Just The Tips, with James P. Friel and Dean Holland

On today's episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Steve Larsen, a good friend of mine and, to be honest, a man who is more obsessed with funnels than probably anyone on the planet. I had to ask him, out of the gate, how he got that way, and his answer may be something you can relate to. As he told us, he had tried to do business in traditional ways, everything from driving web traffic to even door-to-door sales, and nothing was as effective or efficient as ClickFunnels. Steve knows this side of the business inside and out—he estimates he's built about 500 funnels—so if you want legitimate tips on how to make funnels work for you, you have to listen to this week's episode.

What makes a good funnel?

While Steve has made somewhere around 500 funnels, he says it hit upon what made a successful funnel somewhere around 200. He told us on this week's Just the Tips that it isn't about the design of the funnel—people obsess way too much over the design, he says. Instead, it's all about the offer creation. If you don't have a good offer, the smartest design in the world won't save your funnel. Instead, you should be focused on funnel hacking, looking at what other funnels have been successful, what are people selling that the market wants? As Steve says, too many people think about what they like, but they are the wrong people to ask. You have to have an offer that fills a need in the market. Focus on the fundamentals!

The key to better marketing? Breaking down false beliefs.

One of the things we talked about with Steve is how to abandon the false beliefs you have (like, say, design is essential to a funnel's success). He had some really interesting insights to share from his experience. And it turns out that as obsessed as he is with funnels, he's really obsessed with story. He told us how it came to him one day that all behavior is driven by belief, and belief is driven by story. So all he had to do to get someone to change their beliefs was to trump whatever story was in their head, with a better story of his own. It's a really interesting perspective, and one he dives much deeper into on this episode of Just the Tips.

The three types of false beliefs

Steve says there are three kinds of false beliefs that every marketer needs to come up with a story to counteract: The vehicle, the internal and the external. Learn how to do this, and you can literally sell anything. The vehicle is what will get them to their goal. The internal is what you think will lead you to (or stop you from achieving) your goal. And the external are the things that are outside of your control, but that you tell yourself will impact you one way or another (e.g. time). This is really fascinating stuff that on one hand, seems so fundamental but on the other, is a next-level approach to selling and marketing. Steve shares so much insight, making this a must-listen-to episode of Just the Tips.

How to tell a great story

As Steve says, you need to factor in all three of these beliefs if you want to get people to change their behavior. And so for any marketing, you need to understand how someone thinks they're going to achieve their goal, what internal and external factors may be holding them back, and then tell them stories that address all three. As he says, you want an epiphany to go off in their heads, without you actually saying what that epiphany is. There's a lot of deep and interesting content in this week's episode from Steve, and if you've ever gone near a marketing department, you have to listen.

Outline of This Episode

• [3:47] How Steve became interested in funnels
• [6:33] What makes a good funnel?
• [13:30] Focus on the fundamentals
• [16:51] Dropping your false beliefs
• [23:19] Starting at the false beliefs
• [27:40] How Steve puts together a story
• [33:05] How Steve tricked our listeners

• Secret MLM Hacks

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Steve Larsen, a good friend of mine and, to be honest, a man who is more obsessed with funnels than probably anyone on the planet. I had to ask him, out of the gate, how he got that way, and his answer may be something you can relate to. As he told us, he had tried to do business in traditional ways, everything from driving web traffic to even door-to-door sales, and nothing was as effective or efficient as ClickFunnels.

On today's episode of Just the Tips, Dean has to step aside for actual royalty as we welcome Dan Lok, the king of high-ticket sales. Dan actually got that nickname when a magazine dubbed him that, but there's no doubt he earned it. Dan first became an entrepreneur when he was in high school, and now consults and does marketing in the real estate industry, though he says his real passion is to teach others how they can close high-ticket real estate deals. This is a really inspiring and fun episode of Just the Tips that you won't want to miss.

A true entrepreneur from the age of 14

When most people say they've been entrepreneurs since they were kids, what they mean is they started a lemonade stand, or maybe showed some ambition in their newspaper route. But Dan's story is the real deal. He emigrated from China to Canada when he was 14, and not long after his parents divorced. His dad then went bankrupt, and Dan started his own business while he was in high school to help support his family. As he says, he's been doing it for "many, many years," though we couldn't get him to put a number on it. But this is a guy who's really done it all from the ground up, becoming a self-made millionaire by the age of 27. So when he's dishing advice, you'll want to listen.

Time is of the essence in business and in life

Considering that Dan found such success at such an early age, I had to ask him what keeps him motivated to keep working so hard now. And he had a surprising answer: Math. As he says, the first 18 to 20 years of your life is spent as a kid, under the control of your parents, and then you spend a third of your life sleeping, and a good chunk on leisure activities. So as he figures it, you only have seven years to really make your mark. And as he sees it, there are four stages in your career. This is all big-picture thinking, but he does an amazing job of breaking it all down into practical matters on this week's Just the Tips.

Beyond success: Significance

The four stages for Dan are Survival, Stability, Success, and then the fourth one may surprise you. All of the other stages are about achieving something for you and your family: Paying the bills, then getting out of the worry of the day-to-day, and then getting everything you wanted. But once you get what you want, what do you go after? And for Dan, that answer is significance. And significance forces you to look beyond your own success and figure out how you can help others, how you can make an impact on the world, and how your success can mean something beyond the car you drive. This is a truly inspirational episode of Just the Tips, and a must-listen for anyone wondering if there's anything beyond just chasing after money.

How fast learning became key to Dan moving beyond success

Dan Lok says one of the keys to moving beyond success has been his ability to learn quickly and make decisions quickly. He walked us through the various reasons people may procrastinate, in the name of thinking options through, while he has learned to move past procrastination. As he says, "When I think, I act. When I feel fear, I act." And this has helped Dan continue to push himself and continue to excel in a quick manner. If you're looking for a little push, a little inspiration to get you making quicker progress, then this episode of Just the Tips is for you.

Outline of This Episode

• [4:01] How Dan Lok got his start
• [8:54] What keeps Dan motivated
• [14:30] One level beyond success
• [20:25] How Dan became a fast learner
• [25:17] Toward a better mindset
• [32:51] How to get in touch with Dan

Resources & People Mentioned

• Dan Lok
• Dan Lok on Twitter
• F.U. Money

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean has to step aside for actual royalty as we welcome Dan Lok, the king of high-ticket sales. Dan actually got that nickname when a magazine dubbed him that, but there’s no doubt he earned it. Dan first became an entrepreneur when he was in high school, and now consults and does marketing in the real estate industry, though he says his real passion is to teach others how they can close high-ticket real estate deals.

On today's episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Scott Gerber, a man who has launched incredible projects that have made a huge difference for companies. He's CEO of The Community Company, an organization that builds and manages community-driven programs for media companies and global brands, and a founder of the YEC organization for young entrepreneurs. His books, Superconnector and Never Get a "Real" Job have landed him on all the major news outlets. But, today actually isn't about credentials and all of that, today we talk with him about building true, genuine relationships. We've all had that experience of "networking" where afterward you feel like you need to be doused with disinfectant. What Scott is so good at, and what we talk about on today's show, is really creating relationships with people that are mutually beneficial. If you want to get out there, but you don't want to "network," this is the episode for you.

More isn't necessarily better when it comes to relationships

We're constantly bombarded with the idea that more is better, it's important to know everyone, etc. But as Scott says on this episode of Just the Tips, "the reality is pretty clear: your inner circle should be on the smaller side." And because you can then go deeper with that smaller set of people than you could with a wider net, you're building actually meaningful relationships. If you spend a little more empathy, a little more time on those relationships, you'd be better for it, says Scott. This is in contrast to, as he says, "the latest conversion or growth hack b.s. that some blogger wanted to put clickbait around." It's a very meaningful perspective, and one you're going to want to hear.

There are no tricks to better networking

Learning to build communities and strong relationships is really a mindset shift, Scott says. It's the equivalent of losing weight: You can either go with fad products that promise you'll lose weight quickly, or you can change your mindset and your lifestyle to be healthier and keep it off. That's why Scott is so skeptical of articles that promise "10 tips and tricks to better networking." He wants to completely move away from the mindset of traditional networking to a new framework. Though he kindly agreed with me that if we changed the name of our show from Just the Tips, "Just the Frameworks" wouldn't have quite the same ring. Luckily, he still shared some fascinating insights into his framework for building relationships on this week's episode.

The three key traits of any connector

Scott holds up the example of the typical, old-school "networking' mindset, as someone who upon meeting another person, tries to determine how that person can help them. But Scott says you need to flip that, and the only way to do that is to be honest with yourself. And he says there are three key traits of any successful connector. You have to be self-aware, empathetic, and curious. Each of those seems simple enough, but as Scott says, each requires an actual understanding of yourself, and what other people need. And all three have one thing in common. As Scott put it: "You can't cheat real time." You have to put in the time to actually understand yourself, develop empathy for others, and spend time asking questions to dive deeper into your relationships.

How genuine relationships are great for business

It's so easy to think transactionally when it comes to business relationships: What value can I extract from this other person. But, as Scott says, if you're thinking about relationships, then you're looking to either help people or help connect them with people who could help them. And that builds trust and builds an expanding group of people who value you for the interest you took in them, and will now think of you when they hear of something that could help you. As Scott says, he and his business partner are living proof that this approach really works from both a human and a business perspective. And while he's bucking the trend of offering tips on this week's episode of Just the Tips, you're going to want to hear what he has to say.

Outline of This Episode

• [2:25] How Jeffrey grew into a leadership role
• [5:50] How Scott got interested in networking
• [4:00] Why a smaller circle is better
• [8:23] Framework for building relationships
• [13:18] Human relationships, not platforms
• [16:22] Real relationships in the social media era
• [20:13] The business results
• [24:50] How to connect even if you're starting out
• [33:22] About the Super Connector Book

Resources & People Mentioned

• Scott Gerber
• Scott on Twitter
• Super Connector Book
• Community Company

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ

Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Scott Gerber, a man who has launched incredible projects that have made a huge difference for companies. He’s CEO of The Community Company, an organization that builds and manages community-driven programs for media companies and global brands, and a founder of the YEC organization for young entrepreneurs. His books, Superconnector and Never Get a “Real” Job have landed him on all the major news outlets.

On today's episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Jeffrey Davidson, a man who has really become a leader in the leadership space. One of the greatest fears of entrepreneurs and small business owners, spoken or unspoken, is adding to a team (or even creating a team to being with). Whether you've led a team for a long time or you're coming to it brand new, leadership is so much more difficult than all of the books and videos would have you believe. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you're going to want to tune into this episode, where Jeffrey dispenses invaluable advice.

Becoming a bad boss, by being afraid of becoming a bad boss

Jeffrey told us about how he'd studied leadership in high school and college and early in his career, but as is so often the case, he found it very difficult to take what he'd read about and apply it in real-life situations. When he was in his early 30s, he was promoted to be in charge of a large sales team. And he told us about how he hid in his giant office with his Palm Pilot, because he didn't know what to tell everyone. As he said, he knew bad bosses could micromanage or treat people badly or behave in any number of ways that would upend the team. So he knew how to not be a bad boss, but had no idea how to be a good boss.

Being a leader doesn't mean having all of the answers

After that, Jeffrey landed on consulting as a way to avoid being a boss again. But eventually a former colleague asked him to come on and help hire and train some analysts. And as Jeffrey stuck around longer and longer, he was eventually brought onto the team. And as he told us, one of the light bulbs that went off that really helped him become a better leader was to start caring about the people. Once he started genuinely opening the floor to other people's ideas, and learning what they like and how they want to grow, he began to foster a real team at the company. Sometimes, as a boss, you feel like you need to have all the answers. But in reality it's about fostering a culture where other people are able to provide the answers you need. There's lots of wisdom that Jeffrey shares in this week's episode of Just the Tips.

True leadership avoids "corporate propaganda"

I had to ask Jeffrey how you get people to buy in, and feel like what they're doing is contributing to something larger. And he threw out a really fascinating phrase: corporate propaganda. As Jeffrey says, he cringes when he goes into an office and he sees writing on a whiteboard, or hears a manager say something like, "We're going to have best-in-class service," etc. He says that it becomes more about sloganeering than actually pinpointing the service you're providing or the problem you're trying to solve. He pointed to one company whose mission or motto was that they wanted everyone on the team to feel like they were a part of a family. And while that may not be customer-focused, Jeffrey says that sort of sentiment as a north star can go a long way.

True leaders have a plan

One of the trickiest things about leadership is really assessing whether it's functioning properly and if not, where the breakdown is. Jeffrey walked us through his approach to determining what's happening with leadership, and his first question is: "Do you have a plan?" And that one question can identify a whole host of problems: The plans are vague, people don't know what the goal is, there's no common definition of success, etc. If there's one person who knows how to treat a problem in leadership, it's Jeffrey. And if you're new to leadership or you find it's harder than you imagined, you're going to want to hear this episode of Just the Tips.

Outline of This Episode

• [2:25] How Jeffrey grew into a leadership role
• [5:45] Jeffrey's initial downfall
• [8:08] What was the big change in Jeffrey?
• [13:41] How to help people feel like they have purpose in their jobs
• [17:35] How David changed McDonald's
• [20:10] Leaders need to give meaning and clarity
• [24:12] How Jeffrey assess leadership
• [28:10] Where to find Jeffrey

Resources & People Mentioned

• Great Teams Ltd
• Giveaways for listeners

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ

Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

Ruwix is the most popular website dedicated to online puzzle programs and tutorials.

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I welcome Jeffrey Davidson, a man who has really become a leader in the leadership space. One of the greatest fears of entrepreneurs and small business owners, spoken or unspoken, is adding to a team (or even creating a team to being with). Whether you’ve led a team for a long time or you’re coming to it brand new, leadership is so much more difficult than all of the books and videos would have you believe.

We're so lucky on Just the Tips to always have amazing guests on the show, but today is extra-amazing. Not only is the guest a good friend of mine and someone who's helped me quite a bit, he's a big-time award winner. David Asarnow has won more "2 Comma Club" awards from ClickFunnels than anyone else, and he's also won Marketer of the Year. He's someone who is not only well-versed and well-sourced when it comes to marketing theory, he's put it all into practice with tremendous results. If marketing is something you're struggling with, or you'd like to better understand—and let's be honest, that's everybody—you'll want to write down the indispensable tips David delivers on this episode.

Good marketing in one word

I had to ask David the most basic of basic marketing questions as a springboard, and he was able to immediately answer it with incredible insight: How do I know if marketing is good or not. And David told me he could answer that question in one word: Connection. As he put it, you can pour all of your money and time and effort into making funnels, but if you don't have a connection to your audience, and you don't know what they need and how you can bring value to them, then your marketing isn't going anywhere. Which led to the next question: How do you foster that connection? And luckily David knows the answer to that, too.

Building connection with your audience

One of the problems small businesses and entrepreneurs have is not simply getting people to hear about their product or getting them to opt-in, it's keeping them there and keeping them engaged. David told us about the need to communicate the value and impact you can bring right away. That could mean creating compelling case studies that tell people what you can do for them, or another way to show them the impact. And as David says, "simplicity is key": Figure out how to quickly and clearly communicate the value you can bring, and don't worry about dressing it up. The difference between a $100,000 funnel and a $10 million funnel, according to David? Simplicity. You'll have to hear how he breaks it down.

What makes you different?

When David sits down with a new client, he asks one question right away: What's your why? Why are you doing what you do? What makes you different than your competition. And he told this amazing story from 15 years ago when he was trying to get McDonald's as a client for a paper and plastics company. He got a cold call with them and pitched them an embossed "M" on their packaging. And it was just that one small change that suddenly elevated their product and landed him a huge client. David has done it all, and you have to hear the advice he gives for how to differentiate yourself on this week's episode of Just the Tips.

The key to good marketing: customers are buying into you

Every entrepreneur and small business owner believes in their products, but customers, David says, aren't buying into products, they're buying into you. They're buying into your message, what they're seeing from you and what you're communicating to them. That passion has to come across. As we talk about on this episode, you have to be a student of the thing you're pursuing. You have to be passionate, and that passion will come across to your customers. No one builds funnels like David Asarnow, but as he'll tell you, it's not about the funnels: It's about you. If you want to unlock the secret to great marketing, you have to listen to this episode of Just the Tips.

Outline of This Episode

• [4:07] How David got started in marketing
• [8:45] What is good marketing?
• [15:08] The value of focus
• [16:23] What's your why?
• [21:57] How David changed McDonald's
• [27:03] Customers are buying into you

Resources & People Mentioned

• Business Nitrogen
• Vote for David

Music for "Just The Tips" is titled, "Happy Happy Game Show" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

James P. Friel:

• AutoPilot Entrepreneur Program: www.jamespfriel.com/autopilot
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autopilotentrepreneur
• Site: www.jamespfriel.com

Dean Holland:

• Blog: www.DeanHolland.com
• FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DeanHollandHQ
• Digital Business Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalBusinessEntrepreneurs/

We’re so lucky on Just the Tips to always have amazing guests on the show, but today is extra-amazing. Not only is the guest a good friend of mine and someone who’s helped me quite a bit, he’s a big-time award winner. David Asarnow has won more “2 Comma Club” awards from ClickFunnels than anyone else, and he’s also won Marketer of the Year. He’s someone who is not only well-versed and well-sourced when it comes to marketing theory, he’s put it all into practice with tremendous results.