The "Astonishing Secrets" Thread

[IceCreamKid]

I recorded myself repeating WHY I really want to be successful, but I am struggling to make it more motivating.

You know what's de-motivating for me? Listening to my WHY and reading it out loud for years yet being in the same place as when I started.

You know what's motivating? Picking up the phone, talking to somebody, having them open up to me up about what their problems are, then solving it and making some swiss cheese for helping them. When you see the ice cream coming in by the gallon size, you will become motivated. But you can only get the gallons coming in if you take action.

Wanna get motivated? Get out of your head and into the world.

IF YOU HAVEN'T MADE A SALE YET, DO NOT SLEEP UNTIL YOU MAKE A SALE. SLEEP IS WHACK AS HELL.

Seriously though man just get out there and make a sale. This is what you should be telling yourself when you get out there...I don't care how many times I get rejected. I don't care how shitty I feel. I don't care if I got 2 hours of sleep. I don't care that I don't have money, I'll find a way. I don't care that I don't have an idea, I'll figure out a way to get an idea. I don't care that I'm scared, I'm moving anyway.

I....don't....care.

Sorry if this came across as some tough love. Try taking some action though. You're gonna like who you become.

Take action. Get the ice cream.

 

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[throttleforward]

Hey folks, just got off the phone with @IceCreamKid. He was kind enough to spend nearly 2 hours on the phone with me discussing my business concepts, copywriting, and a number of related topics. He's the real deal - I learned a lot, and came away with a ton of actionable items for my business. I have no doubt that he's accelerated my growth and has brought me much closer to what I believe will be huge success.

A couple bits of advice I have for you guys:

He's very publicly offered his help both through this thread and personally over the phone. I suggest you take him up on his offer.

But let's make something clear - he's providing you value. Respect that. His advice - like that of a consultant - is worth money. He's offering his advice to you for far less than (free) he could charge you ($XXX's/hr). So, respect his time. Don't approach him with an attitude of entitlement...approach him with the attitude that he's graciously giving his time, which is all of our most valuable resource. Thus, do your homework. Know what you want to ask, read his content, and thank him for his time.

Take this attitude to other areas on the forum too. Think before you post, do your homework, and respect the fact that you have millionaire entrepreneurs spending their precious time to mentor you to success. This is such an amazing place if you approach this forum with the right mindset, and open yourself to being vulnerable, humble, and ready to work.

 

[IceCreamKid]

I learned a lot, and came away with a ton of actionable items for my business. I have no doubt that he's accelerated my growth and has brought me much closer to what I believe will be huge success.

My man! Thank you for the call last night, I really enjoyed speaking with you. You will ROCK the house my brother!

Get the ice cream.

 

[IceCreamKid]

Had an enlightening talk with another Fastlaner who currently runs a business in the 5-figures per month range. He got me thinking...everyone really does just want to have fun. Doesn't matter if you're a billionaire or a homeless person. We're all the same.

What a nice feeling it is to be able to talk to anybody like a friend regardless of where they come from.

 

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[gdup3784]

Great thread @IceCreamKid! I'm still blown away by this amazing forum that MJ started, mainly due to the fact that the knowledge from folks such as yourself, Zen, MJ, Vig, Jack etc is disgustingly golden! I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to school us guppies. Writing and responding to so many folks via this thread, pm's and also over the phone takes time and energy. As always i'm truly grateful for everything you guys do.

I find your picture via the introduction to sales/marketing funny as I believe I learned way more from MJ's book than I could have imagined. I say this because in one of the chapters MJ talks about pricing very briefly. After reading that section I started to see the pricing structure in literally EVERYTHING. Take for instance the price advertising of Smart Water. It's usually printed BUY 10 for $10.00. I used to literally get 10 not even realizing that I didn't HAVE to buy 10, as I simply could have bought 2 or 4 and still purchased them for $1.00. So now every time I see such things I tend to chuckle and also find it quite amazing how things so simple work in the ways they do.

 

[rogen]

@IceCreamKid I have a question, why you chose Software industry in particular? Why you decided to sell software instead of something else?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Do I need to make a "Super Gold" tag for this thread? Ha Ha.

One thing I tried to convey in TMF is that it ISN'T ABOUT YOU -- it isn't about "doing what you love" or "following your passion" or "making $1m this year" or "I will earn $10M in the next 10 years" or any of this self-loathing, self-important shit that so many people love to regurgitate.

This selfish disposition tells me that that person will most likely fail because they haven't figured out the formula.

Folks, the formula is simple in concept, but complicated in execution.

Put your customer first. Put your market first. Lay down the selfish bullshit and go after the selfishness of other people by giving them what they want, need, or demand. Forget about f*cking money-- it will come to you if you execute the formula to it's exact specifications.

It's all about your customer. It's all about your market. It's all about communication to that market, or in our case, sales and marketing. We have to become masters of problem solving and masters at explaining those solutions to the world. And then once that's done, we need to follow it up with selfless congruence -- an unquestioned commitment that our "great customer service" advertised on our home page is more than just a slogan, but a way of operation.

That is what will separate you from the "money chasing" corporations.

Public company? VC funded?

Great -- you know THEY ARE CHASING MONEY. THEY ARE CHASING ROI. THEY ARE CHASING INVESTOR RETURN. THEY ARE CHASING SHAREHOLDER VALUE. They aren't chasing what they should and that's your customer.

Chase the customer and money will chase you.

 

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[Chazmania]

Gym. Tan. Laundry.

LOL! It's T-shirt time!

Seriously though, your posts are profound and they make me want Oreo ice cream. Good thing I also train hard in the gym to help balance things like that.

I'm going to hunt for your other threads and do some homework, I need to absorb some of your smarts. There's sooooo many good sources on this forum it's rediculous! Kinda turning me into a computer-potato cuz I can't escape the gravitational pull of the learning.

 

[RogueInnovation]

Put your customer first. Put your market first. Lay down the selfish bullshit and go after the selfishness of other people by giving them what they want, need, or demand. Forget about f*cking money-- it will come to you if you execute the formula to it's exact specifications.
It's all about your customer. It's all about your market. It's all about communication to that market, or in our case, sales and marketing. We have to become masters of problem solving and masters at explaining those solutions to the world. And then once that's done, we need to follow it up with selfless congruence -- an unquestioned commitment that our "great customer service" advertised on our home page is more than just a slogan, but a way of operation.

I can already feel the icecream.
Alot of weight came off my shoulders reading that (it couldn't have come through clearer for me what you mean).
Thanks for that, cuz being tangled in that money mess, is terrible,
Thanks for all your help

 

[AlexanderV]

While I value your opinion about picking up the phone, it's not always the solution. For example if your business model is E-commerce or media buying, who are you going to call? My problem is not fear because I already picked up the phone numerous times and I constantly push my limits.

And I am motivated to solve pains but I have constant up and downs in productivity. Some days I feel VERY driven and productive, and I accomplish a lot, other days I don't. So I am trying to figure out how to multiply these "good" days. Working on improving your mindset is not mental masturbation.

 

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[throttleforward]

While I value your opinion about picking up the phone, it's not always the solution. For example if your business model is E-commerce or media buying, who are you going to call?

If I had called any number of different people before I started my first ecommerce business (to include customers), I would have realized the terrible mistakes I had made/were making in terms of market assumptions, product selection, pricing, sourcing, and overall operations. Instead of verifying what I believed, I just went headlong into it, quit my job, and essentially failed after 3 months.

 

[DeletedUser2]

While I value your opinion about picking up the phone, it's not always the solution. For example if your business model is E-commerce or media buying, who are you going to call?

Our best media buying deals? Picked up the phone

Want to sell more e-commerce stuff pick up the phone. I can't stress this enough. The fact that you are arguing about this just says you want to be "right" more than you want to be "rich"

Pick up the f*cking phone

Z

 

[BigDaddyKane]

@IceCreamKid I would totally love to learn offline marketing/advertising and what's working and not working for you in particular.
I know most people here are probably more interested in the online stuff but there is still alot of real value in learning the offline stuff because behind all those computer screens are still humans.

All the information you've been providing is invaluable, and I truly thank you for that.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

GUYS LISTEN. The phone is your BEST friend. Stop hiding behind the computer monitor. I build rapport far more easily by using my voice than by typing on a keyboard. People like to do business with people that they like. Build rapport please.

I actually disabled the data plan on my phone because I found that I was becoming a zombie shutting myself off from the rest of society thanks to my phone. I knew it was time to change things when I was scrolling through instagram while at the dinner table with the fam and I was completely incoherent to the conversation that was going on around me. Zombie status.

It's scary at first to pick up the phone, but as you do it over and over again you just might find that people are for the most part pretty nice.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The phone is your BEST friend.

I should also mention that using the phone gives you an advantage over younger entrepreneurs who grew up in the digital age and only know how to text and email.

Most entrepreneurs younger than 30 simply don't consider the phone as an option. Do what others won't.

 

[IceCreamKid]

Most entrepreneurs younger than 30 simply don't consider the phone as an option.

Man this is so true. All of my friends are afraid of the phone. I'm not going to put up a front like I'm some hero, I was afraid of it too until I realized how much power there is behind using it. But yea, most of my friends are stuck in the mindset of "I just need that ONE idea so I can make an iPhone app then sell it to Facebook for $2B. I won't have to talk to anybody on the phone. I can just have the app coded and make millions. BOOM!".

I wonder how much demand there would be if someone created an educational course targeting 20 year olds to teach them how to pick up the phone and talk like a pro...probably not much demand since people are hooked on texting, but there might be a niche that really wants this product. Who knows...dang man I have business ideas popping into my head every half hour it's almost disgusting.

A Revolutionary, Never Before Seen Phone Strategy That Gets You EASY, FAST Sales Like Clockwork!
For a limited time only, buy this scientifically proven course for achieving MASSIVE amounts of orders with just ONE phone call! We got together a team of the country's most acclaimed phone experts to put together a tried and true yet simple to follow system to get your sales skyrocketing to the moon. Thousands of customers have been satisfied after they used this all new course and their lives have transformed drastically because of it!

 

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[merryrows]

A Revolutionary, Never Before Seen Phone Strategy That Gets You EASY, FAST Sales Like Clockwork!
For a limited time only, buy this scientifically proven course for achieving MASSIVE amounts of orders with just ONE phone call! Thousands of customers have been satisfied after they used this all new course and their lives have changed drastically because of it!

Where's the buy now button?

 

[Carny]

This thread has been great! Thank you!

I'm in the infant stages of starting a business that would provide a service to other businesses. It would help them make more money without adding any more stress to their lives.

You've inspired me to pick up the phone. Should I start calling business owners now to validate my idea? If they are interested do I just keep their info and tell them I'll call them in a few months when everything is up and running? Or just ask if that's something they would be interested in? I know most people don't like telemarketers, and it seems like a call from some guy that is just wondering if you would like to be called by a telemarketer later would be even worse, lol. I would do that if I needed to, but I would like to do it in a way that is considerate to them since I'm basically asking for a free survey.

 

[Oztrepreneur]

Haha

Man this is so true. All of my friends are afraid of the phone. I'm not going to put up a front like I'm some hero, I was afraid of it too until I realized how much power there is behind using it. But yea, most of my friends are stuck in the mindset of "I just need that ONE idea so I can make an iPhone app then sell it to Facebook for $2B. I won't have to talk to anybody on the phone. I can just have the app coded and make millions. BOOM!".

I wonder how much demand there would be if someone created an educational course targeting 20 year olds to teach them how to pick up the phone and talk like a pro...probably not much demand since people are hooked on texting, but there might be a niche that really wants this product. Who knows...dang man I have business ideas popping into my head every half hour it's almost disgusting.

A Revolutionary, Never Before Seen Phone Strategy That Gets You EASY, FAST Sales Like Clockwork!
For a limited time only, buy this scientifically proven course for achieving MASSIVE amounts of orders with just ONE phone call! Thousands of customers have been satisfied after they used this all new course and their lives have transformed drastically because of it!

I like it ICK. You must have been reading my mind. In another thread not 5 minutes ago, I mentioned it may be a great idea to start a seperate thread on the art of cold calling to find problems and to sell your headache solution!

 

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[IceCreamKid]

Should I start calling business owners now to validate my idea? If they are interested do I just keep their info and tell them I'll call them in a few months when everything is up and running? Or just ask if that's something they would be interested in?

There is always more than one way to dress your mistress, but here's what I would do...

Contact the business owners but don't outright ask, "HEY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THIS?!". That just wreaks of greed. Ew. Chat it up with them a bit, be casual, fun, and honest. After you build up rapport, THEN you ask them what they think of your idea. Dude...you might even find new ideas and needs while you're chatting it up with them. It's REALLY fun when you get good at this stuff bro. The ideas flow like F*ckin waterfalls and you'll go nuts picking up all the ice cream falling from the sky and into your hands.

Look at it like video games. I used to be a hardcore gamer up until I hit rock bottom with my life. I ended up selling my video games on Craigslist when I decided to finally get serous with business. Anyway with most video games you'll suck when you start out, but you keep getting better after each death. You learn something new after each death. Eventually, you'll get good enough to get to the final level and save the princess from the evil boss. Interviewing business owners is sorta the same evolutionary process bro. You suck, then you suck less, then you get sorta good, then you get good, then you save the princess and win.

If they really like the idea, I'll try to get some pre-sale money because this truly validates that you are solving a real need. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE A RELENTLESS ATTEMPT TO GET THE ICE CREAM BEFORE YOU SPEND A DIME ON BUILDING THE PRODUCT/SERVICE/SOFTWARE. Too many people will bullshit you and say "oh yeah I'd buy that" but when it's time to finally bust out the credit card they give some excuse for why they don't wanna pay. People will lie to you because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

If I understood the concept of pre-selling when I was a young devil I would've saved myself so much emotional pain, financial pain, and most importantly time...time is the biggest expense.

EDIT: Pre-selling is a beastly way of starting a business and probably deserves its own thread. If I were to make multiple ice cream threads it would probably be sales/marketing, pre-selling, getting traffic/attention in the media, getting funding, mindset, building a brand that creates a loyal following, and interviewing business owners/customers. None of this is in any particular order...I'm just typing out whatever the hell comes to my ADHD 27-year old mind. Do you guys see why MJ always preaches that ideas are worthless without process? When you take your business to $100k you will finally see how insignificant the idea really is. There are sooo many moving parts to a business that go beyond just the idea omg too many things to do. This is why I get concerned when I receive PM's saying, "bro just help me find an idea. Come on bro I just need that one idea". Bust out the vodka and get drunk cuz the party is far more complex than just an idea.

Pre-selling is a lot more complicated than just asking, "hey will you pay this up front?". You should end up drawing perhaps a picture of the product to give the customer a better idea of what you have to offer, or create a beta version of the software, or create a physical miniature version of the product you want to create, etc.

There are so many facets to pre-selling but probably the most important thing is that when you create a demonstrable example of your idea, it will appear more attractive to the customer and they will be far more likely to give you ice cream up front.

I actually learned this concept from the Dolphin...I forget where the post was. Super neat stuff.

 

[Bigguns50]

PHONE LESSON

My friend...let's call him...Tony..cuz that's his name...Tony.... Owns a vitamin/supplement B & M w/website store.
Tony has developed a new product he is whole selling to other stores and retails it in his store and on his site.
Tony has a list of 700 stores to call !

Since I was in sales for several years, I asked him yesterday what his approach is......and he nailed it !

Since he gets solicitation calls all the time because he owns a business, his approach is ..."How would I want to be called ?" ( BOOM !..there you go....put yourself in your customers place ! Ever read that anywhere on our forum ?...yep yep. How do YOU want to be treated ? Put yourself in the customer's shoes and it's all about YOU.)

Basically goes like this .."Hi, I'm Tony from Vitamin &%^#^&*.....and I don't want to take a minute of your time. Who do I talk to, to send you free samples of a product I've developed." ....He stops talking and waits........... He said the response has been great ! Most calls...the person he's talking to wants to know more about his products and have a conversation. He nailed 3 more accounts this week already.

1) He's respectful of their time
2) No B.S.
3) Offering something for free

Beyond this....he offers good margins, good product..AND...CUSTOMER SERVICE.

MARKETING LESSON

I thought this was great....We got blasted yesterday with another snow storm...NO ONE OUT SHOPPING...All day long ! This can really hurt a B & M business. What's Tony do ?

Tony puts on their facebook something like..."Snow Storm Sale !!!" ! "You don't have to drive in the storm to save $$..Just phone in your order, we'll give you today's discount, hold it for you, and you can pick it up tomorrow." BOOM baby ! I loved it.

He said the phone was ringing steady all afternoon.

 

[davedev]

Wow brilliant stuff @Bigguns50. Thanks for sharing.

Rep Given +

 

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[JAJT]

....He stops talking and waits...........

Silence can be AMAZINGLY powerful.

People, in general, are uncomfortable with it. They fill that void even with stuff they never meant to say.

Next time you get told "no" for something (anything), just wait in silence for a few seconds, say 3-5 seconds - count it in your head as you wait. I bet you'll find they start speaking again about the reasons why it's a "no", what you need to get a "yes", what other people have done, etc... it just starts pouring out as a defence mechanism against silence.

 

[davedev]

Silence can be AMAZINGLY powerful.

This. There's a Dane Maxwell idea extraction call floating around here. My main takeaway was how silent he was. Just step back and let them spill their guts.

Harry Browne in The Secret of Selling Anything made a cool observation. Often times these business owners have few people to talk to about their problems, let alone some whose willing to listen and understand the problems.

At most they simply are talking to a guy whose waiting to tell his version of the problem he's having because your problem made him think about it.

EDIT: Found the link
http://s3.amazonaws.com/Mixergy/Audio/Mixergy-with-Dan-Maxwell-idea-extraction.mp3

^ This is a masterclass. ^

 

[Bigguns50]

Silence can be AMAZINGLY powerful.
People, in general, are uncomfortable with it. They fill that void even with stuff they never meant to say.
Next time you get told "no" for something (anything), just wait in silence for a few seconds, say 3-5 seconds - count it in your head as you wait. I bet you'll find they start speaking again about the reasons why it's a "no", what you need to get a "yes", what other people have done, etc... it just starts pouring out as a defence mechanism against silence.

Nailed it ! Yea buddy ! That 3-5 seconds will seem so Fu>%*&g long ! Seriously, you guys have to try what @JAJT suggests. Silence=$$...I swear.

I used to TOTALLY AVOID speaking in front of the class in H.S., then in groups. When I decided my major in College, I started taking every opportunity to speak in front of the class. I definitely set a World Record for the number of 'um's' and 'ah's' when I began. BUT, as with everything, practice makes you better.

After I got comfortable and decent at it...I had fun with it and enjoyed speaking in front of people. Eventually, I got into sales and made presentations in front of all the decision makers...CEO's, CFO's, COO's, owners, etc. Occasionally a whole board of 'suits' at once. I actually miss doing that.

@davedev ... You rep giving maniac ! Thanks man..I appreciate it. Very happy to contribute.

 

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[throttleforward]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE A RELENTLESS ATTEMPT TO GET THE ICE CREAM BEFORE YOU SPEND A DIME ON BUILDING THE PRODUCT/SERVICE/SOFTWARE.

You should end up drawing perhaps a picture of the product to give the customer a better idea of what you have to offer, or create a beta version of the software, or create a physical miniature version of the product you want to create, etc.

Could you walk us through this in a little more detail? I think a lot of people get stuck on this very critical step - they either don't ask any questions before making an MVP, or they get a little validation but not really enough and go full bore into an MVP when they shouldn't, or they spend all their time creating the perfect beta, etc.

On the one hand you ideally want the customer tell you what they need, on the other hand at some point you have to spend some time/money making an MVP and going back to those customers and selling/preselling the MVP you've created.

At what point do you decide "ok, I have enough market validation to create some professional drawings/buy a logo/setup a website/make a beta" and then at what point do you say "this is MVP enough to go back to the market and presell what I've made."

edit - a real world example is the software that's been discussed on this forum to help non-tech people create standardized wireframes and technical specs for outsourcing on elance etc. 5-10 people, including MJ and Zen if I remember correctly, indicated that there was a huge need for this, and other said they would use such a software. So what do you do with this? Is that enough validation...do you try to call these people and go deeper...do you start making a beta and THEN go trying to call these people...what would your next steps be to confidently move forward?

If I remember correctly, Dane Maxwell or Carl Mattiola tries to get 3 businesses to describe the same pain point without coaching. He then does wireframes and tries to get an additional 3 businesses to buy a presell. THis is a good strategy, but savvy software buyers might balk at buying vaporware (like Zen did on the forum when someone asked if he would buy a pre-built software solution...he said "I don't buy vaporware")

 

[pinekoan]

People and businesses have so many problems, and they're all opportunities, I'm seeing that now. It's a real struggle for me to break out and talk to people more. I've spent a long time avoiding people, even though I care about them deeply.

I see the value in it (both in business and personally) now though, so I'm taking action. I bought dinner for a homeless guy and ate with him last night. Not going to make me rich (cost me $10) but it got me out of my head and into some kind of selfless action. I noticed just that simple action changed my momentum, attitude and direction.

"If you open up to the world, the world will open up to you."

People seemed friendlier, probably because I was friendlier. Talking with someone else later, I hit on some more ideas. He mentioned a podcast which I've found really useful so far so I'll post it: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/no-ideas-no-expertise-no-money-business/

Basically this man just did a ton of 'market research', emailing businesses and getting them to talk about their problems. In response to this, he's created several successful software apps. Also leveraged a good overseas dev on Elance.

This would be even more effective on the phone! This is something I'm going to take on over the next week, engaging people and businesses in a way so that they open up and talk about their problems.

 

[Carrots]

Wow. Dane Maxwell gets it. Word for word, his vocabulary is in resonance with the fastlane ideology.

 

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[pinekoan]

Wow. Dane Maxwell gets it. Word for word, his vocabulary is in resonance with the fastlane ideology.

Yes! There is so much gold in that interview its not even funny. Big lesson: I found it through talking to someone!

EDIT: Oh wow, weird. I just realized that interview I posted is with Dane Maxwell, who was just was mentioned earlier in this thread, but I came upon it independently. Coincidence? Definitely a stone worth turning over!

 

[1825tulane]

A Revolutionary, Never Before Seen Phone Strategy That Gets You EASY, FAST Sales Like Clockwork!
For a limited time only, buy this scientifically proven course for achieving MASSIVE amounts of orders with just ONE phone call! We got together a team of the country's most acclaimed phone experts to put together a tried and true yet simple to follow system to get your sales skyrocketing to the moon. Thousands of customers have been satisfied after they used this all new course and their lives have transformed drastically because of it!