Ep 05: Step #3 Your Customer Story - What you need to know about them

00:53 You're listening to The Business of Stories with Susan Payton, showing you how to share stories that do the selling in your business so you don't have too. The salesman spotted the young family as soon as they walked into the shop – mum dad and two clearly very lively kids no older than five or six years old As they started wandering around, looking at the large selection of sofas in the store he confidently walked over smiling his best smile and launching into his best sales patter. Just as he'd done many many times before He started by explaining how he understood what was important to a young family like theirs and that if they were looking for a great sofa They'd come to the right place Then he cut straight to the good stuff

01:48 He talked about how their sofas were all made to order. If they got their order in today, they could still guarantee delivery in time for Christmas break. He talked about how their family budget could go so much further if they chose something from the Rosa range as a special promotion meant that they could get matching armchairs for half price! He talked about how their very competitive finance options meant that they could purchase a sofa today and pay nothing for the next six weeks. And he talked about how all their sofas were classic designs that would work with any decor and never go out of fashion! His manner was jovial, chatty and by all accounts had done a great job except for one thing...

02:40 None of those things were a priority for this family. They were not the things that mattered most to them What mattered most to them, well to mum anyway was that she didn't feel embarrassed whenever friends came round because the sofa looked dirty She had young kids with sticky hands A husband who insisted on relaxing with coffee when he got home from work before he'd taken his dirty overalls off and two dogs Trying to keep the sofa clean was the bane of her life and frankly impossible. So she was on a mission today to buy a sofa that had covers she could easily take off and throw in the washing machine, She wanted a colour that didn't show every mark And was fully stain resistant But the salesman didn't mention any of those things because he hadn't asked them what they wanted and what they didn't want

03:42 He thought he'd covered all the bases, but he made assumptions about what was important to them. So we hadn't spoken to the number one problem this particular family wanted us solve. He hadn't taken the time to check out their story I see so many business owners doing the same thing making assumptions about what their customers really want because they don't really know their customer's story I've got a question for you and it's this. Out of 10, how well do you know your idol clients story? Whenever i ask that on a masterclass or in a workshop, I get answers ranging from 1 to 7 or 8 but most are usually around the 4 mark which isn't very high considering these are the people that you're trying to reach in your content and posts and marketing efforts

04:45 And the thing is, you can only really make your personal stories and business stories deeply relevant and relatable if you know who you're sharing them with. So step three of my process is your customer story. It's where you can start to understand their story better than ever before Because when I talk about knowing your customer story, I'm not talking about the usual stuff marketers get very excited about like where do they live and what car do they drive and where did they shop? And what do they read. And i'm sure there's times that that information is really useful but what i'm talking about is their story! That's different

05:32 It's what is going on for them right now. It is how they are feeling, what they're thinking, What they want and don't want? What's in the way? How do they want their story to be different? Where do they want it to go? What stops them from having the life or business or confidence or relationship or body or impact that they want to have? What does success look like? What is the happy ending to this part of their journey? And where do you fit into their story. The more you understand that, the more you can make sure that when you share your stories You've got your idol client in mind and your stories will speak to them One of the things I teach in my program are three P's of content which are personality positioning and purpose

06:30 But to implement those effectively, you need to know your customer story. And here's why... The first one is personality and that is YOU! 100% YOU! Everything from the language you use to your character, your quirks, your sayings, your interests, your way of seeing the world but The more you know which aspects of you really appeal to and speak to and feel aligned with your idle client, the more you can lean into the bits of you that they are going to like and connect with. And you only know that by understanding their story! So a good example is this I can be a little bit woo. I've always believed someone or something out there has my back

07:20 I call it the universe and over the years, I've manifested lots of things. I have some amazing stories of things that I've manifested Some really quite mind-blowing! But it's not something I talked about that much in my content. Only because, I didn't really think to! I talk about storytelling and mindset and business but never really thought about sharing stories about how I talk to the universe Until one day I did. And wow, what a response I got! So many people replied to my emails and commented on my posts about writing letters to the universe and even asking me to show them examples It really opened my eyes and I loved finding out that I attract people who are also a little bit woo

08:12 So that's a part of me that I share more about now because I understand my customer story, that little bit better. And I know now that this is the side of me that a lot of my ideal clients connect with and are really interested in. And the second P is positioning as in you always want your stories and content to position you the way you want to be positioned But again, you need to understand your ideal client and their story to know how to position yourself as the person they need in their story right now. You need to know what's going on for them where they're at and where they're trying to get to Where they are stuck? What is holding them back? What have they tried before? How much of a priority this is for them? What are they worried about?

09:03 When you understand that, you can position yourself in a way that will help them see that you are the perfect fit for them. If you are! This isn't about tricking anyone or making people think your good when your not. That wouldn't serve them and it definitely wouldn't serve you. You'd have business you hate So this is as much about making sure that you attract the people who are a good fit for you As is it's about seeing if you're a good fit for them And the third P is Purpose. Your stories, your posts, your content should all have a purpose Why are you sharing it? What do you want it to do? What's the intention behind it? Maybe its' to show your ideal client who you are and what you're about To build connection Or maybe it's to invite them to reflect on something or shift of belief or to show them a different perspective or angle or way of thinking

10:04 Maybe it's to demonstrate your expertise or value, or to move someone closer to working with you. Or a clear call-to-action It can be all sorts of things but again the better you know their story the more your stories can do the job you want them to do create connection with people who love working with and build trust You want people feel drawn to you and wanna work with you because how you made them feel Because you know them. So, how do you unpack your customer story? There are lots of ways but nothing beats talking to them! When a new client comes to work with you or if you do discovery calls or have people booking in to chat about what they want help with that is a brilliant way of finding out what their story is Don't rush into telling them about your program or course or whatever you offer Or even the solution

11:04 Start with unpacking their story. Ask them to tell you about themselves, or prompt them with questions like what do you want your life or health or relationships or business or fitness or confidence or career to look like? And what's the biggest challenge for you that stopping you from having that and why do you think it's such a challenge? It's always good to hear what they think the problem is How long has it been like this? What's made you take action now? What difference will it make when that challenge is no longer a problem for you, and how will that feel? Unpack their story right there on the call.

11:48 As well as giving you a ton of absolute gold about what's truly going on for them, it'll give you the actual words your idle clients are using to describe the specific problem you can help them solve. And what success would look like and feel like for them but it will also create a connection It will make THEM feel seen and heard...and understood…and listened to…and in safe hands This is such a fantastic way of getting to know their story and hearing first-hand how they talk about whatever it is you help them get past, and what you help them achieve. So many times I've been working with clients and its talking to THEIR client that's helped me craft a simple message about what they do in everyday language that will totally land and resonate with their ideal clients because it's their words!

12:47 For example, I worked with a physio clinic in London and when i was helping them to redo their website. I'd spent some time interviewing several of their clients to understand their story and capture the language they were using to describe the problem they had and the solution they were looking for And as I did those interviews one particular phrase came up again and again They all said I just wanted to get back too For some, it was about getting back to doing a sport they used to love playing. Or getting back to pottering around the garden like they used do or playing on the trampoline with the kids again. Or getting back to walking or cycling or putting their own socks on

13:32 What each of them wanted was different, but there was a clear theme. They all wanted to get back to doing the things they love and living life to the full without restriction or pain or triggering an old injury. That was their customer story! And so that was the story we needed to tell on their website But maybe you're not doing calls with your ideal client right now? If that's the case, then there are other ways to unpack this story Maybe you could do a survey I regularly send out a survey to my list. It's quick to fill in, it only has 4 or 5 questions and I ask them what the biggest challenges that they have when it comes to creating content that connects with their ideal clients? I've got a few hundred responses now and its so helpful! Anytime I'm stuck for content ideas I can go there and it always sparks a ton of ideas about things I could talk about and stories I could share

14:32 So, surveys are great and you could take that a step further. I'm working with a client right now who created a short survey that she actually turned into a lead magnet She helps women who have imbalances in their body, whether that's due to stress or hormones or they need support with nutrition or gut issues. And she created a survey of six questions with the promise that if people completed it she would send them a personalized report based on their answers With three-to-five simple practical steps they can action straight away and start feeling better

15:11 So people filling it in get something really useful and practical and personalised. This isn't an automated generic report, this is something she sits down and creates for each person And as well as giving them a personalised report she offers to have a call with them and that means she gets to talk to them about their issues unpacking their story even more and the conversation about what she can help them achieve begins So she gets tons of information about her ideal client, which is helping her to put her customer story together. So however you do it I can't stress enough how important it is to know really know your customer's story because if you don't how are you going to know if your messaging and stories are gonna land? How are you gonna make your stories highly relevant and relatable to them

16:07 How are you going to bring your stories back to what's important to them if you don't know their story? You want to get to the point where you understand their story so well, you could step into their shoes and write in a journal as if you were them because you know how they're thinking and you know how they're feeling. Once you've got that level of understanding of their story then everything you create will speak to them Your homepage, your about page. Your messaging, your emails and posts and stories... ...and talks and blogs and content and podcast and book and offers! Everything will talk to them and their story And the conversations you have with them will be so much better This is something I recommend doing regularly You need to keep stepping into your customer's shoes and seeing the world from where they are

17:05 Get good at asking questions and listening. Get feedback, check out groups and communities where your idol client hangs out Talk to them wherever and whenever you can Make everything you do about them That's exactly what I did when i wrote my book! I was feeling all the feelings about is this gonna be any good? Is anyone going to read it? Have I got anything unique to say And then I did exactly what I show my clients to do. I stopped making it about me and I thought about who I was writing the book for, I chose one person A real person someone I had just finished working with so she was fresh in my mind and I wrote my book for her! I had her in my mind all the time. I knew her story, I knew what she was struggling with, I knew what she wanted, I knew how she was feeling, I knew what she was worried about

18:02 I knew she had some great stories but she didn't know how to share them. So even though we hadn't worked together, I wrote the book that if she hadn't come to work with me would have helped her get enough clarity to get unstuck and start sharing the stories she wanted to share And knowing her so well and knowing her concerns and what she was unsure about and what was holding her back and what she wanted helped me write the book she needed! I wrote the book for her And I think that's one of the reasons it has been as successful as it has, and so many business owners have told me how much its helped them and spoken to them is because I wrote it for THEM. It wasn't about me trying to show my expertise or tick that I'm a published author box – it wasn't about me at all! It was for that one particular client…and ALL the business owners out there who are struggling with the same challenges she was.

19:01 And I could write the book they needed because I knew their story. But, I get that some of you might have a question around this so let's have this week's question from a listener... That's a good question, Diane. Thank you! If you really don't know who your ideal client is I would go back to step one of my process and start by unpacking your stories What YOU bring to the table? What's important to YOU? What's the work you want to do The thing you want to help people with The transformation you want them experience The difference you want to make

19:51 Then you could share some ideas around that, maybe in a couple of groups that are safe space for you to do that. And see what response you get, see what questions people ask, and see what they need help with. If you listened to the story I shared at the beginning of episode 1, I started a business not really knowing who my idol client was or what I could help them with But it was by talking to other business owners and seeing what they were struggling with, and connecting that to what I loved doing –and found really easy- to do that I was able to find my thing. And when I did that the group I talked about starting back in 2015 which was called The Business of Mums became The Business of Stories

20:38 But I'm not sure if I would ever have had that aha moment, that something I'd always loved – storytelling – could be something I could build a business around if I hadn't asked the questions. Talked to people, got curious about what was going on for them and leaned into what I wanted, what was important to me and what I wanted my business to look like So going through my process will really help. And in the next episode, we're gonna be talking about step four which is your why and that will help you think about what you want your work to give you and what impact you wanna have when you do the work you do so don't miss that one! But before I go let me give you a quick action step that you can go away and do here's your action step for today

21:32 Share something that your idle client needs to hear right now. You'll need to tune into your customer story to do this. Close your eyes and feel what they're feeling, what feels hard or confusing or frustrating or unattainable? What do they want to change? What do they want to be different? Feel into that and then share a post or email that speaks to that. Share something they need to hear Whether it's about believing in themselves, being true to who they are or doing hard things or following their own path. Or trusting! Whatever it is be the one that shows up for them today and makes them feel seen and heard And I'll see you next time for more stories that do the selling for you so you don't have too

22:25 Thank you so much for being here. I love that we get to do this together! Would you do me a huge favour and please rate, review and follow this podcast in Apple Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts? And i'll see you next time for more honest conversations meaningful connections and of course stories