Building a StoryBrand book club questions

1. 1.

   Miller says most companies make themselves the hero of their marketing. Look at a company you work with or follow closely — is it making the customer the hero or itself the hero?

2. 2.

   The external-internal-philosophical problem framework is one of the most useful parts of the book. What are the three levels of the problem your product or service solves?

3. 3.

   What would it take to pass the grunt test with your current brand materials? What would you cut, clarify, or rewrite?

4. 4.

   Miller argues that positioning as a guide requires both empathy and authority. What signals communicate empathy in marketing, and which ones communicate authority? Can both coexist in a single message?

5. 5.

   What is your transitional call to action — the step between 'found you' and 'ready to buy'? How does it nurture customers who aren't ready to commit immediately?

6. 6.

   The SB7 framework assumes a single hero with a single problem. How do you adapt it for products with multiple buyer personas or complex B2B selling with multiple stakeholders?

7. 7.

   Miller's failure stakes: he says customers make decisions to avoid failure, not just to achieve success. Is that true in your market? What are the specific failure stakes your customers care most about?

8. 8.

   StoryBrand is designed for website and marketing copy. How well does the framework apply to sales conversations, pitch decks, or internal communications?

9. 9.

   What does success look like for your customer after they use your product or service? Miller argues that the transformation — not the product — is what you should be selling.

10. 10.

    Miller says clarity beats cleverness. Where have you seen clever marketing that obscured rather than communicated? What was the cost?

11. 11.

    Some brands are built on mystery, exclusivity, or complexity rather than clarity. Does the StoryBrand framework apply in those cases, or are there markets where clarity is not the right strategy?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.