Never assume people will understand how your brand can change their lives. You need to clearly tell your customer how buying your product will end in their success. This is best way to offer them what they want most: a happy ending to their story where they become the hero! This week, J.J. and April work the final section of the StoryBrand framework: Success. They’ll also show you:    How to cast a vision of a climactic scene for your customers    How to frame success against failure   Examples of success language for your website   We also talk with Anthony Dicks, one of our amazing StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guides, who shares how creating a “happily ever after” vision for his client’s marketing helped win more customers and increase sales. Contact StoryBrand Certified Guide Anthony Dicks directly at ClarifyYourMessage.com/Anthony-Dicks.   --   Every week on Marketing Made Simple, marketing experts Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins give you practical marketing tips rooted in the StoryBrand framework and show you how to invite customers into a beautiful story where they become the hero and you become their guide. And when you help your customers win, you win. Follow us so you never miss weekly episodes, dropping every Wednesday in the Marketing Made Simple feed! Just search "Marketing Made Simple" on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.   Our StoryBrand certified marketing guides, like Anthony Dicks, are the best marketers in the world. Hire a guide to help clarify your marketing and messaging at MarketingMadeSimple.com.

Hiring and managing top talent to grow your business can be overwhelming. Without a clear process to thoroughly qualify potential hires, you could find yourself on-boarding your uncle’s best friend’s cousin as your new sales director solely based on the fact that “they sold stuff at a job they had in college one time”. Not okay. If you never want to find yourself in that situation, you need a talent management framework. This week Don breaks down how you can start implementing one with special guest and Business Made Simple President, Doug Keim. Listen now to finally learn how to begin attracting, hiring and managing top talent within your business!   --   Get access to the upcoming Business Made Simple Live Coaching event: Talent Management - Your Playbook for Hiring and Compensating Top Talent on Thursday, August 26 at 10a (CT). Just go to BusinessMadeSimple.com and register now! After you sign up you’ll also get access to all of our on-demand business courses as well as our upcoming monthly live coaching events. Discover how to attract, hire and manage top talent at our next live coaching event on Thursday, August 26 by going to BusinessMadeSimple.com!   At Business Made Simple we help you discover what’s wrong with your business and show you how to fix it.

A story lives and dies based on one question: Will the hero succeed or will they fail? This is also true for your marketing. You need to tell your customer what’s at stake if they don’t buy your product. Without clearly showing that failure, your customer has no motivation to make a purchase.   This week, J.J. and April work through the Failure section of the StoryBrand framework and show you:    Exactly how to talk about failure without overwhelming your customer   How to breakdown and show the consequences related to not buying your product   Whether to use short-term vs. long-term failure in your messaging   We also talk with Jessie Congleton, one of our amazing StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guides, who shares how introducing failure in her client’s marketing actually inspired customer’s to take action and buy during what was typically a slow season.  Contact StoryBrand Certified Guide Jessie Congleton directly at ClarifyYourMessage.com/JessieCongleton.   --   Every week on Marketing Made Simple, marketing experts Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins give you practical marketing tips rooted in the StoryBrand framework and show you how to invite customers into a beautiful story where they become the hero and you become their guide. And when you help your customers win, you win. Subscribe to weekly episodes, dropping every Wednesday in the Marketing Made Simple feed! Just search "Marketing Made Simple" on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.   Our StoryBrand certified marketing guides, like Jessie Congleton, are the best marketers in the world. Hire a guide to help clarify your marketing and messaging at MarketingMadeSimple.com.

When running a growing team, developing your employees is no small feat. Today’s conversation with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee offers guidance and a solid example of how you can educate and strengthen your workforce to position your business for massive growth!   --   At Business Made Simple we help you understand what’s wrong with your business and show you how to fix it. Just go to BusinessMadeSimple.com and for only $275 annually you'll get instant unlimited access to all of our online courses, including our signature course, How To Grow A Business, plus live coaching events with Donald Miller every month. Take the mystery out of growing your business today at BusinessMadeSimple.com.

In a story, a character never takes action on their own. They need to be challenged. The same is true for your customer! As the guide in your customer’s story, you must let them know what’s at stake if they don’t buy your product then clearly call them to action by asking for a commitment to buy.   This week, J.J. and April unpack the Call To Action, or CTA, section of the StoryBrand framework and show you:    How to create a strong Call To Action or CTA for your customer   Specific examples of effective CTAs    Exactly where to position CTAs in your website to increase customer engagement   We also talk with Angie Schultz, one of our amazing StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guides, who shares how clarifying her client’s CTA lead to amazing results! Contact StoryBrand Certified Guide Angie Schultz directly at ClarifyYourMessage.com/Angie-Schultz.   --   Every week on Marketing Made Simple, marketing experts Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins give you practical marketing tips rooted in the StoryBrand framework and show you how to invite customers into a beautiful story where they become the hero and you become their guide. And when you help your customers win, you win. Subscribe to weekly episodes, dropping every Wednesday in the Marketing Made Simple feed! Just search "Marketing Made Simple" on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.   Begin applying the StoryBrand Framework to your marketing by creating your own BrandScript for FREE at MyStoryBrand.com.

When one of your team members decides to leave your company, even for the best reasons, it is crucial to conduct a great exit interview. Without one you are missing an opportunity to collect valuable feedback for improving how you hire and retain top talent.  Today Don, J.J. and Koula discuss exactly what’s needed in an effective exit interview and provide a list of strategic questions to capture honest feedback while also positioning your team member to leave with a great sense of closure.    Sadly, today’s conversation also acts an exit interview for our co-host Koula Callahan. Koula is truly a foundational pillar at Business Made Simple and is off to new and fantastic opportunities! But before she leaves, we are extremely grateful she has allowed this personal conversation to air on the podcast, giving you an inside look at how to craft and conduct a great exit interview.    --   Take the mystery out of growing your business and go to BusinessMadeSimple.com. For only $275 annually you'll get instant unlimited access to all of our online courses, including our signature course, How To Grow A Business, plus live coaching events with Donald Miller every month. Take the mystery out of growing your business today at BusinessMadeSimple.com.

You should always begin your customer's story by identifying what they want then define their problem to spark interest in how you can help them overcome that problem. Next, reveal yourself as their guide by expressing empathy and demonstrating authority. Now is the time to ask your customer for a commitment to buy your product however that won’t happen unless you have a clear and simple plan for them to follow.   This week, J.J. and April unpack Plan section of the StoryBrand framework and show you how to:    -Build a great three step plan, no matter your business, giving your customer a clear path to buying from you   -Use specific language in your marketing to activate your customer to make a commitment to buy   -Clearly show your customer how buying your product will make their life better   --   Every week on Marketing Made Simple, marketing experts Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins give you practical marketing tips rooted in the StoryBrand framework and show you how to invite customers into a beautiful story where they become the hero and you become their guide. And when you help your customers win, you win. Subscribe to weekly episodes, dropping every Wednesday in the Marketing Made Simple feed! Just search "Marketing Made Simple" on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.   Begin applying the StoryBrand Framework to your marketing by creating your own BrandScript for FREE at MyStoryBrand.com.

We live in a time filled with conflict and uncertainty, feeling like we're stuck watching from the sidelines ready to give up. But even as we are constantly bombarded by our news and social feeds, there are proven steps you can follow allowing you to plant the seeds of transformation to create change within your business, community and even your world. Today John Maxwell, leadership expert, change-maker and author of the new book, Change Your World, joins the conversation and shares the simple steps you need to finally break through the noise and achieve the change your world is so desperately needing!      --   Order John Maxwell’s new book, Change Your World, and get access to bonus content at ChangeYourWorld.com Have questions about growing your skills as a leader? Join the conversation by getting access to our upcoming live Member Exclusive Q&A: How to Grow Your Leadership Skills with Donald Miller and Doug Keim on Thursday, July 29 at 10a by going to BusinessMadeSimple.com. Once you sign up you’ll also gain instant access to every one of our on-demand business courses as well as our upcoming monthly live coaching events. Grow your leadership skills by registering today at BusinessMadeSimple.com.   Take the mystery out of growing your business and go to BusinessMadeSimple.com. For only $275 annually you'll get instant unlimited access to all of our online courses, including our signature course, How To Grow A Business, plus live coaching events with Donald Miller every month. Take the mystery out of growing your business today at BusinessMadeSimple.com.

Many businesses feel like they have something to prove and position themselves as the hero in their story. But customers aren't looking for another hero, they're looking for a guide! When you position yourself as the guide, showing customers exactly how your product can fix their problems and transform them into the hero, you're destined to win!   This week, J.J. and April unpack the Guide section of the StoryBrand framework and show how you can:    -Use specific language throughout your marketing to position your brand as the guide   -Combine empathy and authority to build trust and engagement   -Craft your marketing tools, like a sales email, through the voice of a guide   --   Every week on Marketing Made Simple, marketing experts Dr. J.J. Peterson and April Sunshine Hawkins give you practical marketing tips rooted in the StoryBrand framework and show you how to invite customers into a beautiful story where they become the hero and you become their guide. And when you help your customers win, you win. Subscribe to weekly episodes, dropping every Wednesday in the Marketing Made Simple feed! Just search "Marketing Made Simple" on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.   Begin applying the StoryBrand Framework to your marketing by creating your own BrandScript for FREE at MyStoryBrand.com.

The character of your business is a critical driver of sustained success. Without character, there is no trust. So if your customers are reluctant to commit to buying your products or your team members are constantly at odds, you definitely need to listen to this episode! We're joined by Frank Calderoni, CEO of Anaplan (a cloud-based business planning software company) and author of the new book, Upstanding. Frank breaks down how you can align your business around a character-led culture to build trust and improve your bottom line.   --   Order Frank Calderoni's new book, Upstanding, at UpstandingCharacter.com.   Finally take the mystery out of growing your business and go to BusinessMadeSimple.com. For only $275 annually you'll get instant unlimited access to all of our online courses, including our signature course, How To Grow A Business, plus live coaching events with Donald Miller every month.   Take the mystery out of growing your business today at BusinessMadeSimple.com.