I have a FaceBook group called The Science of Selling Online - I hang out there daily (it’s a FREE group). I do live funnel builds - and walkthroughs of my latest projects where sharing the reasons for what I'm doing. You can ask me questions, and I’ll answer them live.
One of my latest projects is a program called Affiliate Outrage. It's an amazing course. The cherry on the top is that I’ve managed to pull together some outstanding experts to share their skills in each module.
Last week, during one of my live funnel builds in The Science of Selling Online, someone asked me, "Steve, how did you build a product and get so many experts to contribute to it... How do you crowd-create a product?”
So in this blog, I'm going to answer that question and reveal a skill that I see many Entrepreneurs utilize - that you may not be aware of.
I'm also going to share some of the secret self-improvement skills that have influenced me profoundly over the last few years. Stay with me; this is going to be juicy!
DODGEBALL - AND BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR
There was this one time in my life, where every Monday for months; a group of us would show up turn tables over in a gym and hurl tennis balls at each other as hard as we could.
There was about 30 of us, all in our late teens and early twenties - playing dodgeball and using tables as barriers.
People got hurt - this was hardcore.
I remember one particular time - I was super excited to play that week. I tried to get everyone to start. Man, I wanted to play so bad. I kept trying to get people ready, but nobody was taking any notice of me.
After about 10 - 15 minutes, I got frustrated and went over to this other guy. He goes, "Oh, you're trying to start?" Then he lifts his head, and says, "Hey, guys, we're getting ready to start."
With that one sentence, everyone turned their heads, stopped their conversations, and started listening.
I watched the room in dismay. I couldn’t believe it, "Are you kidding me? - I've been trying ‘forever’ to get these people to do what I want!"
I remember right there, at that moment, I realized that I didn't need to be good at everything - in fact, it was better if I wasn’t.
I realized that it was better for me to be an orchestrator rather than try to learn how to play every instrument...
That an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision and brings is to life. An entrepreneur is a maestro.
MY LITTLE BLACK BOOK
For years, I kept a little black book in my pocket. Every time I had a business idea or an insight, I would write it down in that black book. It was chock full ideas - some great, and some dumb - but I carried it around with me at all times.
When I realized that I didn’t need to be “good at everything” to be an entrepreneur, I wrote it down in that book.
Even though I was in my early 20’s when I wrote that thought down - it was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn as an entrepreneur.
When I was at ClickFunnels, Russell drilled this lesson into me for eight solid months before it finally sunk in
Multiple times, I'd be, "Dude, I'm gonna go learn more CSS." Russell would look at me and say "Why? We have someone for that." He'd be dead serious.
I’d say, “Well, my major before marketing was CIT. I know I could understand it.” Again, Russell would look at me and say, "Oh, yeah, but who cares? We’ve got someone for that. Don't learn that."
I struggled to take it on board because I’m curious and I like to know how thing work. However, when it finally sunk in, it was one of the best lessons EVER!
If you’re like me, it may not be an easy lesson to learn, but please learn it. Here it is:
Just because you know how to do something doesn't mean you should do it
Sure, I can pop open Photoshop, use Illustrator, do my video editing, write copy, film videos, build funnels. However, to scale and get the highest leverage for my business - I need to concentrate on doing the things that only I can do. It's hard, I get it - but it’s soooo worth it
DON’T BE A RENAISSANCE (WO)MAN
The reason I started affiliate marketing was to get the cash so that I could hire people to do all the things that I shouldn't be doing. I also learned to develop another skill that I see many successful entrepreneurs use get stuff done.
About 3 months ago, I had a brilliant person tell me,"Figure out how to hire people you can't afford." It's changed everything in my business!
If you’re reading this, then you’re an A-player - a weird breed of person with both vision and ability
You can bring your vision to life. However, the worst mistake you can make is to be a renaissance man or woman and do “all the things” yourself. It’ll slow you down and burn you out.
So what do you do instead?
SHARING YOUR VISION
There’s one skill that I alluded to at the start of this article. A skill that I see so many successful entrepreneurs use to their advantage. A skill that can help you stay focused on your highest value tasks and get results at the same time. That skill is Influence.
If you have a vision and the ability to share that vision in a way that connects with people on an emotional level, then people will follow you and support you - even when the path is rocky or unchartered.
Let’s face it, as an entrepreneur; it’s likely that you’ll be laying a path rather than following one. So it’s vital that you can communicate your vision and tell your story effectively so that people will follow you.
USING INFLUENCE
Influence is what I’ve used to help bring my incredible content machine together. The caliber of people on my team would normally cost me 40 or 50 grand a month, but because they believe in the vision of where I'm taking the ship, it's way less than that. It's only 30 grand a month!
Granted, it's still 30 grand a month - but in hindsight, I'm getting a huge discount because everyone involved believes in what I'm doing.
Yes, I know, 30 grand a month is still a shed load of money, but if you don't have the cash, don’t panic…
You still have a story.
A great story is one of your most valuable assets.
If you get good at telling stories, your vision will help you hire the people that you can't afford.
It’ll stop you from getting stuck trying to learn everything. It’ll help you bring in the experts you need to grow your business. I see way to many entrepreneurs stunting their growth because they try to do EVERYTHING.
The highest leverage thing you can ever to learn is marketing, and how to change belief
If you want to change someone's belief - tell them a great story. Get REAL good at telling stories that connect emotionally with people. If you can tell amazing stories, it will negate 99% of your need to learn scripts. Just tell a story and then make an offer.
When I started approaching all these experts - calling them in to help me, that's exactly what I was practicing - communicating my vision with a story.
Show people how coming along with your mission will benefit their business too, and you’re on to a winner.
I used this strategy to create my content machine - and to get all the amazing experts to contribute to Affiliate Outrage - which is where this blog post started…
However, before I round up this blog, I want to say a few words about “Vision and Purpose.” Along with trying to “learn all the things,” - the other place I see people getting stuck is on trying to find their “vision and purpose.”
THE PURPOSE QUESTION
Recently, I was hanging out at an Inner Circle member's house with Russell. We were chatting away when he asks me, "How's it going, man? What are you struggling with? Gimme the deets, brutha."
I thought for a minute, and then I replied, "Dude, I'm trying "to figure out what my purpose is." Immediately Russell starts laughing. Myron Golden was standing next to us, and laughing, Russell interrupts Myron:
Dude, Stephen just asked the purpose question. He's trying to figure out what his purpose is."
Myron laughed, "Man, are you kiddin' me? I just found out my purpose 3 months ago."
Russell grinned and said, "Dude, I only found my purpose 3 years ago when I started ClickFunnels, and this whole thing blew up."
Right there I decided, "Alright, I'm not gonna freak out my purpose anymore." Russell said, "Yeah, don't worry about it… Just help people make money, it'll be great." So, that's my purpose for now.
You don’t need to have a grand vision or purpose for things to workout - Just make some money, solve problems for people and your purpose will develop in its own time
My vision right now is to develop something that's freakin' cool. I want to help a whole bunch of people who probably haven’t made their first dollar online yet. I want to teach people how to do what I've done.
TAKE ACTION
- If you want a following, publish. Get over the fear of it! I was scared to death. It took me 30 episodes before I was comfortable publishing
- You want people to come and follow you? Make a product. If you don't want to make a product (or don't know how to), sell someone else's. Join Affiliate Outrage, and I’ll show you how to do it
- Launching. Don't worry about the details. Just figure out all the things that you’ve got to do to get off the ground. Don’t wait… you’ll turn around and 3 months will have passed - and you’ll have no cash or results to show for your time.
- Figure out your BIG purpose as you go along. I've talked about my revenue outpacing my business, and that's true. However, the secondary thing that was going on was the psychological game I was playing with myself; “What's my purpose, what should I be doing? What do people want from me?”
THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY
I have this coin on my desk. It reminds me to lean into any challenge I have. I'm sending these coins out with a lot of my new products because I freakin' love this concept.
On one side it says: “The Obstacle is the Way.” On the other side it has the message:
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way"
At the last Funnel Hacking Live, the countdown clock for the Two Comma Club coaching program is dropping down. There are 4 minutes to go, and someone comes to me and says: Hey, we're gonna go get in the program, but we figured if we split the program, it'll be half the cost - and we'll take turns going to the events."
My answer was, “ Well, you could do that… but I believe that if you seek a discount, you will find a discount. If you ask how can I afford this program, and you really believe you can do it, you will answer that question instead.”
Questions invite revelation - so it crucial to pick your questions carefully.
Don't worry if you don't have a solid vision yet. Be fine with the fact that you have unanswered questions. Just be careful of what your questions are.
For example:
When I asked the question, “How do I become a Russell Brunson?” One of the answers I got was, “Publish your journey along the way.”
That's why I publish like an animal. It's because I'm NOT a Russell Brunson yet. Most people use their lack of status as an excuse not to publish.
Don't worry that you don't have any followers yet. No one's listening for a while.
As you start publishing, you’ll begin to create an attractive character, and you start gaining expertise. You’ll become a figure.
If you wait to begin publishing until you're “a figure,” no one's gonna believe you. People only believe you when they see the trail you’ve left - when they can see your history.
I asked a much more useful question than asking “How to get a discount.” That question has brought me to a much cooler place than finding out how to get a discount ever could.
ADVICE TO MY PAST SELF
If there's any advice I could give myself looking back, it would be to ask different questions
For a long time, until I became cognizant of the principle that “questions invite revelation,” I asked some stupid questions, and it slowed me down - A LOT.
So if you take anything away from the blog, I hope it’s a commitment to ask better questions.
So let’s round up, and finish of with the steps I took to “crowd create” my products. They are so powerful, that you can use them to move forward with any project you’re working on… Here we go:
HOW TO CROWD CREATE A PRODUCT
These are the step I’d follow:
- Have a Vision - it doesn’t have to be your grand life purpose
- Don’t try and be a Renaissance man/ woman - don’t try do it all yourself - Find experts
- Share your vision - master storytelling to help bring in experts from different fields to support you
- Don’t be put off by challenges - remember, “the obstacle is the way.”
- Ask better questions and get better solutions - questions invite revelation
Until next time - Go CRUSH IT - and, Keep Upgrading Those Questions!
Hey, wish you could geek out with other real funnel builders and even ask questions while I build funnels live? Wish granted!
Watch and learn funnel building as I document my process in my funnel strategy group. It's free! Just go to my FaceBook Group, The Science of Selling Online and join now.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy