Attracting Attention Through Your Staple Story

As a network marketer, you have a staple story.  In fact, you have two.  First, you have the story of how you came to know and use the products that you sell.  Second, you have the story of how you decided your products were worthy of your personal representation.

Your staple story is your biggest and best marketing message, yet maybe you are struggling to share it.  You could fear the vulnerability that comes with sharing your story on social.  Perhaps you’re afraid that your network won’t be able to relate to what you have to share.

In addition, there are those times that we tell our story, but we miss the key points that make it a well-rounded and captivating tale.

Here at Chic, we often offer insight into crafting your staple story and becoming an attractive storyteller in your niche.  Allow us to walk you through a few key points to help you author your own direct sales story.

How you tell your staple story matters.

Your staple story is about you, but it’s not for you.  Your staple story is a way for people to see you and think, “is this person speaking to me?” and “what can this person offer me?”  Quite simply, while the story is told from your perspective, it is being consumed from their perspective.

For this reason, you want to market your story so that people can see themselves in the story that you’re telling.  Let’s look at some examples:

• Perhaps you’re sharing the story of how you struggled with acne for years.  Your confidence really suffered during that time and you want to convey that feeling.  Tell your story in a way that is going to touch the woman covering her acne with layers of concealer.  It’s for the woman who is fighting her own uphill skin battle.
• Maybe you’re talking about how you struggled with mom guilt when it came time to leave your kids to go to the gym.  Your story includes the twist where you found your at-home workout regimen.  You want to talk directly to the mom on the other side of the screen who is currently sacrificing her own health and wellness for fear of neglecting her kids.
• It could be that your story revolves around postpartum hair loss.  Maybe you zero in on the anxiety that you felt about your thinning hairline and the impossible quest to find products to help.  The woman who is scrolling the internet for her own hair loss remedies should feel touched when she reads your words because they’re so painfully familiar.

The person consuming your story needs to be able to recognize you as someone who 1) can understand the struggle that they are facing because you, too, have been there and 2) as someone who can offer a potential solution.

So let’s talk about how to craft your staple story in a way that conveys those two messages.

Your staple story has 3 parts.

Every complete story has a beginning, middle and end.  For this example, let’s focus on your product story.

First, think back to who you were before your product entered your life.  Examine yourself and your life from a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and financial standpoint.  You want to vividly paint the picture for your audience.

Were you:

• A tired and unmotivated mom who couldn’t find time to do a thing for herself?
• Self-conscious in your own skin and fighting the increasing signs of aging?
• Lonely and feeling like you didn’t have a community of people that you could talk to?

Next, let’s look at the middle of your story or the turning point.  What made you say “yes” to the products that have contributed to you transforming from who you were in the beginning of the story to who you are becoming now?  What factors made you overcome your own list of objections that you had toward your product?  Talk about these, the thought process you went through, and how you decided to take the leap!

And finally, the end of your story is where you are right now.  It could be who you’ve become or who you are in the process of becoming thanks to your products.  It should also encompass the points of what has changed from the woman in the beginning of the story to the woman you are now.

Try it out for yourself.  Sit down in a quiet space and really take yourself back to who you were before your products.  Imagine all of the objections that you had in the middle.  Write down who you are now and where you know you can go thanks to your products.  Herein lies your staple story!

You actually have TWO staple stories.

So we talked about your product staple story.  But you also have a business story.  How did you go from “I use these products and they have changed my ____________________” (insert what has changed for you) to “I found that these products were worthy enough to represent.”

The steps to writing this story are the same as above.  You’re answering the following questions:

• Who was I (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially) before I started this direct sales business and represented these products and services?
• What helped me overcome my fears and objections when it came to taking on the role of (independent consultant, distributor, wellness coach, etc.) and starting my own business?
• Who have I become or who am I becoming since starting this business?
• What has changed in my life on the other side of that decision?

Again, take the time to really reflect on your journey from pre-business you to the present day you.  Take notes, write down how you felt along the way and focus on where you’re dreaming to be.  These are all important elements to a staple story!

Your staple story is an integral part of your marketing message.

What good is a story that is never told?  Now it’s time to put your hard work into action.  Your staple stories, both product and business alike, are a huge part of your marketing message.

Remember, you aren’t just saying “Here’s my story, good for me!  Pat me on the back!”

You’re sharing your story for the woman in your before.  The woman who is marinating in uncertainty, struggling with self confidence, looking for a solution.  Your story is for her.

As you openly share, talking about who you’re becoming and how you’re becoming that person, you’re inspiring her to overcome her own struggles and write her own staple story.

While you are going to be sharing different aspects of your story in your marketing message week after week, the main idea always stays the same.  You can shift focus from one objection to another, or from one “ah-ha” moment to another, but the story itself never changes.

All the while it becomes a story of hope and an anchor for someone else out there.  And what else are we here for if not to make life a little bit easier on each other?  What is the purpose of paving new roads if we don’t shine a light for others who are looking to travel, too?

If you are someone who is looking for more information on how to craft your staple story, among other marketing tips, our Chic Branding Experience through Chic Way Media might be the perfect fit for you.  This unique experience helps you to clarify your personal brand story using the thumbprint marketing method.  It consists of 4 phases designed to create a completely unique marketing strategy for your personal brand.  To learn more about the Chic Branding Experience, click here!