Hey Course Creator — big news. You’re actually a playwright.
(Or a screenwriter, if movies are more your thing.)
Yeah, who knew, right?!
OK, you’re confused. Let me explain…
In your ‘play,’ your ideal customer is the hero. She plays the lead role in her life story.
Right now, she lives in her particular world of beliefs, influences, aspirations and fears — an ecosystem of interlacing cause and effect.
And she wants something. (Everyone wants something.)
Something that you can offer her.
(But she doesn’t know this yet.)
You get to write the part of her life story where she realizes what she’s missing, discovers that you can give it to her, takes up your challenge and transforms her life.
Yup, you’re the one to lead her to a better future.
Powerful stuff huh? Quite a responsibility.
So how can you make sure you do it right?
Well, you just need to think like a playwright. (What would Will do…?)
You already have a great idea for a story — one that culminates in you sharing your expertise and transforming lives. You’ve got the happy ending all planned out.
So now work backwards.
1.
Who is the person who’ll benefit most from your offering? Who’s craving the specific transformation you can deliver? This is your lead character, your hero.
2.
Next, work out what your character’s life is like, right now. What are her given circumstances, as Stanislavski would put it? (Famous Russian Theatre Guy. Google him.)
Ask about demographics like age, location, family life, for sure — but also deeper questions about beliefs, background, self-esteem, ambitions…
Ask who she admires, what influences her, what she’s mortally afraid of, what lifts her spirit.
(And when I say ‘ask’, I mean literally ask — listen to your ideal customers open up, either IRL or through surveys, online forums, product reviews…)
3.
Now you start to feel her frustrations — the underlying longing that your product can melt away.
Say, for instance, the humiliation of being overlooked for promotion yet again is about to push her over the edge — her objective, in the world of your ‘play,’ is to get the recognition she deserves.
4.
So what’s holding her back? Why hasn’t she got that job already? What obstacles — real or imagined — are in her way?
(Lack of experience? Poor communication skills? Bad hair?)
5.
And what if she doesn’t get that promotion? What does she stand to lose if she doesn’t take action? What are the stakes here?
(No vacation cash? Soul crushed by tedium of current job? Perpetual ridicule from high-flying big sister?)
🎭
Alright, now you’re about ready to start writing.
You have everything you need to create a perfect narrative, leading your hero from her current, unsatisfactory world into a transformed future.
And it’s through your messaging — your ads, emails, webinars, landing pages — that you make your story come true.
You make your hero supremely aware of her predicament — her discomfort becomes almost unbearable.
You help her feel seen and understood — “Ugh, I know! What you’re going through is the WORST! And what’s more, it’s not your fault!”
You hint at a solution — some way of helping her reach her objective and making this horrible pain go away.
You introduce your particular product as the PERFECT solution — and call her to easy action.
You empathize with her hesitance, and soothe her through her objections.
You add a touch of urgency by pointing out the stakes — the unacceptable cost of inaction!
You encourage her as she finally accepts the call to action, buys into your solution, and begins her transformational journey.
And at last, you celebrate with her as your offering successfully delivers her new reality.
So, like any good play or movie, the story of your ideal customer’s transformation follows a classic arc — one that you get to draw.
But to be sure your hero follows the script, you have to truly know her character.
It’s easy to leap at a flat illustration of your customer avatar — a caricature or preconceived assumption. But if you haven’t thoroughly rounded out the complex interactions of her psychographics and given circumstances, she won’t react as you expect.
You won’t be able to lead her through her hero’s journey, to take up your offering.
And you won’t get the happy ending — or standing ovation — you crave. 😉