The “Star, Story, Solution” script
This is another script that came out of the research I did when putting this program together and one that gets a resounding thumbs up from some of the best-known and most successful users of the sales funnel model. Vince James explains how he used this script in his book The 12-month Millionaire. The star part refers to the attractive character we discussed earlier in the program. Then you need a story that will agitate the problem, and finally, you need to provide the solution, in other words, your offer. This format works well with text and video sales letters. I would say this is typically used for those offers that need a little longer to explain but are still relatively low in cost, so at the lower end to the middle of your value ladder.
Star Section
The Hook – In all but a few cases, this is going to be the first thing the prospect is going to see, so you can understand how important it is that you grab their attention and pull them into your sales copy or story. In most successful examples, I have seen the curiosity style headline seems to be the most popular to use with this script model. Often this involves your upfront big promise of heat they will learn or gain during the presentation. For example:
“During this presentation, I will show you seven key actions that will, if you follow them, change your results and how you feel about your business in less than 90 days! But first, I have a question for you…”
Core Desire Question
Hopefully, if the Hook is good, I have your attention, and that is a good time to ask a question that gets them thinking about their core desire. The purpose of the question is to get the prospect thinking about the subject you want to discuss. Which, in this case, is the outcome or result they could achieve. Here are a few examples that I might use for my own business:
“Have you ever wondered what it takes to be successful in developing your business? It always seems to be just out of sight; sure, you make progress, or at least I hope you do, but that pot of gold is always just out of reach. What can you do right now to change all that?”
I hope you can see how this will get the reader thinking about the subject, your product or service, in this case, The Rainmakers Club membership, preparing them for the next step.
Agitate past failures
If your prospect is taking the time to read your sales letter, it is a fair chance that this is not the first time they have been looking to solve the problem. We want to agitate this a little more at this stage. For example:
“So why has that level of success been so difficult to find? Come on, admit it, this is not the first time you’ve been looking for a proven way to really turbo change you and your business, is it? When will it be your turn?
Every person who buys your produce or service is doing it because they want to meet their own core desires. When you know what the desires are, it becomes so much easier for you to plug them into your script.
The Big Promise, the one thing
This is where you will introduce the big promise, the one thing that if you were to solve for them, they would pay you to do so, as it means that much to them. So what is your big promise? What can you deliver on? For example:
“By the time you have reached the end of my program, your view will change forever; you will feel totally differently about your business, and success will be within your reach. I will share the proven system I used in my business, which took it from zero to £1.3 million on average in new monthly sales in just three years.
Introduce the Star
Immediately after introducing the big promise, you want to introduce the star of your story, the attractive character we have previously spoken about. Once you have done this you can transition to the second part of the script, where you tell the person’s story.
Section 2: The Story
The second part of this script will tell a story that is designed to agitate the prospect’s problem, the problem you are going to solve for them. This is also known as the attractive character’s story. When we come to write some of the email sequences, this work will be used again, so it is worth putting the effort in; the opposite is true also, so if you start with your email sequence, you will be able to use that work again with little adjustment in this script too.
High Drama – When telling a story, any story for that matter, it is best to start at the point of the greatest drama. This is because, in traditional story-telling, the beginning is often the most boring part of the story. We want to start with something notable to grab and maintain the attention. After you have got the prospect’s attention, then you can go back and fill in the gaps, how you got there, with the backstory. For example:
“I sat at the desk in our office, we not only shared the office, but we also shared the desk. We exchanged a look; no words were spoken, no words were needed; we were in trouble and knew it. Then the phone broke the silence, and I heard a familiar voice telling me to stop! You’re going nowhere. Stop burning money; my partner could hear the voice on the other end of the phone and could feel the pain I too was feeling at that moment..!”
Can you see how this can pull you in more than starting at the beginning? Now I have your interest; you will want to read, watch or listen to more.
Backstory (The Wall) – Once you have gotten their attention, you will want to fill in with the backstory that led up to that point. It is important that the attractive character hit the wall, a point where something of significance had to happen or change. It is worth noting that this may well be exactly where many of your prospects are right now! For example:
“Earlier that year, I had started a new business with my partner, she and I had worked together before, and it seemed a natural step to pool our resources and start this new venture together. We were trying our best, working long hours, but our target market was just a little suspicious, and we weren’t getting the same we needed to break even or venture into profit. This resulted in financial stress for us both, but we knew the model was good; we knew the market was there; we just needed to get the traction.”
The backstory explains the circumstances leading up to the call from the bank telling us the gig was over! The point of high drama in this story.
Identify the problem – Now it is time to reveal the true problem you faced. In other words, let them know why your attractive character was stuck. The closer you can relate what you are writing about to your target market, the better. If they can see you have been through what they are currently experiencing, the connection is built, which is a key part of the process:
“After going through that experience, I realised the problem I had wasn’t so much a lack of sales as a lack of connection with my market due to the content I was using and how I was using it.”
Epiphany – Once the attractive character has pinpointed the issue, it is not long before they have an epiphany or decide to make some major change. For example:
“As I was sitting there trying to figure things out, it came to me; the solution became clear…”
Or perhaps
“I knew the answer but had done little about it. Right then, I decided I had no option and had to do it. I had to make the change, so this is what I did…”
Your path to finding the ultimate solution – This is where you take the reader along on your journey, explain some of the things you did along the way until you found the ultimate answer. These will likely be similar to what your prospect is doing, trying to get the result you are promising in the story. For example:
“The first thing I tried was ______, but the problem I found was ______. So then I tried ______, but nothing seemed to really work, until…”
The first sign of success – This is where you will give them the first glimpse of success, as well as a glimpse of what you ultimately discovered, for example:
“That is when I finally tried _________. And guess what? This time it worked.”
Conspiracy – Share with them how you realised the cards were stacked against you from the start. Your prospects probably feel that way already. Because they believe this, you need to deal with this within the story, for example:
“That is when I realised this wasn’t my fault. All these years of failure, and it was actually because ________. No wonder I was struggling!”
The Big Lie – Explain why it is not their fault they have not succeeded before now, for example:
“For years, I have been told by those who would have me believe, that _______, and then I worked it out for myself, that what I was being told was not true. I was finally able to break out of their chains and get the results I deserved.”
Common Enemy – This is who or what is really to blame for the big lie that was holding the star back and blocking their success, for example:
“The real problem is ________. They were the ones keeping me and you from _______.”
Rapid Growth – This is where you show them how fast the attractive character progressed once they realised the truth. For example:
“I don’t want you to focus on the pain that I was feeling at the time of that phone call I mentioned at the beginning of my story. Instead, I want you to focus on how once I had discovered the true solution; I was able to go from almost no sales to £1.5 million on average per month in just three years!”
Case Studies – Highlight the stories of others that can add weight to your own; these stories should demonstrate successes others have experienced based on your offer. For example:
“But it wasn’t just me who has experienced this success; take a look at what __________ has done for others.”
Hidden benefit – What i didn’t expect was __________ and _________. When I started, I was not expecting that outcome; I didn’t realise that not only does it _______ but it also _______ and ______.”
Section 3: The Solution
This is where you introduce your product or service as the solution to the prospect’s problem or challenge. This is the pitch all wrapped up in a neat package, making it easier to buy from the prospect’s perspective.
Formal introduction – Simply introduce the offer you are making, for example:
“And that is why I created _______.”
Pain & Cost – Give them a window into what you had to do to create the solution for them, for example:
“It took me ____(time) to create this for you, and it cost me £_______. That said, it was worth it because now you can use it without going through the same pain or spending what I did to get to this point with this solution.”
Ease – Here, you will share the contrast between the pain and the cost you had to go through to get to this point and the ease they will experience in using the solution to gain the same result as you, for example:
“Because I went through the lain to get this solution, you don’t have to. It will be much easier for you because of my work in this regard.”
Speed – How much time will using this product save the prospect? For example:
“What took me years to learn and put into practice, you can do in a matter of weeks.”
Benefits – This is where you get to talk about your product’s features, advantages and benefits. Remember that most purchases will not be made on the actual feature but on the benefit those features will afford the customer. For example:
“When you subscribe, you will be able to take full advantage of our main feature, unlimited support and advice, so you can ask any business-related question using our Quick Advice tools and get the answer, support and advice to help you manage your business and personal development. Gone are the days when you couldn’t get the timely support and advice we all need.”
Social Proof – This is your opportunity to demonstrate that it is not just you saying great things about this solution. Demonstrate that other people have used it and gained the promised outcomes. For example:
“I don’t want you to just take my word for it; I am a little biased! Here’s what other people like you are saying after they have experienced_______.”
Make the offer and build value – This is where you will explain everything they will get inside this offer. I personally like to use what many experts call the offer stack to do this.
Price Anchor – This is where you are going to explain the total value of the offer. The total value of the offer must be significantly higher than the price being asked. If that is not the case, you need to add more to the offer to increase the value.
“The total value of everything you get inside this offer is £_____.
Emotional Close – The prospects must believe the offer is worth the value we have placed on it. A popular way of achieving this is to use the phrase ‘If all…’ You can use this in the following way:
“If all this did was_______, would it be worth the full asking price? Of course, if you have got this right, the answer will be yes; if not, we have an issue and need to go back to the drawing board!
Or you might ask:
“If all this did was get your sales up to even higher levels than you currently experience, would it be worth it?”
Reveal the real price – This is where you can place the price drop and give them a reason for dropping it. For example:
“I will not charge you the £____ that this is worth. Because you are here today, I will give you a special price of £____…”
The logic behind the guarantee – Once the price is revealed, we need to remove any perception of risk the prospect might feel. This is done by offering a guarantee that will appeal to their logical side, for example:
‘I want to make sure this offer is given every chance to work for you, so I will put my money where my mouth is and give you a 30-day money-back guarantee. If during this time you are not happy with the result of this offer, just let me know, and I will give you your money back.”
Urgency & Scarcity – This is where you can give the prospect a legitimate reason to buy now, for example:
“You must act now because this offer is only available for her next____days…”
A window to the future – Help them to see what the future will look like as a result of making the purchase, for example:
“Just imagine what your future, your life, will be like once you start to benefit from these results…”
The Call to action – This is where you tell them what to do to make the purchase and also what will happen immediately after the purchase is made, for example:
“All you need to do is click the button below, and you’ll be taken to our secure order form. Once you have completed the information, you’ll be taken to the member’s area where you can download your ____.”
Optional Warning – I call this optional because I know some of you will not want to be this direct and open with your prospects; Explain the importance of making a decision, and either way, life will go on, for example:
“It won’t end the world if you don’t sign up. Regardless of your decision, we will still be here doing our daily business, helping as many people as possible. But I want you to consider that without our help, you may make your progress just that little bit tougher for yourself. I know that sounds a little harsh, but I am sure you will agree it is true.”
The Reminder – A final recap and re-stack of the offer, like so:
“Remember, when you get started today, you will get,________…”