Margo was a hero in Elaine’s story. Margo had a lot of trouble saving money. She lived paycheck to paycheck (and she worried about her job disappearing altogether). Margo wanted to buy a house and save for her daughter’s college fund. She couldn’t see a way to do it.
Elaine helped Margo find the money. She worked with Margo about her relationship with money. It almost seemed that Margo didn’t want it. She had been taught that she didn’t deserve more. She had learned that money was bad.
Elaine also showed Margo how to find supportive people in her life. Margo had lots of villains in her life. Some encouraged her to spend frivolously. Some reinforced the earlier message: “You don’t deserve more.”
With Elaine’s help, Margo found people to help her achieve her money goals. She found a supportive friend who taught her. tricks about buying. She found a financial planner who taught her to invest.
Eventually, Elaine was able to tell Margo’s story as a selling story. She was the guide. Margo was the hero. They named a villain for Margo to fight.
Elaine added the cheerleaders, too. They highlighted her skills in helping Margo build a successful life and achieve success. With the help of her cheerleaders, Margo achieved her goal of home ownership much faster than she’d expected. And it was even easier, too.
Who are your client’s cheerleaders?
You can’t be with your client all the time. Your clients need to find people in their environment. Usually they’re unpaid people who lend support to the client.
If you work mostly with teens or adults, the parents or teachers usually serve as cheerleaders.
What do you do, as the guide?
You teach your client to find cheerleaders who can help.
You teach your client to use cheerleaders as resources.
And you show this skill in your sales story. Most people don’t mention their clients’ cheerleaders and don’t realize they need them. When you make this claim you offer something unique to your clients — and that makes you special.
I cover this in a podcast episode of Strategic Storytelling. Listen here on your favorite platform. I think cheerleaders add something special to your story, something few people include.