DotCom Secrets

by Russel Branson

  Better yet, what if you didn’t have to get on the phone with them at all, yet could still sell them on your offer? How cool would that be?

  The secret is in the next chapter.

  BACKEND FUNNEL

  FUNNEL #7:

  HIGH-TICKET, THREE-STEP APPLICATION

  This funnel is a very simple process to qualify and pre-frame potential high-ticket consulting or coaching clients. For years we called all of our buyers and offered them coaching. The problem was it took sixty sales guys to contact all of our buyers. It cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars a month to weed through everyone and find the few who were interested. A few years ago, we decided to close down the call center and find a better way to sell our high-ticket coaching services. That’s when this three-step application process was born. It has given us the ability to make almost as much gross revenue without having huge overhead. We can literally make as many sales with just two sales people as we could with sixty! Let me tell you how it works.

  Step #1: You need to create a simple page that shares a case study video explaining the results your clients can get when they receive coaching from you. After watching the free case study video, potential clients click on the “apply now” button and are taken to an application designed to pre-qualify them as good prospects.

  Step #2: The prospects fill out a full application, which serves two purposes. It helps your sales people learn about an applicant’s business—where they are now and what their business goals are for the future. More importantly, though, it pre-frames the prospect by getting them to sell you on why you should take them on as a coaching client. The application stage weeds out those who really aren’t ready, so you are ONLY calling the prospects who are ready to start working with you. The application also pre-sells the program in the prospect’s mind. After they finish the application, we take them to a “homework” page.

  Step #3: The applicants follow the instructions on the homework page, all the while building an even stronger bond with the Attractive Character. My Inner Circle homework page includes three videos for applicants to watch. The first video is a short class with me teaching what it takes to succeed in this business. The second video tells the story of how my wife and I struggled to start our family. It explains exactly why I’m so passionate about helping business owners get their messages out into the world. (It’s also a tear-jerker.) The third video is a series of case studies and testimonials about the coaching program itself.

  Fig 20.3a: The homework page is an important pre-frame step that helps make the final sale easier.

  Another important function of the homework page is explaining what’s going to happen next (the applicants will be contacted by one of our sales people) and offering a way to contact US by phone—if they just can’t wait. My sales team is great at calling people quickly. But when people are in pain NOW, they often want to feel like they’re being proactive. If someone is at that hyperactive buyer stage, I don’t want them to have to wait for us to call. So, I give them a way to call us.

  The sales script for selling the high-ticket item on the phone is pretty long and involved. Let’s dive in and look at our script for selling high-ticket products.

  HIGH-TICKET, TWO-STEP SCRIPT

  Closing a high-end client takes more time and finesse than selling a simpler product. It’s important to change the selling environment to a phone conversation; a live event or seminar environment could also work. Most prospects won’t whip out a credit card and pay twenty-five thousand dollars based on a video sales letter alone. We have a very effective, high-end sales process, and I’m going to share the script with you here. It’s much more involved than the other scripts we’ve covered in this book so far. In fact, the entire process can take from seventy-five minutes to two hours. If you’re interested in learning the finer points and details involved in selling with this process, you can learn more at www.highticketsecrets.com.

  My team uses a two-step script because it’s really the most effective way to close a high-end ticket sale over the phone. You will need two different people to make a sale using this process: the setter and the closer. Using two sales people provides consistency in your sales. When you find the right people and they follow the script, it works, day in and day out. You should not be the one selling directly on the phone; you’re too close to the outcome emotionally, and it’s just bad positioning.

  Instead, two sales people work together to close a new client. The setter gathers basic information on the prospect, draws out his emotions, and identifies the prospect’s pain and goals. Once that is done, the setter gets off the phone and has the closer call the applicant back. The closer magnifies the pain, gets the prospect to sell himself on why he is a good fit for the program, and then provides the solution.

  THE SET SCRIPT

  Introduction: For setters, the goal here is to introduce themselves in a low-key way and have a natural conversation with the prospect. The setter is getting to know the prospect and pulling out any emotions related to the topic you’re discussing. They must find out where the prospect is right now and how he feels about where he is.

  Questions: Then the setter should focus on finding out where the prospect wants to be. What are his hopes and dreams? What’s the real reason, deep down, that he wants those things? He may want to make a hundred thousand a year—that’s great. But why? What would that money allow him to do? Quit his current job? Stay home with his kids? Buy a boat and sail around the world? Buy his aging parents a home? Finally show his ex-wife that he’s worth something after all? The setter has to find out the why. That’s where you’ll find the emotions. Remember, people buy based on emotion first, then they rationalize the decision with logic.

  You’ve probably heard sales advice saying you need to get to a buyer’s emotions, but I find many people just don’t know how to do that. You hook the emotions by asking questions. Always ask additional questions. Does the prospect have kids? Great! How old are they? What are their names? If you know the prospect wants to homeschool his kids, ask why. How would it feel to know he had the freedom to teach his kids any way he wanted? Follow-up questions help you hook into emotions. What would it mean to the prospect if he could buy that new house for his parents? How would he feel standing on a boat in the Caribbean, totally free of debt and worry? Help the prospect paint a picture of the feelings behind his dreams. You can get all this information with a few questions; within five minutes, the setter knows exactly why the prospect is going to buy this program. He also knows the hot buttons to focus on.

  The setter should ask the prospect, “What’s holding you back? Why haven’t you achieved your dreams already?” You’ll probably hear some variation of I don’t know how. The prospect doesn’t know how to build a business online. Or, he may say he doesn’t have time—which is really saying he doesn’t know how to build a business in five hours a week. He may say it is because he doesn’t have money—which is really saying he doesn’t know how to build a business using other people’s money. Once the prospect realizes it’s simply a lack of knowledge blocking his success—and that you can provide him with that knowledge—ask him this question: If you knew how to build a business in just five hours a week, would you do it? Of course, he is going to say yes! He has just started to sell himself on purchasing your product, your knowledge.

  The setter cannot move forward with the script until he understands the prospect’s emotional hot buttons. The prospect must also admit he doesn’t know what he is doing (in some form or another) when it comes to building a business. He must realize he needs help.

  Blast: Give Him a Taste of What You Offer: Don’t go into great detail about the program; that’s what he’s buying. But the setter should give him an idea of what he could discover or get done.

  Now, obviously, it’s impossible to work with everyone who applies/buys our information . . . so I’m here to weed out those who aren’t ready and find the right people to work with one-on-one. I understand you don’t know
how to build a business in five hours a week. And I don’t know, but maybe we can help. Let me explain what we do here . . .

  Next, ask a critical question to get the prospect to sell himself. Use a pivotal question that will bring home all the reasons he needs to pull out his credit card at the end of the conversation.

  Let me ask you this . . . if you could work one-on-one with Russell Brunson or someone like him . . . do you think you’d be successful?

  (Absolutely!)

  How come?

  Here’s why this is so important: I can talk for hours about how great our program is and all the reasons the prospect should buy . . . but it might be a lie. If HE tells me all the reasons he’d be successful with our program . . . then it’s the truth because he believes it. When the setter gets him to explain all the reasons he’d be successful, sales become easy.

  Ask: How come? Why would working with Russell Brunson help you be successful?

  Then, the setter must shut up! Don’t talk. Let the prospect talk.

  Once he gives the reasons, the setter should repeat them back and confirm his beliefs.

  So, if I gave you the chance to work with Russell Brunson, you believe you’d be successful? (Yes!)

  If you had the opportunity to work with Russell Brunson, you could get (fill in what they want)?

  If you had the opportunity to work with Russell Brunson, you’d know how to get there?

  Next, get the prospect to sell himself and tell the setter why you should work with him.

  Why do you think you’d be a good candidate for this program?

  Posture: To set up the closer as the expert, the setter should say the following:

  Now, I’m not personally an expert at building businesses online in five hours a week. My job is simply to find the people who are qualified to be part of this program. If I feel good about you, I’ll turn you over to our Program Director (the closer). He is the one to decide who will be the right fit for our program.

  Before I do that, I need to find out a little more about you and fill out a short profile. I need to understand where you are right now professionally and financially. Then I need to find out more specifics about where you want to be in the future. All this information will help us determine if you’re going to be a good candidate.

  Is it alright if I ask you a few questions?

  (Sure . . .)

  The setter has just asked for (and gotten) permission to ask just about anything.

  Probe: Collect Financial Information: Your setter is going to start asking some pretty personal questions next and is going to fill out a form with the information. You want people to answer quickly, without getting too emotional. Start by asking about age, marital status, highest level of education, and things like that.

  Then the setter must be sure to ask, Is there anyone else involved in your business—a spouse or financial partner? If so, get the other party on the phone, too, right then and there. It’s a waste of time to keep going through the presentation if you don’t have all the decision makers present.

  The goal of this next set of questions is to find out the prospect’s financial status and whether you really can help.

  Finding Credit: Your setter is going to find out details about the prospect’s credit situation.

  How would you rate your credit right now? Why?

  If Russell Brunson were to write a check and pay off all your debt, how much would that be?

  Of that debt, how much is major credit card debt?

  What’s the total amount of combined credit that’s been extended to you? (Subtract total debt from combined credit extended, and you find out how much he has available.)

  You’re looking for more available credit than the program costs. It’s also helpful to get him to talk about his credit balances to show that you’re really trying to help pay those off—not add to them. The prospect might need to take one step back to take ten steps forward, but ultimately we know a program like this can help him pay off all the debt and achieve financial freedom.

  The setter should also ask if the prospect has any savings accounts or investments. Does he own his own home or rent? What about retirement accounts?

  Goals: Talking About a Prospect’s Short-Term Goals: Your setter is still asking questions and getting the prospect to sell himself on the program.

  What would be an optimal situation in six months? Where would you want your business in six months?

  How long have you been trying to do ______________? How successful have you been?

  In twelve months, where do you want to be? What would make you feel good?

  So, in working one-on-one with Russell Brunson . . . do you think you could achieve these goals? Can you see yourself achieving them? How come?

  Commitments: Get Four Commitments: Now the setter is getting the prospect to declare himself a good candidate. He is publicly stating he is the kind of person who takes action and finishes what he starts. Once he does this, his brain will have a really hard time reversing that declaration and talking himself out of the purchase.

  You look like a potential candidate for me to recommend to my director. Before I can make the recommendation and turn you over to him, there are four commitments that must be agreeable to you.

  1. You must have a minimum time commitment of ___________ per week. Can you do that?

  2. We need people who are coachable and willing to learn and follow the advice of our experts. Can you do that? Why are you coachable?

  3. We’re looking for people who can start today. We want quick decision makers. When do you think is the best time to start working on ___________ (his goals)?

  You want to hear some version of “right now.”

  Great. If it looks like this is a fit for both of us, is there anything that would hold you back from getting started today?

  4. We want to teach you the concept of using OPM (other people’s money) to invest in ___________. Are you familiar with this idea? Would you like to learn more about it?

  Explain how to use the bank’s money (credit cards) as a short-term leveraging tool to invest in growing his business or reaching his goals.

  We have two levels in this program:________ and__________. (Lower price and higher price.)

  How much are you comfortable investing to get your business started today? Why would you choose that amount?

  Now put him on hold while you go talk to your “director.” Discuss the candidate with the closer. If you feel like he would be a good fit for your program, and someone you’d like to work with, then come back to the call.

  Let me have you write down my director’s name; it’s ___________. I’m so happy he’s available to talk with you personally, because he is an expert at ___________. Most importantly, his job is to make sure we have the right kind of people on our team. So, I want you to understand this is not for everybody. Please don’t be offended if he doesn’t offer you a slot. Okay?

  He’s in a meeting right now, but he said he’ll be happy to call you back in five or ten minutes.

  He wanted me to give you a little exercise to go through while you are waiting. I know we’ve talked about your goals, but he’d like you to write them down for yourself. Write down a six- to twelve-month financial goal. Next, write down three things you want besides money.

  Okay? Great! My director will call you shortly.

  THE CLOSE SCRIPT

  This script for the closer is very similar to the Set Script. You want to reinforce the candidate’s decisions in his mind. The closer will go through the same questions as in the introduction, but perhaps worded a little differently. Get the candidate to picture exactly what life will be like after he has success with your program.

  Why are you serious about ___________ right now?

  How long have you been thinking about ___________?

  What’s the biggest thing that’s held you back from ____________?

  What are you looking to do in six months? What would that do for you?

&n
bsp; What are you hoping for in twelve months? What would that do for you?

  How about in five years? What would your lifestyle be like?

  Then you want the prospect to connect you with his dreams.

  If you have the chance to work with someone like Russell Brunson, how would that make a difference in your life? Anything else?

  Next, the closer goes through the four commitments again.

  It’s my job to find only the very best people for this program. It’s not for everybody, and I only want people on board if I know they have what it takes to be successful. So I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and these are things you’re either committed to or you’re not. So, they are simple yes or no answers. Is that something you’re willing to do?

  Don’t move on if you’re not getting the answers you’re looking for. Either back track to find out why the prospect isn’t committed or get off the phone because he is not a likely close.

  Time: Explain the Time Commitment

  Are you able to commit to __________hours per week? (Yes or no.)

  Decision Making: Explain the Decision Commitment

  Opportunities don’t wait around. Making decisions is very important. Do you see anything that would hold you back from making a decision to work with Russell Brunson today? (Yes or no.)