SFR 145: Peng Joon's Secrets to Growing A Following...

I'm STOKED that Peng got on my show. Come learn how he transformed both his audience and himself in his crazy story...

What's going on everyone, it's Steve Larsen and you are listening to Sales Funnel Radio. This episode is a little bit different. I had the incredible honor of having Peng Joon on the show with me.

And if you don't know who he is I've heard him described many times as the Tony Robbins of Asia, actually by a lot of other big people.

Anyways, he's very, very impressive...

Millions and millions of followers. This was a huge honor to have him on.

What I was trying to do is I was trying to do a Zoom interview so that I could record him, and I together, so you could see our faces and have the first video episode of Sales Funnel Radio.

The issue is that he is in Malaysia, and I am here in Boise Idaho. We both have fast internets. I think literally the fact that we were on the other side of the world from each other, the internet was not agreeing with that. So anyways, I had ripped the audio from it instead and just do audio only.

This interview is incredible you guys. How should I say this? The quality of my life, but also the direct thickness of my wall has been impacted directly from Peng Joon, and especially what he taught at Funnel Hacking live, and the things that he's doing.

I watched him for quite some time and he is very, very, impressive. I was incredibly honored to have him on.

So anyways, excited for the interview. Please definitely take notes, and if there's little glitches or whatever here and there with the sound, or the interview I apologize with that. Again, a lot of it had to do with just I was being on the other side of the world.

We eventually had to turn off our video, and just do an audio interview. So if it's a little glitchy here and there I apologize, but this is worth your time to learn and listen of what he's doing.

In fact, much of the inner circle now is calling their own content strategy they coined it the Peng Joon method. It is because of how powerful this stuff has been in their own content curation and generation, and spreading it all over the world.

Guys, I'm just very thankful for you guys being here and listening to Sales Funnel Radio. Please go take notes and welcome to this episode with Peng Joon.

I've spent the last four years learning from the most brilliant marketers today. Now I left my nine to five to take the plunge and build my million dollar business.

The real question is how will I do it without VC funding or debt completely from scratch?...

This podcast is here to give you the answer. Join me and follow along as I learn, apply, and share marketing strategies to grow my online business. Using only today's best internet sales funnels. My name is Steve Larsen, and welcome to Sales Funnel Radio.

Alright guys, hey I'm excited for this. This is gonna be so much fun. I've had this individual on my list of people that would be a dream to interview for actually a long time. There's an actual list, and I'm blown away right now.

I'm gonna try not to blush too much. This is gonna be a bunch of fun. I actually have on here, Peng Joon.

He has such a gigantic following, and the way that he's done is actually amazing to me, totally astounding. And has had a direct impact on literally the way that I do my personal business, as well as I know a lot of you guys as well, so this is gonna be a bunch of fun to dive on in.

Anyways, without further ado I welcome you to the show. How's it going Peng?

Peng Joon: Hey, I'm good.

Steve Larsen: Thanks for taking the time over there I know it's a historical day like you said.

Peng Joon: That's right. I'm just so excited. It's one in the morning right now, but I don't think I'm gonna be sleeping any time soon, because I'm just so excited. History made here in Malaysia.

Steve Larsen: So cool. You just went and voted, and waiting for results is that what it is right now, everyone's waiting?

Peng Joon: Yes, that's right.

Steve Larsen: That's so cool. Thanks for taking the time to do this especially during such a big day over there as well. For everyone else, first of all if you're not following Peng, he's one of the go to people. I watch everything he does, okay.

Go follow him. Go do everything he says to...

How did you get started with this whole thing? You kind of talked a little bit about it at Funnel Hacking live, and you were showing a video of how you first started out on stage. It was amazing.

I think it broke everyone's beliefs on the ability to be successful like this. Can you just for everyone else you mind just talking a little bit about that what you were doing?

Peng Joon: So here's the quick back story. For my entire life I've always been this really shy, introverted kid. When I start off with my online journey I just wanted to be anonymous and make money online without speaking to anyone ever.

So what I did was back then I was really struggling. And here in Malaysia things are really different. My first pay slip, I actually got my first job for was about 300 U.S. dollars and it was my monthly pay cheque.

I worked on that job for nearly two years before I realized I need to do something different.

So what I did was I didn't realize I had a strength back then, but I was really passionate about computer games.

I created my first ever digital product which is really like a 32 page World of Warcraft ebook, that was it.

It did well. It enabled me to, and I started scaling to all these other gaming websites and guides, and because I didn't want to be branded as Peng Joon, because I had this limiting believed that I thought to myself nobody would ever buy a product from someone called Peng Joon.

So a lot of these sites I branded under my pen name Tony Sanders which really, true story was Tony Robinson, Colonel Sanders. It was Tony Sanders.

Basically, the turning point was when I had all these different niche websites, and I owned several dating websites in the dating niche as well.

So I was also branded Tony Sanders, and one day without me realizing it I actually set a huge broadcast for a dating offer to my entire gaming list. So I got 400,000 gamers receiving a dating offer, and the spam complaints was really high, and I was using AWeber back then, and they literally shut me down.

And I couldn't believe it because I was paying I think $2500 a month On my bill, and I would never thought they would shut me down, but they did. And used to give me a copy of my email list, and we went back and forth for probably over 10 days.

This is the terms of service it stated here that if you shut me down we are not obligated to give you an email list.

So I really lost my entire business overnight. Because of that, I realized you know what this is an opportunity for me to do something different, and I want to be able to share with other people what I did in my gaming, and all these different niche websites that I did.

So I thought why not teach other people how they too can market what they know based on their life experience, their passion, and learn, monetize what they knew.

So that was the first time ever I actually stepped out of my comfort zone, and decided to ... But I was really shy and introverted, and I still am, but what I did I wanted to improve myself, so I started going all these different speaker trainer events.

I started practicing in front of a camera, in front of the mirror...

It was a journey. That has allowed me to, so it was a lot of journey of self-discovery getting a lot of past my fears, limiting beliefs, and all that kind of stuff. That has enabled me to now speak in many different countries, and more than 20 countries now.

Doing events, doing workshops, retreats all that kind of stuff...

Steve Larsen: There had to have been this moment then, because I actually was very similar. I was so shy. I got the nicest kid award, because no one heard me speak. You know what I mean? I actually really, really it was one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you about this, and ask you about it.

It's actually one of the biggest questions my audience wanted me to ask you as well. When you had this ... I was so afraid to talk to people. If you had the same kind of thing I remember there was this moment for me where I just realized of this self-awareness. “Oh my gosh, I'm shy."

And I didn't know that for a while...

Holy crap. I had to actually start actually doing things kind of like what you did. Was there a moment when you realized, oh my gosh I need to become, I had to become something. I want to shape and shift the way I am. Is there a moment you can think about-

Peng Joon: Oh yeah I remember the moment so vividly. It's basically when I did my first ever event. So back then, after I did all of those different events. For a long time this event organizer, Success Resources, they've always wanted me to speak on their stages. But I always said no, because speaking is not for me...

Eventually, I took a leap of faith and I did my first event...

So back then after going to all these different speaker things and stuff that was when I realized they talked about the stack. Back then it was pretty old school. You would use a flip chart, and you right down the offer and the price, and then you would kind of cross things out.

You give out the bonus, and you say things like, “For first 17 people go to the back room and sign up you get all these different things.” So I did that in my first event, and it was in this huge, it was at the Singapore Expo Hall it was this huge room.

There was about 900 people there. Right after I did my stack and offer my bonus and I said, “For first 17 people go to the back of the room, and sign up.” It was all quiet they were all you know.

My mind was racing, because when I was attending all these different speaker trainer events what would happen is people, all the other participants, do a similarly a table rush, they all stand up go to back room, and give you confidence.

But when I did it for real nothing happened. It was weird, it was awkward. So back then those things were very different to all those, no music, and when I had to walk to the back room.

Just imagine this...

Room of 900 people, huge expo hall, I had to walk back and awkwardly smile to everybody as I walked. It was like the walk of shame. I walked back.

I remember this one of the staff who was working there she asked me, “So Peng Joon do you know how you did?”

And I said, “No so how many people signed up?” I noticed she was avoiding eye contact, and that's when she said, “Yeah well nobody signed up.”

I went back stage and I was sitting down there, and I realized, first of all I was very disappointed. Disappointed in myself, because at that point in time I truly believed that I did my best. I didn't wing it. I spent tens and thousands of dollars attending all these different events and seminars.

I practiced in front of camera, in front of mirror, but doing my best just wasn't good enough. And at the same time I disappointed the audience the value of what I had to offer. The irony was so many people coming up to me Peng Joon it was an amazing presentation.

But nobody bought anything...

That was when I told myself I think speaking is probably not for me.

So I was about to leave the event. The CEO of Success Resources, Richard Tan, he was there. I went up to him I said, “Thank you for inviting me to your event, but as you can see speaking is probably not for me. I might come back to be a conference speaker, but maybe not a sales speaker. What do you want me to do?”

So I was about to leave the event, here is what he told me. He said, “You know Peng Joon we been around for more than 20 years. We worked with the best of the best. We work with people like Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Robert Kiyosaki, and all these guys.

Worked with best, best and worked with many average speakers that we have seen come and go. And I can tell you right now this is when an average speaker will quit. So you decide if you are average.”

And those words were so powerful...

I really realized that my entire life speaking really was one of those fears that was just one of those things that I could never do, because all of these things I tell myself like I'm not a people person, I'm introverted, I'm shy, and all these different reasons.

I realized, and I asked myself, “What if I could conquer this one fear that I thought I could never do. Then I will be unstoppable.” It was just one moment of decision where I told myself I'm never gonna quit until I really become world class at this.

And that I just continued practicing. I attended more events. I continued just practicing, and eventually I sucked less and less, and eventually I became good. That was the journey...

Steve Larsen: Was there a moment where you were able to sit back and go, “Oh my gosh I actually think this possible.” He said I'm going to be I don't want you to be average go off and do it. You said, “Oh my gosh okay we'll go do it.” And you started moving forward.

When was the moment though where you felt this period of self confidence? It seems to me most entrepreneurs actually know what to do next. They just don't have any confidence to do it.

It's much of a personal development thing as it like hey here's how you make a dollar. Here's how you make money. So is there a moment where you had, you know what I mean, like that first real success where you're like, "I could actually do this"?

Peng Joon: Yes. And I think back then so this was like I think the first time I had it was a few shifts. Number one, the importance of telling your story, which is your struggles as well as your successes.

For me back then all I wanted to do is, my mindset was as long as I went on stage on a platform, and as long as I gave them great value. I will go stream the content give them as much as they can so that they can understand the value that I'll be able to give them on the backend in my offer.

I passed the stories and the struggles of the back story. It was so crucial.

On top of that, and you know this, is that it came from the angle of just teaching. Without really coming from the angle of answering objections, objections about the opportunity. Objections about the limiting beliefs.

Objections about the external. So that was the difference.

Steve Larsen: That's interesting. So a focus itself on when you understood now how to actually go for the objections, and rather than just teach itself. Actually get into the mind of the person. That's interesting. I never heard anyone say that would be one of the things that ...

Peng Joon: 100%. The difference between a world-class speaker/closer, and average one is that a closer understand that the entire presentation is a close. Right from the start, the open, the content, the stack, the close. The entire thing is a close.

To really be able to serve an audience at the highest level it's not about the steps. Even though it might be intuitive to think that it's about the steps it's about the content.

If you really think about it you might be able to give them all the steps, but if you are not covering the objections, their self-limiting beliefs, their attitude, the environment that they're in.

Let's say we're in fitness. I'm teaching people how to get sick, tight abs. So if I taught them the steps, and we all know the steps are. The steps is just eat right, exercise daily. So everybody knows what the steps are.

Everybody wants to get healthy. Everybody wants to look good naked. But reason why people don't do the steps is because of the other 80% which is the why, the desire, their attitude towards it. All that kind of stuff.

The objections that they might have, and therefore in order to really serve the audience at the highest level it's not about just teaching the steps, but rather the other 80%, the mindset and attitude behind it that will make all the difference.

Steve Larsen: That's amazing. I appreciate you saying that. So those are the things you identified in your own head started doing to yourself what you do to customers.

That's what pushed you forward...

I want to ask real quick about the way that you do your content, because the content that you create is incredible. I know you batch a lot, you put a lot of it together.

To go from someone who's shy, and introverted to somebody who you are now. You have books that you written, you're an author. You have millions of followers.

Dude, you are so ... and you are in front of massive audiences that you're teaching. You write books about the things that freaked you out at one point. That's amazing.

Could you talk a little bit about how you realized you needed to go heavy into the content creation side of this?

Peng Joon: Yeah. We all know that the algorithm on all these different social media platforms are constantly changing. It's harder, and harder to get rich, especially if it's organic.

For the longest time marketers have always said that the first step you need to be doing in order to get people into your funnel is to collect their name and email address. That's like the golden rule of marketers for the longest time.

But here's the problem. The problem with that is, first of all, that could have been effective maybe fives years ago, but to me a person is going to be a lot more reluctant to give you their name and email address in the first encounter.

And also it's gonna be a lot more expensive...

So to go about that the new way of doing things is really to lead that entire relationship with the value first. To be able to put out content out there where people don't have to ... where there isn't a catch.

Where they don't have to give you a name and email first in order to get value.

So you are able to lead with that, which again putting out content on social media, reaching people who don't know who you are, so you give them value first, and then we target them later for the main email address it becomes a whole lot cheaper.

That relationship is gonna be totally different because it started off with you giving value. That's different.

The rules of the game has changed. It's basically the first thing you need to be doing now is rather than starting off a relationship by getting a person's name and email address, it should be starting that entire process by getting people pixeled in, or into a custom audience where they have engaged their page like, commented, or shared anything on your page, or watched specific videos of more than say 50%.

And then we target them for the opt-in. I know it's a little bit technical here depending on, yeah but that's how it should be done.

Steve Larsen: Makes total sense. Makes total sense. They are already pre-framed what you're gonna talk about. They already pre-framed who you are. False beliefs have already shattered that you didn't even know you're solving. That's amazing.

Peng Joon: And you think about it, it's kind of like going into a club. Getting somebody's name, and email first is really like going into a club, and try to get somebody's name, and phone number in the first five minutes of your conversation.

Maybe some pick-up artists can do it, but it's gonna be tough. However, if after the conversation... with value first that's kind of like perhaps going to a club, and ...who has interest, who's looking at you, and then talking to them. And then building value, building relationship, and then asking them for their...it's going to be easier.

Steve Larsen: So Peng Joon is coming out with a dating tips book very soon with that very strategy right? Sorry for the lag in the internet a little bit everybody.

Peng Joon: ...

Steve Larsen: You are right there? Okay got you.

Peng Joon: ...

Steve Larsen: Awesome. So I wanted to ask you also real quick. Let's say you're a new entrepreneur just starting out. Let's say you redoing this you are starting over again. How much emphasis would you focus on just amassing, because I get this question all the time.

How much focus would you give on amassing a huge following versus making a product that's selling? Would you put one before the other, would you do them in tandem?

Peng Joon: [inaudible 00:21:06] So I mentioned this strategy. One of the thing I always want to make it really clear. The priority for somebody that's starting out should always be building their funnel first.

Be clear about what they are selling, what their offer is, building the funnel before they start messing around with traffic, or social media, or podcasting, or anything like that.

People get caught up with all these distractions they think they need to put up content in bulk they need to do...Facebook when in fact for new entrepreneurs one of the things that they get distracted by is people telling them that they need to do all these different latest tactics and strategies which is like Facebook, or Instagram, or podcasting, and doing a blog post.

When in fact, if you are first starting out the only focus you should have is your funnel. It's getting clear what you're selling, what your offer is, and building up that funnel for that offer.

The best way to tell if you have a funnel is to ask yourself this morning when you woke up, whether you made any sales while you were asleep. And you if you didn't make any sales where you sleep last night means that you don't have a funnel. That should be your core focus before you start dabbling into all these other traffic generating strategies.

Steve Larsen: That's so powerful that you say that, absolutely. Someone has reached out, and they are like, “Well I'm gonna grow this huge following I'm brand new.” I'm like what are they gonna follow you for though?

So at what end what's the end goal there, so when did you know your business was ready for this brilliant content machine that you have?

Peng Joon: I think it was just the progression. There wasn't really a moment in time when ... And I don't think it really happens for anybody where we just wake up and say today is the day we're ready. It's just through little progress every single day, and the little victories along the way. So yeah I don't think there was a moment, and time specifically.

Steve Larsen: Sure. I know that you gave an entire presentation on this on Funnel Hacking Live. Not trying to ask you to do that as well. Can you talk through your process just a little bit at a high level what you do to actually generate all this content?

Peng Joon: So it all begins with the pillar content, which is a video. Shooting a video where you begin with the end in mind, which means you are gonna use highly engaging content as titles, where you will look at, and there are many tools for this [Bust a Move 00:23:44] is one of them, while you look at what content in your market industries already proven to convert by looking at the conversations people already having.

Creating videos based on that topic, and you want to be creating topics that has some sort of polarity, rather than using safe neutral topics.

So what I mean by that is so if you are in a topic of, say wealth. So rather than a safe topic which is how to make more money, a much more powerful video would be here is the reason why you are broke.

That's gonna offend some people, but the people that's gonna be into it is gonna be a lot more engaged. We need to understand that there's no money in neutrality. It's either they love you, or hate you, but there's no money in neutral. Start off with that, and by saying that I'm not talking about intentionally creating videos that offend people.

I'm not a polarizing person, but I'm talking about taking a stand for something, and not being safe about it. If you take a look at all the books, you take books like 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad', when it was created that goes against every single safe principle when it comes to wealth, and investment when it was written. That's why it did well.

So that's the first step. Creating videos, based on topics as high engagements, and then after that I got a nine step process, but it's basically about repurposing it so that it goes into your blog posts, it goes into youtube, it goes to Facebook, and Instagram.

I call this strategy the Content Multiplier Formula, which is basically having all your content put into all these different platforms where the content matches the context of the platform.

Steve Larsen: Which I think is so interesting, because it's not like you go on ... most people get on Facebook to get distracted. They are not getting on there to ... a very different intent than I go on youtube for, which is to usually some kind of how to thing, or maybe some other piece of entertainment or whatever. That's very fascinating, so you match content to the context of the platform that's fast.

Peng Joon: And that's so crucial, because what I see some marketers do is they post the same piece of content onto all platforms failing to understand that people go onto these different platforms for different reasons.

So it can still stem from the same pillar content, but you want to repurpose it in a way that matches the context of the platform.

Steve Larsen: Amazing. You obviously have this down it's a science now for you. Every time I see you on Instagram, or wherever you don't seem like a lot of the classic A type personalities, or entrepreneurs out there where it's like they are usually stressed out of their brain.

You got this down so well for how you done it, and the way you multiply content and match it. How do you go actually out, and start actually multiplying all that content that way? You must have a massive team.

Peng Joon: Out of 12 people that works for me in my team in-house not including the people that we outsource to, but in the grand scheme of things we are really lean, and it's not a really big team.

Steve Larsen: That's awesome.

Peng Joon: So no, you don't have to have a lot of people doing all of that. In fact, chances are if you give them the right system, and the strategy, and the steps to follow you probably just need three people if you are really pumping out with current content. And that's like a lot. The video guy, the graphics, and one content writer.

Steve Larsen: Wow, interesting okay. Video graphics, and a content writer themselves. They'll go out, and repurpose all the stuff. For you I know when you spend three days with 90 videos that you create.

Peng Joon: 120, yeah.

Steve Larsen: You got 120, oh I thought it was 90.

Peng Joon: Yeah 40 videos a day.

Steve Larsen: What? That's so crazy that's amazing, and these are three, five minute videos something like that?

Peng Joon: Yes. Three to five minutes works best. Sometimes it can be shorter, but three minutes would be the average.

Steve Larsen: Wow, okay. Three, five minute videos. That's actually what triggers from that pillar content, the rest of the machine that you created. Fascinating.

Peng Joon: Yes.

Steve Larsen: Fascinating. Thanks for your time today. Again everyone, sorry for the little bit of lag in the internet there. We are talking on the other side of the world right now, so which is pretty awesome.

I know that you have this ... you are such an expert at it now, you wrote a book. I love the actual sales video I've watched it many times that you have for it. Very, very fascinating. I encourage everyone to go get it, but do you mind talking a little bit about why you wrote the book, 'Platform Closing'?

Peng Joon: So I realized there were a lot of people like me that struggled, like they have a nice message to share, but because of all these different limitations, or maybe they just didn't know how when it comes to speaking, and presenting.

It doesn't need to be live events it could be through sales videos, or webinars. I wanted to show people how to do it, because there wasn't one book that really specifically showed people how to speak, inspire, sell on all these different platforms.

I wanted to be able to show people as well that it's not about talent, because that's what many people think. They think that oh because I'm not like that therefore I can't do it. People might look, say Peng Joon ... speak and sell, but I'm not like you.

I'm not extroverted, and therefore I... So I wanted people to see that look that I know that's like a lot of people out there.

They are not doing it, because just like me they're either too afraid, they have that fear, they are introverted, and therefore they never even begin. So that's why I wrote that book.

Steve Larsen: That's amazing. That's amazing. And it's only been out for a little while right, it's very recent.

Peng Joon: It's about six weeks in since I published it.

Steve Larsen: Awesome, that's awesome. I guess is that the best place for people to come follow you, and learn more about you? That book right there?

Peng Joon: So if you always wanted to learn how to sell, inspire, and present you can go platformclosing.com. It's a free book you just need to cover shipping.

Steve Larsen: Man, thank you so much for your time on this I appreciate it so much. You really are an inspiration, not just to me, but a lot of people in my audience as well I know they are just gonna love this. Thanks so much. Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Peng Joon: I think at the end of it all, you just need to get started. I think I want to leave with this. I think that one of the major things that really separates successful people is this one main thing.

So when it comes to one thing to do a task. We all have these dreams and aspirations. The difference between a successful person, unsuccessful person is this. We might want to do something, but we only tell ourselves these three things.

It's the road blocks that we have is just these three things...

It's either number one, we don't have the time or money. Just the lack of the resource. Now here's the difference. An unsuccessful person, that's where they stop. They let that reason why they can't do it.

While a successful person would say, “So how can I raise this money? How can I put it on Kickstarter? How can I pitch it to an investor who might be believing in my dream as well so I can start this project?”

Or it could be if you don't have the time it's, “How can I find an extra hour? How can I be more productive with my time? How can I shut off social medial?” Perhaps it could be stop watching Game of Thrones or something.

But to be more resourceful, know how to get the resources. That's the first one.

Number two, it's basically where they say, “I want to be able to do this, but I don't know how.” And this is where again, a not successful person this is where they stop.

While a successful person would say, “Okay I want to be able to do this, but I don't know how.” Same starting point, but now they say, “What I add it in my agenda now so that I can find out how. I'll watch the youtube videos, I'll read the books, I'll attend the seminars so that I can learn how."

Number three, I want to be able to do this, but I'm not like that. They might look at me and say, "You know Peng Joon won't be able to do [inaudible 00:32:55]." You don't get it. I'm not like that. I'm not an outgoing person, I'm not extroverted.

Again this is when unsuccessful person will stop. They let that to be the reason to why they can't do it. While a successful person would say, “I understand that in order to scale my business I need to learn how to speak, and present.” But I'm not like that. So how can I become more like that? How can I add it in my agenda, and catch myself out of my comfort zone so that I can become more like that.

I think that in anything we do whether it's building funnels, whether it's speaking, whether it's selling, all of that. The difference is in just the way we think about it. And that's really the differentiator between successful people, and non-successful people.

Steve Larsen: That is incredible. So number one, I don't have the resources or time versus how can I get the resources and time. Number two, I don't know how versus I'm gonna find out how. Number three, I'm not like that versus I'm gonna become that. That is just amazing.

Thank you so much for your time today, Peng Joon, especially there in a historic day in Malaysia. Thanks for the viable interview here, and what you shared.

Peng Joon: I enjoyed being here. Thank you for having me.

Steve Larsen: Boom. Just try to tell me you didn't like that. Hey, whoever controls content, controls the game. Want to interview me, or get interviewed yourself? Grab a time now at stevejlarsen.com.

 

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands