Oct 18, 2022
The Secret Marketing Gurus Don’t Tell You About
The Most Powerful Secret To Selling Online
Over the last 20 years, anime has taken root in the hearts and minds of millions across the world. The secret to how this happened is one that digital marketers can harness to explode their businesses. What am I talking about? Storytelling. An activity that seems to be ingrained in the human heart! No, it may be more accurate to say it’s woven into our DNA as you can find some form of storytelling since the cavemen.
If you recalled, I told you that Steven Larsen did two things in his three-days Youtube live event that impressed me. The first was how he effortlessly sold a $300+ product to thousands of people without trying. The second has more so to do with what he said. Larsen said that one of the things he used to sell his products is storytelling. But the story alone did nothing. There’s an important aspect to it.
You see, over the last few years, I’ve learned, oftentimes the hard way, that people don’t buy products. They buy two other things: Results and transformation. Storytelling is a fantastic way of accomplishing both. At the same time, it’s an excellent way to build rapport and empathy with your audience.
Larsen told many stories during the course of the three-day event, most were to help get a point across. And some were used to help explain his point of view, a way for him to give context to what he was about to say next. But there were two stories that I member most vividly. Well, other than his personal stories. The first story was of a young man who wanted to make money, so he sought out a very wealthy old man to ask him for his secrets. The elderly man refused to tell him, but the young man kept insisting. The young man waited at the elderly man’s front door, day after day. Through sun, rain, and windy cold days, the young man just sat there and waited for the old man to give in and teach him. Seeing the young man’s resolve, the elderly man cave. He welcomes the young man inside to discuss the secrets that saw the old man succeed. The old man handed the young man a book and said, “If you truly want success, read and implement what’s in this book.” Six months passed and the young man return to give the elderly man an update. It was nothing but good news! The book helped the young man start a digital marketing business with ease. Larsen ended the story by showing a book that had been sitting, covered on his desk the whole time. He lifted the cover to show… Well, that’s not really important. The important thing is he made the story up to show how storytelling could be used to make sales.
The second story that I remember, without getting into as much detail was about a teacher who wasn’t really a teacher. Apparently, some random guy became a teacher at a university. By all accounts, he was an excellent professor. The other teachers adored him, and students said he was the best professor they’d ever had. Students said he was able to take complex lessons and make them easy to understand. The marking of a great educator if you ask me. But one day, everyone’s lives were shattered when said professor got arrested. Why did he get arrested? For impersonation. The man wasn’t qualified to be a teacher at all. When asked how was he able to teach such complex topics, the man said, “I always stayed one chapter ahead.”
It’s a lesson that I hate, kind of like the, “fake it until you make it thing” advice. Larsen told the story that no one has to be an expert in anything to start teaching others. They only need to be one step ahead. But then again, I may have to decern the message wrong.
Perhaps that’s a conversation for another post. Until then, take care.
P.S. I think this will be my last post on this schedule. I’m switching to something more doable due to my health.
