SFR 217: The Least Controversial Path To Becoming An Expert...
I KNOW this is how and why my business blew up so fast. The answer isn't what you think but I was careful to continue this practice each and every week for the last 3 years\u2026
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Today, I'm gonna teach you the most legitimate path I know to become an expert.
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There\u2019s a question that\u2019s starting to come up more frequently when I jump on interviews with people, and that question is: \u201cSteve, how do I become an expert?\u201d
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I believe that if you seek to become an expert, that can sometimes lead to some weird scenarios.
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Someone taught me once:
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If you want status, then don't seek it. If you want credit, don't seek it.
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And that's kinda the formula I follow, I\u2019ll explain more later...
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However, there is a path that you can follow that\u2019ll shortcut your journey to expert... if you have the right intention.
BECOME AN EXPERT
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I really don't read as many books as I think people think that I do, but there\u2019s something very specific that I do, pretty much every week, which keeps me sharp... and keeps me on my game.
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In my mind, it\u2019s also the most legitimate path to becoming an expert in whatever you're doing.
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I'm NOT saying you have to become an expert. You don't! But if you want to, this is how you can fast-track, establish credibility and gain expert status without having to learn, read, study, and deep-dive 24/7.
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...And it\u2019s why my stuff has blown up so much in the last two years!
COACH STEVE
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I coach a ton! You probably have no idea how much.
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Every Friday, I wake up and do two hours of open mic Q&A with the Two Comma Club Coaching group. Specifically, I'm coaching them on their offers and their sales messages.
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At 11:00 am, I immediately jump on the One Funnel Away Challenge
Where I do almost another hour of coaching.
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Two Comma Club Coaching is usually for slightly more advanced people whereas the One Funnel away is targeted at newbies.
After that, at 12 pm, I go live with my MLM group (Secret MLM Hacks) where I typically coach a newer person to funnels. Which is fun. \xa0
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At 1:00 pm, I have about an hours break, and at 2 pm, I go live again to my OfferLab group, and then, sometimes, I'll go back to my FB page and so another open mic
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Every single Friday is at least five hours of coaching almost non-stop.
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I\u2019ve spent a lot of time coaching people!
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It\u2019s one of the ways that I got so good, so fast. Sometimes, when I say that, I think people are like, \u201cOh, that's cute!\u201d \xa0But, NO!
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I spend as much time as possible with my customers.
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GET a coach and BE a coach is how I've advanced so fast! I know that's the reason.
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YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS
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So if you're like, \u201cHey, how do I get better at my craft?\u201d The answer is, you need to spend MORE time teaching your thing. I don't care if you\u2019re in info products, B2B, or retail...
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Drop every book and just coach people... \xa0and you\u2019ll be guided to what it is that you need to get done.
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When I first started the Two Comma Club Coaching, I did live open mic Q&A for four hours every single Friday for a year and a half. I was the only coach, with 675 students
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Do you know how good you get when you coach that often... and when you're answering questions throughout the week too?
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If you want to get good real fast stop burying your head in a book and just answer people\u2019s questions. Just add value.
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I don't read that many books... but that's NOT a badge of honor.
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I read books and I listen to podcasts with the intent to hunt answers. But when I want to get better and more fine-tuned on my craft, I coach!
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That's the BIG Secret... There\u2019s NO secret!
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HOW TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY
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l have people come and ask me, \u201cWhat are the top books you\u2019ve read?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cI could tell you that... but at what cost?\u201d
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If you're reading with the intention to distract yourself from actually spending time with your customers, it's gonna be an issue.
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It's gonna be a major, major issue.
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When I feel that I'm starting to lose my edge, \xa0the thing I'll run to is coaching. I'll spend MORE time on ground-level with people who have questions.
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....And because of that, Russell \u2018the man\u2019 has told me many times, \u201cStephen, you have spent more time with the customer at the ground floor than anyone else.\u201d
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Guys, that's how I've gotten the edge. That's how I've gotten where I am! I know that's exactly the reason why!
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So, if you...
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- Want to get better?
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- Want to go faster?
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- Want to add more value?
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- Want to get known?
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*ANSWER QUESTIONS* That's it!
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JUST DO IT
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Set a time every single week to go live in front of your group. Say, \u201cHey, I'm here because Steve Larsen told me I should answer more of your questions. What are your questions?\u201d \xa0
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...Just have people ask their questions.
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Do you know how easy it is for me to figure out what to sell when I answer a lot of questions? The image comes clear really fast. It's actually faster, and in my mind, more effective than an Ask campaign.
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I start to see that twenty people are asking something similar... \u201cHuh! What if I made a product about that?\u201d
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You know what I'm saying?
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It\u2019s waaay easier, MORE secure, and it helps like crazy\u2026 and it makes YOU better.
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If you don't know the answer, just say, \u201cI don't know the answer.\u201d And go figure it out! \xa0If you think you might have an idea of what the answer might be... just be honest.
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CHARACTERISTIC OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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One of the sessions I did on the Two Comma Club Cruise was all about \xa0how the red ocean builds the blue, and how your red ocean helps decide what you build in your blue ocean! It\u2019s fascinating.
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As I was talking a lot of questions started popping up...
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Over the last three years, I've spent literally hundreds of hours coaching \u2026 (It's probably near the thousand-hour level now).
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The core of my business is content and coaching.
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One of the things that I\u2019ve got good at seeing is, \u201cDoes this person actually have a question about this... or are they asking me a question because they want me to make decisions for them?\u201d
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Identifying that split is what\u2019s made my coaching so effective in the last six months.
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I have to help that person's brain to understand the issue in the exact same way as if I'm selling a product to somebody...
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When you sell a product there\u2019s a series of beliefs and belief gates they have to walk through... and they're sequential.
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- THE VEHICLE: Once they understand, \u201cOh, my gosh, there's a possibility this vehicle could work.\u201d
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- INTERNAL BELIEFS: I\u2019m able to pull this off.\u201d
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- EXTERNAL BELIEFS: I have the resources (external) to get where this vehicle is promising I should go.\u201d
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As I watch the questions that people ask, I'm asking myself these questions:
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- Does the question represent a hang-up?
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- Is that person trying to get me to answer something for them that they should have the power to answer on their own?
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- Is it a legitimate question?
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ARE YOU SCARED?
Most of the time, I find that people have enough knowledge in their noggin' to be able to go answer the question on their own.
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They know enough to answer the question... or at least take the next step.
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So, is the question
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- Seeking a Distraction - so they don't have to take action?
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- Legitimate?
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If I can tell an individual is seeking distraction for the sake of NOT having to take action, I know that I need to work them through vehicle, internal, and external beliefs in themselves before moving forward!
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If I can tell they're asking the question because they want:
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- Distraction,
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- The semblance of motion.
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- To feel that they\u2019re making progress in something.
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- To just ask the next thing... and the next thing.
I know that there's a little bit of a dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins hit with me answering their questions.
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This is BIG to understand.
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...Because, once you understand you\u2019re ask questions for the sake of feeling momentum, then you can also know that the truth is:
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- You know what you want to do.
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- You know what you\u2019re supposed to do.
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- You know enough to take action
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... BUT you\u2019re scared, and you don't want to move forward.
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To avoid this fear, you distract yourself with further education that you really don't need right now\u2026 \u201cStephen, I have a few questions!\u201d
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You see what I'm saying?
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It\u2019s a HUGE deal.
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ARE YOU SEEKING DISTRACTION?
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So when someone asks me, \xa0\u201cStephen, how do you send an email?\u201d I'm like, \u201cDo you really have a question on how to send an email\u2026 or could you figure that out on your own... and you're just trying to distract yourself?\u201d
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YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF!
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THIS PISSES ME OFF!
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Part of my content strategy is to do interviews every Tuesday morning. I don't care if your a newbie and I'm your first episode... or if you\u2019re experienced, and I'm the next up\u2026 \xa0\xa0
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I set up InterviewSteve.com because I get interview requests a lot. If you want to have me on your show, you can jump on and set a time in my calendar.
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But, if you set it up, show up... because I'm going to. But will you?
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I\u2019ve been stood up two times in a row recently because people said, \u201cI'm NOT ready yet.\u201d \xa0That drives me up the freaking wall! I can't even tell you.
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I\u2019m a Time Nazi.
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It's one of the reasons why I am where I am. I'm NOT saying I don't take breaks, but I'm a freakin\u2019 Time Nazi, man!
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When someone messages me the night before... or five minutes before the appointment... (or they just don't show up)... \xa0And they're like, \u201cStephen, I'm not ready yet!\u201d I wanna shout, \u201cGet ready, why'd you sign up! What are you doing!\u201d
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Coulton's like, \u201cYeah, man, it\u2019s been shown that it takes \xa0someone 20 minutes to switch tasks efficiently!\u201d
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It drives me nuts! \xa0So I did this...
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So if you want me to be on your show I'm happy to do it... BUT Show Up!
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I'm all jazzed up. I got everything set up. I got my little Diva light, I'm ready to rock! There's a mental prep that goes on\u2026
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So, here's how you get ready:
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You take Expert Secrets, and you open up to Page 114.
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It's called the Epiphany Bridge Script. There are your questions! That's all it takes! Ready! Okay, there we go! You know.
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Oh, man, I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when I get stood up!
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I get it because it's booked out quite a way in advance. So people signup just out of the fear and the scarcity of, \u201cI'm never gonna be able to interview Steven.\u201d
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...And then they DON\u2019T show up. \u201cMan, I am so much less likely to get on an interview with you in the future if you do that to me.\u201d
I\u2019m a pretty chill dude. I'm aggressive, but I'm chill; it's a cool combo. \u201c BUT, set me off... my eyes gonna twitch. I'm gonna go nuts!
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JUST GOOGLE IT!
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I\u2019m always looking for the split between legitimate questions \xa0and distraction questions:
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If someone asks me EVER again, \u201cStephen, how do I add funnel?\u201d
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Click add funnel, baby, it's right there! Add funnel, you just click it! You know what I mean? You have got to learn how to answer questions on our own! That's the name of the game, my friends.
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Welcome to Entrepreneurship! You\u2019re gonna have questions all the time\u2026
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Yeah, duh, we all do!
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How many times do I wake up and NOT know what I'm supposed to be doing that day? It happens more frequently to entrepreneurs than most people probably know.
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Anyway, back to my no-shows\u2026
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Instead of totally wasting my time I hopped in my FB Group and did an open mic Q&A to answer some legitimate questions
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SOME LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS
Sonia asked: How to tell the difference between a distraction-based question versus a real question?
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Steve: Usually, by the follow-up questions... they're trying to find a way to logically release themselves from having to do what the answer was.
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Meaning, if someone's like, \u201cStephen, how do I add a funnel?\u201d I'm like, \u201cWell, what you're gonna do is click add funnel.\u201d \xa0If they say, \u201cOkay, I get that, but what if it's a Tuesday, and I don't have any time?\u201d
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I'm like, \u201cFirst of all, that's NOT for me to solve. Pony up, and make some time in your life.\u201d
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Number two: They\u2019re trying to figure out how to logically release yourself from the pressure of taking action. They want release.
...And so, if somebody starts asking me questions where I can see they're trying to release themselves from the positive pressure of taking action, that's when I'm gonna call \xa0them out:
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\u201cSomething's up? Why are you not taking my answer?\u201d
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Why are you backpedaling? Why are you trying to get me to say, \u201cOh, you know what, in your scenario, you're right, you don't click add funnel?\u201d
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They want me to give them permission to not take action, and I will NOT do that.
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It's part of what's made me a very forward coach, and sometimes, people don't like that... whatever! I don't care. I'm about getting people results!
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FB COMMENT: Hey, Stephen, you keep me motivated and moving forward.
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STEVE: Awesome, that's great. Just make sure you turn it into discipline, motivation is nothing.
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FB COMMENT: What do you do when you don't know what to do next? That is a legitimate question. Does that even happen to you? You always look like you have everything completely figured out.
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STEVE: One of my little tactics is to stay booked up as much as I can. I know that a percentage of the activities I'm doing right now may NOT be what I'm wanting to do 20 years from now.
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I set my goals, and then I map out as best I can, the things that I think are gonna take me there. And then, I act! I just run\u2026
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I had 17 businesses that were failures. Now, number 18 would NOT have been a success unless I had done those other 17 first.
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On the flip-side, thank goodness those 17 tries did not work!
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.Otherwise, I'd be doing those businesses. You see what I'm saying? All of those things prepared me for the thing that was coming with number 18. BAM!
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So, there are two things going on in my head.
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I just have to book myself and just run, and do stuff. Just take action! Big, Massive Action.
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In the last six months have I gotten good at, \xa0\u201cOkay, only these activities will take me to where I want to go.\u201d However, \xa0I still know that there are things I'm doing that I shouldn't be... or that things that don't take me where I'm trying to go. So I have a few options:
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- Stress the freak out over every single action I take. Oh, my gosh, that gets so stressful.
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- Just do stuff.
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So sometimes, especially when I was just starting out, (not so much anymore)\u2026.but a year ago, there were many times I woke up and was like, \u201cI have no idea what to do next?\u201d \xa0
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...And that can be stressful.
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RED DOT, GREEN DOT
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So I think to myself, \u201cWhat\u2019s the next move I can make that makes money?\u201d
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Just that one question.
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What is the next path to cash and how do I get there? Then I list out all those things.
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And then I'll list out all of the things that I think I need to do to make money, and I put a big green dot next to the things that are massive revenue generating, but mentally taxing (like building a funnel, writing a sales script).
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Then I'll put a small green dot next to the things that are revenue generating, but not as revenue generating in the moment, or are mentally taxing (like creating a relationship). It can make money, but not at the moment.
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Next, I put a big red dot next to the things that are not revenue generating. Then I erase all of the red dot tasks.
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I do the big green dots during the time of the day when my brain is most fresh... which for me, is usually 7:00 a.m. to about 1:00 p.m.
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Even if I stay up late, I have a hard time sleeping past seven. My brain just wakes up... so I'm gonna do the big green dots during that time of the day.
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I focus on the small green dots during the rest of the day...
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And I will NEVER do a red dot.
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A business that\u2019s NOT revenue focused dies.
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As the entrepreneur, I'm the only one who cares about my business in the way that I do. That's just the way it is. There's nothing wrong with that, that's just the way it is. It's your baby, don't expect it to be someone else's baby.
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I'm the only one responsible, the buck stops with me on making a buck.
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The buck stops with me on moving forward. The buck stops with me on going and getting the new client. I can go get closers. I can go get phone people. I can go get funnel builders. But, it's ultimately down to me if something does or does not happen in my business.
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So I answer the questions:
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- How do I serve?
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- How does it make money?
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Once I figure that out and I do red dot/green dot, and that helps like crazy.
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Hey, just real quick:
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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.
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He said:
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"Hey Stephen, let me ask you a quick question...
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You suddenly lose all your money, along with your name and your reputation, and only have your marketing know-how left. \xa0
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You have bills piled high and people harassing you for money over the phone.
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You have a guaranteed roof over your head, a phone line, an internet connection, and a ClickFunnels account for only one month.
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You no longer have your big guru name, your following, your JV partners. Other than your vast marketing experience, you're an unknown newbie...
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What would you do from day #1 to day #30 to save yourself?
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Russell Brunson
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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.
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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.