Building a StoryBrand

By: Donald Miller

Narrated by: Donald Miller

Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Donald Miller uses the seven universal elements of powerful stories to teach listeners how to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses.

Donald Miller's StoryBrand process is a proven solution to the struggle business leaders face when talking about their businesses. This revolutionary method for connecting with customers provides listeners with the ultimate competitive advantage, revealing the secret for helping their customers understand the compelling benefits of using their products, ideas, or services. Building a StoryBrand does this by teaching listeners the seven universal story points all humans respond to, the real reason customers make purchases, how to simplify a brand message so people understand it, and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media. Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion-dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer of a rock band, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

©2017 Donald Miller (P)2017 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Literally changed my life overnight.

I've been running a business for the last 10 months and I've had less-than-stellar results. My entire business had been built on referrals up until this point. I had not been able to capture leads using actual marketing techniques, and I'm a marketer for god sakes! I just didn't seem to be connecting with my audience with my marketing. A friend told me about this book in very brief description, and something drove me to go out and get it. So I did that very night and I had torn through it by the next morning. I was finished with it by lunch time and I went home to write an email to a group I've been emailing for months now to no avail. I sent the email by 3 p.m. and by the time I woke up at 8 a.m. the next morning I had three people on my schedule. That evening I spoke to a client and negotiated a five-figure deal which I officially closed 2 Days Later. I was at the point of being completely penniless and this book changed everything. If you're a marketer this is an absolute must read. If you're a business owner and need to Market your business this is an absolute must-read.

68 of 68 people found this review helpful

Every entrepreneur should read or listen to this book.

This book is so rich on content I need to give it another listen. The basics of the book are clarifying your message and making your customer the hero of the story. Miller goes into detail and lays out the framework and gives plenty of real life examples. This is an invaluable business/marketing/branding book.

16 of 16 people found this review helpful

Starts to Feel Like One Big Ad for Authors Product

They push their product way too hard on this. Started to get really annoying by the end

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Half information, half advertisement.

I was disappointed in this book. I wanted to learn how to market my small business as a story targeted at my customers. I did get some valuable information about marketing, but I also had to learn to the same sales pitch for the author's company again and again. If you are going to listen to this book, you'd better get used to hearing "Go to storybrand.com and setup up an account". Ugh...

This book had potential, but it was mostly squandered due to forced advertising. I'd only recommend listening to this book after you've exhausted the other business books you want to listen to.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

If you create things--products, books, sermons, podcasts--this book will help you do it better.

After this book, I am rethinking my messaging on all my projects--both personal and business. Seriously. It's that good.

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

Teach a man to fish, Change their life - THIS BOOK

I'm blown away. This book articulates the truths in how people think and connect it with how they make decisions. I make promo videos and this book is making such a large impact on me that I can hardly stop rabbit trails of applications into everything I want to do.

Thanks, Donal Miller, for pursuing human truths, pursuing the structure of 'story', and explaining how it's the gold standard model for business.

I'm so excited to apply these principles.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Have you heard of the SB7 Framework?

If not, you will. This book is one long, drawn out pitch after another ...over and over and over- even his ‘case study’ references are a thinly veiled side pitch for his courses, website, and other assorted nonsense. A total waste of $18

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Clear Message About Clear Messaging

Brilliant work. Succinct, straightforward writing, and most of all effective in achieving results. With his proven track record of success, Don gives candid insight that is sure to help any person who communicates messages (which is all of us). Highly recommend.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Implementing is Dynamite

I've been following Donald Miller for the last five or six months through his podcast. We even went so far as to hire one of his story brand certified guides that's here in Washington close to where our business is. Needless to say, the principles that Don teachers in this book have begun to drastically change our philosophy in our business and we are just now beginning to see the results! This is exciting stuff and means real money to me and to our employees. Thank you Don for simplifying the strategies in this book to help us grow our business.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

It is OK.

Would you try another book from Donald Miller and/or Donald Miller?

I don't think I would.

Would you be willing to try another book from Donald Miller? Why or why not?

As someone who says he has written multiple books and now has written one on telling stories, you'd think that he could write one that could hold your attention and keep you interested. Not so much in this case.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

While the reader did an OK job, he lacked the enthusiasm that you often get from books read by the author. Sometimes, it is better to have someone else read the book.

Was Building a StoryBrand worth the listening time?

No, I don't think it was worth the time. The first four chapters of the book consisted of the author providing some high-level information as a thinly veiled attempt to promote his website. From a guy that is writing a book on how to market your brand, I expected to get some value that would hold me in the book. This didn't have it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A very long sales letter to an expensive course

What would have made Building a StoryBrand better?

Before you buy the book go to the site and try and put together a 'brandscript' - this is the best offering you are going to get and this is intentionally used as a tease to sell you a course.

What was most disappointing about Donald Miller’s story?

It's not a story - is a very long sales letter.

What didn’t you like about Donald Miller’s performance?

I was so looking forward to this book - I had planned the weekend to read the book it's 8hrs and then to have a finalised written 'script' - I personally found the information wanting. In order to implement the content you need to go on the course. The reviews were excellent, I am now actually thinking there ought to be a plausible rating system from 'experts' as there are for films.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Very angry - I can't believe that I fell for this. I could not log in to the site. It would not except any number that were not US ones so you could not complete the form. No response from my emails etc etc from someone talking about brands!!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A novel approach, but....

It is hard to overlook the authors relentless attempts to sell his system throughout the book.

I don’t recommend logging into the website for the Story Brand template; unless of course you are happy to extend the invitation to Donald Miller to continue his quest to make you a Story Brand client via your inbox.

If you are patient enough, you can get some good communication tips; personally, I abhor the practice of automating mail-bombing, however well the messages are constructed.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

Finally a book with actionable steps that a business owner can take right away. Brilliant

instant success

This is a great book and I tried it out straight away and am seeing a huge difference in my results already

One of the best marketing books you can read

I have read most decent marketing books, and have even written chapters and articles myself as well as having done many talks and building a multi-million company. This is genuinely one of the best most practical books you can get. I have already bought multiple copies for my team.

Pure Genius

Donald Miller is a wizard of the human mind! Every digital marketer should read this book. Spellbinding stuff!

So good you may want to keep it to yourself!

I loved listening to Donald.
I have struggled with online marketing and Don made sure that I can identify my faults and my strengths using his SB 7 system. Now I can finally make progress without feeling like I'm gambling money away.

The book is easy get through, the chapters are somewhat sequential but a seasoned marketer could get away with dipping into random chapters if they wish.

The chapter lengths are under 20 mins and if you wanted to really let it sink in you could easily stick to a chapter a day and be a master in a month.

The key message is clarity and once you go through the book you will not only have the tools to communicate a clear business message, but also the knowledge to apply that to create sales.

I highly recommend.

The book that make sense.

The best marketing book I've read this year. if you are in a business, this book is a must read!

Don Miller is a marketing genius

I cannot speak highly enough about this book. must have for all marketers and sales professionals