The 7 Steps To Building Your Story

I wanna talk about soul

Scratch that - I want to talk about Soul

After having my four-year-old watch Cars, Encanto or Monsters Inc. probably 10,000 times…it was time to expand his horizons a bit.

And look, let’s be honest, he didn’t really understand the core of the movie. But he laughed at the “funny accents” of Jerry and Terry, the talking cat, and the dude spinning the sign.

But honestly, I think this is one of the best philosophical movies ever made - for anyone, not just for kids.

And while your passion and/or your purpose aren’t the spark that makes you want to live…I hope you find a ton of passion and purpose from the amazing legal work that you do, and even more so from the life your legal work let’s you live (or not, but that’s another discussion for another time).

But that’s totally not the purpose of this email.

In his book, Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller outlines the 7 steps to almost every story.

1. A hero who wants something
2. Encounters a problem
3. Meets a guide
4. Who gives them a plan
5. Calls them to action
6. Disaster is avoided
7. It ends with the hero succeeding

And - spoiler alert - he’s right.

Famous Examples

Luke has Obi-Wan and then Yoda help him destroy the Death Star, turn a Sith Lord to a hero and defeat the Emperor 

Katniss has Heymitch help her survive the Hunger Games and then overthrow the government to stop them

Every Superhero has a teacher or a specific item they need to get to finally overcome the big bad villain.

Hell Rey had Luke help her destroy the Death Star Planet, turn a Sith Lord to a hero and defeat the Emperor (again?)

What is dead can never die, amirite?

And quick end of this tangent before we get to what your firm can learn from this…

Soul is the weirdest one to fit this mold in my opinion.

Joe Gardener is the focus of the story, but is really the guide to 22.  But also, is guided by the Grateful Dead shamans and overcomes not only his own death but ALSO being a bad guide to 22.

So really you get 2 whole stories in 1 shot.  While also helping you explain to your kids about finding things they love and making those things a part of them.

How Does This Apply to Your Firm?

Because guess what, your clients - whether they know it or not - expect this story.  It’s hardwired into our brains even if it’s subconscious.

So let’s go through them one by one and apply them to your firm.

1. A hero who wants something - this is your IDEAL client (if you’re still not sure who that is, check out this worksheet we have for you for free)

2. Encounters a problem - this is the legal issue you handle

3. Meets a guide - this is YOU.  YOU are their guide!!!!

4. Who gives them a plan - this is how you actually help them

5. Calls them to action - what do they need to do to make sure you do your best?

6. Disaster is avoided - you win, or at least don’t lose as bad as it could have been

7. It ends with the hero succeeding - what is their life like afterwards?

Some Examples

• A young kid gets arrested for stealing
• He doesn’t want to go to jail
• He hires you
• You get discovery and argue he was stealing because he’s a poor kid who just lost his job and his mom is sick
• He gets you some letter of rec about him and does some community service hours
• He gets probation and can seal this case afterwards
• His life goes back to normal but he’s learned not to do this again

Let’s try that again

• New parents have a kid
• They’re worried that one day they will die and what will happen to their kid?
• They hire you
• You create the right estate plan for them that outlines their needs and solves their problem
• They provide you the info about their assets and the people they want to have their kid in case they are no longer here
• The document is drafted, they are mostly at ease AND you connect them with some good life insurance sales people to get that put together just in case
• They (hopefully) don’t die anytime soon, but have one less thing to worry about now

One more for good measure

• A mom wants to divorce her deadbeat husband (goodbye Father’s Day)
• She’s concerned he’s going to be an ass and even more of a pain during a divorce
• She hires you
• You outline the process and explain how you’ve handled similar jerks and what usually happens
• She provides you with their financials, info about the kids etc.
• You draft the docs for temporary help, go through discovery, and start arguing for a good final result
• She gets what she deserves from this, and more importantly when he tried to be an ass, you get the judge to put him in his place
• She gets through the divorce and comes out the other side better than before and ready for the figure 

So How Does That Help Me Grow My Firm?

Think about what you can do with this story now that you know your common one(s).

Is there a one-liner you can craft that helps people REALLY understand what you do?

We help the best people navigate the worst parts of their life by fight the insurance company to get them the money they deserve.

We help large investors close on the best properties with the hassle.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Then start adding that one liner to everything you do - website, networking, marketing material, etc.

What Else?

Put together the right lead magnet for your ideal client.

Trade their email for your guide to something they need to know about.

Then follow up with a good email sequence. 

Explain their needs to them. 

Show them how a lawyer can help.

Share similar situations you’ve handled.

Help them see you as the BEST guide for them.

And then make it easy for them to hire you.

Bonus tip - and if you do this REALLY well, and truly share that story…those clients can turn into referral sources.

They can share their story and how you helped transform their life and that will drive you even MORE clients who need your help.

Like a snowball, but in a good way.

But it all comes back to that story:

1. They wants something

2. But there’s a problem

3. They meet you

4. You give them a plan

5. Call them to action

6. Disaster is avoided

7. Hopefully they win

Until next week, have a wonderful weekend and as always, if you have any questions, just reply to this and I’ll send you a personal response.

And if you know anyone who would benefit from weekly drops of my…musings? Insights?  Date we call it wisdom?

Please send them this link!

Until Next Friday

‍