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IceCreamKid

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You’ve read the “Astonishing Secrets” thread, feel inspired and empowered, yet you have done nothing about it. In an effort to reduce this phenomenon, I’m no longer going to be writing short stories that make you feel enlightened. Instead, you will only be getting action steps to get the ice cream. If you are reading this and you have not shifted your mindset then go back to the other thread.

If there’s any big takeaway for that thread, it is this: The first 2 years for a newbie entrepreneur are really just made to condition your mindset. Everyone THINKS that they’ll be a millionaire within 12 months, but that just isn’t the way it works…unless you’re Jack. Consider the first 2 years to be training for the Olympics. Don’t expect to win any gold medals until after the first 2 years of suck.

I am going to be eliminating ALL excuses that you have for not making money in this life.

Below is an overall view of the plan. Every so often I will post a detailed explanation of how to accomplish each task. I don't know how often I'll update it. I'm only doing this for fun to de-stress myself and when I need a few moments to take my mind off the guppy tank.

This outline is subject to change and is comprised mainly of JackEdwards style offline angles and zen******* online creativity. A hybrid mix to make a unique flavor of ice cream.

Before you do any of this, please learn copy. Don't ask me if it works. Just trust.

1. Find the top 100 performers in XYZ niche and contact them through various methods for an interview.

2. Create a website and post one new interview per week discussing their best sales and marketing strategies.

3. Use free marketing strategies to drive traffic to your website. You are not selling anything at this point, only creating credibility and gaining trust.

4. After a good number of interviews, write up a PDF article titled, “The Astonishing Secrets That The Top Performers In XYZ Niche Don’t Want You To Know!”. List out some good info in this article. Generate an e-mail list by offering this article to potential leads on your website. “Enter your e-mail HERE and receive a FREE report!”. The list of e-mail leads is key for later on. THE LEADS ARE THE GOLD.

5. You’ll start noticing common pains that many of these top performers are experiencing. Take note of these pains for later.

6. Organize a Skype group for 10-20 of these performers who want the same need solved and organize weekly calls with the group. During each call, have them describe in EXPLICIT detail what they want the solution to look like. They will build rapport and trust with you over the coming weeks as you express that you genuinely care about solving their problem.

7. Once they have told you IN VERY DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS of what their solution should look like, get $2k-3k in pre-sales from each of them. They trust you at this point so it should feel comfortable.

8. Build the solution and launch it to your Skype group for testing.

9. After they have tested it out over the next few weeks and used it to their liking, get testimonials from them.

10. Now that your product has been tested and proven to work without bugs, promote it and e-mail some really good sales copy to the long list of e-mail leads that you’ve generated. They now trust you and see that you have credibility because you have been giving them some very valuable content discussing the best sales & marketing tactics of the top 100 performers in XYZ niche.

11. When you have some money in the bank, start using paid advertising to drive more leads.

12. Start asking yourself, "what else do my customers want?" then start building other amazing things for them.

You don’t need a network. You will learn various methods to contact the top 100 yourself.

You don’t need money. The Skype group will give you the pre-sale money.

You don’t need an idea. The Skype group will give it to you.

You don’t need an education. Blah. Real world education is far more valuable than classroom theory.


Stay creative forever…like an ice cream child.
 
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IceCreamKid

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what a god damn great post

It was the alcohol! The alcohol is working!

its_working_star_wars.gif
 

KLaw

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Awesome post. Why do I get the feeling you have a hidden agenda? Obviously, you are doing this to share the love but.. I think you also are trying and going to prove another point (action taking). I've already copied your list onto a spreadsheet. Tonight, I will add aggressive deadlines to complete each action. This is perfect ICK in so many ways. Thank you and since your rep is looking a lil low, you now got some coming your way.
 
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RogueInnovation

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It was the alcohol! The alcohol is working!

Leading by example as always
Very nice and representitive example btw, really organised.

I have a feeling this is what zen means when he says "you impress the hell outta me with what you do to help people, keep going", this is you taking it to that next level of "keeps going".

I imagine you climbing a big ice wall/glacier, and hacking in pegs. Everyone be like :rolleyes: and you are like :oops: "so tiring... yet... AWESOME! GO VODKA!!!"

The glacier is the biggest icecream cone of all, the path to a community of icecreamers. :cool:


I really do love how you explain it. You don't have the omniscient knowledge on every topic, but you have the tenacity and the fire that is going to keep taking you higher. Don't stop.
If you keep doing this, you'll eventually reach a point where you wanna throw in the towel. Don't.
And you will achieve ANYTHING you put your mind to.

Icecreamers never give up. And they get started on it today.

... I've been considering learning coding recently (not for my current business or a handful of other businesses) for a business I can only see myself being interested in in about 2017.
I am wobbling on it, but I see it as a billion dollar clinch move.
I was hugely conflicted about learning that much code while doing biz, but, I'm like "gosh damn it don't give up on it, don't just hold it in your mind as a 'maybe if I had x', if it truly is a B opportunity imagine how much icecream opportunity you can spread through the world"
It won't benefit me to learn code (I can do fine without it), but if the idea was to be created and be real, it would need me to do a few of the little crucial parts of engineering... (stops... wait, maybe I can just focus on the crucial engineering parts!)
So yeah, anyways, the ice cream attitude makes those little distant dreams, be held accountable by acting today, by not giving in, and by continuing.

My example is terrible, since it suggests there are B opportunities in learning to code(its just the niche the opportunity is in is code heavy and I have no place there if I know nothing) and it suggests that "big ideas" = action (they don't, they are absolute action fakes unless you know exactly what you are doing and are continuously simplifying the process) but my intention is just to say, that you never give up, or never leave it "ahead" of you, you go for it.

If you believe it can be done, GO GET IT BUDDY!!!
Cuz if you are wrong, you will learn a better route. If you are right, you won't have wasted time.
The issue for most that go out to get it done, is they are sour like a kid with his icecream taken away, and they don't realise that by picking themselves up, dusting themselves off, you can get the icecream BACK.

Slap that bottle in hand, always reach forwards, pick up the ice cream smile. And champion forward. Keep going.


For me, you set an example of an attitude I have both mastered and suck at.
a) mastered because I never give up
b) suck at, because I always do it half groaning

So for me, you represent that same idea of "going forwards" but it is with RUTHLESS positivity, and icecreamy goodness, which is BETTER than how I have ever done it (haha, always mopey). I've achieved a lot in my life outside of biz but I have truly learnt from the icecream attitude, it is such a gem.

You are right, and haha, sometimes the only way I can achieve it is with drink in hand, and just saying "f#ck it, lets go". I>C>E>C>R>E>A>M go go go!!!
 
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Avisto

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Bookmarked for later. Thanks m8.
 

robotunicr0n

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Good points. If you read this post and thought "oh well that's one way to do it but I can do it my way too" and then you don't do anything, you're failing the basic message of the post and of IceCreamKid's whole mindset. Instead of say that thing above ^, why don't you start making phone calls?

Here's what keeps me going on phone calls... What if the next number I call is the first reaction in a chain that will lead to my financial freedom? If I ever lose faith I think of that and am dialing the next number before the thought ends.

You have to want it.
 
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rogen

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How do I drive traffic to my website/funnel by free methods other than guest posting/spamming??
 

IceCreamKid

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How do I drive traffic to my website/funnel by free methods other than guest posting/spamming??

Why not accomplish steps 1 and 2 first before even theorizing about step 3?
Find the top 100 performers in XYZ niche and contact them through various methods for an interview.

1. If your niche is more of a local thing, get on Yelp and observe the reviews. Check who has a lot of reviews or many customers then pick up the phone and call them.

2. Join associations on LinkedIn and message the movers n' shakers through PM there. It is imperative that you join associations so that you don't look like some random spammer. If you're in the same club as someone that you're trying to get in contact with then they're more likely to be open to speaking with you.

Many won't respond so it is essential to follow up. Your response rate will rise drastically by the 2nd and 3rd follow up. Thanks for this tip, JackEdwards!

The most common form of resistance that you'll receive is, "Why should I spend my time with you? You have no experience in this niche". If they tell you this, here's what you respond with: "You're absolutely right. I don't have experience, BUT I am currently in the process of interviewing 99 other people in your niche who DO have experience and I'd be more than happy to share with you their secrets of how they move their business forward."
 
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IceCreamKid

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I'm doing this. Thanks for the thread, Ice Cream Kid. Brilliant.

You're welcome. There's a reason why I'm not just pouring out all of the detailed action steps in one drop. People would see all of the mini tasks involved and not even get started because the mountain in front of them looks too large to handle.

A few steps forward daily will eventually get you to the top of that mountain.
 

rogen

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But I dont even have money for website/domain.. I will just go back to reselling services for higher to get some starting money
 

robotunicr0n

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But I dont even have money for website/domain.. I will just go back to reselling services for higher to get some starting money

You're not thinking about it in the right way. Don't consider the reasons you can't do something, consider the ways in which you could.

Have anything you can pawn? Ever checked out Amazon Turk? There are plenty of ways to make sidecash more quickly than reselling services.

Don't limit yourself with a perceived barrier. Entrepreneurs that are successful ignore those barriers as they climb over.
 
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rogen

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You're not thinking about it in the right way. Don't consider the reasons you can't do something, consider the ways in which you could.

Have anything you can pawn? Ever checked out Amazon Turk? There are plenty of ways to make sidecash more quickly than reselling services.

Don't limit yourself with a perceived barrier. Entrepreneurs that are successful ignore those barriers as they climb over.

Yep Mturk doesnt work in my country, Idk about other similar sites (there was a good site year ago cloudcrowd or something, they payed dialy on paypal and they were available for everyone)

I did reselling once, I managed to get 30$ in a week with "guestposting" so at least I know it works, I think I could get more but I killed my margains thinking no one would buy if I charged more than 8$ (5$ was the service)
 

robotunicr0n

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Websites are notoriously easy to create. You can make a free wordpress website and pay 2-3 bucks to get a nice theme/style for it... the rest is free and will work perfectly. Domain names aren't terrible either. Couple of bucks if you can opt for something that isn't a .com or you can get creative with your name.

Keep in mind godaddy.com will jack the price if you view a .com and don't buy it right away. namecheap is a better option in my opinion.
 

TheUltimateWarrior

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As I was sending out some emails to some of the top people in my blog's field, it dawned on me even further how amazing this strategy is: you literally get free information and the ability to ask ANY question to the top people in your field. Furthermore, you now have a connection with the top people in your field. Awesome!
 
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D

DeletedUser2

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domain 10 -12 bucks
wordpress free.

if you define the world by what you cant do, it will look like that for the rest of your life.

if you start to define the world by what do you have to do to get X, it will start to shape its self, accordingly


Z
 

IceCreamKid

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As I was sending out some emails to some of the top people in my blog's field, it dawned on me even further how amazing this strategy is: you literally get free information and the ability to ask ANY question to the top people in your field.

You know what's even more amazing? When it dawns upon you after the first 10 calls that there are people who actually WANT to talk to you. They're DYING to tell someone about a problem they have that needs to be fixed. By messaging them directly through LinkedIn, you don't even have to deal with gatekeepers and end up only dealing with those who are eager to talk to you.

All of the voices in the back of your mind fall away by the 10th call. I still remember those feelings. What if I'm annoying them? What if they're too busy for me? What if? What if?

What if I told you that by the 10th call, you will have begun developing a very important skill that could free you from your job? How would you feel about those 10 calls then? You literally end up freeing yourself from the little voice that anchors you down.

Keep it moving.
tumblr_m4zwfvaI111qkri2go1_500.gif
 

Nur

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What if...

In my demography folks dont read email and facebook ranks no. 1/facebook is their homepage.

Trying to be creative but unable to figure it out yet.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
 
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TheUltimateWarrior

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What if...

In my demography folks dont read email and facebook ranks no. 1/facebook is their homepage.

Trying to be creative but unable to figure it out yet.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

Encourage site users to sign up and allow Facebook to be a quick/easier way someone can sign up instead of typing their email address, password, and additional info.
 

IceCreamKid

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What if...

In my demography folks dont read email and facebook ranks no. 1/facebook is their homepage.

Trying to be creative but unable to figure it out yet.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

I don't know who your demographic is, but if they don't read e-mail and Facebook is their homepage then I can only guess that you're targeting broke teenagers.

Change your demographic to a more business-minded one.
 

TheUltimateWarrior

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7. Once they have told you IN VERY DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS of what their solution should look like, get $2k-3k in pre-sales from each of them. They trust you at this point so it should feel comfortable.

Could you expand upon the $2k-3k in sales part? I don't really understand it, but I'm interested.
 

IceCreamKid

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Could you expand upon the $2k-3k in sales part? I don't really understand it, but I'm interested.

You get pre-sales in order to fund the development of the product/service/software. It is best to have some type of working prototype or presentation when pitching for pre-sales. If memory serves me right, Jack uses PowerPoint. No need to get fancy.

This allows you to start with very little money out of pocket AND it validates demand. Gotta test for demand before you spend your whole life savings on a project, bro! There's nothing worse than getting into a biz because you're doing what you love and finding out later on that the market doesn't give a damn about it.

Try to be product agnostic and just fall in love with the process. When you do that, the path you are embarking on becomes ENJOYABLE.
 
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jkkkjkhk

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Gold thread!! This is exactly what I needed, thank you so much!
I have a few questions as well. For finding the top 100 performers, example say you're looking at the pet niche. Would it be better to look at vets, trainers, day camps, pet product CEO's,.. and try to impact the entire market or would it be smarter to be more specific and work on one group within that niche?

You say to discuss sales and marketing techniques within the interview, are you trying to fill a need from this? Or are you as well asking them about any problems they may have within their field? I just saw that you say to build a website and PDF around their marketing techniques and then with the mailing list you have a potential list of customers. But an audience looking at marketing techniques wouldn't necessarily be interested in a new type or dog bowl (or whatever the need is), right? I'm sorry if that's a dumb questions, just wasn't sure if I missed to link the two together or if it was supposed to be a given.:embarrased:
Thanks a ton for making this thread.
 

csalvato

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Thanks so much for the awesome post, but I have a quick Q...

1. Find the top 100 performers in XYZ niche and contact them through various methods for an interview.
2. Create a website and post one new interview per week discussing their best sales and marketing strategies.

Let's say my niche is Landscaping....

I would contact landscapers, and ask them about their sales and marketing techniques? Then publish this on my site about landscape sales and marketing?

So, really, I am initially positioning myself as a complete noob to landscape sales and marketing. Then, through this approach, I am positioning myself as an expert on landscaping sales and marketing, because I just learned from the 100 best.

It seems like in Step 2, where you say this:

2. Create a website and post one new interview per week discussing their best sales and marketing strategies.

You can replace "their best sales and marketing strategies" with whatever it is you want to ultimately position yourself as an expert in. Say, hardscape and patio design.

Then, instead of hearing and identifying their pains about sales and marketing, you are hearing and identifying pains about patio design.

So Steps 1-2 build trust. Step 3-4 builds your own authority. Step 5+ identifies and eliminates pains of people in this niche, with which you just created authority.

I just want to make sure I understand. This definitely seems like a long game. To get to Step 5 sounds like it would take about 1-3 months work. Is that right?

A simple Yes/No (You're Right!/You're wrong!) would be great. Just want to make sure I "get it".
 

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