Kyle Gray: (00:37)

Hello and welcome to the Story Engine podcast. My name is Kyle Gray, and today on the show we are going to be talking about a proprietary process. What is a proprietary process, why you would want one, and the power that this has in organizing stories and organizing your marketing. There’s a lot of really cool things that we’re going to share. This is going to be a two-part episode, with the first episode going into defining what a proprietary process is and explaining some of the practical ways of how you could use it. And then in the next episode, in part two, we’re going to dive into actually creating one yourself and doing some of the work. I’ve got a really cool template that I’m going to share with you that you can follow along and build out on that second one.

Kyle Gray: (01:27)

But let’s get down to the what and why of this podcast. So before we dive too deep into the weeds, let’s turn on our imaginations for a sec. Put on your imagination shoes, you know the ones. All right, let’s go back to your childhood. You lift up your nose and you smell something delicious coming from the kitchen where maybe your mother or grandmother, some other matronly figure or patronly figure, somebody that you have a lot of admiration for is cooking your favorite meal. For the sake of simplicity, and because I like to say the word lasagna, let’s call it lasagna, but whatever you’re imagining, you imagine that instead.

Kyle Gray: (02:14)

This lasagna is the best. It just tastes the best, it’s got so many good memories, associations. But little did you know that the amazing deliciousness of this homey dish will actually destroy it for you forever. Because now it’s 30 years later and you haven’t eaten lasagna in 25 of those years, because every time you tried to order lasagna or cook it, it tasted hollow compared to grandma’s. That is what I call the grandma’s lasagna effect.

Kyle Gray: (02:49)

It’s a bittersweet thing to love a dish that much, let me tell you, but the reason why I’m talking about lasagna right now is because I want to ask you the question: what if you could create the grandma’s lasagna effect in your business? If you could communicate what you did in such a way that separated you from the hundreds if not thousands of other competitors with similar products, but show why uniquely you are suited to them, and going to any other person would taste as hollow as the lasagna that you ordered at Olive Garden, hoping that it would taste like your grandma’s lasagna.

Kyle Gray: (03:29)

That’s the kind of effect we’re wanting to achieve here, and that’s what you can create with a proprietary process. A proprietary process is your one, two, three-step formula for how you get results. It simplifies and puts on rails how you communicate your thoughts and make sure that you deliver what you do in a thought-provoking and engaging way. Now, why would you want something like this? Well, a lot of people have the problem of getting in their own way when it comes to communicating what they do with their ideal customers.

Kyle Gray: (04:09)

A lot of us, me included, when we work in our worlds and in our brilliance day in and day out for so long, what is familiar and common to us really isn’t the same thing that they’re seeing and experiencing, and the words that they’re using in their minds a lot of the time, there is a gap between the language that they use to describe the world and their feelings that are behind it, and the language that the expert is using, which only seems to irritate or confuse the emotions instead of calm and build trust and confidence in them.

Kyle Gray: (04:46)

This can create a problem that many people have a tough time solving. Some of the ways that we solve it is when people don’t seem to get it when we are presenting what we do or on a sales call enrolling somebody into our business, and then they ask for a discount because they just don’t see the value, but that just cuts us both short, you take shortcuts and neither of you get as good of a result. Usually in a discount business you end up with a bunch of clients that just suck your time and your energy and your own life away, and aren’t even paying you as much for it, and that’s no fun.

Kyle Gray: (05:21)

But what is life like once you have a proprietary process? Well, first of all, it empowers you. The beauty of having a process is that it empowers you to talk about your business in a way that’s clear and simple, and you can do it over and over again. This not only impacts how people receive your message, which is dialed in, it’s ready to go, it’s exactly what they want to hear, but also how you deliver the message. Finally, you have clarity in what you say when you introduce yourself, or go on a podcast, or host a webinar or a Facebook Live. With the right proprietary process you have confidence and clarity in the value you provide, and you know exactly how to bring in the perfect story at the perfect time that will overcome the big objections, show why you’re different. 

Kyle Gray: (06:11)

You have confidence and energy that people can start to feel, which will lead to the next best part, which is you’re going to get more clients. People are going to start to clamber and understand what it is like to be successful with you. They’ll be able to visualize it and picture it as a result of having a good proprietary process.

Kyle Gray: (06:35)

And finally, you’re no longer going to have to give out any discounts. You’re going to be able to raise your prices just by showing, this is why we’re different, this is why we’re unique. You don’t even necessarily have to change anything that you actually are doing, it’s just how you communicate it. And this isn’t just going to change how you interact with your customers and how you feel in yourself, it’s going to change how you interact with your team. Your process makes it clear on the unique value you provide and gives more context to your team to see how they fit into that story, into that bigger picture, into that process. And you can allow them to take ownership of certain aspects of it and have clarity on where they fit in in the big picture.

Kyle Gray: (07:18)

More importantly, they’re going to resonate with the reason why behind the process, or who you serve with that process. You want to create a meaning for them in their work, which leads to more motivation, productivity, and loyalty. This can also protect you against anybody trying to poach your talent. You’ve got a meaning behind what they’re doing, and there’s a deeper connection than this is just a paying gig, and so they’re more likely to stay loyal even if there are other competitors trying to steal them away from you, which could be important in certain industries.

Kyle Gray: (07:53)

So I’m sure a lot of you out there are thinking, okay, I’m excited about it, but I’m not quite sure what this is. So let me give you a few examples, and then I will explain some of the uses of these. So the first one I want to share is by fullcast.co Harry Duran’s business. It’s called the Ultimate Podcast Launch Game Plan, and it’s the six P’s: plan, position, produce, promote, publish, and profit. Launching a successful podcast can be very difficult, and there’s lots of small details that most people miss when doing this, but Harry Duran works with people every day on this very stuff, and so he has boiled down all of his knowledge into six key steps that lead to a successful podcast.

Kyle Gray: (08:47)

He also uses this game plan, this proprietary process as a free download on his site. It’s a first guide for people to check out his philosophy, what he does, and as they read, they’re not only going to be informed and encouraged that their podcast is going to be successful but now they have a little more clarity on how to do it. Better yet, they may be interested in purchasing products now that help them walk them through this process.

Kyle Gray: (09:19)

For example number two, this is the one clear path to sales, this is the Story Engine’s proprietary process, this is what I go through with my team to create our funnels and our presentations. The first step is one clear message. We create a clear message to send to your ideal customers that shows how you help them and serve them, that immediately resonates with them and catches their attention.

Kyle Gray: (09:49)

Next, we encapsulate that message and that promise into one clear lesson. Most commonly a presentation from the stage or a webinar, but it could be many different types of content. But you want to teach them, that’s going to give them some trust and confidence in you, and more importantly, trust in themselves that they will be successful going down the path that you suggest that they go down. And finally, step three is one clear offer. After our lesson, our presentation, we present one clear offer that is the ideal next step for your customer. This system makes it very easy and simple for our clients and their customers to consistently communicate their value and sell more of their products.

Kyle Gray: (10:41)

One example that might be particularly good for coaches, especially in a health space, is the Wim Hof Method. He has combined several different areas, several different philosophies, ancient breathing techniques with cold therapy, and mindset training to create the three pillars of the Wim Hof Method. These things, when used together, synergize in very interesting and powerful ways. And everybody who is using breathing techniques almost now all attributes it to Wim Hof something or other, that’s who they talk about, because he pioneered a method that gets results and is also very memorable and recognizable, and you can create the same kind of program.

Kyle Gray: (11:27)

Another good thing about this method is it’s not linear. The last couple have been step one, two, and three. This is a couple of pillars that maybe you practice breathing more a little bit, and then maybe a little bit more cold therapy, but it’s not a one, two, three kind of step. And this might be a better fit or a better philosophy for some people and some of their processes.

Kyle Gray: (11:51)

Another interesting approach could be building a proprietary process around a specific aspect of what you do or what you sell that accentuates what makes you different, that really shows how you’re different. Something like if you were a marketing agency and you had an excellent team of researchers, you might call it the open ear advantage, because we use more research than other people in our marketing creations.

Kyle Gray: (12:21)

A real example that I particularly like is the Unstoppable Stage Campaign by Advance Your Reach. This is Pete Vargas’s process to get people on more stages, speaking in front of audiences, sharing their message more, something that very few people can talk about in the same amount of depth and expertise that he can, which separates him from many of his competitors and makes him very appealing in the speaking/coaching industry.

Kyle Gray: (12:52)

So you might be sold on what a proprietary process is and thinking you need one, but how do you make one? Well, in the next episode in this two-part series, we’re going to do just that. We are going to go through a coaching template that I’ve used with hundreds and hundreds of different entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, and influencers to develop their own proprietary process. There is a template you can download in the show notes for this episode, or at thestoryengine.co/processtemplate. And have that ready for you when you listen to the next podcast, part two.

Kyle Gray: (13:34)

It’s going to be a little bit different than your average podcast. This is not one that you’re going to be able to do on a walk or while driving or working out. You’re going to want to be sitting in a quiet place with this proprietary process template open on your screen or printed out in front of you, and we’ll be doing some deep thinking and deep work. So I’m really excited to know what you think and how you experience this. This will be a very different episode, and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun. Thanks again for listening today, and I will see you on the next episode.

Kyle Gray:

Thanks for listening to the Story Engine Podcast. Be sure to check out the show notes and resources mentioned on this episode and every other episode at thestoryengine.co. 

If you’re looking to learn more about how to use storytelling to grow your business, then check out my new book, Selling With Story: How to Use Storytelling to Become an Authority, Boost Sales, and Win the Hearts and Minds of Your Audience. This book will equip you with actionable strategies and templates to help you share your unique value and build trust in presentations, sales, and conversations, both online and offline. Learn more at sellingwithstory.co. 

Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time.