Marketing Secrets with Russell Brunson - What We Learned From Our First $100,000,000 In Sales...

Episode Date: December 7, 2017

Be a fly on the wall during the ClickFunnels partner meeting and hear the #1 thing each of us learned on our journey so far. On this episode we get to hear from the entire Clickfunnels partnership team. They all share the big takeaways they have received as they have watched the company soar to over a hundred million dollars a year in revenue. Here are some of the cool things you will hear. How Russell learned that having a great partnership and team was better than being on his own. Why Todd thinks it's important to have someone who is obsessed with the product you're selling. Why Dave thinks the Dream 100 is so important. How John prioritizes and delegates to make sure everything is done by the appropriate people. Why Brent thinks it's important to stay small and nimble as long as possible and why you shouldn't sweat the small stuff. And why Ryan believes that constraints are not a limiting factor, but what helps you focus and succeed. So listen here to find out what the Clickfunnels partnership team members have learned that have lead the company to surpass their goal of a hundred million dollars in revenue a year. Transcript - https://marketingsecrets.com/blog/what-we-learned-from-our-first-100-000-000-in-sales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Switch to RBC Avion Visa and get up to 55,000 bonus Avion points. Limited time offer, conditions apply. Visit rbc.com slash Avion. What's up everybody? This is Russell Brunson. Welcome to the Marketing Secrets Podcast. Today's a special episode. We are here above the ice. That's right here. There's hockey happening down there. We're in our partner planning meeting right here. All of the co-founding partners of ClickFunnels hanging out, plotting world domination. And the theme of today's event and the theme of this podcast is this. It comes from Social Network.

Millions of dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A billion dollars. So the big question is this. How are entrepreneurs like us who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, who are spending money from our own pockets, how do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Russell Brunson and welcome to Marketing Secrets.

Alright everybody, so welcome back. We're excited to have you guys here. So we've been here locked up in this awesome office for the last day and a half, planning world domination, how to make ClickFunnels better for you as a user, how to get more of you as users so we can serve more people, more audiences,

and more entrepreneurs, and it's been really, really fun, and we've been going around plotting and scheming and planning and creating and doing and a whole bunch of really fun stuff so i thought we'd take a quick like 10 minute break here and um i thought it'd be fun because we actually had a call yesterday with um i guess not really competitors good cool company that like what they're doing right we're potentially like maybe buying them or whatever it's funny because they've been watching what we're doing obviously and um uh he was like, oh, yeah, so you guys want $10 million a year revenue? We're like, no.

So in case you guys are wondering, we passed the $10 million revenue year one. We're year three. So what I want to do is I want to – I thought it would be kind of fun to look at this. It's like a little like a month ago, two months ago, we passed $100 million revenue. So we went from zero to $100 million in about three years. And I wanted to say like what was the biggest aha that each of us individually got from – that we've learned in that process? So you guys can get my ideas from everybody inside the team here. So just a really quick intro, everybody, and then I'll share my aha and then we'll move on.

So I'm Russell. I'm the nerd who is like the dancing monkey who gets to talk about ClickFunnels all day long. Woo! That's what I do here. This is Todd Dickerson. Hey, guys. He is the genius that built all the original ClickFunnels. And look at that beard. It's so manly. And over here is Dave. He does all the business development stuff. He's got the retro ClickFunnels shirt on.

Then over here is John. He does all of our ads. And if you see us every day on every platform, it's because of that guy, it's the Blaine Hinton. And over here is Brett Kopeter. What's up? I'm just gonna be in your face and I can't see you. So here's Brett, he does all of our operations stuff and we transition over to a bunch of our new stuff

that we can talk about live publicly. It's gonna be cool. And this is Ryan, what's up Ryan? Ryan is the genius who is always coding all the time. All the time. All right. So I thought it'd be fun to give you different people's perspectives because obviously we're all in different parts of the company, lifting different parts and doing different things. So I thought it'd be interesting to hear everybody's ideas.

So I'll start with mine. So I think the biggest takeaway, I shared this last night with these guys, is as I was growing my business initially, the first eight or nine years um i was very like i don't know what the right word is like scarcity mindset or whatever whereas i am russell i am the leader i own the company and like all these things and it's um and i had i think i had one or two deals with partners that went sour and it's like because i was like i will never have a partner i will only be me and um it's funny like with that mindset and that attitude, we were able to get to, like, this level, and we kind of capped out there. And I'm lucky for me. Todd came in, Trojan-horsed his way in, where he basically worked for free for an entire year, which was awesome.

And then worked together for a couple years. How do you know how many years it was ahead of time? Two or three years? Yeah, a couple years at least. Before that. And then when we had the idea for ClickFunnels, and we were sitting in an office in Boise, we bought the domain, we were going to call it something different, and then we finally found ClickFunnels, we bought the domain,

and then we had a whole week mapping out on the whiteboard everything, and at the end of the week, and this is to kind of take you back, this is on the back end of, we had 100 employees, the whole thing collapsed, we had to fire 80 people, I had to go from a 20,000 square foot building to a 2,000. We could barely afford the rent. It was the most humbling, painful time of my life. And I think that the Lord or whoever, whatever you want to call it, humbled me to a spot where I was willing to say yes to this.

And I am so eternally grateful I did. But at the end of that week, Todd's like, okay, I'm going to go back to Atlanta. I'm going to build this thing, this ClickFunnels thing. It's like, but I don't want to do it as an employee. I want to do it as a partner. And the Russell two or three years earlier than that would have been like, nope, this is the Russell show. I need to be, I need to be the, you know, and I would have done something stupid like that. But luckily it was a point where I was sufficiently humble and I was like, you know what? I'm going to do that. And I'm so grateful that I did because then Todd built ClickFunnels. Like,

holy crap, seriously, it's insane. Um, and then, uh, after that, that's when, um, we brought in these other guys as partners as well. And, um, and they're all rockstar people. It wasn't just like, I'm going to give you a base salary or whatever. It was like, Hey, come in, become like, uh, a partner in this thing. And, um, for me, it's like, as you find the right people and incentivize them, like if I was to ever build a company again, I would never build a company where Russell's the thing. I would, and we went and watched Justice League last night, so maybe this is because it's in my head.

Justice League, Avengers, whatever. Like, oh yeah, Batman. Like, I would literally, if I ever build a company again, the initial thought will be, I'm going to build my Avengers team, my Justice League. Like, okay, I'm Batman. There's Iron Man. iron man we've got you know everyone's got their spot and i would ryan's wonder woman um i just want to look like aquaman that dude is ripped um but if i ever start

a company again the the first the first thought will not be like what products should i sell it's gonna be what teams should we assemble and then i would carve out where everyone's roles are gonna be i'm not gonna be ceo next time so any of you guys can pick that like i'm done after this but we just pick our different roles and then from there collectively we'd be like what should we create what should we build who should we serve and then we'd go from that so my biggest takeaway from the last i'm going from zero to a hundred million dollars is definitely like um like give up control build your venture team ahead of time um because rus Russell Brunson could have never gotten here. It took these guys and the teams we built underneath that.

So anyway, there's my number one. So I'm handing it on to Todd now to share the biggest thing he's learned. I'm going from zero to $100 million. So what's funny is that I was actually thinking about saying very similar things, right? Like one of the biggest things is the team, right? Like seeing how to build a team around you and actually do things as a team as opposed to by yourself independently. That's how I've always done things in the past is on my own more or less in the same type scenario. But I think something else that stands out to me is having someone that is

obsessive about the product itself. So we always talk about how marketing is the big thing and it is. But if you're focused on the marketing, you still need someone on your team that is obsessed with the actual product and making sure you're delivering the best possible thing to people. So when you sell it to them, they actually like it, and they come back, and they want more. So that's my other big epiphany, I think, that I've had over the past time. Especially in our world. Our world, everyone's obsessed with the marketing. Rightfully so.

A lot of times, you do the marketing and the product. If you're doing both, it's really, really hard. Yeah. Because I tried to build software companies in our world. Our world, everyone's obsessed with the marketing. Rightfully so. A lot of times, you're doing the marketing and the product. If you're doing both, it's really, really hard. Yeah, absolutely. Because I tried to build software companies in the past. I was like, the marketing guy, plus I was trying to convince the developers how to do it. Whereas with this, you were able to run with the product, and I could just sell it. Yeah, absolutely. So that's why I think that's worked as a great partnership.

Russell focuses on the marketing, and I focus on the product. And I think having that really makes a. So pass it on to Dave here. Hey there. So, uh, we talk about this all the time and it's, I cannot express the importance of it. And that's the dream 100. As I take a look back on everything that's happened, as far as first of all, having an amazing product and then amazing leaders and Todd and Russell, I mean the two of them are like amazing together. I think the part for me is I look at everything that we've built over the last three years now is the importance of the Dream 100.

And originally it was Dream 100 just as far as affiliates and even most recently when we did the book launch, what I really learned a lot from that was the importance of understanding it's a Dream 100 per platform as well. So as far as your influencers, where are they at? Are they on YouTube? Are they on Facebook? Are they on Twitter? Are they in Instagram?

Wherever they might be. And then even most recently, as far as a new Dream 100, as far as higher-end partners that you really want to end up working with long-term. And so for me, I think the most important thing is when you start looking at building something is really identifying your dream 100 and then being very, very consistent in continuing to mail out every single month to them. And that establishes the build that relationship with them. They get used to seeing you. It's been fascinating for me as we've gone out and we travel and go to these different places and people remember the boxes and things that have been sent. And they're like, oh, how do I get on that list? And if they're asking to be on the list, I don't need them on the list basically. But the reality, yeah, basically says it actually works.

So I would say in building a $100 million company or any size company, I would definitely say Dream 100 is one of the most important things. John, up to you. All right. So really interesting journey we've been on. It's been so much fun. is one of the most important things. John, up to you. All right. So really interesting journey we've been on. It's been so much fun. So yeah, one of the things that I've learned,

which is just huge, is prioritizing your time and your tasks. I mean, especially when we're all internet entrepreneurs, we're on the computer and it's so easy. Computer is gateway to anything, right? So a huge thing for me is to, before even opening up the computer, like physically write down or use your phone or use something else that's not your computer to like structure out.

I mean, we all do this. Russell does this. I do this. We structure out like what we're going to do, right? Like what are the next things I need to do? Because if you can get that like basically spiritually created, if you can get that like thought through before you actually begin, then it changes everything.

I mean then you're actually – you're getting through stuff instead of just like fumbling along. I mean it's so easy because we're all bombarded with a million different things. We could be paying attention to a million different things, only some of which are really going to move the needle, right? And the other thing is, especially as you grow your team, as you get more people working with you, it's about, so like I build out that list, and then the next thing I ask myself as I go through that list is like, okay, who can do this?

Okay, who can I get to do this? Who can I get to do this? And that specific question as I go through the list, as who can I get to do this, that allows me to go through and delegate as much as possible to team members, and so then I become more of a leader, right? Because it's so easy just to be like, oh, I can just do it all. Well, yeah, you can do it all, probably,

but maybe you shouldn't be doing it all. You know, it's something to think through. So build out that list, really think through it before you start to take action in the day. Prioritize it, and then go through and just glean through the list and be like, okay, who can I get to do these things? Assuming you'll be doing none of them, of course there will be a handful of them that you end up doing. But that way, that's just a mindset that will help you get things delegated properly. Here you go, Brent.

Awesome. Hey, everybody. There you are. Hey, everybody. It's good to connect with you. I just want to express how much we appreciate you. All, everybody who follows us,

who obviously is a dedicated listeners or Russell's program. It's funny. More and more is, is we travel with Russell, even locally here in, in the Boise area. He's getting like, people recognize him all over the place.

Like they see you, they see the Jeep or they're seeing him in the hallway, the hotel, like, Hey, I'm your neighbor. And you know, just these,

these red Albertsons. Yeah. It's just like this guy's. Yeah. It's just, it's just of the hotel, like, hey, I'm your neighbor. You know, just these red Albertsons. You were out to do it. Yeah. It's just like this guy's, yeah, it's just funny. And anyways, a couple of things. I've had the privilege of working with Russell for over 11 years, and the one thing I think that you just cannot replace or that is absolutely needed is hard work. You have to be dedicated in getting into this business

and be willing just to sacrifice what you need to sacrifice to get going. Another thing that I think we've learned through this journey is stay nimble and small as much as you can. Don't go out and try to lease some big office space until you've got sales coming in, consistent sales, and you know that your business is in good shape that way. Another thing, a mantra we've kind of followed here in our company is we've been slow to hire and quick to fire. Building a team, and Russell has just done a tremendous job of this. Obviously, we've got great partners here, and then that has extended to our team members. And, again, we love all of our team members.

We are essentially a great family of like-minded individuals who are focused on a goal, and the leadership in this company has helped us all work to achieve that goal. So that's been awesome as well. So stay small as long as you can. Be nimble. Be humble. But, you know, you've got to work hard. And once you do those things, don't sweat over the small things.

I mean, I think I'm just – we've had different variations of an employee handbook, and I'm just finally getting it out here probably in the next few weeks. And we've been in business for three years. So don't stress about those things. I'm planning that 10 years. And we were at an event in Denver a few weeks ago related to customer support. And that's very normal for small startups. I mean, that's very normal.

Those things just come. But don't worry about those little details. They work themselves out. But work hard, and you'll achieve that success. So I will hand this over to my buddy, Ryan. There you go, buddy. So I love talking about this topic and I think it's best summarized as worse is better. You can do a lot more than you think. Gary V told us that when we met with him on the social media side, we're like, we already do everything. We already do a ton. We're on everything. He's like, you can do more.

And I think this is true in everything we do in engineering, everything we do when it comes to product. You've heard it in every single answer from everybody to some degree. But I think the killer underlying subtext to all that is that constraints are not a limiting factor. They force you to focus. The focus forces you to prioritize. That forces you to do the one thing every day that's the most valuable so that you can compete with somebody who's got $40 million in funding and you've got three guys in an office trying to figure it out because it makes you laser focus

on the thing you have to do every single day. That's what enables you to compete at a higher level. That's what enables, and I believe the most important thing we've done in our culture is force everybody from, you know, hiring decisions to business processes. Don't worry about the handbook. Don't, you know, don't overcomplicate this, simplify this, because those constraints are what make us as powerful as we are and what enable us to be a hundred million dollar company with a hundred people, to grow to $1 billion with fewer resources and a fraction of the budget and everything else. Everyone else is competing with us. They have no idea how we do it. They're all like, wait, how many engineers do you have? How do you do this? How big are you? It blows their mind. And I think that's the thing they miss is that those constraints are what

enable us to do it. Our weaknesses are our weaknesses are our strengths and people see them backwards and we see it the opposite. And that's why everyone's so blown away and why nobody gets it. And I think that's our secret sauce in many ways. So I love that. That's our thing. That's what I learned. That blew my mind.

That's awesome. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. It's fun hanging out and we just want to thank you guys so much for allowing us to serve you and serve your audience. We love what we do. We're obsessed with it. We're passionate. We've been up for the last two days going crazy trying to figure out ways to do it better.

And, you know, for us, a lot of people say, you guys made $100 million. That's crazy. And it's like, that's like step number one for us. We're just getting started. Wait until you see what's going to be coming out in the next 12 months and beyond. We love you guys. We appreciate you. We're so grateful for the ability and the right and the gift we have to be able to serve you guys in what you guys do. So thanks again so

much for everything and talk to you guys soon. Bye everybody. Want more marketing secrets? If so, then go get your copies of my two bestselling books. Book number one is called Expert Secrets and you can get a free copy at expertsecrets.com. And book number two is called Dot Com Secrets and you can get your free copy at dotcomsecrets.com. Inside these two books, you'll find my top 35 secrets that we've used to become the fastest growing non-VC backed SaaS startup company in the world.