Why Your Story is Worth More Than Your Tools
I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners from Chermside to Cleveland, and most of them make the same mistake. When I ask, "Why should I hire you?" they point to their van, their 20 years of experience, or their 'quality service.'
Here’s the cold, hard truth: Your customers don't care about your 20 years of experience. They care about their own problems.
Most Brisbane business owners think "storytelling" is some fluffy nonsense for big brands like Nike or Apple. It isn't. Storytelling is simply the most effective way to prove you are the solution to a customer’s headache. If you get this right, you stop being a commodity. You stop being the person they call just to get a quote to beat down another guy's price.
When you tell the right story, you stop competing on price because the customer feels they finally found someone who "gets it."
In this guide, we are going to break down exactly how to build a story for your business that actually makes you money. No jargon, no fluff—just a step-by-step system to get more people to say "yes" to your quotes.
---
Phase 1: Identifying the Villain (The Customer's Problem)
Every good story needs a villain. In your business, the villain isn't a person; it’s the problem your customer is facing.
1. The Physical Problem
This is what they call you for. - The tap is leaking. - The tax return is late. - The backyard is a jungle. - The roof has a hole.2. The Emotional Problem
This is why they actually care. This is where the money is. - They are embarrassed to have friends over because the garden looks like a tip. - They are stressed they’ll get a fine from the ATO. - They are worried the ceiling will collapse on their kids’ heads.The Action Step: Sit down and look at your last five big jobs. What was the real reason they called? Write it down. If you're a builder, you aren't just adding a room; you're stopping a growing family from feeling cramped and cranky at each other.
Phase 2: You Are Not the Hero (You Are the Guide)
This is the biggest mistake I see on Brisbane websites. The homepage says "WE are the best," "WE have these awards," "WE have been around since 1994."
In a story, the customer is the hero. They have a problem, and they are looking for a guide to help them win. Think of Luke Skywalker and Yoda. Luke is the hero; Yoda is the guide. You are Yoda.
To be an effective guide, you need two things:
1. Empathy
You need to show you understand. "We know how frustrating it is to wait around all day for a tradie who never shows up." That one sentence builds more trust than a 5-star badge ever will.2. Authority
You need to show you know your stuff. This isn't bragging; it's proving you can solve the problem. Photos of completed work in local suburbs like Ascot or Paddington, licenses, and short testimonials are your tools here.By positioning yourself as the guide, you'll find it much easier to get more local work because you aren't shouting about yourself; you're offering a hand to the customer.
Phase 3: Give Them a Clear Plan
Customers are scared of making a bad choice. They’ve all been burned before by a dodgy contractor or a service that didn't deliver. A story removes this fear by giving them a map.
You need a 3-step plan. Why three? Because it’s easy to remember. Even if your process has 42 steps, boil it down to three for the customer.
Example for a Landscaper: 1. The Consult: We meet at your home to see the space. 2. The Design: We create a low-maintenance plan that fits your budget. 3. The Build: We do the heavy lifting while you relax.
When people see a plan, their brain relaxes. They think, "I can do that." Without a plan, they just see a big, expensive mystery.
Phase 4: Show Them the Stakes
A story with no stakes is boring. You need to clearly show what happens if they hire you versus what happens if they don't.
The Success (The Happy Ending)
Paint a picture of life after you've fixed the problem. - "Imagine a weekend where you aren't mowing the lawn, but actually enjoying a BBQ with mates." - "Sleep easy knowing your business is fully protected from hackers."The Failure (The Cost of Doing Nothing)
Don't be a fear-monger, but be honest. - "Small leaks don't fix themselves; they turn into $10,000 mould problems." - "Every month you wait to fix your marketing is another month your competitors are taking your best leads."Phase 5: The Call to Action
If you don't tell people exactly what to do, they will do nothing. In marketing, we see this all the time—a great website with no "Buy Now" or "Call Today" button.
Your call to action should be direct. - Bad: "Contact us for more information." - Good: "Schedule your free quote." - Better: "Call [Phone Number] to book your inspection."
How Much Does This Cost?
Changing your story costs $0 in materials. It costs your time.
If you do this yourself, it might take you a weekend of thinking and a few hours to update your website text and your sales pitch. If you hire an agency like Local Marketing Group to do it, you’re paying for the expertise to find the "hook" that makes people buy.
Regardless of the cost, the ROI is usually massive. Why? Because you aren't spending more money to get new visitors; you are making the people already looking at you more likely to buy. It's the most cost-effective way to grow.
Real-World Example: The Morningside Plumber
We worked with a plumber who was struggling. He was getting calls, but everyone was haggling over his $110 call-out fee.
We changed his story. Instead of "Plumbing and Drainage," his story became: "The On-Time Plumber for Busy Families."
- The Villain: The stress of taking a day off work only for a tradie to ghost you. - The Guide: A local dad who knows that time is money. - The Plan: 1. Book a 2-hour window. 2. Get a text when we are 15 mins away. 3. Get it fixed the first time. - The Result: He stopped getting price-shoppers. People stopped asking about the call-out fee because they were buying the certainty that their time wouldn't be wasted.
What Should You Do First?
Don't try to rewrite your whole business overnight. Start here:
1. Update your Website Header: Stop saying "Welcome to [Business Name]." Change it to "[Problem you solve] for [People you serve] in [Brisbane Suburb]." 2. Fix your "About Us" page: Make it less about your history and more about why you care about solving the customer's problem. If you're wondering if you should be the star of the show, check out our thoughts on whether you should be the face of your business. 3. Change your Sales Pitch: Next time you're on a quote, ask the customer: "What’s the biggest headache this problem is causing you?" Then, tell them how your plan fixes that specific headache.
Conclusion
Most of what you read online about branding is rubbish. It’s not about logos or fancy colours. It’s about communication.
If you can explain a customer's problem better than they can, they will automatically trust you to fix it. That is the power of storytelling. It turns you from a "guy with a van" into a trusted partner.
If you're too busy running your business to worry about "narrative arcs" and "customer avatars," we can help. At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in taking the stress out of growth for Brisbane business owners.
Ready to get more phone calls? Contact us at lmgroup.au/contact and let’s get your story straight.