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Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to permissions@indiebooksintl.com, or mailed to Permissions, Indie Books International, 2424 Vista Way, Suite 316, Oceanside, CA 92054.

Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering legal or other professional services through this book. If expert assistance is required, the services of appropriate professionals should be sought. The publisher and the author shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information in this publication.

Six Step Success Stories is a trademark of Michael Hauge.

ISBN-10: 1-941870-84-8

ISBN-13: 978-1-941870-84-6

eISBN : 978-1-941870-93-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017935529

Cover photo by Jerry Metellus, jerrymetellus.com
Designed by Joni McPherson, mcphersongraphics.com

INDIE BOOKS INTERNATIONAL, LLC
2424 VISTA WAY, SUITE 316

OCEANSIDE, CA 92054

www.indiebooksintl.com

PRAISE FOR STORYTELLING MADE EASY

No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.

—Will Smith, star of Men in Black, I Am Legend, Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness, Suicide Squad, Bright

Michael Hauge has a masterful ability to help speakers, writers and marketers uncover the emotional potential of any story. He speaks and writes with the authority of a seasoned Hollywood screenwriting expert, and with his natural humor and likeability, helps us all apply those same powerful principles to our own speeches and storytelling.

—Patricia Fripp, past president, National Speakers Association, Hall of Fame keynote speaker, presentation skills expert

When I first met Michael and heard his six-step approach to story, I thought it was amazing. We incorporated his principles into our ClickFunnels software, which now has more than 30,000 active customers and creates millions of dollars a month in sales. Don’t miss out on this terrific book!

—Russell Brunson, owner of DotComSecrets.com and ClickFunnels, Internet expert and super affiliate, author of Expert Secrets and DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online

I’ve seen firsthand with my mastermind group how Michael helps C-level executives formulate and transform their stories quickly and easily. Now you can as well with this simple but powerful book.

—Ron Karr, creator of the IMPACT! Formula, author of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way: The Seven Traits of Great Sellers

Storytelling Made Easy is brilliant! I've never met anyone that gets more excited about story than Michael Hauge. He understands, on a deep, visceral level, how to elicit that emotional impact your story must have. I can think of no better person to help you make magic happen.

—Andre Chaperon, Internet marketing legend. Writer. Author.
Entrepreneur: tinylittlebusinesses.com

Keep this book within arm’s reach at all times. Michael Hauge is a master at crafting stories that will increase your impact, your influence, your income, and your ability to promote your company, product, service or event.

—Mark LeBlanc, past president, National Speakers Association, author of Never Be the Same and Growing Your Business

Michael injects his Hollywood magic into your stories with just six simple steps. If you’re looking to make your message more compelling and desirable, and to evoke a positive response from your prospects, then get your hands on this book!

—Matt Bacak, The Profit Coalition, 2010 Internet Marketer of the Year, author of Secrets of the Internet Millionaire Mind, Marketing Sidekick, and Everyday Heroes

An exceptional resource for any business owner who is serious about moving onward to that next level of success. Michael masterfully dissects the Six Simple Steps necessary for any great story. His real-world perspective comes from thirty plus years of experience collaborating with some of the greatest Hollywood actors, directors, studios and storytellers of our time, along with top speakers and business leaders from around the world.

—Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI, host of the top-rated Onward Nation Podcast

A must-have book that cracks the code for every business owner, marketing person, and executive. Hollywood storytelling expert Michael Hauge provides a proven formula to quickly motivate others with powerful stories.

—Henry DeVries, speaker and consultant, founder of the New Client Marketing Institute and the Marketing With a Book Summit, author of How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett and Persuade with a Story!

A brilliant book! Using what Michael has taught me, I feel much more confident in my ability to sit down and write a story that sells. It feels like the stories write themselves…and writer's block is practically a thing of the past. Knowing the structure and key parts of great stories gives me a framework that actually makes the end result more creative and entertaining.

—Jack Born, Software Entrepreneur: DeadlineFunnel.com, JackBorn.com

This book is dedicated, with deepest gratitude, to those of you who, through the power of story, have transformed my life:

Milton Arbogast, Charles Babbitt, Josiah Bartlet, Richard Blaine, Martin Brody, Hamilton Burger, Daniel Caffee, Elwood P. Dowd, Susan Evers, Allan Felix, Carl Fredricksen, Tom Hagen, Curt Henderson, Alex Hitchens, Gordon Lachance, Lars Lindstrom, Billy Mack, Sean Maguire, Kim McAfee, Annie Reed, Arch Stanton, William Thacker, Susan Walker, and David Webb.

Eternal thanks to you all.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To be honest, writing a book doesn’t really require much help. You just sit down, start typing, and there you go.

But finishing a book—staying inspired and committed, acquiring the knowledge that will give it value, choosing words that are involving and entertaining and helpful and inspiring (and grammatically correct), making the layout appealing, and the cover alluring, and the testimonials compelling, and then taking it into the world with enough power and promotion to reach all the people you hope to guide and transform with your message—that demands a great deal of help and support. Those who provided me with that support deserve more gratitude than I can adequately express. But I’ll give it a try…

Let me begin by thanking Patricia Fripp, an extraordinary speaker and coach who has been a teacher, a mentor, a champion, and most of all an incredibly generous friend ever since I took my very first steps outside of Hollywood and into the worlds of public speaking and business. She has introduced me to countless brilliant and accomplished people she knew would help me, including half the people mentioned below.

Those include world champion speakers Darren LaCroix, Craig Valentine, Ed Tate, and Mark Brown. Sharing the stage with them is an honor and a thrill, and seeing their ability to tell stories so masterfully and powerfully has been both humbling and enlightening.

Thanks to Matt Bacak and Daegan Smith and Russell Brunson for bringing me into the world of Internet marketing, and giving me the opportunity to work with them, and to spread the gospel of storytelling even when I was mystified with concepts of funnels and traffic and split tests.

And to André Chaperon, a master storyteller in the Internet marketing arena, for his ongoing guidance, and his willingness to agree when I said, “We should do something together.” Plus added thanks to André and his wife Anita. It was because of them that the foundation of this book was born.

As for the book itself, it truly would not exist had it not been for Henry DeVries, who has worn so many hats in its development that I should really mention him in four different paragraphs. He has been a supporter and mentor since we first met. He coached me through the process of turning what had been a series of blogs into a book. And as CEO of Indie Books International, he and his team continue to guide me through the journey of publication and promotion that begins once a book is complete. So thanks, Henry, for your wisdom, your humor, your mutual love of movies, and especially your friendship.

Included in the team at Indie Books International, a special thanks to Vikki DeVries for her meticulous copyediting (and for stopping me from using dashes and ellipses in every paragraph), to Joni McPherson for both her artistry and her patience with me in coming up with the cover and layout of the book, to Devin DeVries for managing the whole project, and to company Chairman (and Henry’s sidekick) Mark LeBlanc for his help, generosity, and friendship, and for teaching me why a book should cost twenty bucks.

Deepest thanks as well to Stephen Woessner, whose wise counsel is invaluable, who has graciously opened so many doors for me through his Onward Nation podcast and his coaching, and who is simply a joy to talk to and work with.

Finally, huge but inadequate acknowledgment to my two biggest supporters…

Thanks to my assistant Nevada Grey, without whose tireless, devoted, and unmatchable help and guidance my business would grind to a halt—and without whose friendship my life would be far less fun and fulfilling.

And to my wife Vicki—always my biggest fan, always my most faithful promoter, and always my most appreciative audience—thanks for a lifetime of love and support…and great stories.

APPENDIX III

Corporate Client Interview Questions

The Setup

•At the time you began working with us, what was your position with the company, and what were your responsibilities?

•What was your company’s financial situation before you began taking any action?

•Were you aware of the challenges the company was facing, or did it seem like things were going along nicely?

The Crisis

•Did you or your company suffer any specific crisis or financial setback that forced you to take action?

•What effect on your business—and your personal life—did this crisis or setback have?

•How did the crisis you faced affect your employees and co-workers? Your family? Other companies you do business with?

•Did you try any other solutions to these issues before you came to us? What were they? Did they work? Why or why not?

•When did you first hear about the benefits of our program?

•How soon after you were introduced to us did you decide to hire us?

•Did you experience any concern or hesitation prior to committing to our program? What worried you or made you skeptical?

•What finally made you decide to give us a try?

•What specific goals did you hope to attain by working with us?

•How would you know when your company had achieved those goals?

Pursuit

•What were the most effective steps we asked you to take in achieving your company’s objective?

•What surprised you about this process? Was anything about the experience of the program different than you expected?

•Was the change your company experienced gradual, or did everything come together quickly?

Conflict

•What were the hardest things about beginning, and sticking to, the steps we recommended?

•What personal challenges arose for you, your co-workers, or your families as your company followed our recommendations?

•How were you able to overcome these obstacles?

The Climax

•When did your company finally meet its original goals?

•What was that moment like?

The Aftermath

•What is your organization like now, compared to what it was before you began our program?

•How has the company’s success affected your employees?

•How has it changed your own life?

•What would you suggest to anyone else whose organization is pursuing similar goals or dealing with similar situations or problems?

INTRODUCTION

Why Success Stories?

Are you a business executive? Salesperson? Consultant? Internet marketer?

Are you a public speaker, or do you give presentations in the corporate arena?

Do you write nonfiction books that guide people toward greater business or personal success, or greater happiness and fulfillment?

Do you use the media to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and to draw potential clients or customers?

Whatever your career or commercial endeavor, your job is always the same: you’re a problem solver.

Every dollar (or peso or euro or yen or farthing or clam shell) ever spent, in every transaction ever made, was because someone had a problem they wanted solved. Something was broken and needed fixing, someone was sick and needed healing, someone was bored and needed entertaining, or someone didn’t feel safe enough or wealthy enough or smart enough or sexy enough.

And the recipients of all hat money were the sellers of the products or services or experiences that buyers thought could solve their problems.

Why did those buyers want their problems (or their perceived problems) solved—or at least lessened?

Just one reason: they believed doing so would make them feel better.

They thought that if they—or their loved ones—had more money, or success, or possessions, or education, or fame, or approval, or excitement, or tranquility, or redemption, or laughter, then they would feel happier, or healthier, or safer, or more content or more fulfilled.

And they believed that the person or product or service they chose was the best one to provide that feeling.

In other words, any time someone pays you—or your company—they’re making an emotional decision.

So, imagine if every time you gave a speech, or wrote a marketing e-mail, or published a book, or made a sales pitch, or tried to inspire an employee, you gave your audiences or readers or potential buyers the emotional experience of solving their problems?

What if you could give them an actual taste of the relief or the satisfaction or the happiness or the success that you’re promising?

You can—by simply taking the steps that follow.

Stories That Sell

When added to speeches and marketing campaigns, stories increase e-mail response rates, client enrollments, product sales and revenue.

Why? Because well-told stories accomplish a multitude of benefits:

•They entertain

•They educate

•