Superheroes and Satisfied Customers
We’ve written about the book Building a StoryBrand before, but with the busy season fast approaching, it’s worth revisiting the lessons author Donald Miller shares. From the first paragraph, Miller challenges a commonly held idea: sell your company to customers. He says, “Customers don’t generally care about your story; they care about their own.” This is an easy mistake to make when marketing, designing a website, or choosing points to stress in content and customer communication.
No matter how expensive or effective your product or service is, you are still just a piece of the puzzle. According to Miller, your customer should be the focus or “the hero of the story, not your brand.”
Our company’s story is important to us. It represents our efforts, our origins, and our reasons for being in business. Whether a family-owned business or the product of long hours and hard lessons, it holds significant meaning. But when it comes to customers, they want to know how you can solve their problem. How do you fit into their story?
Miller compares a customer to the main character in a movie, TV show, or novel as they struggle against impossible odds to save their city or complete their impossible task. The customer is much like that hero who rises up to seek a solution for a massive problem. Roofing issues may seem straightforward, but a roof represents more than a remodeling project or unfortunate expense.
A metal roof can be a statement, an aesthetic choice elevating a home, or a finishing touch on a project. It protects homeowners and their possessions from the elements and natural disasters. Miller sums it up like this, “companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal problems.” Focusing on attributes of your solution, like peace of mind, beauty, or standing out from their neighbors, can be a compelling argument.
So, if the customer is the hero, where do you fit in? It isn’t the sidekick; we aren’t the Robin to the customer’s Batman. Instead, we should take the role of Alfred, the wise guide who helps the hero make intelligent decisions. Acting as an expert source of roofing knowledge, we can guide our customers towards the best roofing solution for them.
Positioning yourself and your company as the expert takes time; it won’t happen overnight. You need both a history of successful projects and satisfied customers. Don’t underestimate the power of testimonials for establishing authority, either.
ltimately, you’ll find the most success in removing the focus from yourself and your company in your marketing. Focus on the real engine of your success: satisfied customers and completed projects.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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