"sales letter" "then vs now" "get out of your own way" the attractive character

 

Ironically, the only real way to "know thyself", is to continually "sculpt thyself"...

...Don’t worry, I’m still here.

 

I did kinda die, but only in a metaphorical way so that I could birth my attractive character - and create a then vs now sales letter story to sell my upcoming Mastermind with James Smiley and Rachel Pederson.

Here’s how I announced my death on Facebook:

 

… it was an attention-grabbing way to tell my audience about the Mastermind that’s gonna be happening the day before Funnel Hacking Live on Feb,18th in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

I didn’t just blast an email out to everybody saying, “Hey, I’ve got this mastermind. You wanna come? Click the link."

 

...Because that's the easiest way to promote like an idiot. It’s annoying and not at all entertaining.

 

Selling is much show business as it is anything else.

 

When I see somebody promoting their stuff by saying; ”Here's the link, Just buy. Click, click, click, click, click!” I don't want to buy. I HATE that crap.

If I don't see that from somebody it makes me wanna buy without even knowing what it is  - because they get it.

I get asked all the time, "Stephen, what's the one thing people can focus on to be a good funnel builder?"  My answer is always: “TELL STORIES.”

Quite often it doesn’t sink in, and they ask again, "No, no, no. I mean funnel building. I'm talking about ClickFunnels editor stuff!"  I'm like, "Yeah, storytelling..."

 

 

I'm telling you right now. the editor is so freaking easy. If you can't sort the editor out, you probably shouldn't be on the internet.

The ClickFunnels editor is so simple. That's NOT where people struggle. Take it from the dude who’s coached thousands of people in this.

People don't struggle with funnels because of ClickFunnels. People struggle with funnels because they have no idea how to sell and they have no idea what makes a sale happen...

HOW TO LOSE A SALE

The day after OfferMind, I had a cool opportunity to train the new speaker team for ClickFunnels.

The biggest thing I helped them realize was that the thing that will screw your chances of a sale up is believing that the sale depends on how well you know ClickFunnels; what it integrates with and all the features.

 

The quickest way to NO SALES.

If you’re mentioning your product a lot, my guess is that you're focusing on the features of your product. #You’re selling with the wrong script. In fact, you're probably not using a script.

People will fight you on features, so instead, you need to cause an emotional epiphany in your potential buyer's brain.

So now, I want you to start thinking about what you're doing when you sell... "Do you actually know what causes the sale? And can you craft a sales letter that helps you to close your sale instead of hindering it?"

 

One thing you’ll notice as I go through my sales letter is how little I actually mention the actual mastermind.

I don’t talk about:

 

• Who’s speaking first

 

• How long they're gonna talk

 

• Scheduling

 

• The time of the event

 

• The exact location

 

 

....because the sale always happens without too much focus on the actual product.

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY

If you guys are ever in a pinch and have to write a script fast, then the script that I followed was the "then vs now theme."  It took me about two hours to write my story - which is pretty standard if you're gonna cover all the stuff...

Honestly, there are some things I would change, but it's good enough. And it's good enough because I used the Epiphany Bridge script.

 

I want you to understand that making money has nothing to do with how well you know the thing you're selling. It has everything to do with the script itself and the emotional connection it creates.

 

The sales message is where you make the money.

 

I love the webinar script... I use it for all kinds of selling.

 

There's a crucial part right at the beginning of the webinar script which I call the two introductions:

First of all, we need to introduce the subject, and then you need to introduce yourself as the speaker.

 

These introductions are NOT always:

 

• At the beginning

 

• Together

 

• In the same order

 

But, at some point, you have to say:

 

1. "Hey, this is who I am."  

 

 

• “This is the topic.”

 

Every once in a while I've seen scripts where people combine the two introductions - and that’s totally fine.

 

After you’ve done the two introductions, you can use the “then vs now” method. It's one of my favorite themes inside of any sales script, and it's one of my favorite ways to tell a story.

I used a similar strategy to the one I described when I revealed how I win affiliate contests - because, frankly, it works!

 

My strategy comes in two parts:

 

 

1. I'll write a massive Facebook post - which proves to the Facebook algorithm that it's actually worth something and people are gonna have some opinions - so they'll work a little harder to share it.
   I make sure I use a cool like feature image (see above).

 

1. Then take that post and turn it into an email with the same call to action.  I don't push to Facebook. I just push to the same CTA. ClickFunnels lets you use all kinds of emojis and stuff like that in the emails - so I use those too.

 

… So now, let me show you how I used the “then vs now script” to write that sales letter for my latest mastermind.

HOW TO WRITE A NON SUCKY SALES LETTER

So the first thing I need to do:

If you're scrolling through Facebook,  you're trying to get a dopamine hit and distract yourself... So I'm gonna do a serious injustice to my cause if I don't let you be distracted. So I'm gonna do my best to grab your attention… (and this works for email subject lines too):

 

 

It's the first thing you're gonna see… and then there's skull and crossbones emoji right there, and it says;

 

...Right up at the top, it says, "Mastermind." So you click right there, it'll bring you straight there.

(We're capping the event at 100 people, just tellin' you. It was half full a few weeks ago - so I don't know if there’ll be any place let now. That's not a scarcity play I'm just lettin’ you know the score…)

 

...Now I’m gonna paint some ‘thens’:

 

I don't know if you know this about me, but this is all true stuff …

 

I'm just gonna be raw and tell you, I would go home and wonder, "What the heck am I good at?"

I've learned that a lot of entrepreneurs actually struggle this same question.

 

As entrepreneurs, we're often very good at putting teams together and leading and organizing people… but that's a hard talent to leverage in a fifth-grade playground...

 

 

It can be challenging growing up.. or even into early adulthood, trying to figure out what the heck you're good at?  So just know, you're not alone.

Then, I put a whole bunch of stars in a row - so I can break the pattern:

This is literally a then vs now statement: "Stephen WAS all of those things, but Steve is NONE of them."

 

Next, I go FULL ON in the NOW:

 

 

BECOMING AN ATTRACTIVE CHARACTER

Steve is a freak of nature who is uncommon amongst uncommon people.

 

Some people reach out and ask, "Stephen, you're about to go speak on stage, are you nervous?"

 

Of course, I'm freaking nervous, come on. Yeah, I'll get nervous, of course, I do.

You have to understand,  I've created Steve. It's a separate persona that I totally step into. I'm not always in that persona, but I've learned that persona.

 

 

The attractive character in my business is me - but it was not a natural attractive character.

I'm trying to help you understand that you can craft your own attractive character. The Attractive Character is not something you need to step into the business already knowing.

I almost never see that. I see entrepreneurs who:

 

• Still sucks at talking

 

• Do not know how to lead

 

• Have no polarity, and are afraid to show real opinions.
  
  
  

I'm showing you how I wrote a then vs now script, but I'm also helping you to understand that you can develop a new you.

 

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HATERS?

 

 

Steve almost welcomes the haters and their mud so he can laugh in their face, stare in their eyes, and steal their soul.

... that line goes through my head a lot.

 

Haters used to bother me a lot. I was like  like "Oh crap, another hater I gotta go deal." It's not true at all anymore though.

 

I love David Goggins. He swears like a freaking animal. If you're offended by swearing, Do not listen to him -  but he talks about that concept a lot.

 

THE DAY THAT STEVE KILLED STEPHEN

I hate pop culture songs that sing about how life’s a pity party: ‘I loved you, and then you changed.’ I'm like that is the stupidest song I've ever heard in my entire life.

 

Of course, they changed after you fell in love. It's life. If that's not how it's supposed to be -  we'd all still be wearing diapers and drinking out of a bottle.

 

Most of the time when someone feels a lack of progression in their life it's literally because they‘re doing everything they can to keep themselves from changing because they're afraid of what's gonna happen next. Life is change. Don't fight it.

...And what's cool is the person who wins is the person who leans into that change and steps forward and says, "You know, what, I'm totally cool. I don't know how to build a funnel. I don't know how to podcast. I don't know how to be the attractive character, but I'm willing to suck.”

 

...That’s the person I love to work with.

 

REAL TALK WITH STEVE LARSEN

These were the conversations going on in my head. I think it's stupid we make fun of people that talk to themselves. I talk to myself all the time.

 

 

Every time success has required their rebirth.

 

Let that sink in. It's a true statement, my friends. That's a huge deal. Read it again.

 

I always thought I'd be coaching people on marketing tactics. We all did when I started the Two Comma Club coaching program as the coach, but I don't get much of a chance to teach marketing because I need to help people rebuild their brain and their relationship with themselves.

MAKE IT HARD, COACH

 

I know 100% that one of the major reasons why I am standing in front of the camera right here filming this for you is because of my mentality. When I walked in to ClickFunnels, was very much like, "Dude, Russell, give me your hardest thing. Your hardest thing. What is your hardest thing today? Give it to me."

I remember the first few times, I think it was kind of awkward for him because it's not a normal mentality. Employees do not ask their employers that question.

I say, "No, I'm serious man. What's the thing you are least looking forward to today?" And he would look through his list of tasks, and hand me his hardest task that day.

...And that meant the possibility of failure - which that happened a few times. But man, it's like such a better way to approach life.

So if you're still working for somebody else, don't be, no pity party. Instead, start asking your employers, "Give me the hardest task you've got." Just for the sake of the growth.

 

Wanna here the awesome quote I came up with in the shower (total transparency here ;-))

 

Ironically the only way to know thyself is to sculpt thyself.

A lot of you just don't qualify yet to deliver the thing you're trying to do, meaning the market's not gonna believe you. You haven't sculpted enough. You haven't created yourself enough. You need to get real and raw.

 

...like I said, this is *Real Talk* with Steve Larsen ;-)

 

As soon as you get real, and you're willing to take on a new challenge that you don't quite understand how to do. There’s an emboldening that happens inside of your soul. Your mind expands and you become a new you. You become more of who you already are.

 

 

It's really cool, I love watching it. It's one of my reasons why I do what I do still.

 

Here’s what I wrote next…

Let me give you an example…

 

I just got asked to do another project. I'm not allowed to talk about it yet, but I have to admit, I'm a little bit stressed out about it. It's due in three weeks, and I don't actually know how I'm gonna pull it off. But I know I will. I just haven't wrapped my brain around it yet.

But when opportunities like that pop-up, I know that they’ll make me grow… so I say “Yes.”

Today, a multi-hundred millionaire reached out and asked me to do some stuff. I've been expecting the call, and I've been working the relationship. I knew it was coming up and I knew I needed to say yes.

But I'm not gonna lie; I'm not actually equipped to do some of the things that he was asking for  - so I'm building an internal funnel agency to build my own projects.

I'm trying to answer the question, "How can I increase my speed right now?" I don't know the answer to that, and I'm okay with that.

Welcome to entrepreneurship. Welcome to growth. Welcome to growth that's so customized that it changes you. That's why I love the game so much.

I'm going back to the script here…

...And all these people commented #ANewMe. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

EMOTIONAL SELLING

...so did you notice how little I actually talked about the detail of the event itself?

 

I don’t talk about:

 

• Who’s speaking

 

• Scheduling

 

• The time of the event

 

• The exact location

 

… I don’t talk about any of that stuff ...

That stuff matters like way down the road.

Instead, I got raw. I got real. I wrote this from the heart.

 

I really am the least likely success story.

If I’d come from another angle, and said, "Yeah, come learn from me." There’s an audience that appreciates and wants that…

 

But I’ve found that most people who are just starting out or who haven’t had success in the game yet - don't want that. It actually stresses the crap out of them, freaks them out. And frankly, that's not my personality…

 

So a 'then vs a now' script based around my personality is a great way to connect emotionally.

 

I build a story and craft an emotion to help you realize that I'm just a few steps ahead a lot of people on this journey. I understand where people are on the path, and I build that connection and rapport with the script.

 

There's a lot of angles you can use as stories, and Dot Com Secrets talks a lot about those different angles and stories you can use in your attractive character in your storylines. I am the crusader attractive character type.

 

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you gotta go read Dot Com Secrets and  ExpertSecrets to find out what I'm talking about as far as the script writing style.

I wouldn’t say I'm like a pro sales letter writer, but I know enough about what makes things sell to let me work quickly and seamlessly this past year.

Until Next Time -  Remember, the only real way to know thyself is to continually sculpt thyself.

If you're just starting out you're probably studying a lot - that's good.

You're probably geeking out on all the strategies also, 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 also 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?

 

They're 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.co

 

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