Selling with storytelling is the art you’re going to learn today.

We’re taking the concept of stakes and weaving them into a storytelling structure that guides your
audience to see why they should care—without a hard sell.

When stakes are clear, your story becomes a decision-making tool, guiding your audience to see
themselves in a new, better position.

The ultimate goal of storytelling for sales is to make the purchase decision feel like the obvious
next move.

This non-salesy storytelling framework uses the principles from earlier modules, combining them
with stakes from the last lesson to make selling with storytelling simple and straightforward.

You can follow the corresponding worksheet for this lesson. Let’s do this.

Non-Salesy Storytelling Framework

We’ll begin with a relatable scene that reflects a familiar struggle, something your audience has
experienced. You can use the hook worksheet from Module One for inspiration.

(Any hook style works here to set up the problem).

The trick to nailing the opening line in this framework is matching the hook with the stakes. The
context needs to relate to the consequences for it to make sense and move people to action.

Look at your answers from the last exercise to get inspired, or think of the short- and long-term
consequences of not opting into your offer.

For this exercise, I’ll use a course on prioritization as an example.

The short-term stakes are being overwhelmed, confused, and disorganized.

The long-term stakes are burnout that makes sustainable progress towards goals unattainable.

Long-term rates are a requirement for the second step. But for this first step, focusing on how the
immediate problem shows up in real life is the perfect place to start your sales story.

You can use an example from your life, from your client’s life, or a hypothetical situation like this:

Example: “Sarah’s mornings always started the same. At 8 a.m., she’d write a long list of things to
do, determined to tackle it all in eight hours with a high-vibe smile on her face. By the time 5:30 p.m.
rolled around, she’d be hunched over in her computer chair, wondering, ‘How did this to-do list get
longer?!’”

2. Highlight the Stakes (What’s at Risk)

The next step is to amplify the consequences of not solving the problem.

The psychological reason we do this in storytelling for sales is because people don’t view gains
and losses equally. The pain of losing is more motivating than the joy of success. So when you
highlight the real cost of staying where they are, you’re leaning into a core human instinct to avoid
loss.

Highlighting the stakes closer to the beginning creates urgency. The goal is to paint a picture of
the future by playing the tape forward: What happens if they stay on their current path without
change?

Back to the example, I’ll show what Sarah stands to lose if she continues on this path.

Example: “This daily cycle was becoming a self-defeating pattern. Sarah found herself teetering on
burnout, feeling like she was running in place with nothing to show for her consistent effort.”

3. Reveal the Insight (The Real Issue)

In the first two steps, you’ve proven to your ideal client that you get them.

You’ve demonstrated how the problem your offer solves shows up in real life, making it tangible.
And you’ve painted a picture of what life could look like if the problem persists, making it
emotional.

You have their attention.

The third step is about showing why you’re the person who can solve their problem. It answers
the question on every buyer’s mind: “Why you and not the person who is sort of like you but
cheaper?”

We do that by demonstrating your expertise through sharing an insight. A good insight provides
an explanation into why their current approach isn’t working, so you can show (not tell) that your
offer is different and more thoughtful than other solutions they may have tried—an easy way to
generate interest by leveraging our go-to storytelling technique from Lesson One: contrast.

This step shows that you understand the root cause and builds trust in your approach. This isn’t
the time to give a tip or trick. The goal is to create an aha moment of awareness to differentiate.

You’ll find prompts to develop insights in the corresponding worksheet for this lesson.

Example: “After another exhausting day, Sarah confided in me about her struggle, frustrated that no
amount of planning seemed to make a difference. That’s because her commitment—or even her
organization—wasn’t the problem. The real issue was that not all tasks are created equal. Without
knowing which priorities would actually move her goals forward, her lists only got longer, and her
energy kept draining away. Prioritizing, not planning, was the missing piece.”

4. Story of Transformation (What’s Possible)

Now that we’ve given your ideal client an aha moment of insight, it’s time to show them what life
looks like when they apply this newfound perspective using your approach. This step is the
“after”—a glimpse of what’s possible when the problem is truly solved.

Here we’ll answer, “What does your ideal client stand to gain when they purchase your offer?”

Example: “Once we started working together on prioritizing, Sarah’s mornings began to look
different. Each day, she chose just three key tasks, and suddenly, her efforts felt aligned with her
bigger goals. Instead of ending each day feeling drained and defeated, she now closed her laptop
feeling accomplished, even energized. For the first time in years, she was making real progress, and
the threat of burnout started to fade.”

5. Offer the Solution (The Natural Next Step)

Here, your offer is introduced as the natural next step.

There’s no hard sell—just an obvious solution to their problem.

You’ll remind them of how good the “after” feels, and give the details of your offer.

As a copywriter who’s written sales content that’s generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for
clients and me, my best copywriting tip is to tie the deliverables back to the transformation and
benefits your clients will gain.

Example: “If you’re ready to feel like Sarah—moving through each day with clarity and intention—my
Purposeful Prioritizing session will get you there too. Together, we’ll weed through your bottomless
to-do list and come up with a manageable plan to prioritize the needle-moving tasks that will get you
tangible results. In just 90 minutes, we’ll pinpoint a daily action plan for the next 30 days. By this
time next month, you’ll be kicking your feet up as you put a big green checkmark next to that project
you’ve been dreaming of completing.”

6. Encouraging Call to Action

A persuasive, non-manipulative CTA is about meeting your client where they already are.

Persuasion comes from tapping into your client’s existing motivations, whereas manipulation is
outside pressure that did not originally exist.

Finish with a confident, encouraging invitation that speaks directly to their motivations and
desired outcomes. This isn’t about pressure; it’s about connecting to what they already want.

Example: “If you’re ready to take back control of your time and see real results from your effort, the
Purposeful Prioritizing session is designed to channel your ambition into outcomes you can see. In
just 90 minutes, we’ll create a clear, focused plan that aligns with your goals and gives you the
momentum you’ve been missing. Click here to get started—let’s make this the month you start
achieving what really matters.”

With the Non-Salesy Storytelling Framework, you’ll be the guide your audience needs on a journey
that feels natural, relatable, and focused on real transformation. Each step—from setting up the
problem to highlighting stakes, revealing insights, and sharing the transformation—brings them
closer to the solution you offer without feeling the weight of a sales pitch.

As you practice and refine this framework, you’ll find it becomes second nature—an authentic,
trust-building way to invite people into your offers. In this lesson’s worksheet, you’ll find more
prompts, templates, and examples to make this framework your own.