05/01/2022
Principle 2: Customers Buy Solutions To Internal Problems
All great stories include problems that the hero must overcome. When we clearly identify these problems we increase the customer's interest in the story we are telling.
Every Story Needs a Villain
Every great story includes a villain that needs to be defeated. There are four characteristics of a great one:
The villain should be a root problem. For instance, frustration isn't a villain - the high taxes that make us frustrated, are.The villain should be relatable - your customers should immediately recognize it as something they hate.The villain should be singular - too many villains and a story falls apart.The villain should be real - don't invent a villain that doesn't exist.
The Three Levels of Conflict
In a story, a villain creates an external problem that causes the hero to experience an internal frustration, that is philosophically wrong.
The external problem is a physical and tangible problem the hero must overcome. The ticking time bomb planted by the villain in an action movie is a classic example.
The internal problem is where the magic happens. In most stories, the hero struggles with the question of whether or not they have what it takes to solve the external problem. This inner frustration is what people are truly motivated to solve. For instance, Miller tells us that Apple solves the inner frustration of being intimidated by computers.
The philosophical problem is all about the question why. Why does this story matter in the grand scheme of things? People want to be involved in a story that's larger than themselves.
To sum up this step, you need to have figured out the following:
Is there a single villain you can stand against?What problem is that villain causing?How does that external problem make your customers feel?Why is it unjust for people to have to suffer at the hands of this villain?
Culled from Building a Brand Story by Donald Miller
