Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Finding Your Message, Building a Tribe, and Changing the World

by Russell Brunson

  After you’ve decided to make that opportunity switch, then I will look for the other new opportunities within this opportunity that I can offer that will help to serve you at a higher level. You can see from the image that I will likely make you offers for things like ClickFunnels, Funnel Scripts, Fill Your Funnel, or my certification program. Each of these are new tools and opportunities within the expert business that will help you more easily get the results you desire within this new career.

  I also want to point out that an offer can be positioned as BOTH an opportunity switch and a stack. It all depends on where a prospect enters your world. Some people never hear about this book, but they do find out about ClickFunnels or my certification program. When that’s the case, that offer becomes the opportunity switch.

  For example, when we launched ClickFunnels, we positioned it to speak to both types of prospects. For those who didn’t know about funnels, I’d say, “If you’ve been struggling to sell your products online, you need to switch from your traditional website to a funnel” and then we’d offer them ClickFunnels. And for those who already had successful websites, I’d say, “You need to start using funnels so you can make money from paid advertising as well.”

  I did a similar thing when we launched our ClickFunnels certification program. We positioned it as an opportunity switch whenever we sold it to people who had any other type of job. We showed them how this was the highest paying part-time job in the world. And for those who were already using ClickFunnels or who were already consultants, we showed them how becoming certified would allow them to offer a new service to their clients. (When we get to Section Three on conversion, you’ll see exactly how we speak to both audiences when we create our sales presentations.)

  Now that you know why your offer needs to be a new opportunity, let’s dive into how you can create that offer correctly from the ground up.

  SECRET #4

  THE OPPORTUNITY SWITCH

  So far, we’ve discussed the strategy for building a strong foundation so you can become a leader people will follow. You’ve chosen a niche you want to create. Notice that I didn’t say “pick a niche”. It’s essential for you to create a NEW niche, a NEW opportunity for your people.

  And you know a little about what you want to share. But so far you don’t have anything to sell. The relationship between you and your audience isn’t created until they pay you. If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it—does it make a sound? I’d say no. Similarly, you aren’t an expert until someone pays you for your expertise.

  So where do you start? How do you create that new opportunity? Well the hardest way, where most people seem to start, is by writing a book. When you think about experts, that’s usually what you think of first, right? They must be authors.

  But there are a couple of problems with that approach. First off, it takes so much longer to write a book than you could ever imagine. (This one took me almost 18 months!) Second, I truly believe that you have to EARN a book. If I had written this book or DotComSecrets when I first had the idea over 10 years ago, it wouldn’t have been any good. I needed to work with people for years in order to perfect my message. Only then was I ready to write a truly helpful book.

  In the beginning stages of your expert career, you won’t be good—and that’s okay. As my good friend, Garret White, once said:

  No matter what you do, in the beginning it’s going to suck, because you suck. But you’ll get better, and you’ll suck less. And as you keep doing this, eventually you’ll suck so little…you’ll actually be good.

  But you can’t get good unless you start NOW. They say that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the 2nd best time is right now. So let’s get started.

  The first step is to find a beta group to work with. This is your test group. You’re going to serve them and get results for them, and you’re going to work for free. I’ll explain more about that in a minute, but first it’s important to think through two things.

  1. What is the RESULT you want for your people?

  2. What is the VEHICLE or process you are going to take them through to get that result?

  Once you know those two things on a basic level, you can move forward and design the perfect vehicle that your audience will love.

  STEP #1: GET EARLY RESULTS BY WORKING FOR FREE

  Let me tell you a story about a kid I met a few years ago named Alec Jetsel. He was trying to get a summer job the usual way. He filled out, 20 or 30 applications to different stores, but nobody would give him a job. It felt like he was just sending them into a huge black hole. He knew he would be the best employee any company ever had, if they would just give him a chance.

  Then one day he decided to take matters into his own hands and actually prove what a good worker he was. He went down to the mall and walked into his favorite clothing store. This was his dream job—a company he would love to work for, but they had never given him a chance. He walked in and saw that some of the piles of clothes were unfolded and messy. So he went up to the manager and asked, “Hey, do you mind if I fold some clothes?”

  The manager replied, “Why would you want to do that?”

  My friend said, “Just because it looks like you need some help, so I thought I’d help you out.”

  The manager looked at him funny and said, “All right, if you really want to.”

  So Alec spent a couple of hours folding clothes and sweeping up, just generally helping out. When he was done, he said, “Thanks so much,” and he left. Everyone at the store was kind of confused, but they were grateful for the helping hand.

  The next day, Alec came back to the store and started folding clothes again. He spent another two or three hours helping these guys out. Then when he was done at the end of the day, he thanked everybody and started walking out. The manager stopped him and asked, “Do you want a job?”

  My friend smiled and said, “Sure, I’d love one.” And they hired him on the spot.

  This is a perfect example of working for free to get a result. Alec could have tried to sell himself to the manager, but instead he proved his worth first. And he got hired in less time than it would have taken to fill out an application and wade through the interview process.

  Another good example of this concept is my own Inner Circle coaching program. Before I launched it, I didn’t have a track record as a coach for high-achieving entrepreneurs. Plus, I wanted to charge $25,000 a year for people to join. You could say I had a lot going against me. I could have done what most people do—put up a website and say, “Hey, my name’s Russell Brunson. I’m the greatest coach in the world. You should hire me.” But I didn’t do that, for a few reasons.

  First, no one likes to hear you talk about yourself. It’s not cool. Second, I knew that it didn’t feel right. I wanted to serve some people first and prove that what I teach actually works.

  If you’ve read DotComSecrets, you know that one of the first things I teach people is to figure out who their dream client is. I already had an idea about the types of entrepreneurs I wanted to work with. So I started looking around for those people, and soon I met a guy named Drew Canole, the owner of FitLife.tv. He was a super cool guy and had a successful business in a market I cared about. Here was someone I thought I could help.

  Eventually, a mutual friend introduced us. I went to Drew’s house and talked with him for a bit. He mentioned some of the things he was struggling with. Then I asked him, “Would you mind if I came back and just worked a day for free to see if I could help?”

  “Sure. But why would you do that for free?”

  “If I am able to make a big impact on your business, then I’ll probably charge a lot in the future. But for now, I just want to see if I can help you.”

  “What’s the catch? What’s in it for you?”

  “There’s no catch. I think what you do is awesome, and it’d be really fun to see if the stuff I do could help you at all.”

  Finally, he reluctantly said, �
�Sure, if you really want to, you can come out.”

  I think he still thought there was some kind of ulterior motive.

  About a month later, I flew out and met with their whole team. We found that their funnels were making money, but they weren’t profitable. I helped them fix their current funnels, and we built a new funnel for the upcoming launch of a supplement called Organifi.

  Overall, between the day I spent in their office and the time going back and forth through email, I think I spent about a month coaching them through the whole funnel-building process for free. At the end of it, they launched their new Organifi funnel, and it absolutely blew up! They were making $20,000 to $30,000 a day, and it totally transformed their business. It was awesome! Last I heard, that funnel has done over $25 million dollars in sales in less than 3 years, and it’s not slowing down.

  I didn’t ask Drew for this, but in exchange for my help, he made a video for me talking about the transformation his business went through and the results we got for them. After I saw that video, I knew I was ready to launch the Inner Circle, because I had proof. I had real results for someone besides myself.

  We put the video into an online funnel and launched our new coaching program. People saw Drew talking about his transformation, and almost instantly the program started to grow. We set a cap of only 100 entrepreneurs in my Inner Circle at any given time and, despite the fact that we charge $25,000 per year to be a member, right now we have waiting lists of people fighting to get in.

  The goal with this or any kind of business is not to lead with “How can I sell my product?” Instead, you want to ask, “How can I serve people? How can I prove my stuff works? How can I get results for somebody else?” Those results are going to sell your products and services.

  It doesn’t matter if you’re selling physical products, digital information, or service programs. Go out there and work for free. Get some results. If what you’re doing works, then capture those stories and testimonials. Use them to attract and convert your dream clients. I’m going to show you exactly how to find that first beta group shortly.

  STEP #2: DESIGN THE VEHICLE (YOUR NEW OPPORTUNITY)

  The next questions are where do you find people to serve, and what should you create to teach them? Allow me to walk you through the process I’ve been using to answer those questions for over a decade. This process gets the results that you can then build an empire on. You’re going to deliver a six-week opportunity switch masterclass.

  During this masterclass, you are going to teach a small group of people about your new opportunity and how it will give them the end result they desire most. Start by picking a six-week window when you can deliver your class. After more than a decade of delivering online classes, I’ve found that six weeks is the optimum amount of time. Any less than that, and you run the risk of people wanting refunds (especially if the class ends inside a 30-day guarantee window). Any longer than that, and people will start complaining because they feel like it’s never going to end.

  I know we’re not selling anything yet, but this beta masterclass will become the core curriculum for the people who will be paying you soon, so it’s important to set it up in the same way that others will experience it in the future.

  The next step is to begin building some of the marketing materials for the class. I know that seems backward. Most people design the class first and then think about marketing, but that is a formula for disaster. Just bear with me, and you’ll soon understand why I do it this way.

  Who / What Statement As a first step, I like to make a Who / What statement that quickly addresses which submarket my message is for, and what new opportunity they will be switching to. It reads like this: “I am going to teach __________ how to __________.”

  Here are two examples of what that statement could look like.

  • “I am going to teach real estate investors how to make money flipping houses on eBay.”

  • “I am going to teach people who are trying to lose weight how to stop dieting and start drinking ketones for energy and weight loss.”

  The Opportunity Switch Headline Now that you know the WHO and WHAT, you need to give the class a sexy title that will attract your dream customers. I try to create a title that focuses on the result this workshop will deliver. I do that by filling in this phrase:

  How to [result they desire most] Without [thing they fear most]

  So for my ClickFunnels masterclass, I could create something like this:

  How to Create a 7-Figure Funnel in Less Than 30 Minutes Without Having to Hire, or Be Held Hostage by, a Tech Guy

  Or if my niche were “flipping houses on eBay”, the title of my masterclass would be something like:

  How to Make a Quick $10k This Weekend by Flipping Your First House On eBay Without Getting a Loan From a Bank

  If I created a niche for helping kids with ADHD, the title could be:

  How to Naturally Destroy Your Kid’s ADHD and Help Them Get Better Grades Without Giving Up Their Favorite After-School Snacks

  If I were a relationship coach:

  How to Reconnect With Your Wife and Find the Passion in Your Marriage Without Having to Go Through Painful Counseling or Wasting Time Talking

  If I were selling weight loss through ketosis, I’d use something like:

  How to Stop Exercising and Still Lose Weight Through a Little-Known Trick That Almost Instantly Puts Your Body into Ketosis, Without Giving Up Your Favorite Carbs

  You can plug most opportunity switch masterclasses into that framework, and create quick titles that people will be interested in.

  The 5 Curiosity Hooks / Getting Out of The Red Ocean Okay, you’ve written down WHO you’re going to serve and WHAT the vehicle is. Next you need to make that new opportunity as sexy and exciting as possible. You have to figure out the big idea that will draw people to you. Why would they shift from the current vehicle they’re in to yours? They will switch if you position your opportunity so people will believe—and buy.

  A while back, one of my friends named Jason Fladlien taught me a concept called the five curiosity hooks. These are just different ways to present an opportunity. It’s possible that all these hooks will work for your masterclass, but you need to pick just one for now that’s going to work the best for positioning you and your new opportunity.

  Here are the five hooks.

  Let’s look at an example where the new niche is weight loss through ketosis (Health Weight Loss Ketosis) to illustrate how you would position it for each of the curiosity hooks.

  1. Little-Known, Big Differences This hook shows people something they aren’t aware of and how knowing it could make all the difference between success and failure.

  There’s this little-known thing called ketosis. Hardly anybody is talking about it. But when you learn it and use it, you’ll see a huge difference in your energy levels and how fast you can lose weight.

  2. Well Known, Little Understood Here is where you take something that everyone THINKS they know about, and show how they’re actually sabotaging their success because they’re missing little nuances or details.

  Everyone’s talking about low-carb diets, right? We all know that refined sugar and carbs are bad for us. But what almost no one understands about low-carb diets is the concept of ketosis. It’s not restricting carbs that helps you lose weight, it’s getting your body into ketosis. And that can happen even if you are eating carbs—as long as you’re drinking ketones.

  3. This Changes Everything With this hook, something new has just happened in your submarket. It’s related to the problem your audience wants to solve, and letting them know that if they aren’t aware of it, they’re at risk of missing out big-time.

  Are you trying to stick to a low-carb diet, but finding the cravings are just too much? Do you start fresh every Monday, fail, then vow to start again with the same old strategy? You need to learn about a new type of ketones that instantly puts your body into ketosis, kills your cravings, and helps you lose weight easil
y. This changes everything!

  4. The Crystal Ball Theory This angle shows how something that’s been done successfully in the past is about to be made obsolete. You’re persuading them that soon this will be common knowledge, but they can get in now and have early success.

  Are you tired of dieting and counting calories, but not seeing the scale budge an ounce? Research is showing that low-carb diets just aren’t enough, and staying in a state of ketosis is almost impossible for average people. The diet of the future takes low-carb to the next level—you can drink ketones and instantly put your body into ketosis.

  5. Revisiting the Fundamentals This hook takes the approach that things are getting way too complicated, advanced, or sophisticated for the average person. Your new opportunity, on the other hand, takes things back to basics.

  Do you spend hours logging every morsel you eat, every second of exercise, and ounce of water you drink? Diet trends have really gotten out of control lately. It’s time to go back to the basics. With the ketosis diet, you only have to do two things. Drink your ketone drink in the morning and again at night, keep your carbs below 20g per day, and you’re good to go.

  Those are the five curiosity hooks. You’ll probably notice that each one is speaking AGAINST a current red-ocean tactic that currently exists in the marketplace. By changing your positioning, you’ll pull your opportunity out of a red ocean and plunk it down into a blue ocean. All you need to do is figure out which of the curiosity hooks makes the most sense for you, and that will become the hook for your masterclass.

  Let’s Review Take a few minutes and write down your own statements based on the descriptions above. When you’re finished, you should have something like this: