I'm frequently asked how I found my 'big idea'. Here are some helpful things to consider that should help you land something that you love AND that’s lucrative...

Let me ask you a question...

Are you:

1. Struggling to identify what you should sell?
2. Trying to validate what you're about to sell?

If you answer ‘YES’ to either of these questions, then grab a notepad and pen... because this could be one of the MOST powerful lessons you’ll EVER learn, so take notes.

What I’m about to teach you is the EXACT opposites what I learned in college.

I’ll probably ruffle some feathers by saying what I’m about to say, but whatever…

You’re also gonna get a sneak peek into my Core Problem Planner.

YOUR BIG IDEA

So what is your BIG IDEA... and how do you find it?

Your BIG IDEA is the one thing that represents the core of an entire business.

The mistake that most people make is that they try to create the problem and then provide the solution.

This was what I was taught at college... and many infomercials are created this way too.

I'm NOT saying it doesn't work, but I'd rather find a group of people who already have a problem.

IT’S SO MUCH EASIER!

You find what problems your red ocean is suffering from already, then you solve a legitimate problem.

So…

Q: How do I come up with my one BIG IDEA?

A: I don't come up with it.

(… this was something that tripped me up for a long time.)

Instead:

1. I go to an insanely competitive red ocean, (which is exactly the opposite that I was taught in college), and figure out the problems that they are ALREADY having.
2. Then I rank the problems.

Something that I'll bring you guys through, in far more detailed than I did last OfferMind, is what I call The Core Problem Planner.

YOUR CORE PROBLEM

Each one of your businesses should solve a core issue.

So I look at a red ocean to figure out what the problems they're already experiencing.

Remember…

I don't need to create the problem, it already exists.

Then I start ranking the problems against a series of criteria...

BECAUSE not all problems are:

1. Created equal.
2. Understood by everybody in the red.
3. Something people are willing to pay money for.

If you’re coming to OfferMind, (which I hope you are), this is the stuff I talked about with pictures, drawings, formulas, and maps.

Someone asked me, “Stephen, where all these formulas you’re forever talking about?”

THEY’RE AT OFFERMIND

... just dropping that out there ;-)

So come to OfferMind and you’ll learn:

• What to look for in a red ocean.
• Which red ocean to choose.
• What an ocean is #period.
• What signs to look for when you pick a problem to solve.
• How to create a new offer.
• How you launch your offer to that red ocean.

It's very granular.

Theories are cool. I love teaching mindset stuff, (that's really my main role with the OFA Challenge).

...but at the heart of it, I think some of that stuff gets fluffy.

I want:

• Formulas
• Patterns
• Maps
• Blueprints

... that's the stuff I get motivated over.

I'm a geek, man. I'm a geek, but geeks get paid! So whatever…

YOUR CORE OFFER

I love watching Shark Tank, not because I believe in VC funding, I like seeing the ideas people come up with.

...but lots of times people have these ideas that *they* came up with.

*WRONG*

It shouldn't come from you!

The Core Problem Planner helps you identify the problems that are already being experienced in the red ocean.

Then you rank them according to several things:

• How easy can I talk about the problem? (Not the product, the problem.)

You lead with the problem, not the solution.

This is the opposites of what I was taught in college.

So when it comes down to it...

• I don't come up with the main idea.
• It shouldn't come from me.
• I'm not the one filling my own wallet.
• I'm not the one who's gonna be paying for this.

What I do is I go into the red ocean, and rank out all the problems... and based on a bunch of criteria, I find what I call The Core Problem.

Which means that my entire NEW…

• Idea
• Blue ocean
• Opportunity

... is NOW based on me solving that core problem.

The Core Offer solves The Core Problem.

I'm very methodical about the way I pull stuff out. Just coming up with ‘a good idea’ is too freakin' risky.

I'm an entrepreneur and I'm okay with risk... but I want it to be calculated.

So the thing I've come up with over the last two-three years is how to go identify and rank problem in the red ocean, then create what I call ‘The Core Offer.’

... that’s what my book will be about, but OfferMind also goes into this stuff.

• Day #1: I'm gonna teach this whole framework to you
• Day #2: We’ve got Russell and Dana Derricks are coming in. I'm talking with Myron Golden (I got a soft Yes, we're just trying to make sure dates are fine).
• I'm gonna try and get Mark Joyner and Bill Glazer.

CREATING YOUR BIG IDEA

I have a very unique take on Offer Creation, but the ‘BIG IDEA’ is not something that I come up with on my own anymore...

The BIG IDEA is fueled by the problems that ALREADY EXIST in the red ocean.

I want to make sure that there’s a genuine problem before I go build a whole freakin' business around solving it.

The BIG IDEA doesn't come from me. It is fueled by those that I hope will buy it, and that makes it less risky.

It means…

• I don't have to be a creative psycho genius.
• I just have to be a detective.
• I can just understand the frameworks.

It’s a 30,000-foot view.

BECOMING CATEGORY KING

I'm the category king of two different oceans right now. One was accidental, one totally on purpose.

However…

The thing that causes that Blue Ocean is an idea more than a product. The product just fulfills on the idea.

I don't create the problem.

I'm just gonna solve a legitimate problem in a highly competitive red ocean, which means:

A lot of people have that problem… and then, I solve that problem with an idea.

One of the things I've learned is that if I try to come up with the idea on my own, it's almost guaranteed to fail out of the gate.

It's far more risky.

I'm not saying it won't win. I'm saying the chances of it winning are smaller.

The blue ocean doesn't exist until you create it by siphoning customers from the red.

...but too many times this is what happens:

Imagine yourself on an island...You’ve got some knick-knacks. One day, you put all your knick-knacks in a cart and decide to sell them...

Q: Where are you gonna push your cart to sell your goods?

A: Where the people already are!

Just because your product is new, it doesn't mean you go to a place that’s new and deserted to sell it.

… but that's what most people do, # no cash in that!

People don’t buy just because:

• No one's doing what you’ve done
• You're different

*THAT’S STUPID*

You have to take your product and push it to where EVERYBODY is already… and it has to be something they actually WANT!

Does that make sense?

Your products don't necessarily need to be that new, but your offer, that's the new thing.

Truly, you could have tons of stuff that people have already sold, but you need to bundle them together as a NEW offer.

Then you sell to wherever there's the most foot traffic # the red ocean.

Your offer product will be blue, but you sell it to the red ocean.

CREATING A BLUE OCEAN

Over time, your market changes from the red ocean where all the competition is, to the blue that you’ve created.

You have a new offer that's a brand new that has never existed and you're selling it to an existing marketplace...

But as people buy, you're pulling them (with an idea) over into a NEW blue ocean.

The new vehicle is almost more of an idea than a product. The product just fulfills on it.

As people start to buy, they get siphoned off over into a blue ocean.

So, let me ask you another question...

Q: Is it easier to sell to people who:

1. Have never bought from you before?
2. Are already your customer?

A: Second money's always easier than the first money.

So as people are leaving the red, (and they're coming over to the blue), you start getting a little pocket of people who are your current buyers.

Whoo, my friend... therein, lies power!

The book Ready, Fire, Aim says that at the start of your business, your main purpose is to get a qualified mass of customers. Then eventually, you’ll want to sell something to your existing customer base that's MORE expensive.

What's cool about gaining a lot of customers quickly, is that it makes any subsequent offer or product that you drop out to them, highly likely to succeed right out of the gate…

...because so many of your existing customers will purchase it.

Does that make sense?

I am NOT the creator of the blue oceans that I run. I'm the facilitator of the solution.

BLUE OCEAN MESSAGING

Think about this:

I'm NOT a professional copywriter, and yet we make really good money.

How do I do that?

A lot of you guys know I sell in the MLM space, right? It's real easy to get intense in that space.

Q: Why?

• What is the vehicle everyone is convinced gives them success in MLM?
• What's the method that they are all taught?
• Talk to who?

A: “Talk to your friends and family.”

So... I'm the anti-red message.

I choose whatever problem that the majority are having… and I become the anti-red voice.

• I've never been on a three-way call.
• I don't do hotel meetings.

… I don’t do any of that crap!

I am very anti those methods in my messaging.

I’ve become the anti-red voice of the traditional method that MLM encourages.

Q: Who does that call out?

A: It calls out those who are inside the red ocean and feeling the pain of the accepted methods.

When those people hear my message, they perk up and go:

“I didn't know there was another option!”

I don't need to sell people on MLM as a concept, they’ve already bought in… they just freakin’ hate the methods they’re using!

HEAD TO HEAD WITH RUSSELL…?

Think about my offer creation stuff...

I sell to people in the ClickFunnels space because they're already sold on things like ClickFunnels.

They're voting with their wallets and not their mouths.

However, in this case, I NOT the anti-ClickFunnels voice. Instead, I’m anti the methodology that most people use to get success with ClickFunnels.

I'm never gonna be anti-ClickFunnels. I never gonna throw rock at ClickFunnels. That would be STUPID (all caps).

My Offer Creation is complimentary, NOT competitive to ClickFunnels.

HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

I've learned that my positioning, (in relation to vehicles, solutions, or products that already exist), is a higher signifier of my success than how good my product is.

That's sketchy stuff for me to say, and I’ll probably ruffle some professors feathers by saying that kind of thing.

But…

I’ve found that people frequently have FASTER AND MORE success when they position themselves in relation to the existing red ocean, rather than make a brand new, prolific product that’s never been seen before…

You can go prolific, but I've seen far more people create success with:

• D / F level funnel building skills
• D / F level, right offer creation /sales message writing
• Terrible promotion
• Terrible on podcasting or whatever…
• A poor attractive character

… when they position themselves with an anti-red message that speaks to a pain point that the red ocean is already experiencing.

… because when the customer sees that message, they feel:

“Crap! I've been looking for a solution... I just didn't know which one I should choose!”

… and then the business who understands their pain becomes the obvious choice and solution!

The book Play Bigger talks about that quite a bit…

I lead with the problem, NOT the solution, and then it’s assumed that I have the BEST solution.

I lead with me understanding what the issues currently are... NOT with, “How can I create a problem so that they'll buy my solution?”

That SUCKS!

A lot of people teach and I'm very against it.

SO WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?

OfferMind is extremely proven out methods and models for causing cash, regardless of price point, industry, or product.

It’ll get you so much closer to launching something that's good enough to make a lot of money than just coming up with something new.

When I'm creating the content for this kind of stuff, I literally walk through my bookshelves and think to myself:

• What are the issues that everyone's experiencing?
• How can I help people identify a red ocean more?
• How can I help people know what to look for when they have found the red ocean?
• What is it that people need to understand about the red that fuels the blue?
• What is it about the blue that makes it so attractive for the Reds?

These are those kinds of questions that I look for.

I read the most geeky, boring, dry books that have ever been written on the face of this planet to try and figure out those answers for you.

I go into deep dives in my Bat cave. My whole floor becomes a studio.

• I take out all these legal pad pieces of paper, (it's a lot of legal pads).
• I write down core ideas.
• I group them in the corners of the room.
• I'm studying and doing learning deep dives and remember things I learned at the foot of Russell.

I hate rah-rah... if you guys think I’m a motivational speaker, I'm so sorry, that means I’m failing.

I am NOT a motivational speaker.

You might find a motivating, but I'm NOT a motivational speaker.

I don't know why, but for some reason, I gotta be honest with you guys, I used to make fun of live events a little bit.

I thought:

“Oh, they just want money”... or they just get in like this rah-rah state and crap like that.

...and so I was a little bit of a skeptic.

But then I went to some live events, and I was like:

“That’s like I took two semesters of college and forced it into two days.”

I feel like it's actually how you take a year and force it into a day or two to quickly learn something that would usually take you A LOT of money and time and energy and effort.

I like to dive into patterns and that's kinda my unique ability.

When I was in elementary school, I had a hard time knowing what I was good at., and it was an active conversation with my parents…

• “Well, maybe you’d be kinda good at this?”
• “You know what.. it'd be really cool if you could go try this.”

… and I was like, “Yeah, I'm not that good at that.”

It’s not that I had to be good in order to continue pursuing something, but the thing that I kept trying to figure out was like:

“What is it that I actually do?”

*I'm the orchestrator*…

“I don't know how to play that instrument, but y'all want it, and I know someone who's probably good at fulfilling that. Boom! Why don't you come in here!”

...that's way better. # geeks get paid

Hey,

I know this game can take a few tries to get the money flowing, especially the first time, right? And that can suck.

I also know from experience how frustrating it can be to know your business is just a few tweaks away from your next big payday…

But you don't know what tweaks to make.

I've felt completely paralyzed by that in the past, and it sucks.

I've been blessed to work with thousands of new and successful businesses over the last three years, and two things have really shocked me.

#1: I began noticing the pattern to success is vastly the same, but everyone's spot on the path is obviously different.

#2: I've been shocked and overwhelmed by the number of people asking for my help, my systems, and funnels in their business.

Well, until now I've never had a system or product in my own business to help you build yours.

Now, I'm finally able to be public about all this...

If you'd like my help to build your offer or sales message funnel and even your content machine, go to myofferlab.com.

The path to online and offline success is 80 percent the same regardless of the product, price point or industry, and it works if you're new or already a killer in business.

You can get more details on how to get my personal attention and frameworks in your own business by going to myofferlab.com

In-person classes are limited to 60 people each, and frankly, I can only do about two of these a year. Get more details, and even jump on the phone with us for free at myofferlab.com

Here's a quick example of how I'd make an offer for each major industry...

If you want to create a SEXY offer, you need to be a SCHEMER!

Oh, YEAH… it’s Claude Hopkins time… ;-)

In my last blog, I gave some quick and dirty examples of sales messages across ten different industries. Today, I want to go one step further and show you how to create an offer!

… so once again, I’m gettin’ down with the granddaddy of offer creation (and toothbrushes), Mr. Claude Hopkins.

(Get with it, Kids!)... seriously, check out this advert...

ARE YOU A SCHEMER? Claude Hopkins was *THE MAN*

He was one of the world's first Schemers. 

Now, a lot of people hear the word scheme and think of negative pyramid shaped connotations i.e, dodgy pyramid schemes.

...but that’s NOT what the word Scheme word meant in Hopkins day.

In the late 1800s, a schemer was somebody you hired to design your offer.

Offers used to be called Schemes. 

You’d hire a ‘Scheme Man,’ i.e., “I'm gonna get the Scheme Man to come into my business to design my offer and sales message… and that’s the scheme I’ll go to the market with...”

Claude Hopkins was known in the industry as being one of the world's best schemers. 

Claude Hopkins was one of the first to:

• Give out samples as part of the sale…

• Test all his headlines with color-codes...

• Put an ad on a car...

He was one of the first people who said that:

You SHOULD test... and the ONLY purpose of an ad was to sell, NOT entertain. 

If you read my last blog, you’ll already know about Albert Lasker, (the energetic bipolar genius who’s responsible for you drinking orange juice at breakfast.)

Hopkins was hired by the advertising firm Lord & Thomas where Lasker was a partner. In fact, it was Lasker who brought Hopkins in to work for the company.

… which meant that Lord & Thomas were able to create both the ads and the offer for their clients.

Claude Hopkins was the top paid scheme man in the world. 

At that time, he made $185,000 a year. That’s the equivalent of about 1 1/2 million dollars in today’s money. THAT’S A HUGE AMOUNT!

GREAT NEWS FOR THE TOOTH FAIRY

Although it sounds pretty disgusting to us... but before an advertising campaign, (devised by Hopkins), people didn't brush teeth.

Claude Hopkins was responsible for making brushing your teeth popular.

There was a company called Pepsodent who’d invented this thing called toothpaste, and Hopkins built offers and sales strategies popularizing the idea of cleaning your teeth.

(“You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!”)

Claude Hopkins was AWESOME! He’s the total godfather of what I do. He wrote a book called Scientific Advertising in which he said:

“The time has come when advertising in some hands has reached the status of a science.” 

However, that was in 1923, and since then... 

Offer creation has become kind of a lost art... and that’s the reason why I'm bringing it back. 

That’s why my Facebook group is called The Science of Selling Online, NOT ‘the science and art’... 

I don't believe in learning art. I want to learn science; the formulas and formats that cause cash as a rule. 

Hopkins hated the concepts of making things look pretty, absolutely hated it.

When I read that, I was like, “Claude, I'm your doppelganger, man. I'm even losing my hair!”

# spot the difference

HOW TO MARKET A PRODUCT

When people things to me like, “Stephen this won't work in my industry,” I wanna hit them.

Are you kidding me? 

We're talking about general sales/ marketing/ offer creation as a whole. It’s NOT dependent on:

• What industry you're in.

• The product you have. 

You can take ANY product and turn it into an offer… you just need the right FRAMEWORK

There's a huge did between selling a product as a single solution, and selling an offer which solves a lot of other problems as well.

Right now, at the time of writing this, I have four very simple offer creation templates and frameworks that I use depending on what I'm building…

These frameworks are NOT flash in the pan strategies and tactics. 

OfferMind is where I teach my frameworks, but I want to show you one specific framework that I call XAVIER.

I'm a little bit nervous to give this much away, but it's so I can entice you to come to OfferMind.

Offer Mind is NOT your average event.

I’m not a rah-rah guy. I'd rather get down to brass tacks and teach you the strategies. 

I’ll tell stories when they're necessary, (if I can tell a false belief needs to be broken), but I'd rather just teach the thing.

OfferMind is very aggressive, you’re gonna be very tired by the end of it...  but I want you to come to the event to learn these frameworks.

A lot of times that's why your business isn't cash flowing, it’s NOT because you don’t have the right:  

• Message.

• People. 

...it’s often because you don't have an offer and you've just been selling a product. 

... there's a massive difference (a huge gap) between a product and an offer.

The XAVIER Method helps you to bridge this chasm and get people to open their wallets.

XAVIER is how I structure the core of ANY business.

So I’m gonna go through the same ten categories as I did for the sales message in the last blog. So that’s:

• Agency / Freelancer

• Information Products

• E-Commerce

• Coaching / Consulting

• Network Marketing

• Local Small Business

• B2B Lead Generation

• Blogging / Affiliate

• Non-Profits

• Just Getting Started / Other

I'm keeping the examples the same as they were for the sales message example... so you guys can see, from sales message to the offer, how I’d pitch and tie them together.

If you want to watch me live, in front of an audience, you can go here… if not, keep reading ;-)

THE PRE-FRAME

I'm very excited for you to come to OfferMind.  Hundreds of tickets have been sold already, so it looks like Offermind is probably gonna sell out pretty quickly.

As always, you can learn a ton from what I’ll be doing to promote OfferMind over the next few months. We have:

• A Summit; I have offersummit.com, I can't believe I got that.

• Hopefully, my book will be out beforehand too.

• Check out the actual event funnel itself, it’s an incredible funnel.

What’s I’m about to dive into next is some of the material and types of things that we’ll go over in a lot of depth during OfferMInd. 

OFFER CREATION SPEED DATING

I’m briefly gonna go through the vehicle, the internal and the external false beliefs that my dream customer would experience when they see my product and then ask:

• How can I solve that problem?

• How could I answer objections with additional things?

So I want to quickly walk you through some offers for each individual industry... ready? 

Boom bam, baby whoa! Here we go! 

INDUSTRY #1: AGENCY/ FREELANCER

If I'm gonna go build an offer (and I'm an agency/freelancer) this is how I'd do it:

If I say,  “Well hey, I'm gonna go run your ads.” Everybody's saying that! So how do I turn my service into an offer? 

(Offer creation is  no different, even if you're a service provider)…

The service is the product. 

• A deep dive on your competitors: I give you information on their ads. That would be so awesome. I'd love it if you did that for me, “Oh my gosh that would be so cool.”

• Weekly stats: I'll run your ads, but I'll also give you weekly stats.. as well as recommendations on how to tweak.

• Ad creation: You don't need to hire anybody. I've got a creative team in my back pocket. They're gonna make all your stuff for you. You just have to hire us and we’ve got it all in a one-stop shop.

• A FREE course:  I'll need a few things and I don't want to bother you, so I want to help you get the right VA. We have a course called The Automated Assistant that’ll teach you EVERYTHING you need to know

….I’ve solved a whole lot of problems for the customer. 

INDUSTRY #2: INFO PRODUCTS

Let's say I'm selling something about funnels, I’m gonna give you:

• The physical book. (That's the main thing I want to sell anyway, right?)
• The audiobook. (This is the exact offer for the fake book story, right?)
• A Quick Start Checklist.  You can get the book from anybody, but, “Oh my gosh,” I'm even gonna add the quick start checklist as well.
• A pre-built book funnel. The very one that you just went through. How cool would it be if you had that as well?
• My 10 Free Traffic Methods. Funnels without traffic are dead. So why don't you go ahead and get this through me for FREE?
• Reason to act now:  I'm gonna give you excerpts from top expert interviews. 

Next one, super fast…

INDUSTRY #3:  E-COMMERCE

If I'm gonna sell a pair of socks, I’ll give you...

• A second pair of socks.
• A guide to the best sock and shoe match: I'm gonna get a stylist to show you the three best looks that go with your socks.
• A guide on how to keep your feet from smelling: (People are gonna want to know that. They're probably not gonna ask, but you're solving a problem they might not know they have.) #stinky feet
• A foot doctor interview series. Here are some cool info products on how to keep your feet healthy.
• A FREE month of my Sock of the Month Club. 

...make sense?

*THAT’S AN OFFER*

Who are you gonna buy from?  It’s not hard to fulfill because half of it is freaking info products…. that’s the point!

INDUSTRY #4: COACHING/ CONSULTING (#funnel coaching)

I'm gonna give you…

• Weekly Q&A coaching.

• Monthly stats and funnels.

• All my personal stats

• My Personal Funnel Assets: if I've got a pre-built thing that's already done, bam, here you go.

• My Personal Rolodex Access: If there's somebody that I know would be a good fit for your business I'm gonna give you access them.

• A Free Fly-in Day: where we can chat for a little bit. 

...I mean, come on, that's awesome! How many people are doing that? NOBODY!

INDUSTRY #5: NETWORK MARKETING (#Keto)

*This *is how I kill it in that game. It's so freaking easy, oh my gosh... 

You're gonna get…

• My keto product.

• A Mail-in Blood Test Customization: Are you in Ketosis?

• My Safe Eating Out Guide: so you don't get yourself out of ketosis.

• The Cure the Cravings Jump Start.

• My Keto Lead Funnel: so you don’t need to harass your friends and family... “Don't worry about it, I've got a sweet funnel for you.”

Make sense?

Boom! Next…

INDUSTRY #6: LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS  (#Restaurant business)

The main thing I want you to buy is my food, but you also get…

• A meet and greet with the chef: I tell you my story, “Oh man, I was eating beans and I hated cooking. but now you can't get me out of the kitchen.”  (I swear Disney does that with their characters, and then they charge, like your freaking face for it.)

• A bio-scanner. I want to make sure that I'm not making you fatter, so I scan you and I’ll know exactly what you've been eating... and what you shouldn't eat: “Ah, here's the menu for you. It's customized.” That's freaking sexy!

• A customized handout to give your personal trainer: “Hey, this guy was a tubby today. He cheated, he ate a triple chocolate torte last night,” (which I did... and it was really good.)

• A giveaway: Entry to a free raffle. I'm gonna come to someone’s house and cook a meal for them. 

...that's like, that's nuts!

Do you see how easy this is when you know the mechanisms?

Seriously, can you imagine doing this? 

It's NOT hard when you realize that it's all about value versus price.

INDUSTRY #7: B2B LEAD GEN

Let's say you've got some tech software or an app, and you're trying to get leads…

• A free consultation: you get the software as well as the consultation.

• A Slow Internet Checklist: most of the time we find that if someone has a problem with our software we find out their internet is crappy. (We want to help you to figure out that you probably shouldn't bury my router in the backyard and expect good wireless service.)

• A free support group: called ‘Too many tabs opened anonymous’ for those of you who have 50 billion tabs open.

• Three-minute reminders: How to set your software up in short video format.

• A quickstart guide: If you get stuck at all don't worry about that, we've done this a ton of times.

• 24/7 live chat: we hate ticketing systems, we know you do too. So we've got a live person every single moment of every single day. You've got something, we're here for you.

• Free lead giveaway: we’ll give you a few of the leads we’ve captured in your market to prove to you that our lead system works.

Some really cool little bundles you can toss in that cost next to nothing. 

INDUSTRY #8: BLOGGING/ AFFILIATES 

A lot of the people that came to the original FHAT event were from the blogging world. 

They were getting millions of hits every single month, but they were NOT monetizing a thing... 

so we would use these kinds of offers with them…

AND BOOM, they’d make the Two Comma Club really fast.

So let's say you're a mommy blog talking about how to get some rest. Sweet, well I'm gonna give you a cool…

• Restful Mama Cheat Sheet.

• The Successful Mom's Day: a rough guide to how I can be a mom, but still have a career. (I know you guys want that, I've been reading your comments.) I brought in a whole bunch of experts to create a cool course.

• An Interview Series from Working Moms.

• The Getting YOU Time case study: All these cool case studies of women that have actually done this. They were totally overloaded.. (“I was driving myself and my family crazy, stressed to the hilt, then I did these few little tweaks and suddenly I got my time back and I'm there for my kids.”)

• A FREE ticket to my Moms Retreat.

…that's a really sexy offer. 

INDUSTRY #9: NON-PROFIT

“Hey, I need you to donate, and you’ll get…”

• The “I Donated” t-shirt.

• Our Highlight DVD: showing what accomplished with the funds that came in.

• A raffle for Private Meet and Greet Meal: I'm gonna bring you and your family to meet some of the kids you've been able to help. It's heavy, it's intense, non-profits are. This is real stuff.

• Raffle for the Donator's Highlight: get highlighted in our next newsletter.

INDUSTRY #10: JUST GETTING STARTED 

This is the easiest way to start. I love this method. Here’s what to do…

• Crowd create the course: don't make it yourself. Don't get stuck on product creation, get stuck on sales message creation. Go interview a whole bunch of people on something, and they’ll make it for you. Affiliate Outrage is the 101 on that.
• Interviews with 20 Millionaires: discover the cool patterns that lead to success.
• A checklist (the physical thing): I'm gonna mail a checklist to you so that you can actually walk through and make sure you're doing all the things lead to success.
• Private Community of Starters.
• A raffle to a Meet and Greet the Millionaires:  it'll be private, only a few people, but I'm gonna give you a raffle ticket so you can come and actually hang out with these people. How cool would that be? 

The Bottom line is, whatever industry you’re in…

#1: *YOUR SALES MESSAGE MUST ROCK*

Capitalist Pig, Baby… BOOM! 

If you're just starting out you're probably studying a lot. That's good. You're probably geeking out on all the strategies, right? That's also good.

But the hardest part is figuring out what the market wants to buy and how you should sell it to them, right? 

That's what I struggled with for a while until I learned the formula.

So I created a special Mastermind called an OfferMind to get you on track with the right offer, and more importantly the right sales script to get it off the ground and sell it.

Wanna come? 

There are small groups on purpose, so I can answer your direct questions in person for two straight days. 

You can hold your spot by going to OfferMind.com.

Again, that's OfferMind.com.

These are some quick methods to create a sales message in each industry...

If you go to clickfunnels.com, (and you don’t sign in), there's a quiz that asks:

“Which of These Best Describes Your Business/Service?”

• Agency / Freelancer

• Information Products

• E-Commerce

• Coaching / Consulting

• Network Marketing

• Local Small Business

• B2B Lead Generation

• Blogging / Affiliate

• Non-Profits

• Just Getting Started / Other

Initially, we found that there were six major industries using ClickFunnels.  Once you answer the question, ie shows you the patterns that are MOST effective to help you ‘destroy it’ in your industry.

Over time, it's kinda flexed out (as you can see above) to ten categories…

During the last OfferMind, I walked through each industry to show how I would create a very simple sales message or a hook for each industry.

I didn't write the entire sales message. Instead, I showed an example of the type of origin story I’d create or tell to sell in that space.

When I talk about building a sales message, most people are like, “I can see how my industry has a sales message, I get that.” 

There has to be a sales message or the industry would NOT exist. 

So most people don't have a hang-up about creating a sales message, especially when it's basically just an epiphany bridge script.

(If you don’t know what an epiphany bridge script is, you need to read Dot Com Secrets… or I’m afraid we can’t be friends ;-))

However…

Offer Creation is where a lot of people start to get hung up.

“Well, Stephen, I sell really high ticket, (we're talking multimillion dollar corporation to corporation contracts), there's no way that your Offer Creation method's gonna work for me.”

… and that's the one where I wanna slap people and jump through the window!

That’s NOT true at all. 

Then…

We get to Sales Funnels... and that's where there’s the MOST kickback. 

People are like, “Well, I don't think this could work for me.”

Again, I wanna go nuts on 'em.

So I'm briefly gonna show you the Sales Message Creation I’d use in each of those 10 industries. 

I’m gonna walk through and show you the hook that I’d start to create if I was selling in that space. 

SHAMELESS PITCH The reason I’m sharing is twofold: 

1. I want to teach that to you how I’d create a hook for different industries.
2. # shameless pitch: I want to convince you that you should come to OfferMind. 

This is NOT the kind stuff that you’ll find in any other place.

If you’re planning to come to OfferMind,  and you haven’t got your tickets yet, Offermind.com is up. 

The room only holds 1,038 people. That's not that many people.  We’re literally MAXING IT OUT.

We’ve already sold hundreds of tickets… and it's not for about four months yet. 

WHY OFFERMIND?

I coach pretty much every day, and I have a lot of great success stories...  but there are the things that EVERYBODY struggles with. 

So I asked: How do I take the things that everyone struggles with and deliver those answers? That's what OfferMind is designed to do.

It's NOT your normal event. 

I teach frameworks that cause success as a rule.

What you’re gonna read next, is directly taken from OfferMind last year…

GROUNDBREAKING STUFF

Have you heard of Albert Lasker? (Yeah, all my copywriting people)

Albert Lasker was ‘The Man.’

He is often called the father of modern advertising. He lived in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and he was one of the first people to take advantage of human psychology in ads. 

People thought it was the most groundbreaking thing ever, and at that time it was. 

Until Lasker, most advertisers were just making noise. Lasker was like, “No,  let’s consider how people think.”

...and because of that, people were like, “Whoa, who's this guy? This is amazing.”

Albert Lasker played a major role in shaping modern advertising. He was one of the forefathers of the industry. 

I want you to know this because *this* is the market origin story.

Lasker was a partner in an advertising firm called Lord & Thomas.

It's not called Lord & Thomas anymore, but it's still the third largest advertising agency. They're still extremely successful. 

Lasker operated at a very high energy level and they found out later that he was probably bipolar. 

When I read that I was like, “Oh crap. Hmm, I should probably go get tested...”

DRINK AN ORANGE

In the early 1900s, nobody drank orange juice. 

It was a weird thing. It'd be like offering mustard to somebody who was drinking hot chocolate. No one was doin' that. It was super far out.

But here’s what happened…

There was a massive orange boom in the orange harvest, and the company that's now called Sunkist was having to cut down their own trees. 

There were so many oranges that they didn't know what to do with them. 

So they came to Lasker and asked him to help solve the problem...

Being a brilliant marketer, Lasker turned the problem into a Massive Opportunity.

THE BIG QUESTION WAS: How can we heavily increase the consumption of oranges? 

ANSWER: By making it a drinking habit.

Lasker created the campaign called ‘Drink an Orange’ from Sunkist.

Lasker knew that one glass of orange juice would most likely be two to three oranges; so he made it an offer:

• He put all of these oranges together in a little bag with an orange press.

• He taught people how to squeeze oranges and make their own orange juice. 

This is one of the original ads from Lasker’s campaign.

• Consumption of oranges went through the roof

• The company was saved the company

• Orange juice is now a thing. 

...Ooh, baby, isn't that cool? 

MARKETERS CHANGE THE WORLD A lot of products we use today started out with a successful marketing campaign.

• It hasn't been that long since toothbrushes became a thing, seriously!

• Toothpaste too.

• For a long time, eggs were not a thing you ate for breakfast

… then a marketer came along. 

If you’ve ever seen the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? You’ll remember the Grandpa who always said: "Tell me a word and I'll tell you how it's origin is Greek."

... I'm totally that for my wife now for EVERYTHING in our household!

I'm totally *that guy*... because marketers have changed the world.

Check out this quote:

The product that will not sell without advertising will not sell profitably with advertising.

A big key lesson there!

Step #1: Your sales messages gotta rock.

That's what Lasker was amazing at. He created cool sales messages and the offers around it. 

So real quick, I wanna walk you through the sales messages for different industries.

THE HERO’S TWO JOURNEYS

The Hero’s has two journeys that we care about:

1. The Achievement
2. The Transformation

So I’m gonna show you how to create achievement and transformation in a sales message for the ten different industries.

Remember, transformation happens on the inside, and it's what actually makes us care about the story. 

However, people also need to see the steps in a logical order to show how the transformation occurred:

• Step #1

• Step #2

• Step #3

INDUSTRY #1: THE FREELANCER/ AGENCY

ACHIEVEMENT: "I finally could help business owners enjoy the businesses they worked so hard to build.”

Q:  If I sell people as an agency and freelancer, (if I start leading with that), what does that say to them? 

A: “Oh man, yeah I love my business too. Oh yeah, I know, I know. I was finally able to help people like that, I love my business also. You should work with me.”

TRANSFORMATION: "I didn't realize that I’d learned to love their business and the results as much as they did." 

INDUSTRY #2: INFO PRODUCTS

If I'm selling info products, a storyline I would use to sell my product would be something like:

ACHIEVEMENT: “My funnel leads started pitching me on taking their money. I only switched three things for that to happen." 

If I'm trying to sell a funnel book, and I'm talking to people who want funnel knowledge.  I'd be like, “Hey, my leads started pitchin' me, it's the craziest thing.”

Then those people will be like: “Oh I wish I had that too.”

TRANSFORMATION: "I started seeing ‘beyond’ each lead. The impact that my work was about to have as they hired me was humbling." 

This is the internal transformation people want to see it in YOU, the attractive character. They wanna see YOU change. 

Does that make sense? 

Each of these examples is very similar, and that's the point. 

Your stories are all different, and you have your own stories, but you're plugging it into an existing framework though. There’s a transformation that happens with it. 

INDUSTRY #3: E-COMMERCE

Let’s say I'm selling socks. How would I sell more socks?

I choose crazy examples for a reason. Follow me on this... 

ACHIEVEMENT: "I couldn't believe how awesome they were. These socks are so cool. They're breathable, low maintenance, and stylish. These are awesome socks.”

TRANSFORMATION: “Although they were on my foot for the first time, my foot felt free, holy crap. 

Cheesy as it sounds, I noticed I'd make an extra effort for people to see my feet. Like a newly engaged bride-to-be flashing a ring, my socks made me a new me..." 

They need to see the then and the now, and that's what you're doing in each industry. Doesn't matter what you're selling.

(I take my shoes off all the time. My shoes are dumb. Money socks, baby! Mmmm... )

Before you say, “Oh, man, that’s cheesy!”  I need to remind you that you see this late at night crap in infomercials ALL THE TIME!

Don't be afraid to use the storylines that convert people. These are the storylines that make people buy. 

INDUSTRY #4: FUNNEL COACHING

ACHIEVEMENT: "I didn't really think I needed help. Not because I had it all together, I just didn't think I needed it. So I went and got this funnel coaching. Once I said yes, my progress was astounding.“

TRANSFORMATION: “I had no idea to get my physical goals met, I needed to learn to like me for me."

They wanna see that, “Ahhhhh,” kind of ascent.

INDUSTRY #5: NETWORK MARKETING

ACHIEVEMENT: "It became clear to me that not everyone has the same goals, so I shouldn't pitch anybody with a heartbeat. Now I have automated leads daily." 

Big problem + Big achievement: = Wow, I want that!

TRANSFORMATION: "If someone would've told me that this was gonna be ‘the best personal development course’ in existence. I would've laughed, and I did... and it was." 

You don't need these long drawn out stories; that’s a freakin' epiphany bridge in those two paragraphs. 

It's a little backstory, a little bit of a wall, internal/external. It doesn't always have to be big long narratives. 

INDUSTRY #6: LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS ( # local restaurant)

ACHIEVEMENT: "I remember eating canned beans for four months as a single bachelor. Now you can't keep me out of the kitchen. Let me invite you to my kitchen.”

There's a backstory which you care about that local restaurant now. You know his backstory, his upbringing, and why he makes his food that way? 

“Oh my gosh, he doesn't even use canned beans anymore?”

TRANSFORMATION: “I've realized I don't actually cook food. That's not why customers come. People come here to connect. I sell human connection, not food.” 

That’s the elevate and the ascent...  

Your customer wants that, so let them have it. 

INDUSTRY #7: B2B LEAD GEN

TRANSFORMATION: "My whole childhood was filled with memories of being poor. But now there's so much money I can't see straight.

(I choose this story because a lot of people have memories of being poor, I'm just tying into the old story.)

TRANSFORMATION: "I've always dreamt of being a big bad B2Ber. Pin suit, button up, a swagger that someone noticed down the street. 

But this game roughed me up, spit me out, and taught me the biggest lesson of all. It's all about the people."

People would be like, “Oh yeah!” They want that. Let 'em have it. 

INDUSTRY #8: BLOGGING/ AFFILIATE (# Mommy Blog)

ACHIEVEMENT: “Each day, I wanted to spend more time with my kids. It was super hard. It was really, really challenging for me to spend time with my kids and I watch them grow. 

I realized I was missing things as they were growing up. I don't like that. Now I get to choose when I work."

Here we have a:

• Backstory

• Wall

• Achievement

... now let's feel the transformation.

TRANSFORMATION: "Funny enough, just BEING with my kids has taught me more about being a mom than blog ever did. I don't need to read mommy blogs as much anymore."

Interesting, huh!

INDUSTRY #9: NONPROFITS

(This is kind of an intense one, for sure.) 

How many of you guys have heard of Operation Underground Railroad?  They save children from sex slavery.

ACHIEVEMENT: "All I wanted to do was help children be safe. Thanks to your donation, that's happening..." 

So if I’m a nonprofit, my story is the transformation and the achievement that you get by donating. 

You are the story...

“Thanks for your donation. Just so you understand what's happening. I want kids to be safe, and that's happening because of your donation”

That's powerful.

… be careful with this stuff.

TRANSFORMATION: "I know my life's purpose. I found it the moment I had this idea."

We like to get behind someone with a mission like that. 

Operation Underground Railroad is a nonprofit organization that’s pulled in tens of millions of dollars to actually help free children from sex slavery. Amazing, right! 

...and if they can get YOU to feel that transformation as if you're the one doing the raid...

I know it feels weird to talk about it that way, (but if you understand what I'm saying from a marketers standpoint)... that's how you would create a powerful transformation in that nonprofit. 

Your supporters need to experience the transformation for themselves. 

INDUSTRY #10:  JUST GETTING STARTED

ACHIEVEMENT:  "I needed a career, but couldn't seem to get the job after college. I dedicated myself to learning the formulas of other successful people, and I found them." 

People are like, “Well, what are they?” You’ve just created the achievement: “I found the formulas for how successful people work.” People are like, “What?” 

...but now they want the internal to make sure that you're not a slimeball. 

You potential customer wants to feel the uprising and the ascent.

TRANSFORMATION: "Mindset is money, I wasn't broke, my mind was.”

You'd be like, “Hmmmmm…” powerful right? Yeah, you felt that, didn't you? How did I know how to write that? 

… because I lived the hook.

Understand, a lot of these stories are real stories from my past. It's just the way that I tell them that's effective…

... and you can do this too, regardless of your industry.

BOOM! 

If you're just starting out you're probably studying a lot. That's good. You're probably geeking out on all the strategies, right? That's also good.

But the hardest part is figuring out what the market wants to buy and how you should sell it to them, right? 

That's what I struggled with for a while until I learned the formula.

So I created a special Mastermind called an OfferMind to get you on track with the right offer, and more importantly the right sales script to get it off the ground and sell it.

Wanna come? 

There are small groups on purpose, so I can answer your direct questions in person for two straight days. 

You can hold your spot by going to OfferMind.com.

Again, that's OfferMind.com.

A while little ago, in my Facebook group, someone hit me up with a question.

The question was:

“Stephen, would you have made $1 million faster if you’d just focused on ONE business?”

...the question shocked me.

Because ...*I ONLY EVER FOCUS ON ONE THING*

So, I started thinking about how it can look like I’m doing MORE than I actually am... and it has EVERYTHING to do with how I focus and what I focus on.

So if you wanna get a crap ton done, (without burning out), this is for you!

BECOMING THE OFFER GUY

At the beginning of 2018, I had no product, no business, NOOOTHING. I only had ONE focus…

My first product was in the MLM space. I built a product and a high ticket offer.

Then, I spent two to three months just putting the systems in place and testing them to see if they worked...

I didn't take my focus from that ONE area until the systems in place to run it.

But I was kind thinking:

“Hmmm, I love offers, and frankly, no one else really geeks out about 'em as much as I do. I'm gonna be the offer guy.”

Russell said: “You should be the offer guy!”

Dana Derricks said: “You should be the offer guy!”

I realized that there hadn’t really been a full-on Offer Creation King since the early 1900’s #Claude Hopkins...

...so I was like, “Yo, I'll be the offer guy!”

BUT… that didn't happen until September 2018.

BUILDING BUSINESS SYSTEMS

Thankfully, by that point, the systems I’d been testing in my MLM business were ninja awesome.

Unless we're launching something, I spend only about an hour a week on maintenance… so, now my MLM product is kind of my back-end business.

I’m not gonna shut in down…

We put $1 in and we get $8 to $10 back out.  Why would I shut those ads off?

It helps a lot of people, the content is good. It delivers and people make a lot of money from it.… *if they just do it*

• It's something people want.
• It's extremely valuable.
• No one else is doing it.

I'm not gonna turn my MLM business off, but I don't have to maintain it that much either.

On my side, it's all automated and systems are in place.

I have:

• Support.
• Fulfillment.
• Phone people who chat with customers.

BUT…

I'm NOT touching the business on a daily basis. I'm the orchestrator.

Once a week, I'll check in, but I don't really do that much of that anymore…

Coulton handles the majority of stuff over there, and now he's got systems and people in place to free him up too.

That's what's soooo funny about the whole argument that I would have made more money if I’d only focused on ONE thing. I ONLY EVER DID!

I only focused on ONE business.

HERE’S HOW IT WENT DOWN…

#1: I left my job

• January - March: I focused solely on just that main MLM product.
• For the next two months, (up until about the end of April): I set up systems and teams to take over what I was doing.

#2: The one thing on top of that was that I'm still pretty involved in the ClickFunnels space.

So that might be the thing that some of you guys might try and slap my hand about… I DON’T CARE.

I love Clickfunnels. It's like my second home. Heck, I even have Russell stickers on my phone ;-)

So, I was contracted as a 2 Comma Club X Coach. I was creating a lot of content for ClickFunnels, and I was doing a lot of events and stuff still…

In August, we did the first One Funnel Away Challenge, so we were developing that content as well.

However, so much on the MLM side was already automated, so that I  didn’t really have to touch it.

Do you understand?

For the One Funnel Away Challenge, I go live once a day for 30 minutes to an hour, (except for two or three days each month when it’s a little bit more than that), and honestly, I just enjoy it.

I tell EVERYONE to start coaching. People overcomplicate thing. If you start coaching, after a while, you'll notice patterns, and see the BIG problems people have...

Then you make that a product that solves that problem. BOOM!

That's the real reason why I coach. It keeps me sharp. I'm not gonna stop that.

I’M NOT THE FUNNEL GUY

By about September, I started thinking:

This MLM stuff is fun, but what is it I wanna be known for?”

1. I'm not gonna be the funnel guy, ( even though I’ve built a whole bunch of funnels), that'd be dumb. Russell is the funnel guy. He's the category king of funnels.
2. How can I create a business that’s complementary to funnels, but not in competition with Russell?

Well, I freak out and dive into offer creation more than anything else.

I just bought another book called The Science of Emerging Markets; it’s super nerdy, and I'm so excited about it...

My fifth bookshelf is topping out. I geek out, man. Offers are my jam. I love just offer creation.

I'm trying to be the offer guy.

… but that decision wasn't official until September.

MY OBSESSION

You have to understand that when I'm putting a product together... no other product exists in my mind.

I have CRAZY FOCUS. It’s obsessive, (probably too obsessive), kind of focus.‘I can't sleep that much for six weeks’ kind of focus. And, honestly, it’s not that healthy, but it's how my brain works.

I go in these cycles of insane focus... I go dead to the world. Besides my podcast and blog, no one hears from me. I barely leave my office:

• I'm building
• I'm crafting
• I'm creating
• I'm very meticulous
• I’m very methodical about the things I'm putting together

That was true for the first 2 Comma Club Coaching program that I helped to develop at Clickfunnels.

It took me six months to create that... and for the first six months after it launched, I was NOT really doing my own stuff. Besides my podcast - *NOTHING*

I was solely focused on tweaking and improving the program

1. Did it provide what customer thought was gonna be there?
2. Was it delivering the result that I was trying to deliver?

If the answer was:

• No?
• This is not clear yet!
• I should plug up that hole.

...then I filmed more training. I plugged any holes up.

So that's what I was doing for the first half of 2018 in my own business.

By the second half of 2018, I had:

• Systems in place
• People running things for me

I spent almost no time, no energy,  no effort, or mental capacity thinking about that MLM business. I just ran, cash flowed and I made money.

Why would I shut that off? It's NOT a second focus, though!

I HAVE A PLAN

I have a few buddies who run several multi-million dollar companies, and they can do that because of systems.

Think about Warren Buffett, how many companies does that guy own?

Did you know that he only has a small team of about 30 people... and he runs all of those businesses.

I’ll bet he has some kick arse systems in place!

You have to understand, I'm not a launch business.  

I'm NOT just launching new things all the time... I know it can look like that, but I'm building out the value ladder.

It's very thought-out. I’m extremely methodical with what I'm launching.

It's NOT a second focus; I'm building the same thing.

Everything is connected and intertwined all paths lead to the same goal.

• The book.
• The summit, (I have offersummit.com).
• My events.

...they are all part of the same value ladder.

(I'll do an episode talking about my value ladder and how I structured it and how I thought through it, at some point in the future)

I'm also very excited to announce something extremely special at OfferMind on which is September 2nd - 3rd, 2019… but it’s all part of the same value ladder!

BECOMING A CEO

I cannot run two content teams, but a system can. I cannot run an internal funnel building team, but a system can.

The whole point I'm trying to say is that  I started as a marketer, but I'm also becoming a CEO.

A CEO is in the business of systems.

I am a marketer who's also a CEO.

For Example:

My internal funnel team built 80%-90% of my OfferMind Funnel. Then I plug in all the holes, edit the copy, and stuff like that. It speeds me up like crazy.

A lot of you guys are marketers, but you're not CEOs yet. That's okay, but you gotta understand that a CEO is in the business of systems.

I build a product, and then I put systems in place so that the time I personally have to spend maintaining it is very small... and if I can't create effective systems, then I don't build the product.

That is a HUGE lesson!

I've actually changed a lot of the methods I use before I design a funnel.

I no longer just design the funnel, the offer, and the sales message…

In fact, designing the actual funnel is ONLY on the top diagonal corner of my whiteboard

On the other bottom diagonal corner, I design the fulfillment and the systems, so that when my product launches, it launches with fulfillment.

Then, I sit back and I think to myself, “What’s my input required for that product?”

I still wanna solve the problem that product is solving. I still wanna deliver the value that the product and the offer are promising, but I don't wanna marry it…

...and my guess is you don't either?

What I'm doing is very thought-through. I'm not just launching stuff. I'm NOT the guy juggling multiple balls, and I'm NOT the circus guy with the spinning plates. I don't do that.

I develop a business. Not a hobby product.

I look at each one of these things:

• What fulfillment is required?
• How can I over-deliver?
• What's the system that will do that?
• Is it a process or is it a who?

A hobby product is one where *YOU* are still the business.

If you are the person doing it all, you don't have a business. Your process will die if you go on vacation.

This is one of the reasons why most businesses will NOT succeed.

STAYING IN YOUR ZONE OF GENIUS

My job is to stay in my zone of genius. So the question I have to answer is:

How can I operate in my zone of genius... while still delivering everything else?

In My OfferLab, there's a workbook that walks you through EVERYTHING piece by piece.

Each person needs to consume largely the same material, which means I would be saying the same thing every single time, so I make a course and a workbook for them to walk through. Sweet!

To provide more hand-holding, I brought in in a who.

That who is with them pretty much daily, answering any questions and guiding them through.

I'm NOT trying to take the human out of the machine, (especially with my high-ticket stuff, I'm extremely involved with OfferLab), but I ALWAYS looking for ways to stay focused in my zone of genius.

My role in my business is to facilitate my own zone of genius.

… and it is NOT by me answering support emails.

It is NOT by me going when someone asks, “Where is this resource?” That is NOT something I should be doing.

THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE

If you're busy launching your product, and you're doing all the stuff on your own, it makes sense why you would look over at me, and be like, "How is he doing all that?"

The Answer is: *I’M NOT*

I have ghosts in the machine. I build machines. I build systems. I'm the systems guy.

I'm a marketer first, but I'm also a systems guy. I like to set things in place so that I know the same three-four things that I have to do to keep the machine moving.

#Monday = I launch products… because I love Mondays so much.

I love launching projects to my team: I don’t do it all. Instead, I say:

“Hey funnel team, this is what I'm gonna go launch, and here's what you're gonna do. I need you to do this. I need you to do that...”

… and I run through it all with them.

#Tuesday = is my content day.

#Wednesday = is becoming my systems day.

It's where I focus on my business systems; whether that’s setting a finance structure so that we’re protected legally, or whatever…

I literally write out systems that say, “ Hey Mr. Support Person, every time this happens, do this.”

… this is very much the piece that has helped increase my leverage in this past little bit here.

>>This is very important key stuff to understand <<

NO HEADLESS CHICKENS HERE

So, while it looks like I am running like a chicken with its head cut off, I'm not.

There's a lot going on right now, but I'm chill about it.

Leads are coming in, and people, processes, or funnels are closing and fulfilling.

My job is to see:

• How much more the product can over-deliver for those who are buying?
• How can I get more leads coming in?
• Let me see what the closers are saying to those leads coming in?
• Maybe that's where I tweak the process?

I am a process tweaker. That is my role. That's what I do. I'm a systems tweaker. I'm a systems creator.

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Your role starts to shift once you have a cash-flowing product, but Entrepreneurs usually have a hard time letting go.

I'm not saying that I don't have a hard time letting go. Sometimes it sucks.

The ONLY way I can let go is by putting systems in place that allow me to feel:

“Okay, I'm cool with someone else doing the 80% of what I normally would do.”

I need to tweak my system until I’m happy enough with the process to let go and give up some control.

Entrepreneurs are in the business of solving problems. A CEO is in the business of systems, systems tweaking and systems building.

It's not that you shed or get rid of the marketer or entrepreneur side… you just kinda take on the CEO role as you move forward.

More traditional companies just have CEO... and someone else is in charge of marketing. I think that’s a major mistake.

Every person in my company is a marketer. That's how I want it to be, and that's how I've set it up.

Marketing is the king.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY

You need to understand the difference between your product and your business.

Start looking at your business, NOT your product. Your product is not a business.

Your business is nothing more than a set of systems that:

• Generates leads
• Converts leads
• Fulfills
• Continues to support
• Upsells

… that's basically what a business is. That's all a business is. It's NOT a logo… or anything else. I'm not saying you can't have those things, but they are NOT a business...

Do you understand what I'm saying?

... and if you are the ONLY one who's getting the lead, fulfilling on the lead, closing 'em, upselling, supporting…

You don’t have a business!

...just try going on vacation, and see what happens!

EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

My business is a set of systems that allow me to achieve a crap ton without running myself ragged.

So yeah!  It looks like I'm going all over the place, but that's NOT how I run anything.

My job is to set up systems with the eyes of a marketer... and it's been working really well.

In fact, the more I've set systems up and removed myself, (especially in the last six months), the more our revenue went up…( #50%). It was crazy.

I stopped interfering so much and let the system do the thing I built it to do.

My system includes:

• People
• Processes
• Tools

A special shout out to James Friel and Alex Charfen. THANK YOU! You’ve been amazing!

• I learned how to sell from door to door sales and Grant Cardone.
• I learned how to market from Russell Brunson.
• I learned how to build systems a lot from Alex Charfen and James Friel.

These are the exact steps you need to learn to transition from entrepreneur to CEO.

1. Become a marketer
2. Sales
3. Closing
4. System Building
5. How to remove yourself from the business

Your aim is NOT to stop delivering for your customer.

You remove yourself so you can look at it from a 30,000-foot view and be like, “Oh my gosh, this piece isn’t working. What shall I tweak?”

... just like you would with a funnel if an upsell wasn't working:

• “Crap! This piece in my business is not working very well.”

1. You lift it out to look at it and tweak it.
2. You plug it back in and see if it works.

So to answer the original question:

I don't have two focuses. I ONLY focus on ONE thing at a time. I'm able to run several things… because I'm NOT the one running them; the system is.

I just looking at the system and ask: “Is the system running that business well?”

I am NOT the system. I've built a business to support my funnels, and that's why it looks like I'm doing so much stuff.

I am doing that much stuff, but it’s the systems that are doing it for me

Hey, just real quick:

A few months ago Russell asked me to write a chapter for a secret project he was doing. I had to write a chapter for a book, this was the letter I got from him.

He said:

"Hey Stephen, let me ask you a quick question...

You suddenly lose all your money, along with your name and your reputation, and only have your marketing know-how left.  

You have bills piled high and people harassing you for money over the phone.

You have a guaranteed roof over your head, a phone line, an internet connection, and a ClickFunnels account for only one month.

You no longer have your big guru name, your following, your JV partners. Other than your vast marketing experience, you're an unknown newbie...

What would you do from day #1 to day #30 to save yourself?

Russell Brunson

Hey, if you want to see my answer and a bunch of other marketers who also answered that in this amazing book and summit, just go to 30days.com/stephen.

You can see the entire summit, you can see the book, you can see what we wrote in there and each of our detailed plans. Just go to 30days.com/stephen.

E-U-S-T-R-E-S-S... is a massively important concept in my life!

Eustress comes from the word euphoria... and the dictionary definition is beneficial stress.

I googled it…

Eustress means beneficial stress, either psychological, physical, biochemical, radiological.”

It literally means “good stress.”

So…

There's Distress and there's Eustress

What does it have to do with Sales Funnel Radio? A LOT, lemme tell ya!

EUSTRESS... NOT, YOU STRESS!

When I coaching people, there’s often a certain amount of stress that gets caused in that person's life as they take action or do something for the first time.

If they're NOT normally an action taker this stress can feel overwhelming.

However, know the difference between distress and eustress can be a game changer.

Eustress is positive growth stress; the kind you would get from pushing yourself at the gym.

BIG MOVES BY MY LITTLE SIS…

My sister Marie, is awesome.

She's getting married soon, so by the time this episode goes out, she will probably be married. (Congratulations, Marie)

However, about two years ago, she was a poor college student who wanted to go to  Funnel Hacking Live. She didn’t have a business or any real savings…

She reached out to me and asked:

"Stephen, I have enough money to either buy a Funnel Hacking Live ticket with a plane ticket and a hotel room... or my groceries and bills for the next month… What should I do?"

Talk about a Big Brother Moment...

I decided to I ask a question to help her weigh up her options and make a decision.

I said: Marie, if you were to go and pay for your groceries and your bills for the next month, what is the likelihood that you will put yourself in a place of eustress and come up with the money to go to Funnel Hacking Live?

She said: "I probably won't."

I said: "I agree with you, you probably won't… most human beings wouldn't.”

Next,  I asked: "If you were to go buy a Funnel Hacking Live ticket, plane ride, and all that stuff... what's the likelihood that you are NOT going to figure out how to eat and then die?"

… and she goes: "I'm gonna figure out how to live and eat."

There you go: "In my opinion, that’s your answer!"

• If you know that it’s good for you…

• If you know that it’s the thing that's cause more success…

… then put your back against the wall voluntarily, and do it that way.

And that's exactly what she did.

She bought a ticket to Funnel Hacking Live, a plane ticket, and all that stuff…

Shortly after, (like the next week), she started getting her first real clients and started doing work that paid her bills.

There's a principle behind this…

THE LAW OF ACTION

Things will begin to conspire for your sake when you get clear on what you want, honest about where you are, and willing to put yourself in situations that cause good stress.

Eustress = Growth

So here’s what happened to Marie next… (I tell these stories with her permission)

Marie went to Funnel Hacking Live, and they sold the 2 Comma Club X for the first time.

Russell did his pitch and it was amazing and there was a CRAZY table rush.

For 30 minutes after Russell's speech,  people can purchase and ask questions…

There’s a countdown clock showing the time left before the next speech, and after it ends, the program will be closed.

People were running to the back to sign up…

There were only 10 minutes left on the timer when I sat down next to my sister who was talking to a friend in earnest.

Marie turned to me and said:

"Stephen, what should we do? We're thinking of putting our money together under one account… then  we’ll just share all the 2 Comma Club X events "

I said: "You could do that, but do you mind if I give my two cents on this?"

(I’ve talked about how questions invite revelation in the blog before… I learned this from a mentor/ leader that I had 10 years ago.)

I very much believe that questions invite revelation.

Here’s how it goes...

When you ask the question:

• How can I get a discount?

• How can I do this, but not as a full participating member?

• How can I do this and not pay the full price?’

… you get an answer to that question.

So I said to Marie, “ I dare you to ask a different question."

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?

I've watched how wealthy people deal react to a situation where they want something that's more expensive than what they were planning on.

instead of saying, “I don't know how to afford this…”

They say, “YES,” and then they figure out how to develop an asset that pays for what they want.

They ask: “What can I develop in order to pay for this expensive thing?’”

So I looked at my sister and said:

"Marie, I challenge to ask the question, ‘How can I afford the most expensive things and experiences this life has to offer?’ Answer that question and develop an asset that pays for your monthly membership of 2 Comma Club X."

That was pretty intense, Marie only had $76 in her bank account at the time.

But Yeah, but that was still the answer.

She had a three week period while everyone was onboarded to the program to figure out how to pay…

(...it was a grand or something like that.)

I asked her: "Can you figure that out if you go and put yourself in a position of eustress?"

And she said: "I think so."

So she got her own account!

… and this is a big lesson for everybody.

POSITIVE STRESS

I know (as a reader of my blog) you’re probably crushing it and TOTALLY awesome...

But a lot of adults haven't learned how to feel a little bit of positive stress and pain.

Not all pain's bad. The point is NOT to be comfortable all the time.

One of the BIGGEST external based false beliefs I hear from people is:

“I would, but I'm just in a financial place to do it right now.”

I’m like, “Man, that's the reason that you do it!”

You do it so that you can put yourself in a place of pressure that causes you to learn and grow at rates you would not be willing to put yourself in otherwise.

Now again, I'm not a financial advisor.

... and you might think this is really extreme. *I don't care*

This is literally how I've been able to progress so fast.

I put myself in scenarios that I know I will figure out because there’s no other option. I voluntarily place my back against the wall, so that these scenarios happen.

And that's what Marie did…

Within two months, she had her own business with cash flow of $10,000 a month.

I asked her: "Would you have gone and done all that stuff if you had a lot of money in your bank?"

Can you guess what the answer was…? ;-)

SMASH YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I swear one of the biggest problems people run into when they're starting any kind of entrepreneurship is that things are too cushy.

Get uncomfortable! I dare you to feel a little pain.

Case in point…

When I left ClickFunnels, I had:

• No product

• No offer

• No funnel

• No team

… it was really intense. I don't recommend that at all!

However, I did it because I knew I was experienced enough to figure it out, and because I knew that it meant that I couldn’t mess around.

I had to figure it out.

There was no mental let out at all. I couldn’t afford any distractions. The cost of me NOT showing up was too high…

…. within a month I had done 59 grand.

A lot of successful entrepreneurs know this principle, but the people who are brand new, often hit against the rocks...

They feel they need to have all the:

• Resources

• Time

• Money

• Energy

• Support

...before they start.

If you’re waiting for all your ducks to be in a row, then you won't do it!

*You will back out*

You’ll find a way to stall… because it’s stressful... and it’s uncomfortable.

BACK TO A WALL GROWTH

I work far more than most of you probably realize..(actually,  it's NOT as crazy anymore).

Often, now, I only work a seven/ eight hour day because I have a team and leverage.

But it wasn’t like that when I first started out.

When you start in this game there are few risks that you probably have to take, but they shouldn’t be stupid risks.

You need to:

• Take a calculated risk

• Find a mentor

• Start moving

You need to be able to get yourself in a place and a position where you don't care that it’s uncomfortable and that it doesn't feel good.

You need to feel a little bit of pain and discomfort to growth.

If you are NOT able to back yourself against the wall, you're NOT gonna do it.

Instead, you’ll wait for my next Podcast episode because you need the NEXT secret or the NEXT hack…

*DON’T WAIT*

You have so much MORE information than I ever had when I started this game…

So please, please, take action…

Life will throw unexpected scenarios at you that’ll put your back against the wall, and you will behave and perform in ways that we didn't know you could.

But the individual who's willing to put themselves against the wall, and take action from a place of eustress, is much better off.

You don’t need all your ducks in a row and the moons to be aligned.

You don’t need ALL the answers!

WELCOME TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

I don't know how to do the majority of the things that I have planned for the rest of this year...

...but I know I'll figure it out.

I'm NOT waiting for someone to come give me the answer. I will figure it out, and then I’ll create a system and leverage.

I will feel uncomfortable.

Once a month there's something where I really don't want to do something. I say to Colton: “Dude, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this right now.”

...and he'll laugh and I'll laugh.

We have these little bouncing ball chairs, I'll crank music, and I'll do something crazy…

What I'm not a fan of shunning your feelings. Feel your feelings! Take a moment to freak out.

Take a moment to have a little poopy-pants syndrome, that's okay...

… but understand that you are NOT your feelings; I love that from Tony Robbins.

You just have to sit back, and be like, “Oh man I need to do this thing.”

There are two or three specific things right now that I’m legitimately NOT looking forward to doing. I don't want to do them.

They're the kinds of things that keep me up late because I don't want to do what I'm supposed to do tomorrow, but it's not about that...

I'm NOT my feelings.

I'm not about shunning emotions and becoming this stone machine. I'm a human being, and we are emotional... so let me feel the emotion, and then after I've given myself time to freak out...

...then I put myself against the wall.

This might sound weird and extreme, but whatever, it works.

We've been cash flowing pretty hard for the last eight months... (but at the same rate).

It's been like 100 to 125 grand a month every month for the last eight/ nine months.

So this past little bit, I've been sittin' back and thinking like, “Crap, I'm still working seven, eight, nine hours a day. It's about leverage now…”

...and that's the eustress that I'm placing myself under.

Part of that’s about me growing, scaling, and starting to create systems.

I've got two content teams, a funnel team, and half of an admin team.

I am doing it... but I'm hitting the next phase, and I feel it.

I know that I personally need to grow in order to handle it... and I feel it. I'm hitting the wall. I know it, and I'm okay with experiencing that.

OVER TO YOU?

• What’s going on in your life?

• What excuses are you using?

• Where are you NOT growing?

Like... “Stephen, I can't because of x, y, and z.”

I go nuts in One Funnel Away Challenge when I hear that…

When someone says, “Well, Stephen, I just don't have ALL the answers needed.”  

Are you kidding? Every single day! Welcome to entrepreneurship.

I don't know how to answer a lot of things that I'm supposed to be doing on tomorrow, but I know I'll figure it out. I'm willing to feel a little bit of discomfort on the way.

But MOST human beings out there, a lot of adults especially, are NOT willing to feel discomfort...

JUST KEEP SWIMMING…

Do you remember the movie, Finding Nemo?

I’ve got three little girls, so we watch a lot of movies like that now...

(Pixar is awesome. Good storytelling, obviously. I like to look at it from that standpoint.)

… but just like those clownfish that go out of their little home, look around, and then come back in again and again...

Most adults are like that... they never do a thing.

They start out, and then:

• Discomfort

• Unknown

• Fear

• Abyss

... and then they pull back into safety.

You need to feel positive stress on purpose and find a way to put your back against the wall.

WANNA GROW YOUR WALLET?

If you're still working a nine to five right now, and you've been wanting to quit and become an entrepreneur…  if this is your dream…

The most likely reason why you haven't done it yet is that your life’s too comfortable.

Find a way to get a little bit uncomfortable, I dare you. Then come tell me if it did not change you and/or your wallet along the way.

I’m pretty forward with this message, but I'm just trying to use what I taught my sister as an example.

• Yeah, yeah, it’s certainly scary.

• Yeah but this could happen! Yep, it could've.

• But that could happen! Yep, mm-hmm.

...I mean, seriously, what do you want?

Be willing to behave differently in order to be a different person and live with those who live differently.

• The rest of the masses are clinging desperately to status quo.

• The rest of humanity's like, “Please please, accept me!”

...that's what they're doing!

You gotta behave and operate differently to be different. So I'm gonna go do things that are unorthodox.

… “but Stephen, it could be risky?”

Yeah, so is sitting on my butt on the couch and waiting for a slow, painful death knowing that I've done nothing in my life... and that I've NOT done anything to my full capacity.

...AND I've NOT reached my potential.

That is hell on earth in my opinion, and I will NOT live that way.

I’m asking you to do the same.

Get tough with yourself and figure out what you need to do?

I’ve found that I cannot voluntarily place myself very easily in situations where my back is against the wall. I need to create an environment and a scenario that supports me….

• So I left my job

• I brought on employees

• I brought on teams

… it wasn't a risk, we had the cash flow, but then it got tight.

Q: So what did that do?

A: It made me learn how to get more cash flow.

Does that make sense?

MY BIG GOAL

I talked about this in my goal video for this year… (I want to hit 4 million).

I'm trying to figure out the next thing in my life that’s scary. That legitimately scares the crap out of me.

… because it will cause me to behave and level up as a human being faster than me just willing it into existence.

Just willing it, never works. I must do it with an environment.

NOW…

Take a moment to sit back and be introspective…

You have something in your life that you've been wanting to do. You know it's there, but you haven't done it because you're staying comfy…

We've all got something…

For me, it's my book.

I know how in depth I'm gonna dive on it in order to make sure I've got everything set and my bases covered. It's gonna be a month long project.

I think I'm gonna take all of June just for the book…

So please take stock…

I dare you to write down what you know that you've been wanting to do, and then start thinking through how you can orchestrate an environment where your back is voluntarily against the wall.

I mean truly against the wall, no let out.

... and then you’ll do things differently to how you've ever done them before in your life.

You'll look back in three years:

“What? What's up son, uh! You a bad Mama Jama!”

I look at myself and go: “Holy crap! Look what you got done! Wow, very few people have done that. Why did that work?”

…  and it’s because I was willing to feel a little bit of pressure!  #EUSTRESS

P.S: Do you like Russell’s face on my phone?

I did NOT make these!

Someone at Funnel Hacking Live handed them out.

I don’t remember who, but someone handed me a huge sheet…

I am NOT printing Russell Stickers and putting ’em on things… just so you know ;-)

Hey, just real quick:

A few months ago Russell asked me to write a chapter for a secret project he was doing. I had to write a chapter for a book, this was the letter I got from him.

He said:

"Hey Stephen, let me ask you a quick question...

You suddenly lose all your money, along with your name and your reputation, and only have your marketing know-how left.  

You have bills piled high and people harassing you for money over the phone.

You have a guaranteed roof over your head, a phone line, an internet connection, and a ClickFunnels account for only one month.

You no longer have your big guru name, your following, your JV partners. Other than your vast marketing experience, you're an unknown newbie...

What would you do from day #1 to day #30 to save yourself?

Russell Brunson

Hey, if you want to see my answer and a bunch of other marketers who also answered that in this amazing book and summit, just go to 30days.com/stephen.

You can see the entire summit, you can see the book, you can see what we wrote in there and each of our detailed plans. Just go to 30days.com/stephen.

Once you get clear on what you want as an entrepreneur, the rest is a lot of learnable formulas that you DO NOT have to be pro at...

Every once in a while when an interview is just so awesome, I ask:

“ Do you mind if I repost this on Sales Funnel Radio?”

... and usually, they're very excited about that.

This interview was with Marian Esanu from the High Ticket Client Acquisition podcast.

Sometimes the right questions get me to teach something in a way that I haven't taught before.

Shout out to you, Marian, this was a great interview.

I’ve pulled out the BEST bits where Marian asks me about what I look for when I am trying to decide what to sell. 

We talk about the whole red ocean analytics thing, (which by the way is a huge focus of the last OfferMind).

The next OfferMind is coming up September 2nd-3rd.  

They’ll be a bunch of really cool speakers coming in and Russell's keynoting.

But back to the formulas…

Marian asks me:

• What do you look for when you decide whether or not you should enter into a market.

• What do you look for when you're deciding what to sell?

• How do figure out what hooks to use? 

You have to understand like I can close my eyes, and I can see the whole formula…

It's all a big pattern to me. 

I know the formulas that cause success at each part of the value ladder. I know the formulas before we even choose or start brainstorming an offer to promote. 

That should be really encouraging to everybody because that's what I teach: 

• That's the point of my OfferLab program

• That's the purpose of EVERYTHING I do...

The offer is part of the sales message. The sales message is part of the offer. They're separate, but they're combined in their purpose. They're equal but different.

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Marian:  What's your thought on somebody starting publishing for the first time? How do you find your voice? 

Do you just talk about stuff that you're good at, even if you don't know if people are gonna respond to it? What do you think about that?

Steve: That is one of the most frequent questions. It’s also one of the questions where the answer is NOT inspiring. 

We created this event called the Funnel Hackathon Event. We called it the FHAT event.

Russell's inner circle was there; these people were paying 25 - 50 grand to be in the room. The room was filled with very rich, very successful, smart people.

I had gone through the previous 12 years of Russell's content to organize it. 

I thought through like,  “Hey, in order to know this, you really need to do that. In order to know this, you really need to do that.” 

… and I put it in a digestible way...  and we launched the original Two Comma Club coaching program from that. 

We decided to test the material against the inner circle, so it was a BIG event for me.

Russell was gonna teach, and so I was excited to see how he was gonna do it. 

I was walking to the event room side-by-side with Russell, and he turns to me and goes, “Stephen, dude, do you want to introduce me on stage?” 

Immediately, I was like, “No.” 

I was so scared, like... there's no way. 

I'm very formula oriented, and I was like, “What's the formula dude? What's the script? How do I MC? How do I bring somebody in?”

...and Russell starts laughing. He's like, “Dude, no wait, wait. Okay, settle down.” I was freaking out, so he took me back out of the room, and we went to this little side conference room. 

Russell said:

“Stephen, I got to tell you something... It’s impressive how well you model me... that's very rare, but dude, it’s time for you to find your own voice. Stop asking how would Russell Brunson introduce somebody on stage. How would YOU introduce somebody on stage?”

I focus so much on modeling success, it sounds stupid saying it, but it was the first time in my life where I found my voice.

It was the first time in my life that Steve Larsen was born on stage.

I was already podcasting... because I was listening to what he was saying... but Steve Larsen started becoming born on my podcast. Around episode 70 or 80, I felt it….

I started doing it the way I would do it. 

I feel like a lot of the model's we follow will get you to 80%.

They'll jumpstart you and help shortcut decades, lots of pain and money that you otherwise would have to spend, but eventually the whole find your voice thing, in my opinion, is very unteachable.

I believe that there are things in this business that we can design, but there are other things that we have to discover... and your voice is one of them. 

So you can follow some scripts and blueprints for a while, and then after a while, it's like: “Okay, how would you say it? Just okay say it that way.”

Marian: Got it. So it's more like practice, practice, practice, and then it would just come out at some point? Got it, awesome, and that's a hell of a story.

Steve: It's funny, man. It was sooo depressing for me to hear that. I was like, “Just tell me the script, dude. I want safety in the script.”

Marian: All right, awesome man. I think that will really help a lot of people that are listening to or watching this. 

Now let's take it a step further, and let's say somebody has started to find their voice and find their message, and you know, model it and design it, and all that stuff…

The next part in there would be the offer, and that's where your entire expertise and all of these things come in, right?

Steve: Yeah.

THE BUSINESS OF PROBLEM SOLVING

Marian: What do you think is the next step would be, let’s say we're talking about a coach, a consultant, to design the best offer?

What do you think they lack... and how they can start looking at that process as being one of the most important?

I know you preach a lot on making sure that you work on your sales message and your sales process before you build your: 

• Product

• Course

• Anything that you want to build

What's your process so that somebody can implement that for themselves?

Steve: That's a very good question. It's interesting...

I believe the sales message and the offer are actually one and the same. They're very separate roles, but I don't think you can have a sales message without an offer, and vice versa. 

There's no offer without a sales message. They support each other, but they're very different roles. 

If you're gonna go create an offer, and let's say you're a coach or a consultant, or something like that…

I'm sure you've heard the saying that CEOs read a book a week…

So for a while, I was just consuming. consuming, consuming, because that's what successful people do, therefore I will do the same…

After about two years, I started asking myself questions like:

“I'm doing what successful people do, why am I still broke?”

...and I realized several things.

#1: For the first time in my life, I started realizing the difference between marketing and sales and that they're very different. 

Marketing changes people's beliefs so that they can buy something. That's what a sales message does. The act of selling is just presenting an offer and overcoming objections.

...they work in tandem, but they are very distinct things.

So if somebody's trying to come up with an offer, you shouldn't be behaving as a CEO. 

• CEO's are in the business of running and tweaking systems.

• Entrepreneurs are in the business of solving problems. 

If you're trying to come up with an offer for the first time, you’ve got to put on the entrepreneur hat and get rid of all the mainstream CEO junk. You're not a CEO, so stop acting like one.

I don't read a book a week. I'm NOT saying that you shouldn't learn, but…

I learn with the intent to solve problems. That's what entrepreneurs are in the business of doing.

So if you think about the way a customer is experiencing your product…

The Winter Olympics was a while ago, right. (Crap, it wasn't a while ago, it was like a year ago. Nevermind, time is going fast.) 

So, for example:

If I'm gonna go be an Olympic skier, every single opportunity that's out there is guarded by a whole bunch of problems that you can't see…

My dad really wanted to go be an Olympic skier... if he’d the opportunity to be an Olympic skier, there's a whole bunch of follow-up problems that you have to solve.

Problems that you never knew you had to solve until you were given that opportunity. 

Follow me for a second... I know I'm kind of going all over the place, let me tie it with a little bow in a second...

Marian: No, I get it.

Steve: Yeah, this is a HUGE deal to realize... I think most people that are in the business of selling anything, any kind of entrepreneurship, any kind of business… we forget this.

Your product is an opportunity, and there's a whole bunch of problems that you have to solve that show up after someone buys.

So, if I have the opportunity to become an Olympic skier, now that the opportunity's in front of me, I have to solve problems that weren't there before I had the opportunity:

• Who's my coach gonna be?
• What kind of skis am I gonna use?
• Which mountains am I gonna practice on?
• Are my times fast enough?
• Did I study my competition enough? 

Do you know what I mean?

Marion: Yep.

Steve: It happens to us when we buy any kind of product in our life. I'm trying to find something on my desk here. Okay, this gum...

SELLING GUM

There are follow-up problems that somebody has after they buy this gum that they did not have until they bought it. It's the same thing if you are a coach or a consultant…

When somebody buys your main product, there's a bunch of follow-up problems that you now have to solve that were NOT on your table ahead of time. 

Like ClickFunnels, right?

It wasn't until I bought ClickFunnels that I realized:

• I should learn how to write copy

• I should probably learn how to drive traffic

...I didn't have that problem before I bought it, right? I didn't have that problem ahead of time. 

You have to realize that every product you sell is a gift both to the buyer and to you. 

For example:

When you sell gum, (or something else), there's a bunch of follow-up problems…

This is the easiest way to create an offer ever.

You ask: “What are the follow-up problems that my product creates for somebody after they buy it?” 

Then you see what the majority are and you solve those problems with additional products. I just give those away for free when they buy the first thing. 

Back to gum…

What kind of issues would somebody have?

• Maybe they want more flavors

• They want teeth whitening

• Bad breath in general…

So you could go interview oral health doctors…

… and include that interview, (which is a digital thing, takes nothing to fulfill), with the original product that you sell and all these things that you go stack on there. 

That's one of the easiest ways to create an offer ever. I hope that made sense?

Marian: Oh, it does.

Steve: 

I figure out what the follow-up problems are, create a product to solve them and give them away for free with the original product. 

Marian: That's INSANE!

I don't think I ever thought about the whole offer creation process the way that you said it. 

That can be applied to any kind of industry regardless of what you sell, as long as you charge people for something, they'll have a question that they didn't have before they bought it. 

I hope everybody's taking notes.

Steve: It drives me nuts when people are like, “...but in my industry’s different.” I'm like, “No, it's not. Do you sell anything? Sweet!”

Marian: Even if you sell a commodity, people will still have questions. Even if it's a t-shirt, “How can I wash this t-shirt so it's not getting all crappy?”

Steve: Exactly, yeah. “We'll give you a cool free PDF that shows cool fashion things to wear with the shirt when you buy.” 

You're like, “Oh man, you just increased value without dropping the price.” 

So there are a few ways to compete in this world...

If I’ve got a bunch of other people that are selling something similar to me:

• Drop the price... that's one way to increase value.

• Don't drop the price and charge a little bit extra, but add more value... because price and value are not the same thing. 

So I'm gonna bump the value up with mostly digital products that take nothing for me to fulfill, and boost the value like crazy.

Now I can sell for a premium, rather than fight to be the lowest price for what I sell. 

That's terrible, it's a terrible way to do business.

Marian: That's super powerful. 

I hope everybody's literally just taking this part here. This is worth a lot of money. Awesome, I love that. 

CAMPAIGNS ARE DYING

So I listened to one of your episodes. I don't remember the name of it now, but you stressed a lot on this matter. 

You have a different way of approaching a campaign. A campaign for you is NOT just driving traffic to a funnel, it's a whole different thing put on steroids.

Can you, can you talk about that? Because I really think that this can help a lot of our listeners.

Steve: Yeah, I think the term campaign is something that's actually dying. It's a dying art. 

Before social media existed, all these marketers that were out there, how did they get such fast, big sales?

If you buy an ad on YouTube, or Facebook they call it a campaign.  I think what's killing it.

From a direct response marketer's viewpoint, ads are just part of a campaign. It's NOT the campaign itself. A campaign is pressure building up to a certain point. 

One of my favorite things to go do if you're podcasting or publishing... (which is one of the easiest ways to get clients for life, it's ridiculous. It will change your life if you just publish), is to create episodes that lead up to an event.

So in the episodes, I'm like, “Hey, in two months from now, this cool thing is happening, and by the way here's a whole bunch of stories that are gonna break your beliefs.”

... I'm not gonna say that, but that's what's happening. 

I'm dripping out those pieces of content, and at the end of all of them, I'm saying, “Hey, go to this page and register so you guys get early bird access...  on the waiting list... or whatever.”

You build up all the pressure for this date, it's kind of what Hollywood does for movies. 

THE HOLLYWOOD LAUNCH

Q: How much money do you think Hollywood would make if you didn't hear about the movie until the day it’s actually released?

A: They wouldn't make that much money.

They are masters at creating pressure to a date. They create pressure, “Here it comes... on this date, oh my gosh!” right?

...and then tons of sales come in all over the place. Then they drive more ads… it's very much more like that. Ads are part of that…

A marketer, at the core, is an event thrower... meaning they build pressure to a certain date, and then using scarcity and urgency... and remove access to it after while to get a second bump in sales.

A campaign is much more, I don't even know what the word is….

Marian: Making them hungry for your product before it's launched, I guess?

Steve: Yeah, in my mind, there are two types of campaigns that I use:

#1: There's Launch Campaign for if I'm gonna introduce something to the market for the first time. There are several strategies for building pressure, noise, getting a big list and shoving them all to a certain date, so that there's lots of pressure out there. 

#2: There's Evergreen Campaigns (it's my own definition), it is things like turning on Facebook ads, where I'm just gonna be tweaking the numbers, stuff like that…

You miss out on so much money if you start a funnel or a podcast.. and then just turn on ads.

Build Pressure!

...I use the two campaigns together. 

1. I build a launch campaign and build all this pressure, pressure, pressure, and because I have a podcast, I'll launch to my own audience.
2. When they buy, I take all that money, (I don't take profit), I dump it right back into my Evergreen Campaign. So I never put a dollar of my own in my business because of that strategy. 

That's how I launch everything. I launch with a lot of pressure and then I take that cash roll it into my ads... and now my customers are paying for my ads.

Marian: That's super smart, and I really love the way that you explained things, and the way that you put it out there to the public. It's super smart. 

You are one of most in-demand funnel builders, so everything that you say, people will think, “Oh, I'll go and implement it,” but you have a complete in-depth process of things to do before you even touch your laptop to build a funnel.

Steve: Yeah.

Marian: And I think a lot of people would miss a lot of that stuff. Can you debate a little bit on that process? I know we're getting close to wrapping things up here.

Steve: That's fine. Yeah, I think the biggest issue, and I did the same thing, you know.  I can't blame anybody for doing this... but when I first got ClickFunnels, the first thing I did... (and this is what I did for a while), was log in and build the funnel…

ClickFunnels makes it so easy on the tech side to do stuff, it's attractive and it's sexy, and most people jump right to that…

They say, “Hey, let me go build this sweet thing.”

So they build it, this is literally how I did it. 

I remember one of the first funnels, I built a free plus shipping thing, selling a CD. I wanted to have a free plus shipping thing, so I went and I rebuilt all of Russell Brunson's Dot Com Secrets book funnel…

I said, “What should I tell them on this page?”

I went through, and I came up with something to sell on that page. 

I went to the next page, what should I sell on this page? What should I sell on this page? 

Then after I had all the products in there, I was like, “How should I sell this?”

...and I went and I wrote the sales message, and I put it all in there.

THAT is the exact opposite order to where you find success.

People need to get out of the mindset of testing products. You don't really test products. You test sales messages. 

The role of the sales message is to cause the desire for purchase. The product just fulfills on the promise that your sales message made. 

That's all the product does. 

The product should be amazing, but you really don’t need to test a product. It's NOT about that. 

What causes the purchase, is the sales message itself. 

So, I gather all this data from my competitors in the red ocean. I want something that's crazy competitive... and then I'm gonna take all that data and craft my sales message for those people alone. 

The worst thing ever is when someone walks up and they're like, “Stephen, I built this sweet thing, who should I sell it to?” I'm like, “Ah that is like square one. You jumped to 99…”

FINDING THE WHO

First, you start with the who. It's all about the who and understanding:

• Where they are?

• What do they want?

• What they don't want?

• Their current desires?

• What they've already been buying to try and solve their problems? (So you don't go make that and it's a step backward in a customer journey)

You understand MORE about where these people are, and that creates your sales message. 

You go test that to those people specifically, and then once people are buying, then I go create the product to fulfill on. 

Super safe, completely the opposite order than what college taught me. A different way of thinking about it. Completely different than mainstream entrepreneurship out there.

Marian: I get it 100%. Julie Stoian shared the same type of thing... we were talking about an online course, and she broke it down in the same exact steps. So I can see why for sure. 

Now you talk a lot about the red ocean, the blue ocean, and then you created something in the middle, the purple ocean.

I know, a lot of people will say, “Well, my industry's too crowded. I got to compete on price. I don't know how to build an offer, whatever… How are they starting?”

Let's say they do what you say, they start publishing, they find their voice, they create an offer, they create a sales message, all together. Are they testing that offer to the red ocean... and then they try to build their own type of blue ocean out of that? What's the best way to do that?

Steve: That's a lot of strategies involved in that.

Marian: Just the big picture.

THE BLOODY RED OCEAN

Steve: So this red ocean concept. You think back in the day where Al Gore created the internet, he didn't. He did NOT create the internet. But he claims he did. 

...but you think about when the internet became publicly available for everybody in 1991…

There was one internet service provider, that's it. You know? Straight up monopoly. You couldn't get the internet anywhere else. 

Then suddenly, all these other tech companies say: “Look at that, and they're like we could be an internet provider,”

...and someone else comes in, somebody else comes in, somebody else comes in. 

They start driving the price down because of competition. 

We actually want that. I want to have the most ridiculous red highly competitive, bloody ocean that is out there. I want it to be very bloody. I want it to be soooo competitive…

Because when it is competitive, it's actual security. If the market of internet service providers is lasting long enough, what's cool about that is that in order for the market to survive, they have to start learning how to create new customers. 

They have to make customers out of people who are not planning on being customers. That is not easy, and most markets don't survive that. 

Most of us would not go into the beanie babies accessories market. You know or Pogs or Kmart or Sears, all these things that are dying….they didn't learn how to make customers out of people who were NOT planning to be customers.

It's easy when a new thing comes out, they collect the easy people off the top who’d buy just because they're looking to buy something. 

It’s hard after those people have dried up, for a market to move from customer collection to customer creation. That is challenging. Most markets die because of that. 

I actually want a highly red ocean. 

I want a lot of competition... because it's a sign that the market is surviving and growing. 

Not all markets are red.  I want one that's red.

I want to be able to go in, (hopefully, this isn't too deep), and look at this really, really, really red, red ocean, and learn how to take a step out of it, and build a sales message that goes directly back into it.

...because they figured out how to create customers. 

It means I don't have to learn how to create customers. I just sell to those people and my sales message pulls people over to me. 

I don't have to create customers, I just have to collect them. It's very, it's kind of a different way of thinking. I don't know. Hopefully, it makes sense but like,

Marian: It does.

Steve: I've coached 10x of thousands of people in this now, and the thing that's scary is they go do all this work, they create all these funnels, they make all the sales messages, they're making all the things that we tell them to go do…

BUT…

They go and they plug them into a market that's dying, and when the market leaves, they now have to go back to square one... the who. 

“Crap, my who dried up. I don't know where they went.”

The market left. The market died... and so they have to find a NEW who and go back to square one to create a new sales message and make sure that offers something that's sexy and fulfills…

...and make sure the funnel is something that is attractive for that market... and it's terrible, it sucks!

It's where the entrepreneur in this game, (especially online), feel like their wheels are spinning... it's because they chose the wrong who.

So I go in and say:

1. Let's choose something that's insanely competitive
2. Figure out how to throw rocks into it
3. Talk to those who are only in pain…

I'm NOT gonna talk to somebody in there and try to sell them if they're like a massive diehard, right. They're like, “I believe this stuff, this is my thing,” right? 

That's like watching the Superbowl with opposing fans in the same room: “Well, this team's better, no that team's better.” No one wins, right! It's that exact same thing…

99% of sales copy that's written out there by somebody that's brand new, they're speaking to somebody in the red ocean who's a die hard. It's a dumb argument.

I don't speak to them at all. I find a market that's really, really, really red, and then I only talk to those people in there who are feeling pain and hate the market they're in. They just don't know anything different...

That’s a very easy person they go sell.

Marion: That's something that a lot of people just don't talk about…

You hear everybody being like, “Oh, I'm afraid to get into that market because it's so crowded. I'm not gonna be able to survive,” but no, you just said the opposite:

“No, go there because you don't need to create customers.. all of them  are over there, and it's so much easier for you to get them out.” 

Awesome man, you’re literally just spitting fire here.

Last question before we wrap things up in here…

You're one of the few people that I know, (especially in this online game), that has two completely different audiences. You manage both of them so well in a way that you never like… 

I don't know I mean like correct me if I'm wrong, but it's very rare when you cross-promote between the two... maybe I'm wrong, I don't know?

But I just, I'm so amazed by the fact that... I don't know how big both of them are, I know this one that I'm in, it's pretty large.

Steve: A little big.

Marian: Yeah. So then how do you manage to keep them you know not necessarily from a technical standpoint, but because you have to create offers for both of them. 

You have to publish to both of them. How do you manage your time and your strategy behind that?

Steve: First of all I would just caveat everything right there by just saying please don't try that. It actually was NOT on purpose, but it worked for a few specific reasons…

So one of them is the MLM space, and when you think about that, the reason I went into that is because of the exact same principal I was just talking about. Like, that's an insanely red competitive ocean.

There was a lot of opinions around that industry, which is good. I actually want that. I don't want anything that's too blue. I want a lot of red... because then what I did, (and this is the reason why it sells so well, and why I don't actually have to manage it that much)...

This is one of the easiest ways to create a sales message, create hooks, create podcast content, is you become the anti-red in your messaging.

...and my headlines in that space are:

How I'm auto recruiting a downline of big producers without my friends and family even knowing I'm in MLM.

... and they're like what? 

The whole industry is built around attacking your friends and family, and so when they read that headline, it is the anti-red... and because of that, it's talkable. 

We drive ads, but on the ClickFunnels page, when everyone's like, “Who does MLM funnels?” Like, everyone says my stuff. I'm not doing any of that, and the reason is that I'm so strongly anti-red.

I'm like, “Yeah, do the MLM thing, but don't you dare do it in the way they're teaching you...” and who does that speak to?

It speaks to people who are doing it, who are in pain and hate it.

They just don't know another way. 

Exactly as I was just saying. So it's talkable, and they do a lot of my selling for me because it's word of mouth. 

It's very easy... because no one's doing that,  and then they can go, “Oh my gosh, have you seen this guy?”

I'm very careful about what I sell, NOT based on the product... I'm careful based on the sales message and how abrupt it is in the red ocean. 

That's one of the biggest keys and one of the biggest misconceptions. 

For years, I walked around asking myself the question, “What should I sell? What should I sell?”

… it's like paralysis.

If you're listening or watching this now, and you're like, “I don't know what to sell... I don't know what to do?” … the reason's that you're starting with the wrong question. 

Instead of asking, “What do I sell?” … You ask, “Who should I sell?” And “Who do I want to sell? Who’s my dream customer?”... what should I sell gets really easy... because you just solve their problems and become the anti-red in your sales message.

It’s waaay easier after you do a little research like that. 

Thanks so much for listening. Please remember to rate and subscribe. 

Hey, 

I know this game can take a few tries to get the money flowing, especially the first time, right? And that can suck. 

I also know from experience how frustrating it can be to know your business is just a few tweaks away from your next big payday, but you don't know what tweaks to make.

I've felt completely paralyzed by that in the past, and it sucks. 

I've been blessed to work with thousands of new and successful businesses over the last three years, and two things have really shocked me. 

#1: I began noticing the pattern to success is vastly the same, but everyone's spot on the path is obviously different. 

#2: I've been shocked and overwhelmed by the number of people asking for my help, my systems, and funnels in their business. 

Well, until now I've never had a system or product in my own business to help you build yours. 

Now, I'm finally able to be public about all this... 

If you'd like my help to build your offer or sales message funnel and even your content machine, go to myofferlab.com.

The path to online and offline success is 80 percent the same regardless of the product, price point or industry, and it works if you're new or already a killer in business. 

You can get more details on how to get my personal attention and frameworks in your own business by going to myofferlab.com

In-person classes are limited to 60 people each, and frankly, I can only do about two of these a year. Get more details, and even jump on the phone with us for free at myofferlab.com

I’ve been working on the NEW OfferMind funnel. I have a 7 person funnel building team now, (which is awesome)…

So I thought it'd be neat to walk you through:

1. WHY I took the old funnel down…
2. The structure of the NEW funnel...
3. The TWO checklists I use to make sure my team can do their job…
4. How I plan to get MORE big names to speak at the event...
5. The EPIC offer creation that gonna knock this outta the ballpark!

WHY I KILLED THE ORIGINAL FUNNEL

The original OfferMind funnel that I built was incredible. It was working extremely well... 

A lot of people had already bought tickets, but I took it down because I when Russell agreed to keynote I wanted to make sure that the funnel was the caliber of Russell freakin’ Brunson.

… there’s also another way that I’m gonna use this NEW funnel to create the BEST OfferMind experience EVER… so keep reading ;-)

HOW TO MAKE A FUNNEL AWESOME

The first page is the sales page. Sometimes we put the order form on that page too, but for OfferMind we actually have a separate page.

When people join the One Funnel Away Challenge they get a discount code for OfferMind tickets.

When people use their discount code to buy an offermind ticket it subtracts 150 bucks from their ticket.

Then…

And this is brilliant, (if I do say so myself)...

When you buy a normal OfferMind ticket, we’ve set it up so that you can get a ticket plus a discovery call for the exact same price.

Crazy Cool, eh! 

For the exact same price, you can grab a discovery call with your ticket. You add your phone number to the form and it sends that data through a zap over to my phone team who then walk anyone who wants one through a super epic Success Strategy Session.

Next, there's a bump coming up…. I don't want to spoil everything, but it's a freaking cool, and I'm gonna leave it at that… ;-)

WANT MORE?

On the next page, there’s a sweet VIP upgrade...

At a recent event, they had a directory of all the VIPs printed in a booklet that was handed out to EVERYBODY.

I was like, "That's so freakin’ cool. Oh my gosh, that's awesome."

Think about it…

What better way to meet the ‘Who's Who’ that you wanted to connect with when you booked your ticket in the first place!

OfferMind is 1,100 seats, but…

Only the VIPs get:

• Their names in the Directory.

• Early access.

• Dinner with me. 

VIPs get all this crazy cool stuff, but EVERYBODY gets the ‘Who's Who’ booklet, and you ONLY get to be in the directory if you're a VIP. 

I was like, "Oh my gosh, that's awesome."

BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!

Then one morning, I was thinking about the second OTO  ... (I think about this stuff in the shower sometimes)...

Check this out...

This is so *LEGIT*

I've never seen anyone do this. I learned this when I did door-to-door sales. 

Here’s what happened:

I was knocking in one area and I met a guy. He told me that he was in a real estate thing….

He said, "...but don't do real estate.”

Instead, he went to local businesses and told them:

• Hey, when new people move to the neighborhood they create new habits and patterns very quickly.

• Can we place some of your product in their house for free?

• We’ll put you on a list which will be included in the bundle of products.

• It's $50 a month per house that we place.

• Typically we place 200 houses a month. 

...so basically he’d get companies to donate their product plus pay $50 a month to be part of this thing. 

They were collecting several hundred thousand dollars, and doing nothing.

I was like, "That's ridiculous. That's crazy."

So check this out:

The first upsell is to VIP, but then the second OTO is the opportunity to buy a one-page ad in my Capitalist Pig Ads Book.

Everyone can place an ad for NOT much money at all.

At the event, I’ll put these booklets on every single person's chair.

So for $500 you can put a full page spread ad in front of a targeted audience of 1,100. That's crazy. 

Then as part of the offer, we’ll use that booklet in future OfferMinds and other events... 

You can go use Funnel Scripts and all these cool things that we teach you to make sweet ads. Plus, it'll give me even more things to talk about on stage. 

I'll give a shout-out to the coolest ones, and immortalize you in the videos.

What a freaking sexy offer, right!

We're calling it The Capitalist Pig Ads Book. It's super cool. 

There's MORE exciting stuff too... but I don't want to kill the goose on everything.

TEAMWORK

So now, when I building a funnel, I’m NOT always doing all the building. So…

I draw out the entire funnel for my team, and then I teach them all the things that they need to know…

Then I say, "All right, and now I'm going to start sending you guys your individualized instruction video."

There are seven people on my funnel team, and I use a different color pen to go through the entire funnel and walk through each role.

To my video guys I say:

"Hey, this is what I need from you…”

1. Create a sweet video and model the Funnel Hacking Live video.
2. I’ll film the video for ‘this and this’.
3. I'll film the intro video for the thank you page.

I record it on camera, then I take that file and send it over to my video people and I say, "That’s your role in this funnel build."

Then I go to the copywriter and say: "Hey, you're going to get the videos from the video guy. Here's what I want you to do…”

1. Take the videos and write sales copy underneath every single one of the pages.
2. Write all the sales copy.
3. Write all the emails and all the email sequences.

I film it on that camera and sent the instructions to them.  Then I erase all that color and start over again for the designer.

I say:

“Now you have the videos and the copy, what I need you to do next is make it look pretty." 

...and I walk through and draw it out. 

There's ALWAYS a framework that applies to the entire team.

MY TWO CHECKLISTS

There are 21 agency/people who do work for me now. 

I have:

• Two content teams

• A funnel building team

• Full-time support

• Three phone closers, (I'm going to bring on a team of five more as well).

There's a system that I came up with that helps me understand what each person needs, not just from me, but from the person directly in front of them in the line.

Think about it this way…

I did a lot of backpacking growing up, and if there's a person directly in front of me, they set the pace…

However, the person directly behind them, every once in a while that second person has to walk a little bit faster to catch up.

(Go read The Goal; it’s a very good book.)

So if there’s a third person, every once in a while, that person has to break into a little bit of a jog to keep up with the first person.

But when you get to number twelve in the line, that person needs to freakin’ jog just to keep up at the normal walking pace set by the first person.

*THAT’S HUGE*

On my team, I have the:

1. Video guy
2. Copywriter
3. Initial funnel builder
4. Designer
5. Funnel finisher

...then it goes back to me to test and tweak.

There’s a lot of roles... and that’s just the funnel, (it doesn’t even include product creation). 

So if the lead person is moving at a normal pace, then a lot of times, the person at the back is sprinting to keep up because there's space in between each of these roles…

These are a series of dependent events...

So when I'm creating a funnel, there are two checklists that I need to create, NOT just one.

*This changed my life*

For Example:

If you look at the job of the initial funnel builder I need to ask:

1. What does this person need from me in order to do their job?
2. What does this person need from the person directly in front of them in order to do their job? 

My role is just to create all the inputs needed and gather them ahead of time so that everyone can do their job without me needing to be pinged or interfered with…

Does that make sense?

...it's two checklists.

I have the checklist for each individual, but I also have the checklist for each person from the person directly in front of them.

That increased my speed like crazy. 

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS So for the OfferMind funnel, (it looks so sexy)…

1. I filmed all the videos so that the copy guy can go in and write.
2. It goes to the initial funnel guy who will build a rough draft of the entire thing. He's gonna loosely place all the videos and the copy... so that there's clay on the page for the designer.
3. Then the designer gonna make it look pretty.
4. Next person, the funnel finisher will write all the emails, add all the metadata, and put all the titles in...  (tons and tons of stuff).

If you do this, you will make you A LOT of money very quickly. 

It costs me about 15 to 20 grand to turn the crank once. Yep, it's a lot of money, but my team’s really freakin’ good.

It costs about 15 - 20 grand... depending on how much video and copy there is. Those are the two expensive pieces…. after that, it's design.

(This is excluding the cost of product creation with the team.)

Anyway, that's where we are with OfferMind...and that's why it's taken a little bit longer. 

MY DREAM 100 SPEAKER PLAN!

At the beginning, I told you that part of the reason for this NEW funnel design was because Russell is keynoting….

However, my plan is to attract some more BIG names.

I'm going to try and get: 

• Bill Glazer.

• Mark Joyner.

• Myron Golden

• Some of my finance people, who are incredible.

• Brad Gibbs

• Ryan Lee

Anyway, a lot of high-level people.

I want to go to Bill Glazer and all these other influencers with a super awesome funnel...

AND…

Check this out, my friends:

Right now, I’m recording the audiobook for the "30 Days" book. It's one of the bonuses I'm giving away for the OFA Challenge when people buy through my link. It's freakin’ huge. Waaay too BIG….

I did NOT realize how big it was when I said that... but anyway, I'm doing it, because I committed. 

BUT…

How cool would it be if I just went to each of the BIG names who wrote a chapter, and gave them the gift of their chapter already recorded for them?

Do you think they're going to know my name after that? Oh yeah, baby! 

There are NOT that many people alive who are really into offer creation. Claude Hopkins was the last big guy, and he was alive in the 1800s…

Mark Joyner wrote the book "Irresistible Offer".... but offer creation is NOT exclusively his thing, you know what I mean?

"The Man Who Sold America," is about Albert Lasker who was partners with Claude Hopkins, but that was in the 1800s...

There's just not many people out there anymore who are really big in the offer creation space.

And so I'm using the "30 Days" audiobook as a reason to reach out to BIG people, and tell them:

• Hey, I'd love to get you in OfferMind.

• Oh, by the way, here's a sweet chapter.

• Oh, by the way, let me just keep adding value to your community.

• Oh, by the way, can I just get you on my podcast?

• I'm going to make you like a rockstar.

Watch what I'm doing in the next little bit... 

I HAVE A PLAN

Watch the way I'm leveraging Sales Funnel Radio to create relationships with people that ultimately, (hopefully), lead them into speaking at OfferMind.

Did you guys like the podcast episode I did about how I pitched Russell on speaking? A lot of work went into that, right? 

These are all direct response marketers, so it’s likely that’ll do the same thing for Bill Glazer and Mark Joyner. It's a lot of freaking work... but it should be worth it. 

There will be 1100 people at OfferMind;  that’s as many people as my first Funnel Hacking Live. When I think of that, I pinch myself.

To sum up the OfferMind Funnel, we have the:

• Ticket with a free upgrade = A FREE DISCOVERY CALL

• OTO #1 = VIP LISTING/ EARLY ACCESS/ DINNER WITH ME

• OTO #2 = THE CAPITALIST PIG AD BOOK LISTING

• The Bump = #TOP SECRET

• Swag  = IT’S RIDICULOUS THIS YEAR

• Goodie on the thank you page = CLICK AND SEE ;-)

I’m not even gonna tell you about the T-shirt this year... It's NOT the capitalist pig one. We created a new one. It's freaking cool.

I'm the offer guy, so it's got to be sick. This is going to be a really freaking expensive event, but it's going to be really fun. 

If you want to get on the waiting list go to offermind.com.  

# Make Money, Do Good

This is one of the first things I did to expand my team on the flight back home from Funnel Hacking Live...

Ray Higdon crossed the million dollar mark extremely quickly, and at Funnel Hacking Live he shared some of the tactics that he uses to grow his business at epic speed.

He had a great product, but that doesn't mean it's gonna sell, right?

...and that's something I focus on a lot.

Anyway, Ray dropped a tactic that I thought was brilliant…

So I want to share the genius way Ray discovered to boost his Facebook Community...and some of the surprising things that happened when I used the same tactic in mine…

(You are gonna be surprised) ;-)

SOCIAL AMBASSADORS

There's a lot of negativity on this planet, and sometimes we need safe havens to go where our dreams are still okay and we don't have to constantly be in defense.

So to keep engagement high and help people to know that their online community is a well run and safe place for them Ray created Social Ambassadors. 

Here’s what he did...

He put out a post to his group which said:

Hey! I’d love you to be a social ambassador for my community. We expect around five hours a week from you... and just to be completely clear, it doesn't pay anything…

But you will get:

• MORE access to me.

• A chance to chat with me a bit more.

• Exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff.

• To be part of team huddles before we do events.

• Exclusive swag, etc.

...and that was kind of it. 

I thought: “Hey, that's  really interesting.” 

So on the way back from Funnel Hacking Live, (on terrible Delta Wi-Fi), I decided to apply his strategy.

What happened next shocked me…

FINDING TALENT

I created a Wufoo form and posted it in the  Science of Selling online  and a few other groups along with a post that said: “Help Wanted!”

I asked everyone who was interested to answer a few questions:

• How long have you been in the group?

• What programs of mine are you a part of ?

I wanted to know how much they could help people if I made them a social ambassador for my community. 

The last question said something to the effect of:

“Do you understand that this is NOT a paid position? This is NOT a position that comes with monetary pay, but you’ll get MORE access to. Are you okay with the fact that you will NOT be paid?” 

It was very forward about the fact that there was NO MONEY involved, and the applicants had to tick “Yes” or “No,” to show that they agreed

About 72 hours later, I checked the stats. 116 applications had been started…

BUT…

...by the last question, ONLY 26 actually finished.

There were even some responses from people who were just a little bit mad about the no-pay thing.

So I wanna explain something to you guys about this…

MOTIVATION MATTERS

I learned this somewhere in my childhood...

• Sometimes you just do stuff to do good things...
  

• Sometimes you just do things in order to be more known and gain proximity around other people…

When I got the call to let me know that I’d been hired by Russell, I was like:

"I know this is terrible negotiation strategies, but  I would do that for free. You're saying you're gonna pay me to come sit by Russell so that I can help him build funnels? Yeah, totally, 100% absolutely!"

When I'm looking to hire somebody or bring somebody into a team, I want them to be married, first and foremost, to the mission that I’m serving.

I’m The Capitalist Pig (#got the t-shirt)

• I'm trying to teach people to get rich.

• I'm trying to teach people who didn't have an upbringing with a silver spoon.

• I'm trying to show people who actively try to launch the formulas they can use to make money in easy ways on the internet.

However, if one of the first questions out someone’s mouth when I try to hire them is:

• “Well, how am I gonna get paid?”

• “How am I gonna get compensated again, Stephen?”

• “How are you going to be helping me?”

• “Okay, Stephen, this is what I need from you.” 

… that SUCKS!

Instead, I’m looking for people who ask:

• “What is it that you want me to do?”

• “What does your audience need?”

• “How can I serve?”

• “How can we help more people?” 

HEAR ME CLEARLY…

The “I need to be making money from you before I'll even think about serving you” mindset is a very different mentality.

Now, I understand that this is a 100% a give-and-a-take situation, (all business is), but when the first question out of someone’s mouth is:

“SHOW ME THE MONEY?”… #warning sign

I don’t want to say names here… but someone extremely famous (that you probably know) says that he wakes up each day, and asks himself:

"How can more people be saying my name every single day?" He's like, "All my focus is how can MORE people hear my name?"

...Russell and I were laughing about this because it’s 100% the opposite motivation that a lot of us have in this space. 

It's not that it isn't nice to have a little limelight. It's not that it isn't nice to grow and have a big following. Those are all byproducts of what we all do, but it's NOT  the core motivation.

Man, we're trying to like change the world. 

We're trying to go help and bless... and cash is a byproduct of that. 

So when I have somebody come to me and say something like: “Well, how much is it gonna pay?”

...and it's specifically, a monetarily-driven individual… I appreciate their focus on cash. I have a massive focus on revenue and you need to be focused on that.

BUT…

When I can tell that cash the ONLY thing that they care about, and that they will only go to the extent of the contract for which they are hired…

*I DO NOT HIRE THAT PERSON*

GO THE EXTRA MILE? So here's what happened when I posted for Social Ambassadors for my online community… (this is sooo interesting!)

Out of the 116 who started to fill in the application, ONLY 26 finished when they realized that it wasn’t a paid position.

I’d asked for a three-minute video explaining why they would be a great fit. 

The hardest part was that those who actually took the time show up, we're ALL pretty much all incredible. They were all just amazing individuals. 

(So I can use more than one social ambassador for the groups that I have, right?) 

However, there were a few specific key individuals that I saw videos from where I was like, You know what…

• That person would be great as a Performance Coach in my OfferMind program.

• This person would be perfect in this specific role... 

… it helped me see the people who shine... and who sent in applications with NO thought of pay.

And so I reached back out to those people and said:

"Hey, thank you so much. I actually don't want you for this social ambassador role. I actually wanna bring you in as a paid member of my team." 

HERE’S THE TEST...

Now,  I gotta be honest with you, I did something that might make you a little uncomfortable…

I purposely low-ball on how much I will pay.

I say:

“We still have to review a few more applications, so we’ll reach back to you if this works out. I was just wondering if you had any interest?”

If they're like, "You know what, that's fine. I would have done this for free."

I'm like, *JACKPOT*

… and, THEN, at that point, I pay a fair wage. Does that make sense?

So I start out by checking out:

• Who just loves the mission I'm doing?

• Who just wants more proximity?

• Who wants to be able to go in and just see more behind-the-scenes of what I'm doing?

...and it sifts out a lot of people. 

I'm not trying to offend anybody, but this is why this tactic is soooo effective. 

There are several filters I use:

1. Who would do it for free?
2. I low ball those who would be great for a paid position to find out whether they're still totally in and ready to rock.
3. If the low ball didn't bother 'em at all, I go back and announce the real wage. 

I’m sure some people would get pissed off by my methods... and that's ok.

You have your methods, I have mine.

What's cool is that it helps me find those individuals who are all in and really excited to do what I'm doing.

SUCCESS LOVES COMPANY

I'm in the ClickFunnels Inner Circle, and I've never seen anyone stand up to accept their 2 Comma Club Award who was the only person in their company.

*IT DOESN’T HAPPEN*

I can't even think of one person who got a 2 Comma Club award by themselves.

It takes MORE than ONE individual because you’ve gotta divide and conquer. Someone’s gotta:

• Hand fulfillment

• Send in ads

• Help push out content

It's a full-time profession to be the offer and product creator, and that's my role. 

The whole core of my business is content, coaching and creating products, but there are people in other roles... otherwise, I can't do what I do. 

...and I massively try to find ways to scratch their backs. 

DO NOT STEAL MY TEAM ;-)

My content team are amazing, brilliant individuals. I am so lucky to have them. 

I'm always nervous to tell you who they are… I don’t want anyone to steal them from me. 

But I constantly try to do things to help 'em realize how much I appreciate them... things that they’re NOT expecting. Things that I didn't lead with.

If you guys go to stevejlarsen.com, you can click on Team at the top, and it will show a lot of the members of my team. 

I kind of cycle them; different members are featured at different times. Not everyone's on there ALL the time... But it's my way of saying, “Thank You.” 

So they're featured on stevejlarsen.com with a link back to their personal profile page. Which is pretty awesome, right? 

I didn't need to do that, but I'm trying to constantly to give extra little goodies and shout-outs.

I filmed testimonial videos that they weren’t asking for (or expecting) that they can use to keep getting clients, and I kick clients and referrals to them ALL the time. 

In fact, there's a ton of people now on the ClickFunnels team who know about my team members by name. They ask how and what we're doing because we're killin' it!