When I was a kid, our refrigerator could do a magic trick.
Yeah, sounds strange, but it had a special ability. And once I discovered it, I told my buddies.
They didn’t believe me...
Until they visited my kitchen and experienced it. Then they became true believers.
What could my fridge do?
It involved three steps:
1) Place one hand on the fridge handle
2) At the same time, place your other hand on the sink metal washbasin (a few feet away)
3) Then… ZAP!! A quick shock would surge through your body
That’s right, the fridge sent a jolt. Nothing too serious, but enough of a zap to make you jump and scream, “SWEET JESUS!” Enough to make you nervous the second time around.
But it only happened when you touched the sink and fridge at the same time. A weird discovery, for sure.
Of course, our refrigerator became the hit of the neighborhood.
Every kid wanted to prove their courage. To fail was unthinkable. But if you stepped up, took a deep breath, and survived the fridge’s raw power, you earned a badge of honor.
3 POWERFUL WORDS IN MARKETING
This story illustrates one of the most powerful marketing principles:
Russell Brunson popularized this 3-step framework in his book, Traffic Secrets. Once you understand it, you’ll slap your forehead and exclaim, “Duh! Why haven’t I been doing this?”
It’s a simple process:
A HOOK grabs someone’s attention
A STORY makes them hungry for more
An OFFER gives them something hard to refuse
Take the refrigerator story:
I told friends that my fridge could do something amazing (this was the HOOK that got their attention)
I explained how I got shocked whenever I touched the fridge handle and sink (this was the STORY that made them hungry for more)
I invited them to my kitchen to give it a try (this was the OFFER they couldn’t refuse)
HOW IT IMPACTS YOUR MARKETING
Now apply this to your marketing and sales funnels. Before you offer a potential customer your service/product, are you first engaging them with a hook and a story?
Without a hook, a customer can easily ignore you
Without a story, a customer can fail to connect on an emotional level
Without an offer, a customer won’t pay
When a business overlooks this simple framework, it gets stuck. And getting stuck means wasting money.
THE TALE OF THE TREE
There was once a teen who used an old fruit tree to sneak out of his second-story bedroom window. His parents never knew, and he climbed down it countless times to meet friends.
But one day the father announced he was cutting down the barren tree. It hadn't borne fruit in many years.
The boy was desperate. He couldn’t lose his most dependable escape route. So that night, he and his friends purchased a bushel of apples, and under the cover of darkness, they tied the fruit to empty branches.
The next morning the father saw it and shouted to his wife, “Mary, I can’t believe my eyes! That old tree is covered with apples. And it’s a miracle — because it’s a pear tree!”
Right tree… wrong fruit.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?
Why is your business stuck? Your message may be off-kilter.
Maybe you need better hooks in your message
(email subject lines, headlines, pictures)
Maybe you need better stories
(stories with a point, stories of transformation, stories featuring testimonies)
Maybe you need better offers for customers
(discount code, pricing tiers, free shipping)
When you use the right words with an intentional framework, people start saying “YES.”
Your target market needs your message. But if you’re not giving them the right message right now, you’ll spin your marketing wheels.
So grab the handle and touch the sink… it’s time to put a spark back into your marketing.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR
HOOK - STORY - OFFER?
Marketing starts with your messaging, and we can identify yours.
To get started, check out our GROW YOUR BUSINESS GAME PLAN™.
About Me
Hey, I’m Brian, co-founder of Genie Jar Digital. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a mean moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor.
