my failures and my wins. I try different strategies and I change my mind. 

I don’t have it all figured it out yet, and that’s OK. The need to be perfect, always right and curated online is stopping you from connecting deeply with your community. Vulnerability is essential if you want to build the know, like and trust factor your clients need to work with you.

3. Business why

People want to buy from and work with other people and support causes and issues they care about. This means you need to be speaking to your values, mission, purpose and origin story. Remember: it’s not really about you. The purpose of sharing this information is to build an emotional connection with your dream clients and establish common ground. 

So many of my clients haven’t done this work so they aren’t able to clearly and confidently say why they do what they do, how they are different from their competitors and why their dream clients should work with them. So many of us are sharing the same offers, yet we all have different reasons for doing so. What are your reasons? And does your community know?

So there you have it, how to use storytelling in your marketing so you can call in and invite your dream clients to work with you.

If you know you’re great at what you do and can transform your dream clients’ businesses but aren’t sure how to use ethical storytelling techniques in your marketing, I’ve created something just for you.

I’ll be running a live workshop on Thursday the 28th of April designed to help you master your messaging so you can stand out for all the right reasons. 

Over 90-minutes, you’ll learn how to connect, lead and make a difference with courageous and purpose-led messaging so you can get the opportunities clients, cash you’ve been calling in for 2022.

You’ll walk away with the tools, insights and strategies you need to show up, serve and sell in a way that feels right for you.

If this sounds like what you need right now, then I’d love to support you. Follow the link in the show notes to save your seat.

Thanks so much for tuning into today’s episode.

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