Gift biz unwrapped episode 352.
Speaker:You don't have to do it by yourself.
Speaker:If it feels hard,
Speaker:get some support,
Speaker:just like our podcast today.
Speaker:We're going to talk you through how to create your brand
Speaker:story. Attention.
Speaker:Gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:The year is starting off strong here at gift biz on
Speaker:rapt. We're busy getting word out about national bakers,
Speaker:crafters and makers day a day,
Speaker:dedicated to all the handmade makers of the world,
Speaker:hobbyists and business owners alike.
Speaker:You'll hear more about this in today's mid roll of the
Speaker:show, and I'm talking about it in detail in the tips
Speaker:and talk Wednesday episodes too.
Speaker:You can also fast track to all the information over@handmadehealstheworld.com.
Speaker:Today is a very important topic that can truly change how
Speaker:you think about your business and how others perceive you in
Speaker:relation to your business.
Speaker:To start off with answer me honestly here,
Speaker:do you currently hesitate when asked about your business,
Speaker:do you stumble over what to say or answer timidly with
Speaker:very little confidence?
Speaker:Why don't we do that?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you're around your products every single day,
Speaker:you should be standing proud and speaking confidently about what you
Speaker:offer and its value.
Speaker:If you're not,
Speaker:it's probably because you've never formulated your brand story.
Speaker:Well, guess what,
Speaker:that's what we're going to do right now.
Speaker:My guest Meredith takes direction from the brand story,
Speaker:master himself,
Speaker:Donald Miller,
Speaker:to walk you through the steps on how to formulate your
Speaker:story and then where to apply it in your business.
Speaker:What a relief,
Speaker:never again,
Speaker:do you need to be hesitant or timid about sharing the
Speaker:pride and joy you have in the products you create and
Speaker:the value that they provide to those lucky enough to have
Speaker:them Today?
Speaker:It is my pleasure to introduce you to Meredith Callahan.
Speaker:Meredith works with new and seasoned business owners to find the
Speaker:right people who are a perfect fit for their products and
Speaker:services. She does this by helping her clients effectively communicate the
Speaker:value of what they offer through brand story.
Speaker:Once that's in,
Speaker:it can be used on their website and social media,
Speaker:and even in face-to-face conversations,
Speaker:Meredith believes that all good copy starts with a story,
Speaker:and we're going to work on creating yours today.
Speaker:Meredith, welcome to the gift biz on wrapped podcast.
Speaker:So I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker:Thank you for having me.
Speaker:I Am really looking forward to getting into this conversation,
Speaker:but before we do,
Speaker:I'd love for you to share with our listeners a little
Speaker:bit more about you in a creative way,
Speaker:and that's through a motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to envision a candle by color and
Speaker:quote, that would really resonate with you,
Speaker:what does your candle?
Speaker:So my candle is hot pink just as saturated pink as
Speaker:the candle maker could make it.
Speaker:And it would smell which you didn't ask me,
Speaker:but it would smell like rose,
Speaker:but not that rose smell,
Speaker:that smells kind of bad,
Speaker:but that beautiful high-end perfumers can make that beautiful rose smell.
Speaker:And the quote would be,
Speaker:we can do hard things.
Speaker:We can do hard things.
Speaker:Absolutely. And here we are in the very first week of
Speaker:the new year and we have the whole year ahead of
Speaker:us to be doing things differently,
Speaker:doing things new Meredith,
Speaker:you don't know this,
Speaker:but the podcast that we did on new year's day,
Speaker:this topic falls right in line with what we were talking
Speaker:about last week in terms of setting yourself up as your
Speaker:whole lifestyle,
Speaker:to be ready for the new year,
Speaker:in terms of self care and efficiency in your business and
Speaker:brand story is so important and fits right in.
Speaker:So this worked out perfectly today.
Speaker:I'm so glad.
Speaker:Yeah. And I think we can do hard things if we
Speaker:don't have that mindset that they're so hard,
Speaker:we just get into doing them and take it step by
Speaker:step. We can do hard things.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:And I liked the phrase.
Speaker:I can do hard things,
Speaker:which is true.
Speaker:But at Mike,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:would say we,
Speaker:because it just a reminder that you don't have to do
Speaker:it by yourself.
Speaker:If it feels hard,
Speaker:get some support,
Speaker:just like our podcast today.
Speaker:We're going to talk you through how to create your brand
Speaker:story. Beautiful.
Speaker:Yes. I love that you aren't in this all by yourself.
Speaker:And I think we're giving everybody permission to reach out and
Speaker:get help because you know,
Speaker:as a business owner,
Speaker:I think often we have this idea that we should know
Speaker:everything already and we should be able to do it by
Speaker:ourselves. Because if we're a business owner,
Speaker:we're a leader kind of falls hand in hand and that's
Speaker:not the case.
Speaker:We can all lean on each other.
Speaker:We all have different strengths.
Speaker:We all have different knowledge bases,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So Meredith,
Speaker:where did brand story light the spark for you?
Speaker:Tell us how you've gotten into this.
Speaker:Honestly, from a book,
Speaker:this gentlemen,
Speaker:Donald Miller wrote that I read his book.
Speaker:I usually have it sitting right by me on my desk
Speaker:because I love it so much.
Speaker:It's called building a StoryBrand.
Speaker:I think it came out about three years ago.
Speaker:He certainly didn't invent.
Speaker:I'm looking at it.
Speaker:It's actually across the room by my nightstand.
Speaker:I work out of my bedroom,
Speaker:but anyway,
Speaker:he didn't invent the form of using storytelling to connect with
Speaker:people. It's actually ancient and philosophers and psychologists talk about it
Speaker:all the time.
Speaker:But his book really made it clear for me how I
Speaker:could use that in my business and connect with customers as
Speaker:well as friends and family,
Speaker:that support my business.
Speaker:And so I studied his book and his theory a lot
Speaker:and have implemented it,
Speaker:my business,
Speaker:and then turned around and helped my clients implement it in
Speaker:theirs. I love how concise and zeroed in you are on
Speaker:specifically what you're working with your clients about because you could
Speaker:be working on so many things together,
Speaker:but this one single thing,
Speaker:brand story can really change the game for people.
Speaker:I think in terms of confidence about how they speak about
Speaker:their business and then clearly attracting the right people and making
Speaker:them love you because your brand story is going to be
Speaker:very unique to you.
Speaker:And so how did you decide that you were going to
Speaker:build a business around this?
Speaker:Were you doing something before?
Speaker:Talk a little bit about that.
Speaker:So I have done lots of things.
Speaker:I'm 47 years old.
Speaker:I started an accounting.
Speaker:That's what I studied in school and worked for Pricewaterhouse for
Speaker:six years,
Speaker:but really did not love doing that.
Speaker:And so about the time I had my first child,
Speaker:I started my entrepreneurial pursuit,
Speaker:which led me most recently to about seven years ago,
Speaker:I bought a franchise and it's called you might be familiar
Speaker:with it,
Speaker:or maybe some of your listeners,
Speaker:this scout guide,
Speaker:the scout guide is a magazine in 60 cities.
Speaker:And each franchise owner promotes local businesses,
Speaker:creators and makers within their city.
Speaker:So I owned the scout guide Miami,
Speaker:and I really told the story,
Speaker:which is what the scout guide asked us to do of
Speaker:local businesses.
Speaker:That was the only common thread I had chocolate makers and
Speaker:a realtor.
Speaker:I tried to actually only have one type of business in
Speaker:each category.
Speaker:And they bought advertising from me and we told their story
Speaker:first with a picture in the scout guide,
Speaker:which is required by my franchise org.
Speaker:And then throughout the year through social media marketing,
Speaker:that's not why I got into this guy.
Speaker:I got into the scout guy cause I liked advertising and
Speaker:I liked local businesses,
Speaker:but I really learned how to tell their stories during that
Speaker:process. And when I was ready to sort of leave the
Speaker:franchise model is ready to move on and start my own
Speaker:business. And that's what I love the best,
Speaker:like telling businesses stories.
Speaker:So I studied up on StoryBrand and I actually got certified
Speaker:in digital advertising and I offer ad services that we tell
Speaker:the stories through Facebook and Instagram ads,
Speaker:but also through copywriting.
Speaker:And we always start with crafting their business story,
Speaker:their brand story.
Speaker:And then we use that story to create website copy or
Speaker:ad copy.
Speaker:And yeah,
Speaker:my clients love it because they can use it,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:at networking events when they're telling people what they do.
Speaker:Perfect. So you've laid the groundwork about the value of what
Speaker:we're going to work through today,
Speaker:which is wonderful.
Speaker:And it sounds to me that your work with scout also
Speaker:identified the fact that most people don't have a brand story
Speaker:or at least don't know how to communicate it properly.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:You know why?
Speaker:Because it just kept busy like making the product and then
Speaker:the time to sell it.
Speaker:And it's hard to step back.
Speaker:I think that's why this is actually a great time to
Speaker:broadcast this.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:at the beginning of the year,
Speaker:it doesn't take long.
Speaker:You're going to see to craft your story and it's so
Speaker:valuable. So I'm excited to share those steps with your listeners
Speaker:that might not have done it before.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:Okay. Well,
Speaker:let's start with a definition of the brand story.
Speaker:What does that even mean?
Speaker:Well, a simple definition of the brand story is the story
Speaker:of the value that you deliver to your customer.
Speaker:But from Donald Miller's perspective is we write the brand story,
Speaker:making the customer the hero of their own story.
Speaker:And the business owner is like,
Speaker:I tell him the Morgan Freeman of the story he is,
Speaker:or she is the guide to the customer.
Speaker:So our brand story is the customer's journey.
Speaker:Okay. And that just aligns so nicely with our listeners because
Speaker:as makers,
Speaker:we are directing everything with the product,
Speaker:we're not buying other people's product to sell.
Speaker:We're making our own products.
Speaker:So this aligns beautifully.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So what would be the first steps to creating a brand
Speaker:story and actually Meredith,
Speaker:I don't know if you'll play along with me,
Speaker:tell me if you will,
Speaker:but I think it would be fun to create a fictitious
Speaker:business and work through what a brand story would look like
Speaker:for them.
Speaker:What do you think of that versus talking in generalities?
Speaker:Actually making an example.
Speaker:I think that's perfect.
Speaker:Do you have something?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:nothing like putting you on the spot Meredith,
Speaker:but do you have an idea It's based on some real
Speaker:people in my life,
Speaker:but you couldn't find this online right now.
Speaker:So if it is fictitious,
Speaker:but I have a friend named grey and she spells it
Speaker:G R E Y,
Speaker:and she's a graphic designer and she's played with the idea
Speaker:of creating thank you notes to like beautiful,
Speaker:thank you.
Speaker:Notes that she could call the business grateful designs,
Speaker:but spelled with her name.
Speaker:G R E Y T F U L grateful designs.
Speaker:Oh, okay.
Speaker:So this is somebody that you're working with right now.
Speaker:It sounds like She's my friend.
Speaker:Yes. And she has the businesses it started yet,
Speaker:but it'd be easy for me to talk about if we
Speaker:use a real person.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:well, she's going to need to be listening to my podcast
Speaker:because that's all we do is help people start and grow
Speaker:a product business.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Let's work with her and just kind of figure out how
Speaker:she would potentially poke grass through to the brand story.
Speaker:There are a lot of people who are listening,
Speaker:who listened because they are considering getting into a business.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:they have a hobby or a craft that they've loved all
Speaker:their life.
Speaker:And now maybe they're retiring.
Speaker:Maybe they're home with children right now.
Speaker:Maybe given the last couple of years,
Speaker:we've had they're rethinking.
Speaker:Do they want to work outside the house?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:all different reasons.
Speaker:And so they're considering starting a business.
Speaker:So just like we're gray is same type of thing.
Speaker:They're thinking about it.
Speaker:So let's work with someone in that zone.
Speaker:And then people who are established business owners probably have more
Speaker:information. So they'll be able to create their brand story off
Speaker:of the example that we use here too first steps.
Speaker:What are we going to do with,
Speaker:Okay, there's seven steps that Donald Miller defines in his book.
Speaker:So we're going to use all of those steps.
Speaker:And the first one is defining your character and saying what
Speaker:they want.
Speaker:And your character is your ideal customer.
Speaker:And just like re probably a lot of your listeners think,
Speaker:well, there's lots of people that could buy my product.
Speaker:There's lots of people that could buy thank-you notes.
Speaker:Right? But we're going to talk about her ideal client because
Speaker:often when you speak to her,
Speaker:if the product would sell to others,
Speaker:they will come along too.
Speaker:I think that'll make sense as we go through the story.
Speaker:But let's say that Gray's ideal customer is a mom of
Speaker:teenagers. Okay?
Speaker:Because that is who grey is.
Speaker:And a lot of moms of teenagers want to make sure
Speaker:that their kids,
Speaker:but have the skill of writing.
Speaker:Thank you,
Speaker:notes, handwritten notes,
Speaker:because it was important to them when they were growing up
Speaker:these mothers.
Speaker:So they want to make sure that their kids write thank
Speaker:you notes as well.
Speaker:And they're going to have to,
Speaker:as they start applying to colleges,
Speaker:if they apply to college.
Speaker:So our character Gray's decided that she wants to sell to
Speaker:mothers who are around 50 years old.
Speaker:And what they want is to be an example of good
Speaker:manners. That's what these women want.
Speaker:Perfect. Let me jump in here for half a second,
Speaker:because I want everybody to be able to track along here
Speaker:with us.
Speaker:If you'd have no idea who your potential customer is because
Speaker:you haven't tested it yet,
Speaker:you haven't been out there selling yet.
Speaker:This is exactly where you start.
Speaker:You pick one,
Speaker:work with that and see if it resonates.
Speaker:Okay. So if you're at a point where you're like,
Speaker:I don't have any idea who my customer is.
Speaker:I want it to be everybody.
Speaker:No, no,
Speaker:no. Listen to what Meredith just said,
Speaker:pick a group of people because you're going to be able
Speaker:to talk with them better.
Speaker:And I'm thinking as Meredith proceeds you in a form,
Speaker:the story better,
Speaker:but just pick one.
Speaker:Yeah. And you knew what?
Speaker:So it's so hard.
Speaker:I get it.
Speaker:I'm like miss indecisive,
Speaker:but you set a timer.
Speaker:You guys tell yourself.
Speaker:And in the next two minutes,
Speaker:I'm going to decide and promise yourself.
Speaker:You'll decide in two minutes.
Speaker:And when that timer goes off,
Speaker:pick the person that's at the top of your brain.
Speaker:You can change it later,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:if you really want to.
Speaker:Yeah. And the other thing is,
Speaker:it doesn't mean that you're not going to attract other people,
Speaker:besides that at all,
Speaker:there will be people on the perimeters who will buy from
Speaker:you just because they don't fit.
Speaker:What you've now defined as your ideal customer doesn't mean that
Speaker:you're going to lose those sales.
Speaker:If they like what you have,
Speaker:they're still going to buy from you,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:Okay. So we've got our character,
Speaker:mom of teens,
Speaker:somewhere in the 50 ish range.
Speaker:Yeah. 45 to 55,
Speaker:maybe. So the second step in Donner,
Speaker:Miller's building the StoryBrand is you define her problem.
Speaker:Now with products,
Speaker:don't get this part.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:sometimes Sue and I,
Speaker:we were talking before sometimes maybe it feels like too much
Speaker:information, so you can write your copy better.
Speaker:You want to go ahead and fill this out.
Speaker:Like really think through what her problem might be.
Speaker:And Donald Miller even defines that there's three different types of
Speaker:problems. We have external problems,
Speaker:internal pylons and philosophical problems.
Speaker:And when I go through Grey's characters problems,
Speaker:I think you'll see.
Speaker:So this 45 year old woman has an external problem.
Speaker:Her teenagers have bad handwriting because they don't write very much
Speaker:for her teenagers,
Speaker:do everything on social media or on their phone.
Speaker:They don't write very often.
Speaker:Those are external type problems.
Speaker:The internal problem could be,
Speaker:as she thinks her teenagers don't value,
Speaker:gratitude. Hopefully that's not true.
Speaker:Or she,
Speaker:the, an internal problem is,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:This is me.
Speaker:I'm in mom as a teenager,
Speaker:he's about to go to college.
Speaker:I worry.
Speaker:I haven't taught him the value of gratitude.
Speaker:Right? That's an internal struggle that I have.
Speaker:And then a philosophical problem might be my teenagers don't believe
Speaker:in the value of handwritten notes.
Speaker:Is that a philosophical problem or?
Speaker:Yeah. Can you think of a philosophical problems you might have,
Speaker:or, Or maybe using this as an example of recognizing and
Speaker:appreciating others is great groundwork for their whole life.
Speaker:Moving forward,
Speaker:something like that,
Speaker:maybe. And I'm thinking too,
Speaker:because they're teenagers,
Speaker:you only have a little bit more time to make an
Speaker:impression on them before they're off in the world.
Speaker:So that's just another thing that comes to mind with me
Speaker:as you're presenting this,
Speaker:I love how we're doing this on the fly.
Speaker:This is fun.
Speaker:If you are having a great brainstorm and you can think
Speaker:of a lot of problems,
Speaker:go ahead and write them all down.
Speaker:I will give you a hint.
Speaker:This is great for social media content later addressing these problems.
Speaker:So I would go with as many as possible,
Speaker:put them down.
Speaker:Yeah. So I'm going to brainstorm a couple of other ideas
Speaker:just to keep people thinking here.
Speaker:If you make pottery,
Speaker:it could be spicy and up and adding some additional interest
Speaker:to a kitchen.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like just one statement piece can change the feeling of a
Speaker:room. So it could be something like that.
Speaker:If you knit shawls or like throw blankets or something like
Speaker:that, have something comfy to snuggle up with during this winter
Speaker:season. So like cocooning at home,
Speaker:that type of thing,
Speaker:And something that came to my mind.
Speaker:When you mentioned the pottery,
Speaker:a lot of people are maybe going to welcome family and
Speaker:do their homes this holiday when they didn't last year,
Speaker:because of COVID it could be you pottery makers,
Speaker:your customer,
Speaker:maybe like her home isn't ready for guests.
Speaker:So she needs a piece of pottery to spruce up the,
Speaker:the decor.
Speaker:Perfect. Yeah.
Speaker:For the year moving forward,
Speaker:we're welcoming more people back here Exactly.
Speaker:This year,
Speaker:2022, the new year of entertaining again.
Speaker:Or I'm just going to think of one more,
Speaker:just because I already had it.
Speaker:Like, if it's jewelry,
Speaker:even if you make casual jewelry,
Speaker:there's nothing like the feeling of putting on some earrings that
Speaker:you absolutely love to brighten your mood for the day.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Just things like that,
Speaker:because I think so often we get stuck with products.
Speaker:It's like,
Speaker:do people really need to buy what we have to like
Speaker:live there?
Speaker:No, but there's so much happiness that our products do provide.
Speaker:And so it might not seem really like a problem,
Speaker:but it is something beautiful that your product is providing.
Speaker:And I'm almost thinking emotion,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's emotion,
Speaker:it's the atmosphere of the room.
Speaker:It's the idea that you're going to be bringing people back
Speaker:into your house and you want it to look beautiful.
Speaker:It's snuggling up under a warm blanket and watching a fun
Speaker:movie. It's putting on some earrings and just having a little
Speaker:bit more step in your day.
Speaker:Cause it just makes you happy.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:things like that.
Speaker:So it doesn't have to be a problem.
Speaker:No, he's going to say,
Speaker:when you define that character,
Speaker:like we said,
Speaker:she's a teenage mom that she's about 45 to 50 years
Speaker:old. When you can picture that person,
Speaker:it will help you with that brainstorming of the problems.
Speaker:Don't you agree?
Speaker:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker:Sure. Well,
Speaker:and that's part of the reason why you would do that
Speaker:too, because someone who's at that stage in life is going
Speaker:to be different than someone who's like off at college.
Speaker:Or maybe even someone who's retired.
Speaker:It's a different situation.
Speaker:It's different problem too.
Speaker:Okay. Point number three,
Speaker:Three point number three is and meets a guide.
Speaker:So this is you.
Speaker:So you want to describe the guide,
Speaker:but what you want to focus on as Donald Miller tells
Speaker:us is how you empathize with this customer and what gives
Speaker:you authority.
Speaker:So the guide is you.
Speaker:Yeah. And so gray,
Speaker:for instance of grateful design.
Speaker:She is a mom of teenagers.
Speaker:So that's easy for her.
Speaker:She can write that gray.
Speaker:I am a mom of teenagers,
Speaker:so I can completely relate to the mom of teenager.
Speaker:Who's trying to get her child,
Speaker:right. I'm thinking of right.
Speaker:That's easy,
Speaker:but just the sentence of why you relate to your customer.
Speaker:Oh, that's What the meat is,
Speaker:why you relate.
Speaker:Okay. That's the first part.
Speaker:That's how you empathize with the customer.
Speaker:And the second part is what gives you authority?
Speaker:And I mean,
Speaker:it could be like for Greg,
Speaker:her authority is that she studied graphic design in college.
Speaker:And she worked at as a graphic designer for 15 years
Speaker:before she took some time off.
Speaker:And now she does all the graphic design for the PTA
Speaker:or whatever that gives her the authority.
Speaker:But yours could be,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you've always loved making jewelry or you held a master's degree
Speaker:in art,
Speaker:whatever reason you feel confident creating a craft Yeah.
Speaker:I'm also thinking it could be focused also on the product,
Speaker:right? Like,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the sensitivities that people have with certain chemicals that are in
Speaker:lotions, which is why you've created this pampering line,
Speaker:you have the authority.
Speaker:Cause you saw the rashes that your teenage person used to
Speaker:have, like your teenage son used to have when they were
Speaker:little and you made this to overcome that situation.
Speaker:So you had to do a lot of research and now
Speaker:you're the authority,
Speaker:right? Something like that.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So under the meet the guide,
Speaker:there is the,
Speaker:how do you relate and empathize with the problem that you
Speaker:defined in 0.2?
Speaker:And then what gives you the authority?
Speaker:Like why should people listen to you?
Speaker:I guess would be a way to say it.
Speaker:And there is a reason do not get hung up on
Speaker:the word authority.
Speaker:I've seen it happen before.
Speaker:Well, you know,
Speaker:why are you in business?
Speaker:Why did you decide to make,
Speaker:to provide this for the world?
Speaker:That's your authority,
Speaker:right? Part of your authority is also just your experience and
Speaker:time in if you're already well,
Speaker:not even if you're a business owner,
Speaker:if you've been making candles,
Speaker:okay, for years for yourself,
Speaker:you've perfected the way they're poured the Wix,
Speaker:you're using the container that you're putting it in,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:So you do have authority also.
Speaker:Exactly. And then the fourth step in building your story is
Speaker:so they meet a guide,
Speaker:they get a plan.
Speaker:What is the plan for buying from you?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:it can be as simple as go to grateful designs.com
Speaker:and hit purchase on the thank you notes.
Speaker:You like best,
Speaker:like you really want to write out in detail.
Speaker:I know that sometimes that seems silly for our product,
Speaker:but write out how they do it.
Speaker:And also as part of this plan,
Speaker:right? The agreement,
Speaker:the promise that you make to your customers.
Speaker:So first off I use care to pick the best designs
Speaker:I thought you would love.
Speaker:And if you have a money back guarantee,
Speaker:I'm not sure that gray wood,
Speaker:but just whatever promise that you're making them,
Speaker:you would put it in your plan to the process.
Speaker:And the,
Speaker:Okay. So I'm thinking the process is really the solution to
Speaker:the problem.
Speaker:And the solution is to acquire your product.
Speaker:Right? And then I think the promise versus returns or guarantees
Speaker:like that,
Speaker:I'd rather have the promise be something uplifting.
Speaker:Like I know when you wear those earrings for the first
Speaker:time, you're going to feel that spark of joy or something
Speaker:like that,
Speaker:because all those like the returns and all that can be
Speaker:on your website somewhere else.
Speaker:Like we don't want to be talking to people about returning
Speaker:yet, but you're showing personality.
Speaker:The solution is in the sale for sure.
Speaker:But you know,
Speaker:it has to be with product based businesses.
Speaker:But then I really like the idea of linking that promise
Speaker:in that's great.
Speaker:I love that we'll return with the rest of the steps
Speaker:for creating your brand story right after this short break,
Speaker:mark, your calendar January 21st has been officially declared national bakers
Speaker:crafters maker's day actually highlight the entire month because we're celebrating
Speaker:all month long,
Speaker:focusing on the good that handmade products and you as a
Speaker:maker provide us whether you create as a hobby or have
Speaker:started a business around your craft this day celebrates you.
Speaker:There's lots of ways to join in the festivities,
Speaker:share a special handmade memory with us.
Speaker:Download my free gift,
Speaker:which is an affirmation poster that you can print and display
Speaker:or use as a background on your phone,
Speaker:reminding you every day about the joy that you put out
Speaker:into the world.
Speaker:I also see the giving heart you have as a maker,
Speaker:maybe you donate handmade items to local shelters or hospitals,
Speaker:or you put on workshop fundraisers or commit a portion of
Speaker:product sales to a special cause here's your chance to highlight
Speaker:your activities and get ideas of what others are doing too.
Speaker:Plus you can get some eyeballs on a charity that is
Speaker:near and dear to your heart.
Speaker:Come at January 21st,
Speaker:we have special 20 minute lifestyle classes.
Speaker:You can attend over on the gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped Facebook page.
Speaker:And if you're aspiring or are already a business owner,
Speaker:there are other festivities planned inside gift biz breeze,
Speaker:which is the free Facebook group.
Speaker:Come join us.
Speaker:There. There is even more,
Speaker:too much to cover here,
Speaker:but you can see it all for yourself right now over@handmadehealstheworld.com
Speaker:handmade heals.
Speaker:The world is our theme this year because your efforts do
Speaker:make a difference and our world needs the healing right now.
Speaker:Go check it out.
Speaker:Handmade, heals the world.com
Speaker:a celebration of you.
Speaker:Yeah, so that's a fourth step.
Speaker:And then the fifth step is and cause them to action.
Speaker:So they meet a guide who gives them a plan and
Speaker:then cause them to action.
Speaker:So this would be,
Speaker:and then Donald Miller says,
Speaker:there's a direct call to action and there's a transitional.
Speaker:So that might mean for gray.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's like her call to action could be when someone does
Speaker:something special for you,
Speaker:send them a thank you note,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:or just when do you think that people would want to
Speaker:use your services?
Speaker:And so tell them the situation and when they should come
Speaker:buy from you,
Speaker:that's the call to action.
Speaker:Does that make sense to Yeah.
Speaker:Or I'm also thinking the direct call to action will be
Speaker:jumped over to my Etsy shop.
Speaker:Now I have brand new earrings ready and waiting,
Speaker:or a transitional could also be,
Speaker:Hey, if you want to see these in person before you
Speaker:purchase, I'm going to be at the local craft market this
Speaker:weekend. If you live X and X community,
Speaker:come on over.
Speaker:I'm the second booth on the right when you walk in
Speaker:the shell,
Speaker:Something like that.
Speaker:I think that's great.
Speaker:I think that when you sit down to write your brand
Speaker:story, you guys just like Susan said,
Speaker:think of the different ways you will be calling people to
Speaker:come buy from you.
Speaker:You might be inviting them to the craft market this weekend.
Speaker:You might be on Instagram telling them to jump over to
Speaker:your Shopify account or to buy right here on Instagram.
Speaker:If that's what you want them to do.
Speaker:Yeah. Or DM or on the shops,
Speaker:wherever it is.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:So just sit down and think about how you're going to
Speaker:invite them to work with you at this point in the
Speaker:story-building process.
Speaker:And then the last two,
Speaker:six and seven,
Speaker:the six one is what is the success that you end
Speaker:in? And what's the failure that you avoid.
Speaker:So for her,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the success is showing your appreciation to a loved one making
Speaker:someone's day with a handwritten note,
Speaker:being an example to your teenager,
Speaker:that handwritten notes are awesome.
Speaker:And then per clients would avoid sending a teenager out in
Speaker:the world with bad manners or yeah.
Speaker:Avoid forgetting to thank a hostess because you always have thank
Speaker:you notes on your desk.
Speaker:I agree you avoid the inactivity of doing it because if
Speaker:you don't have a thank you note easily at hand,
Speaker:the whole idea gets lost.
Speaker:So have them stopped,
Speaker:ready to go.
Speaker:Now, beautiful custom created notes designed by me that will leave
Speaker:such a beautiful impression.
Speaker:There'll be ready and waiting when the situation happens and your
Speaker:teen will get the feeling and the satisfaction of knowing that
Speaker:giving forward with thank yous and all of that actually comes
Speaker:back to them too,
Speaker:because seriously,
Speaker:thank you as these days,
Speaker:how many people are doing something like that?
Speaker:Like writing a note.
Speaker:I bet if a teen did that to somebody else,
Speaker:they're going to call and say,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:that note was so thoughtful.
Speaker:Nobody does that.
Speaker:I am so impressed.
Speaker:And then that just validates the whole thing and then keeps
Speaker:it rolling.
Speaker:Hopefully. So that's the success part and then failure you avoid.
Speaker:Well, the first thing I think of is you don't have
Speaker:what I sell.
Speaker:So that's a sad thing for you.
Speaker:That's the sad thing for you.
Speaker:Well, and if we go back to the earrings that make
Speaker:you feel good,
Speaker:you avoid not having something on that makes you feel good
Speaker:that day.
Speaker:Right? Cause it does kind of stink.
Speaker:I look at my jewelry jewelry and I don't have a
Speaker:pair of earrings.
Speaker:I want to put on.
Speaker:That does make me sad.
Speaker:So I avoid that feeling Or the failure to avoid is
Speaker:just wearing the same ones every single day,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and not taking this opportunity to add a little spark to
Speaker:your mood in such a simple way.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:you have an opportunity to get them new earrings are available,
Speaker:ready and waiting for you in my shop.
Speaker:Jump over there now,
Speaker:because first off they're limited.
Speaker:So if they're gone,
Speaker:when you decide you want them,
Speaker:you're going to be out of luck.
Speaker:I'd hate that.
Speaker:And then you're going to be left wearing the same ones
Speaker:you already were.
Speaker:I think they're pretty,
Speaker:but don't you want some new ones to spice up your
Speaker:life? Something like that.
Speaker:Would that work?
Speaker:Yes. I love that.
Speaker:I'm So freewheeling adhere.
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:but No,
Speaker:I think it's perfect.
Speaker:Yeah, we're Doing this all on the fly.
Speaker:Okay. So I'm going to review the seven steps and you're
Speaker:going to give me a grade.
Speaker:Okay. So here are the seven steps.
Speaker:The first two are really you thinking through the situation.
Speaker:So define who your ideal customer is and then determine what
Speaker:the problem she has that your product can solve.
Speaker:So those are thinking things and under the problem,
Speaker:think of external,
Speaker:internal and philosophical.
Speaker:So you write all those things down on a piece of
Speaker:paper. You have that ready.
Speaker:Then three is meet the guide.
Speaker:That's you meet the maker.
Speaker:And so answer these questions.
Speaker:You are going to write these down to then how do
Speaker:I relate to this problem?
Speaker:And what gives me the authority to be the one providing
Speaker:the solution.
Speaker:Number four is what's the plan to get to the solution.
Speaker:So in everyone's case,
Speaker:it's to buy your product everyone's case for our listeners is
Speaker:to buy the product along with the promise of what the
Speaker:product will deliver.
Speaker:Number five is here's how you actually do it,
Speaker:the call to action director,
Speaker:transitional. And then I'm going to say six and seven is
Speaker:kind of like a conclusion statement.
Speaker:What you'll realize in the end,
Speaker:by having done the call to action and what will happen
Speaker:if you don't.
Speaker:So that's the whole thing.
Speaker:All seven steps.
Speaker:How I do what's my grade.
Speaker:That's Perfect.
Speaker:You got an a plus.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:And so now this is probably going to be too much
Speaker:to ask you don't have a story statement yet for gray.
Speaker:I'm sure.
Speaker:Cause we just created this now.
Speaker:That's Right.
Speaker:But you know,
Speaker:what's cool.
Speaker:And maybe I can do it on the fly.
Speaker:So what we can do is we can use the whole
Speaker:story that you write and we create a character transformation statement
Speaker:and you can get it down to one sentence.
Speaker:I try it with grateful designs that can really be your
Speaker:32nd elevator pitch at a networking event too.
Speaker:You could decide that you want to use your character transformation
Speaker:statement. So if I'm gray and you asked me,
Speaker:Hey, great,
Speaker:what do you do?
Speaker:My tears are interesting.
Speaker:It could be.
Speaker:I help moms of teenagers set good examples for manners by
Speaker:delivering thank you notes that are beautiful,
Speaker:that they can use in their everyday life.
Speaker:So that was rough.
Speaker:But I'm going to try again.
Speaker:No, I get what you're saying.
Speaker:So I focused on providing a solution to mothers of teenagers
Speaker:to help reinforce the value of showing gratitude through.
Speaker:Thank you notes.
Speaker:I create beautiful custom thank you notes that then you can
Speaker:have at the ready.
Speaker:When the situation presents itself.
Speaker:I don't know We can work on it.
Speaker:Do you see how,
Speaker:if I am at a networking event that really could help
Speaker:me sell what I do before I create custom,
Speaker:thank you notes.
Speaker:I helped mothers of teenagers instill gratitude in their kids by
Speaker:creating custom thank you notes that everybody wants because they're gorgeous
Speaker:That are at the ready.
Speaker:When a situation presents itself to show that you've appreciated something,
Speaker:an actor like whatever.
Speaker:So as we're talking here and just spending a little bit
Speaker:more time,
Speaker:we're defining this and narrowing it into the perfect words.
Speaker:And so this is the type of exercise that you would
Speaker:then do is take these seven steps,
Speaker:tweak it a little bit.
Speaker:And then once you've got your wording down,
Speaker:and this is what I always say for introduction messages or
Speaker:the elevator speech,
Speaker:I hate that I've redefined it as introduction messages.
Speaker:Cause I think it's just not so stressful.
Speaker:Plus that's more of what it is anyway.
Speaker:And then you just practice it a little bit.
Speaker:And the thing I love this so much Meredith,
Speaker:because truly,
Speaker:and you guys who are listening are going to nod in
Speaker:agreement with me.
Speaker:I know that so often,
Speaker:even if we're at a cocktail party or we're just out
Speaker:with someone and they say,
Speaker:oh, you have your own business.
Speaker:What do you do?
Speaker:So many of us stumble over our words.
Speaker:And it's the silliest thing because we're looking at our business,
Speaker:we're working in our business all the time.
Speaker:But when we're asked,
Speaker:just very simply what we do,
Speaker:it's like,
Speaker:they don't know what to say when really this is the
Speaker:opportunity to speak with power and confidence because you're representing your
Speaker:business. So I see this brand story.
Speaker:Once we put it together in a sentence or two,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:a nice,
Speaker:concise statement being so valuable for so many things.
Speaker:That's why I was saying face-to-face conversations in the beginning.
Speaker:It's just,
Speaker:you'll never be caught off guard again.
Speaker:You know exactly what you'd say.
Speaker:You know what you want to hear mine.
Speaker:I've got mine down.
Speaker:I don't have grades,
Speaker:but I say I help small business owners expand their reach
Speaker:and explode their sale with copywriting and Facebook and Instagram ads.
Speaker:Beautiful people usually go,
Speaker:wow. I want to expand my reach and explain to my
Speaker:business owners.
Speaker:Yeah. What's really important in what you said too.
Speaker:None of that was super fancy,
Speaker:hard to understand words because the whole goal is not to
Speaker:show how well you can wordsmith anything.
Speaker:The goal is to communicate the idea to somebody else.
Speaker:So that right away,
Speaker:two seconds later,
Speaker:if someone asks,
Speaker:oh, I just saw you talking to Meredith,
Speaker:what does she do?
Speaker:They could say it.
Speaker:Right? So mine is really simple.
Speaker:Also it's I help women turn a hobby or a craft
Speaker:into a business.
Speaker:And then I expand on that if necessary,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:through the podcast,
Speaker:online training,
Speaker:but whatever.
Speaker:But the whole idea is not to tell everybody everything it's
Speaker:to peak interest because they can ask you back later,
Speaker:if they're interested,
Speaker:they'll follow up with a question.
Speaker:If they're not interested,
Speaker:they won't.
Speaker:And then,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:not to keep going,
Speaker:right. I have a two for your listeners.
Speaker:It's not mine.
Speaker:It's not for sale,
Speaker:but Donald Miller has a free tool@mystorybrand.com.
Speaker:You do have to create an account just with your name
Speaker:and email.
Speaker:So he's got a fill in the blank.
Speaker:You Guys to create this brand story,
Speaker:just the seven steps.
Speaker:And then it helps you create that character transformation.
Speaker:So you can use your pen and paper in your notebook,
Speaker:or you can use this fill in the blank tool@mystorybrand.com.
Speaker:Wonderful. And I wholly endorsed Donald Miller too.
Speaker:I think I first heard from him when he was,
Speaker:I think I want to say he was first making a
Speaker:name for himself back at social media marketing world.
Speaker:I'm going to say it might even be as long as
Speaker:10 years ago.
Speaker:And they did a couple of sessions right before the big
Speaker:conference kicked off.
Speaker:And I had come in early because I wanted,
Speaker:and those were paid extra sessions.
Speaker:And so I was in a room with,
Speaker:I think there were only like 30 of us and he
Speaker:was talking brand story.
Speaker:And that's the first time I really heard it described in
Speaker:that manner.
Speaker:Not with these steps.
Speaker:I don't remember him having these steps yet.
Speaker:Maybe he did.
Speaker:I don't remember,
Speaker:but I totally endorse what you're saying Meredith,
Speaker:in terms of your example,
Speaker:referencing him and using his model for sure.
Speaker:It's a great business model for you to,
Speaker:to be following.
Speaker:I just love it.
Speaker:It's absolutely fabulous.
Speaker:So circling back just for a second.
Speaker:Once we've got this all written down,
Speaker:how do we use this on our website?
Speaker:Okay. Well,
Speaker:the way I like to use it is to think about
Speaker:your ideal customer.
Speaker:So think about for grey.
Speaker:She would think about this 45 year old Mike and our
Speaker:younger now 45 year old lady coming to your website.
Speaker:You want to appeal to every aspect of her.
Speaker:So if above the fold on your website,
Speaker:you want to talk directly to her.
Speaker:That means when somebody puts in your URL,
Speaker:if it's gray,
Speaker:grateful design.com
Speaker:and the URL populates,
Speaker:they want to see if you want custom,
Speaker:thank you notes,
Speaker:to be a good example for your teenager.
Speaker:If that's what you decided,
Speaker:the customer transformation hit this button here to buy,
Speaker:okay? So you want to use the brand story to unfold.
Speaker:But what you do is you start with the character transformation
Speaker:at the top,
Speaker:and then you give a little bit more information.
Speaker:Maybe there were a few people that were ready to buy,
Speaker:but there were some people that weren't and what Donald Miller
Speaker:actually is.
Speaker:Then as they scroll down on your homepage,
Speaker:you can talk about some of the problems.
Speaker:Maybe your teenager,
Speaker:if we're talking to her has bad handwriting because they only
Speaker:use their iPhone or whatever problems you might think are.
Speaker:You want to write a thank you note,
Speaker:but you never have them at the ready next to your
Speaker:desk. Click here to buy the cutest,
Speaker:thanking those that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:my custom thinking is have a button for her to click,
Speaker:and then you just sorta keep populating the story.
Speaker:The next place is you might offer some of your authority,
Speaker:like maybe with testimonials,
Speaker:from some of your buyers that would go on the next
Speaker:part of the homepage with a button to buy.
Speaker:So that's how I use it on my website and then
Speaker:my clients.
Speaker:Yeah. I mean,
Speaker:I think definitely product based businesses.
Speaker:I would have some products right on that first page.
Speaker:But maybe even like in your banner,
Speaker:you have that wording of the promise statement and the products,
Speaker:like why should I be coming to you for my thank
Speaker:you cards?
Speaker:Why shouldn't I be going to other people who also make
Speaker:cards? They may even be more in terms of image wise,
Speaker:something that a teen would be more interested in sending.
Speaker:So you're dialing in on that.
Speaker:And then the other thing I would put on the home
Speaker:page, because usually what we'll see Meredith is when someone has
Speaker:a website,
Speaker:the very first page is automatically all the products.
Speaker:And so then the problem with that is you have not
Speaker:built a relationship at all with anybody or any type of
Speaker:atmosphere or experience around your brand and working with you.
Speaker:And so if you're lucky enough to get someone to buy,
Speaker:they probably or might not come back because you've not engaged
Speaker:them in any personal way for them to be devoted to
Speaker:you. So that's what I see as the brand story helping
Speaker:with. And then for sure,
Speaker:because of product based businesses,
Speaker:even if you have just a section on your page that
Speaker:says best sellers or here's,
Speaker:what's hot this season or something like that.
Speaker:So some product representation on your page,
Speaker:and then of course,
Speaker:clear navigation to where they can go and look at all
Speaker:your products And like that,
Speaker:like starting with what you think the best sellers are.
Speaker:As soon as they land on their website,
Speaker:they can buy it.
Speaker:And then whatever other information you think they need to make
Speaker:the sale happen as they scroll down the website.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:Just start building a relationship and a personality.
Speaker:So that's important.
Speaker:What would you say real quickly?
Speaker:We won't spend very much time on this,
Speaker:but what would you say about the maker page?
Speaker:Okay. So when you go to make your about page,
Speaker:don't just write the history of creating your business,
Speaker:which can be interesting.
Speaker:But what I want you to do is look at your
Speaker:brand story and really it's all about the customer,
Speaker:even though,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:it is about you.
Speaker:They want to know about you to buy,
Speaker:but from their perspective.
Speaker:So remember to talk about why you empathize with the customer
Speaker:or the product that you're making,
Speaker:what gives you authority and then like why that they should
Speaker:feel comfortable buying from you.
Speaker:That's really the point of the,
Speaker:about page with a brand story,
Speaker:right? Circling it back to them,
Speaker:maybe a little bit about you and how you got into
Speaker:it and all that.
Speaker:Cause that's building your authority.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it depends,
Speaker:everyone's, story's a little bit different,
Speaker:but a little bit about you,
Speaker:but not certainly not a whole resume and certainly not a
Speaker:million words cause who sits and reads a million words anymore.
Speaker:Yes. Just use the filter.
Speaker:I think that that's just sort of revolutionary.
Speaker:Sometimes if you hadn't thought of it,
Speaker:do you use the filter of,
Speaker:would this piece of information?
Speaker:Well, what my customer want to buy from me,
Speaker:for instance,
Speaker:I sure,
Speaker:because you know,
Speaker:your grandfather and your dad did the same business that would
Speaker:make me want to buy from you that if you went
Speaker:to the university of Florida,
Speaker:instead that you didn't go to Florida state,
Speaker:I don't care as a buyer.
Speaker:Right. I mean,
Speaker:you might care that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you care about your college that maybe I don't care.
Speaker:The only reason I would care is if my product was
Speaker:all Florida.
Speaker:Yeah. Right.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:like if it was branded with all only Florida things,
Speaker:then you're showing your commitment to that area and your loyalty
Speaker:to that area,
Speaker:which could be a reason.
Speaker:But I like what you're saying.
Speaker:Why does the person who's reading it care,
Speaker:absolutely love this.
Speaker:This has been amazing.
Speaker:How long do you think it would take for someone to
Speaker:do this?
Speaker:To walk through these seven steps?
Speaker:I think you don't even need an hour.
Speaker:I've Thomas.
Speaker:Some people think,
Speaker:oh, I need to schedule a whole day.
Speaker:But if you make yourself pick an ideal customer,
Speaker:you are going to be surprised at how fast you can
Speaker:pop this story out.
Speaker:And as you were saying earlier,
Speaker:if you have to pick a couple and see which one
Speaker:feels better for you and then go from there.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So mark,
Speaker:some time in your calendar,
Speaker:pour some coffee,
Speaker:pour some tea,
Speaker:maybe a glass of wine,
Speaker:depending on when in the day it is and set aside
Speaker:an hour and do this.
Speaker:It's going to be so worth it.
Speaker:Meredith. Where can people go to find out more about,
Speaker:Well, on my,
Speaker:about page,
Speaker:my website,
Speaker:Meredith callahan.com.
Speaker:And if you want to book a call with me just
Speaker:to talk,
Speaker:I have free discovery calls.
Speaker:And I love to talk about your business.
Speaker:If you have questions about StoryBrand or Facebook and Instagram ads,
Speaker:I'm there.
Speaker:And I also love Instagram and my Instagram handles Meredith calender.
Speaker:You can find me there.
Speaker:Perfect. Wonderful Meredith.
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:I really appreciate you coming on today,
Speaker:giving us these seven steps that we can follow.
Speaker:Thanks for playing along with me in creating a fictitious business
Speaker:that we could work this through with that was fun and
Speaker:challenging and interesting to do.
Speaker:So I love that we did that and I appreciate you
Speaker:so much and all the value that you've brought to our
Speaker:listeners today.
Speaker:See, Thank you for everything that you do.
Speaker:I really love being here and brainstorming with you.
Speaker:And I know that your listeners appreciate all the guidance that
Speaker:you give them on this podcast.
Speaker:That's very sweet.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Wow. Short of writing your brand story for you,
Speaker:Meredith has provided all that's needed to change the way you
Speaker:respond. When someone asks about your business to speak confidently about
Speaker:your products and their value.
Speaker:When in the past,
Speaker:you may have stumbled a bit when asked that question,
Speaker:I'm on my knees begging you right now to set an
Speaker:hour aside in your calendar to create your brand story.
Speaker:This can be the single most important game changer for you
Speaker:in 2022.
Speaker:Also remember to check out all the celebratory events happening around
Speaker:national bakers,
Speaker:crafters maker's day.
Speaker:You can find that over@handmadehealstheworld.com
Speaker:up next week,
Speaker:we'll be diving into being successful at markets,
Speaker:whether it's a local craft show or a wholesale show,
Speaker:you'll hear from two experts on in-person visibility and selling at
Speaker:shows and now be safe and well.
Speaker:And I'll see you again.
Speaker:Next time on the gift biz unwrapped podcasts.
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:Got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week.
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week to get
Speaker:reaction from other people and just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making my favorite post every single week,
Speaker:without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what aren't you part of the group already,
Speaker:if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search
Speaker:for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.