Sales Funnel Radio SFR 285: My Own Life Makes The Best Hook...
New environments are some of the easiest ways to create a new hook. Unless you physically never move, ever, this will work for you…
I've been traveling A LOT lately, (more than I like), but what happened was, and with full disclosure…
I said yes to more things than I realized I did
...and that's okay.
But life’s been a little busier than normal and I've been speaking in interesting places like crazy…
So, I thought it would an awesome idea to show you how to promote your business, create a hook, add curiosity, and leverage your time in a NEW and novel way…
What I’m about to show you, has doubled my income in just 3 days.
… it’s also lead me on some crazy adventures 😉
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS & LEVERAGE YOUR TIME!
I don't remember the first time I first saw Russell do this, but I remember thinking, "Oh that's really clever and cool!"
Russell would be speaking in different places and instead of just traveling solo, he’d bring a film guy to film the whole journey - so he could capitalize and leverage what he was doing over and over again.
#Genius
But until recently, I wasn’t doing that…
I’d just go speak at different places, sell, and that would be it…
Sometimes I tell you about it, and sometimes I wouldn't.
I speak a lot of places, but I'm pickier than I used to be.
In the past, I’d just get on anything, and it was the same with podcasts...
However, I probably won't do as many interviews for people's podcasts as I have in the past because…
I'm gonna start designing my lifestyle a little bit more, which is very exciting, and a natural step after a certain spot.
So in order to capitalize MORE on my time, there are a few things I've been doing...
I was on an interview today and the guy asked me “How do you stay so effective?”
Well...
One of the things is, I only work from 9:00 to 6:00.
… and that might shock some of you, but that's what I do.
I work from 9:00 to 6:00, and once that's over, I don't do anymore!
Sometimes, I’ll work in the evenings...
- If I have an event happening.
- If OfferMind's coming up.
but that’s the exception, NOT the rule.
The Rule is…
I work 9:00 - 5:00, and that's it, and whatever I don't get done, I'm okay with that.
I've had to be strict with myself and then be okay with that.
I've been doing that now for a little over a year... Crap, it's October! so it's actually been a little over a year-and-a-half 😂
I'm really enjoyed where things are moving to.
MY FILM GUY
One of the things I've been doing to stay more effective (just like Russell) is to have a film guy follow me on my trips.
It’s kinda funny how I found him…
I was at my sister's wedding (which was awesome) - it's cool to see your little sister get married, and while I was there, I saw this film guy, and I was like:
"Oh, he's really into it. I like his style, he seems to be getting some neat shots."
And then, when I saw the video he produced, I was like, "Dude, that was good." So I reached out to him on Facebook and asked:
"Hey, I'm speaking at Carnegie Hall, do you wanna come film me on the journey, while I'm there, in the streets, and then on the way back?"
He's like, "Sure."
So I paid for his ticket, paid for everything, (paid him, obviously), and then he filmed the whole journey and we did some cool stuff.
Here’s what happened…
Now, I have a little bit of an advantage ‘cause I've already read Traffic Secrets, but I can share this with you as I’ve heard Russell talk about this on his podcast…
One day he and I were sitting in his office, and he had just come back from hanging out with Dean Graziosi for a day.
And, at the time of this story, Dean filmed an ad a day which helped him to sell 4x as many books - it was ridiculous!
Rather than spend a ton of time writing a single ad, Dean literally competes by making a massive amount of new ads.
I was like, "That's really interesting."
ENVIRONMENT & THE HOOK
So there I am with my *FULL* speaking diary and a ton of traveling to interesting places to do, so I was like:
"You know what? Every time we land somewhere, let's find the cool tourist attractions, and when I'm not speaking let’s go to those attractions and film ads.”
...and that's what we've been doing.
In the last two or three weeks, we've easily filmed 50 ads, no joke.
We just wrote this MASSIVE list of all the things that we promote (and maybe you don't even know I have that many things that you could buy?)...
… and we filmed ads for each one of those things with a brand new hook that tied into the environment I was in.
Let me explain…
Today, I’m here in a baseball park so, I might say:
"Boom, what's going on? It's Steve Larsen! Hey, I'm so excited, I'm in a baseball park and I want you to hit out to the park this year. So go ahead, post your goal down below, go buy this thing and just pay for shipping."
I tie the hook into the environment that I'm in.
Even if it's cheesy, it doesn't matter.
SECURITY THREW US OUT!
I wanted to film some ads at the Empire State Building, but we got caught and security threw us out.
Everyone has a camera, but my film guy had a *CAMERA*
...you know what I mean?
He had a Shotgun mic and this BIG Rode thing.
… and we got caught and we couldn't film anything.
However, #PlotTwist...
The next day, we broke the camera apart and put it in our backpacks, and snuck it through security…
We got to the top of the Empire State Building.
And yeah, It felt a little bit scary for a little while, but...
We filmed a bunch of ads at the top of the Empire State Building!
(Shhhh, don’t tell anyone 😉)
… it was super fun, and the ads look amazing!
Next, we went to Times Square and filmed me walking through the crowd, the camera guy walking backward and Colton walking forward, parting the sea of people.
It looks super sick!
I'm talking as I walk through the crowd with all these billboards and banners everywhere.
I’m tying in the environment to a very brief hook.
Guess where we went next????
Yep! We took the camera to the Statue of Liberty…
But we got kicked out again (Security does not like BIG cameras), so we had to go subterfuge mode again to sneak the camera in.
I'm really bad at hearing "no."
THE PERFECT SALES SCRIPT
Then, we went to a theme park in Chicago that has the world's fastest zero to super-fast roller coaster - it had the most aggressive backward inversion…
...it was crazy.
So we filmed a whole bunch of small ads tying the hook into the environment.
Then I was like, "Let's film a longer form ad with multiple scenes."
So I took out my notepad ( which is always with me), and basically did the same thing I‘d done with several other ads…
I used the webinar script - it's the perfect sales script - that's really what we should call it.
The theme park that was insanely over-packed and they had a Halloween theme going on, so I grabbed a pumpkin that was next to one of the props and did a cool pattern interrupt.
I walked through rides while following the webinar script.
It was very eye-catching, but at the same time, I'm following general, good direct response marketing principles.
I'm telling you this because it doesn’t matter where you are...
Take the opportunity of whatever you're already doing, and just document it.
If you're like, "Steven, I can't hire a camera guy," then don't use one.
Today, I balanced my phone on a chain-link fence in the park.
...that's all it takes.
Russell still uses his phone with the Voice Memo App while he's driving and that's his podcast.
"What camera equipment do you use?" My phone 😂 That's it.
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE CREATIVE
The whole point of what I'm saying is… use whatever you're already doing and document.
I know I've said that multiple times, but it’s true. You don’t need to be creative, you just need to document what you’re already doing…
Don't create, document.
It's much harder to sit down to create this brand new amazing thing - instead, just use the environments that you're already in and tie them into a hook.
The environment is one of the easiest hooks.
One of the reasons ads works is because of pattern interrupts…
Well, the pattern interrupt could literally just be where you're standing.
The Statue of Liberty; that's an awesome pattern interrupt. 😉
When you have a cool environment it literally means you can be less good at scriptwriting, and it would still be a captivating ad.
Case in point…
There's A LOT of crappy movies out there, but because of all the CGI and the graphics, you still get the explosions, so we still think, "Hey, it's an okay movie!"
….even if the script sucked.
Ler’s face it, that happens all the time!
People want variety - it's actually one of the six needs that Tony Robbins teaches about.
...and for some of us, that need is greater than others - so provide that variety and spontaneity with your environment.
I've been using that principle more and more lately...
I DON’T make the same content all the time anymore. Instead, I use whatever’s going on around me to create a cool environment.
If you’re thinking, "Steven, but I'm not that creative." And you may be right, maybe you're not that creative, but guess who is?
- Mother Nature.
- Everything else that's around you.
- Other people.
You don't need to be creative to have creative things!
We're using environment to cause MORE emotion than (sometimes) my video may be able to convey…
MY ‘NEXT’ BIG PLAN!
I just got off the phone with my realtor, (who's amazing), and he's been helping us get an office space where I can actually set up an event space.
I'm looking at shows like Impact Theory, and Baydros…
And I think video is gonna go even further than it already has and so...
I'm going to create a show where I can control the environment and make a very appealing environment for face-to-face chats with big people.
My lease is gonna be a lot of money; we're probably gonna spend a solid 200 grand to outfit this studio that can be used for multiple things.
I'm having them gut ALL the walls to build an event center that holds 50 people. It’s gonna be the full works with…
- A Stage
- Different Backgrounds
- Lights
- Cameras
- Sound
...all the things to make it feel like a brand new environment.
Creating that transformational atmosphere is the BIGGEST costs for me when I do my events…
When I walk into an event, it needs to transport me to a new place.
And here’s the interesting thing...
A lot of times, the same thing is true with ads or creating any kinda content.
The reason I'm telling you this is that I'm in the process of setting up a space that I can use for a face-to-face interview-style show.
I’m gonna pay for my office by using the space I create for…
- A Show
- OfferLab stuff
- My own mastermind, which is definitely coming, (we're building the funnel now).
I just want you to start thinking of the different ways you can use your environment.
So anywhere you go, start thinking about ways you can sit back and start creating these ads.
TALKING TO A PUMPKIN
We’ve cranked out about 50 short ads, and then more of a long-form one to promote One Funnel Away.
I'm literally creating paid advertising for my bridge page promoting One Funnel Away - 'cause…
- It's super profitable
- It helps ClickFunnels
- It helps me
- It helps everybody
There's enough commission that I can actually go spend money to acquire customers and still keep just a little bit over, which is nice.
I'm don’t say "One Funnel Away" in the ads, I doubt that would be allowed…
But in the ad, I'm sitting on a bench with a pumpkin... 🎃 (Yes, you know I'm a goofball at heart, and I'm totally cool with that)…
I'm looking at him like:
"I know, right! Have you ever wondered if you could build a sales funnel for your business?"
...it's super cheesy, but in the first two seconds, it’s like, "What? What? What?" #PatternInterrupt
I don't care if it's goofy; there's a hook, and it pulls you and then I walk through the super cool script.
BREAKING BELIEFS
I’m tired of people saying stuff like, "Well, does it work for this industry? Does it work for this? Does it work for this?"
So we went to the Better Business Bureau and we grabbed ALL the industries that you can find, and I just run through them...
*ALL* of them.
I'm trying to go through several hundred of these categories - because I'm sick of people asking the SAME question!
After I hit a certain point in the script, it's just me dropping industry after industry, I’m…
- … getting into a rollercoaster
- … getting out of the rollercoaster
- … getting into an Uber
- … getting out of the Uber
- … collecting my luggage
- … walking back to the Uber
- … riding to the airport
- … running through the airport
- … getting on the plane
- … getting off the plane
(you getting the idea? 😉)
… it's all just categories.
*All the things* I know people ask about when they do One Funnel Away or my other products.
It's pretty hilarious, it slowly starts to fade out with a call to action as I keep adding the next category, on and on…
STORYTIME WITH PAPPA LARSEN
I wanna leave you with a cool little story about how you can use the environment to create a hook …
#StorytimeWithSteve
Back in the 1900s, there was a guy named Harry Reichenbach, (I believe he was the guy that dumped diplomas over enemy lines in World War I) …
Reichenbach was known for helping people get some really cool things.
There was an actor called Francis X. Bushman who wanted to be a famous movie star, and so he says to Harry, "Hey, I wanna be a star, would you please help me?"
So Harry arranged to introduce Bushman to a producer.
(This next bit is brilliant!)
Harry goes to the bank and he gets 2,000 pennies...
(I love this story.)
...and he starts walking Bushman, through the city, to the producer's office
As they're walking, Harry starts dropping pennies...
(Back then, a penny was made of something that was actually worth something.)
So as he’s walking with Bushman, Harry is dropping all these pennies.
At first, it's just kids picking them up, but as time goes on, adults start following him too…
Eventually, there’s a MASSIVE crowd of people behind him picking up the 2,000 pennies.
By the time he gets to the producer's office, there’s this sea of people.
The crowd gave the studio executives the impression that Bushman was very popular and they signed him up for a big contract with Metro Pictures.
The crowd had no idea who Bushman was, they just were behind him because Reichenbach kept dropping all these pennies.
Say what you will about that, it’s *BRILLIANT*
USE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Most marketers are nervous to do random stuff like that, and that's the reason why I started using ‘environment’...
I don't care if it's an unanswered loop. You don't have to close all loops. I'm gonna open ten loops…
That's why I'm looking at a freaking pumpkin…
(Meet my pumpkin friend 🎃… what do you mean, you can’t see him!?!)
I know it's a weird ad, but gotta be weird enough to catch attention.
You don't have to be that ‘creepy weird’.
You don’t have to be out there strange - that's NOT what I'm saying at all... just be ‘out of the norm…’
Focus on ‘out of the norm’ things in your ads…
- ...in the way that you shoot them
- ...in the way you put the things together
...even if you're not doing video ads, that's fine.
We’ve found these types of ads to be significantly more effective than text ads… for me, anyway.
So we're filming a lot more ads like that.
In the last few days, we've almost doubled our revenue with the new creative we've been tossing out there.
It’s the exact same stuff with just a little bit more ads, and sales have pretty much doubled in the last three days, which is NUTS!
(It’s NOT enough of a litmus test to make a rule out of it, but it’s exciting!)
So here’s what I want you to do...
Start thinking about unusual ways to...
- Create curiosity
- Shoot ads
If you're already going somewhere, take an extra five seconds to think about how you can use that environment for an ad.
And if it's not awesome, who cares? Make a bunch of them!
Compensate with ad volume rather than one perfect ad.
… that's what we're doing and it's been awesome.
PATTERN INTERUPT LARSEN STYLE
Sales Funnel Radio is ending.
Oh, you didn't know that??? … or a lot of you didn't.
Sales Funnel Radio is coming up on 300 episodes and at that stage, iTunes starts to get weird, and so we're gonna end the show.
Sales Funnel Radio currently has about 3,500 organic downloads a day - which is awesome, right?
The message has just continued to grow, and I thank you for that because I know your sharing it has been a big piece of this journey.
I gonna end the show, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop publishing though…
I'm launching a show called Pursuit of Profit.
“Oh, what's that?"
Well, let me tell you…
I'm gonna bring in a whole bunch of really cool rich people and ask them…
- How they've pursued profit?
- What allowed them to actually make cash?
… it’s a different kinda show. It's gonna be awesome.
(I had to pay a lot of money for that domain 😂)
It's also the reason why Sales Funnel Radio output has slowed down as we work on this transition.
If you wanna go get on the waiting list, go to pursuitofprofit.com - I'm very excited about it.
It’s gonna be about 50% interview with someone big and rich and 50% me teaching you what I'm doing - I still wanna keep documenting the journey 'cause I think that's important.
We'll fly in a whole bunch of people, and I’ll probably sell live seat tickets.
The room's only gonna hold 20 to 30 people.
I'll literally do back to back interviews with these AMAZING and rich people.
I wanna dive deeper with a little bit more of a broader market.
So if you wanna go get on the notification list, go to pursuitofprofit.com.
Someday I'll teach you…
- The strategy of what I'm pulling off here
- Some things I learned
- Why I'm ending Sales Funnel Radio - which feels like a sin!
We're gonna redo salesfunnelradio.com and put all of the episodes on a single MP3 player.
But (stay with me) there’s even MORE!
STORYTELLING IN MARKETING
We're launching another show called One Funnel Away Stories, and here’s the story behind it...
About two-three years ago, I was walking through the Vegas Strip with Russell ….
(We were at an event to learn some things)
Anyway, I was walking next to Russell, and I was like:
"You know what's funny? All the tools are here now - they're largely all here. So why is it that some people still don't believe that this will work for them?"
#1: I believe that it's just story. That's it. We just need more story.
This has become a game….
It's no longer like, "Does it work for me?" Yeah, it does, alright!
#2: I need to be techy…
ClickFunnels means that you don’t need to be a coder anymore, right?
#3: “I just don't believe."
There it is, that's the kicker.
Q: How do we break that belief?
A: *STORY*
So I was talking to Dave and Russell, I was like:
"Why don't you guys buy One Funnel Away Stories?"
(It's their domain, they're just letting me run the show)
So I'm gonna pull in tons of people to share their story for 20 minutes hearing their story on how they used ClickFunnels, and funnels in general, to blow up.
I think it'd be a really interesting show, it’s gonna be more story-based and less tactical.
Each week you’ll get a chance to go hear success stories from people in crazy industries.
I'm gonna choose ALL kinds of industries, they won’t be the standard ones you hear about all the time, tho there’s nothing wrong with those either.
So those are the NEW shows coming up.
As soon as Sales Funnel Radio hits 300, we'll be done. Sales Funnel Radio will stop, but we're gonna start two others shows.
I do have some special tricks up my sleeve for the end of the SFR that have been ready for quite a while - which we're very pumped about!
I'm psyched, it’s gonna be awesome.
Thanks so much for being here. If you like this episode, please screenshot it, post on social media, and tag me - tell me what you liked about it.
If you hated it, and you think my eyes are too large (as I do), go ahead and let me know that as well.
Anyways, thanks so much for being a part of the show. I can't even believe we're nearing 300 episodes.
I’m telling you...
Start publishing, and in one year, tell me if your life's not dramatically different!
... it was for me.
Thanks so much for all this, you are One Funnel Away.
I encourage you to all get rich, give back, and be a Capitalist Pig. You’ll do more good in the world with more money than if you're poor. I strongly believe that.
I don't believe the government should take care of me.
I believe I should get as rich as possible, but first, I need to take care of myself, then I can go do good things with my money.
#GetRichGiveBack
AH, YEAH!
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Ah-oh…
*Wish Granted*
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