SFR 156: Crowd Creating Products...
I have a FaceBook group called The Science of Selling Online - \xa0I hang out there daily (it\u2019s a FREE group). \xa0I 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\u2019ll answer them live.
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One of my latest projects is a program called Affiliate Outrage. It's an amazing course. The cherry on the top is that I\u2019ve managed to pull together some outstanding experts to share their skills in each module.
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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... \xa0How do you crowd-create a product?\u201d
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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.
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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!
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DODGEBALL - AND BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR
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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.
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There was about 30 of us, all in our late teens and early twenties - playing dodgeball and using tables as barriers.
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People got hurt - \xa0this was hardcore.
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I remember one particular time - I was super excited to play that week. I tried to get everyone to start. \xa0Man, I wanted to play so bad. I kept trying to get people ready, but nobody was taking any notice of me.
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After about 10 - 15 minutes, I got frustrated and went over to this other guy. \xa0He goes, "Oh, you're trying to start?" Then he lifts his head, and says, "Hey, guys, we're getting ready to start."
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With that one sentence, everyone turned their heads, stopped their conversations, and started listening.
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I watched the room in dismay. I couldn\u2019t believe it, "Are you kidding me? - I've been trying \u2018forever\u2019 to get these people to do what I want!"
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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\u2019t. \xa0
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I realized that it was better for me to be an orchestrator rather than try to learn how to play every instrument...
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That an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision and brings is to life. \xa0An entrepreneur is a maestro.
MY LITTLE BLACK BOOK
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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.
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When I realized that I didn\u2019t need to be \u201cgood at everything\u201d to be an entrepreneur, I wrote it down in that book.
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Even though I was in my early 20\u2019s when I wrote that thought down - it was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn as an entrepreneur.
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When I was at ClickFunnels, Russell drilled this lesson into me for eight solid months before it finally sunk in
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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.
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I\u2019d say, \u201cWell, my major before marketing was CIT. I know I could understand it.\u201d Again, Russell would look at me and say, "Oh, yeah, but who cares? We\u2019ve got someone for that. Don't \xa0learn that."
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I struggled to take it on board because I\u2019m curious and I like to know how thing work. However, when it finally sunk in, it was one of the best lessons EVER!
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If you\u2019re like me, it may not be an easy lesson to learn, but please learn it. Here it is:
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Just because you know how to do something doesn't mean you should do it
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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\u2019s soooo worth it
DON\u2019T BE A RENAISSANCE (WO)MAN
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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.
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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!
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If you\u2019re reading this, then you\u2019re an A-player - a weird breed of person with both vision and ability
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\xa0You can bring your vision to life. However, the worst mistake you can make is to be a renaissance man or woman and do \u201call the things\u201d yourself. It\u2019ll slow you down and burn you out.
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So what do you do instead?
SHARING YOUR VISION
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There\u2019s 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.
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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.
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Let\u2019s face it, as an entrepreneur; it\u2019s likely that you\u2019ll be laying a path rather than following one. So it\u2019s vital that you can communicate your vision and tell your story effectively so that people will follow you.
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USING INFLUENCE
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Influence is what I\u2019ve 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!
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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.
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Yes, I know, 30 grand a month is still a shed load of money, but if you don't have the cash, don\u2019t panic\u2026
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You still have a story.
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A great story is one of your most valuable assets.
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If you get good at telling stories, your vision will help you hire the people that you can't afford.
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It\u2019ll stop you from getting stuck trying to learn everything. It\u2019ll 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.
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The highest leverage thing you can ever to learn is marketing, and how to change belief
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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.
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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.
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Show people how coming along with your mission will benefit their business too, and you\u2019re on to a winner.
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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\u2026
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However, before I round up this blog, I want to say a few words about \u201cVision and Purpose.\u201d Along with trying to \u201clearn all the things,\u201d - the other place I see people getting stuck is on trying to find their \u201cvision and purpose.\u201d
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THE PURPOSE QUESTION
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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."
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I thought for a minute, and then I replied, "Dude, I'm trying "to figure out what my purpose is." \xa0Immediately Russell starts laughing. Myron Golden was standing next to us, and laughing, Russell interrupts Myron:
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Dude, Stephen just asked the purpose question. He's trying to figure out what his purpose is."
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Myron laughed, "Man, are you kiddin' me? I just found out my purpose 3 months ago."
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Russell grinned and said, "Dude, I only found my purpose 3 years ago when I started ClickFunnels, and this whole thing blew up."
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Right there I decided, "Alright, I'm not gonna freak out my purpose anymore." \xa0Russell said, "Yeah, don't worry about it\u2026 Just \xa0help people make money, it'll be great." So, that's my purpose for now.
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You don\u2019t 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
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My vision right now is to develop something that's freakin' cool. I want to help a whole bunch of people who probably haven\u2019t made their first dollar online yet. I want to teach people how to do what I've done.
TAKE ACTION
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- 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
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- 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\u2019ll show you how to do it
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- Launching. Don't worry about the details. Just figure out all the things that you\u2019ve got to do to get off the ground. Don\u2019t wait\u2026 you\u2019ll turn around and 3 months will have passed - and you\u2019ll have no cash or results to show for your time.
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- 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; \u201cWhat's my purpose, what should I be doing? What do people want from me?\u201d
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THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY
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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.
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On one side it says: \u201cThe Obstacle is the Way.\u201d On the other side it has the message:
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The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way"
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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 - \xa0and we'll take turns going to the events."
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My answer was, \u201c Well, you could do that\u2026 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.\u201d
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Questions invite revelation - so it crucial to pick your questions carefully.
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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.
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For example:
When I asked the question, \u201cHow do I become a Russell Brunson?\u201d One of the answers I got was, \xa0\u201cPublish your journey along the way.\u201d
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.
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Don't worry that you don't have any followers yet. No one's listening for a while.
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As you start publishing, you\u2019ll begin to create an attractive character, and you start gaining expertise. You\u2019ll become a figure.
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If you wait to begin publishing until you're \u201ca figure,\u201d no one's gonna believe you. People only believe you when they see the trail you\u2019ve left - when they can see your history.
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I asked a much more useful question than asking \u201cHow to get a discount.\u201d That question has brought me to a much cooler place than finding out how to get a discount ever could.
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ADVICE TO MY PAST SELF
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If there's any advice I could give myself looking back, it would be to ask different questions
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For a long time, until I became cognizant of the principle that \u201cquestions invite revelation,\u201d \xa0I asked some stupid questions, and it slowed me down - A LOT.
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So if you take anything away from the blog, I hope it\u2019s a commitment to ask better questions.
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So let\u2019s round up, and finish of with the steps I took to \u201ccrowd create\u201d my products. They are so powerful, that you can use them to move forward with any project you\u2019re working on\u2026 Here we go:
HOW TO CROWD CREATE A PRODUCT
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These are the step I\u2019d follow:
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- Have a Vision - it doesn\u2019t have to be your grand life purpose
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- Don\u2019t try and be a Renaissance man/ woman - don\u2019t try do it all yourself - Find experts
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- Share your vision - master storytelling to help bring in experts from different fields to support you
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- Don\u2019t be put off by challenges - remember, \u201cthe obstacle is the way.\u201d
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- Ask better questions and get better solutions - questions invite revelation
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Until next time - Go CRUSH IT - \xa0and, Keep Upgrading Those Questions!
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Hey, wish you could geek out with other real funnel builders and even ask questions while I build funnels live? Wish granted!
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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.
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