Marketing Like a Billionaire: Inside the Mind of Russell Brunson

What this episode is about

Russell Brunson, co-founder of ClickFunnels, transformed online marketing by building a platform that has generated billions in sales for its users, driven by his passion and innovative strategies. As an author and prominent speaker, he empowers entrepreneurs to pursue bold dreams and reshape their approach to sales through effective funnel strategies.

Key takeaways

• From potato guns to billion-dollar sales: obsession fuels innovation in unlikely niches.
• Russell's journey proves that the right funnel can transform a niche hobby into a global empire.
• Marketing trumps sales: ClickFunnels revolutionized digital entrepreneurship before social media became a thing.
• Be the oddball in your passion, and watch how authenticity becomes the new marketing magic.
• One upsell can change everything; it’s the game-changer most businesses still overlook.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Tommy Mello (Host) · 13 min speaking
• Russell Brunson (Guest) · 19 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: ClickFunnels, Expert Secrets, Traffic Secrets, .com Secrets
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Driven
3. 10:00 – 15:00: ClickFunnels
4. 15:00 – 20:00: ClickFunnels, Zig Ziggler
5. 25:00 – 30:00: ClickFunnels, Outwitting the Devil, The e- Myth Revisited

Notable quotes from "Marketing Like a Billionaire: Inside the Mind of Russell Brunson"

• We built an industry based on this thing that nobody even knew before. We built Click Funnels.

  about ClickFunnels · at 0:00

• His, books.com, secrets,, expert, secrets, and traffic secrets have sold millions of copies and reshaped the world of online entrepreneurship.

  about Expert Secrets · at 1:09

• About my fiance and my family. But you think some people are born entrepreneurs. There's a book I read a while, ago, called, Driven., I, don't, know if you've read that book.…

  about Driven · at 9:26

• Yeah., Zigz,, it's, so, true., Yeah.

  about Zig Ziggler · at 16:22

• Dude, this will change your life that obviously the Bible's important. We all know like The E-Myth Revisited. He's been in here before.

  about The e- Myth Revisited · at 27:22

• Book's insane. and then my favorite Napoleon Hill book because I he's he's my favorite author. Outwitting the Devil is insane. I'm obsessed with that book. I actually got the…

  about Outwitting the Devil · at 28:56

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Zig Ziggler — Person · Referenced expert · 1 mention · first at 16:22
  Referenced as the source of a well-known maxim about success through helping others, used to support the episode’s theme of service-driven entrepreneurship.

Books & papers

• Outwitting the Devil — Book · Primary recommendation · 1 mention · first at 29:00
  Highly recommended by Russell Brunson as an influential book on personal development.
• Expert Secrets — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 1:09
  Part of Russell Brunson's book trilogy that has sold millions and reshaped online entrepreneurship.
• Traffic Secrets — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 1:11
  Part of Russell Brunson's book trilogy that has sold millions and reshaped online entrepreneurship.
  His, books.com, secrets,, expert, secrets, and traffic secrets have sold millions of copies and reshaped the world of online entrepreneurship.
• .com Secrets — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 1:05
  Russell Brunson's first book, marking the beginning of his journey in sharing marketing strategies.
  Whose writings have become a goto playbook for marketers, creators, and CEOs around the world. I started my very first book, which is do secrets.
• Driven — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 9:31
  A book mentioned by Russell Brunson discussing the innate drive in entrepreneurs.
• The e- Myth Revisited — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 27:25
  A book mentioned in the context of business and entrepreneurship discussions.

Companies & orgs

• ClickFunnels — Company · Business focus · 7 mentions · first at 0:31
  Central to the discussion as the platform built by Russell Brunson that revolutionized internet marketing.

Media & podcasts

• Marketing Secrets — Media · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 1:35
  A podcast hosted by Russell Brunson, part of his media presence to share marketing strategies.
  He, also, hosts, top, business, podcasts, such as Marketing Secrets and the Russell Brunson Show. Commanding an audience of millions across platforms. Russell believes that the right message.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 We built an industry based on this thing that nobody even knew before. We built you know, uh, you know, Click Funnels. We've done over a billion dollars in sales on our platform ourselves. Our clients have done like 14 15 billion in sales on the platform. It's just like because I was obsessed with this nerdy thing that no one cared about. Like be obsessed and be okay with it and become the best in the world at what you're doing.

0:19 Innovative,, magnetic,, strategic., Our guest today is a digital pioneer who transformed the way entrepreneurs sell online. Clickfunnel's mission is to liberate and educate the world.

0:29 Russell, Brunson, is, the, co-founder, of Clickfunnels. Instead, of, creating, a, software,, we wanted to create a movement

0:36 a, $360, million, platform, that revolutionized internet marketing. The, concept, of, like, you're, one, funnel away from being rich.

0:43 And, he, empowered, over, 100,000, businesses to scale with ease. Strive, for, the, impossible,, the, unheard of, the absurd dreams you've always had. At the age of 15, Russell was launched into the world of online marketing where he found viral success making videos about selling potato guns. Now, Russell is a New York Times best-selling author whose writings have become a goto playbook for marketers, creators, and CEOs around the world. I started my very first book, which is do secrets.

1:09 His, books.com, secrets,, expert, secrets, and traffic secrets have sold millions of copies and reshaped the world of online entrepreneurship. He shared stages and strategies with legends like Tony Robbins and Dean Graiosce. Through his connections, he's built a loyal community of funnel hackers who follow his every move.

1:28 Greatest, motivation, in, business,, it comes from seeing the results of the people you're trying to help.

1:33 He, also, hosts, top, business, podcasts, such as Marketing Secrets and the Russell Brunson Show. Commanding an audience of millions across platforms. Russell believes that the right message delivered to the right people can change lives. And Clickfunnels, his unique marketing system, is the most powerful tool for making that happen. Get ready. This conversation will change the way you think about sales, marketing, and storytelling.

2:00 All right,, guys., Welcome, back, to, the Mellow Millionaire. Today is a great day. It's been a fantastic day. I got Russell Brunson in the house. This dude is fantastic. Like if you don't know who Russell Brunson is, you don't understand the marketing side of your business. Marketing is more important than sales. It's more important than anything. You've got to get the phones ringing. You got to get the clicks. Russell has built a global empire by mastering the art of the salesunnel. Uh so how did you become so fascinated with funnels? And I know a lot of people that work on funnel hacking and just figuring out how to make the phone ring. 25 years ago before Facebook, Instagram, before MySpace like we were trying to figure out how to make money online while I was in college. And um it was weird because like there was not all these people teaching this. It was it was a different world, right? And so we just tried a lot

2:49 of things and some things worked and some things didn't. And one of my first businesses I had was uh teaching people how to make potato guns. That was my first thing. And like I had a DVD teaching people make potato guns. So, I set up a landing page. We drove traffic to it, started making sales, and then uh and then that's where it all began. And then, from, there,, it's, like,, well,, how do we make this thing make more money? What do what does that look like? And then one of my friends uh was one of the first people ever doing an upsell. And he's like, he calls me one day. He's like, dude, he's like, I had an upsell.

3:15 And he's like, one out of three people are buying the next thing. I'm like what? I'm like, how? Like I'm like, how should I do that? He's like, well you're selling the DVD. Like, what's the next thing somebody needs after they buy the potato gun DVD? I'm like, they got to, go to, Home, Depot, and, buy, the, pipes and the glue and all that kind of stuff. He's like, sell them the kit. And I was like, "All right." So I threw I threw up a page like they buy the DVD, next page like for 200 bucks, buy a kit and I'll just ship you all the stuff and you can make it. And sure enough, one out of three people bought that. And I was like, "Holy crap." And then we just started testing little things and little things. And so the next decade of my life, it was like I would learn something, I would try it, and then my income would go up. And so for 10 years like that's what I was doing in a whole bunch of my own businesses, other

3:50 people's businesses. And then uh and then about that time is when I wrote my first book, Do Secrets, which is like here's here's what we learned last 10 years. this is the playbook. And about the same time as when we built ClickFunnels, which made it easy, we have a whole company with 400 employees that do stuff, but my job is I'm in charge of the funnels, and that's still all I geek out on every day. I'm obsessed with it.

4:08 I, get, all, your, ads., I, use, ClickFunnels for several businesses. It's amazing. It makes it so easy. That's the idea is the ease. What is it like for you? Uh cuz you you're the guy like you're the ClickFunnel guy. Like you How do you feel? Is it a good feeling of like a little bit of fame? Is it weird? What What is the feeling you get?

4:28 It's, definitely, weird,, especially starting out because I was trying to figure out how to make money cuz it's you know, I was a I was a student athlete. I was wrestling. I had just gotten married. I was doing the funnels behind the scenes. It was fun. But then like people started asking me and then I would share stuff and then that's when guys like that are like "Hey, come speak to our event. Tell tell people what you're doing." I'm like, "Ah." And then you see you go, you know, you see someone who get excited, understood it.

4:50 When we launched ClickFunnels is when my whole world shifted. Like it blew up. I mean that, you know, that company went from zero to$100 million in three years and it was just like, you know, we were everywhere. We're speaking every it was just it was chaos and um and I enjoy it but I love watching the people we we train like go and do cool stuff. Like that's more rewarding for me at this point, you know?

5:10 No,, 100%., And, I, I, love, it, too, when, the light bulb turns on. I did yesterday I just did a virtual event. There was 150 people. Then I did another one that was 500 people. And the questions were I could like you couldn't keep up with and I'm like I get very excited just I'm like this one little thing when somebody walks up to you and says dude I listen to one podcast or did this one thing and that to me is like why I keep doing it because it's hard to be on the road but uh I asked you earlier that you you you've not necessarily building to sell this business. When is enough enough?

5:47 Yeah, we had an offer four years ago we could have sold. Um I remember Tony Robbins actually told me he's like, "So if you were to if you were to sell it what would you do next?" And I was like I I don't have something I like more than this I would rather do. So if I sell it, then it's gone. I came to serve and this is the best vehicle I can serve people, in., You, know what, I, mean?

6:06 Yeah., I, mean,, I'm, sure, you're, saying, to me like we're not kind of guys are going to retire someday. You know what I mean?

6:11 No., I'm, 42., A, lot, of, people, like, we're going to, sell, out, and, we're, going, to retire. It's like and then what? And it's like then I'm going to build the next thing and the next thing. It's like I love the thing we built.

6:18 I, want, to, talk, about,, you, know,, I wrestled. Okay. Yeah., I, was, a, wrestler, and, and, I, really like to hire wrestlers

6:25 because, they, take, the, ownership., They're they're just like And, then, I, like, to, hire, team, players, so they kind of grow into this team player.

6:31 What, did, wrestling, teach, you?, Like because you're obviously super competitive if you wrestled.

6:36 Yeah., Wrestling, taught, I, mean, taught, me everything. Everyone's looking at you and you either win or you lose right in front of everyone. You know, one of the biggest fears most entrepreneurs have is like they're scared to especially first- time entrepreneurs, they're scared to try something cuz if they fail, then they're a failure. And so for me, what what wrestling, what sports taught me is that like um if I fail, I'm not a failure. Like one of one of my my favorite stories about this, my junior year, in, high, school,, start, of the, year, my my goal is to be state champ. So first match of the season, I wrestle this guy and he beats me. And I was just devastated cuz in my mind, I'm going to be state champ. And I just lost first match of the entire season. And I'm so lucky cuz my dad um my dad was awesome.

7:13 Like he he filmed the match and then I remember going home that night and uh I went to bed just like feeling depressed and sat sorry for myself and everything and my dad watched it over and like all night long. I don't think my dad slept you know, the entire night. Wake up next morning about to go to school and he's like, "Russell, come here." And we spend an hour drilling and we did that every single day for the entire fourmon season. My dad would show up, we drill it, we drill it, we drill it and so we go drill it again. We go out there in this match and um and I wrestle this guy who, you know, four months earlier beat me and we have the same match and this time I beat him, win the state title.

7:43 It's, like,, you, know,, one, of the, greatest moments of my life. And I remember driving home in the car that night and I had this the the thought of just like oh my gosh. Like when I lost four months ago, I thought I was a failure and I was like "No." We came back and we drilled it, we fixed it, we fine-tuned things. And I think that's what I try to instill my entrepreneurs just like, "Okay, when you're creating a business or a funnel whatever, like throw it out there." But the problem with most entrepreneurs is they they don't do the first version because they're so scared of failing.

8:04 And I think that athletics and sports taught me just like like you lose all the time in sports, right? And it's okay because like you go through that process, you learn it a bunch and then it's the tweaks and the changes, the iterations that make it things win. Like our business now like we roll out a new offer and I'm you roll out a lot of offers. We roll them out really really fast and I'm just like testing the market like see what happens and then sometimes like ah it's not going to it's probably not going to go anywhere. Other times it's like okay something's there.

8:27 It didn't work the way we're supposed to but now we know. And then we'll sit there and we'll tweak and we'll change and we'll tweak and we'll change and um our goal anytime we have new offers like how do we get the spot where we can spend a million dollars a month in ads profitably on this offer. Like that's that's like a winner for us, right? And so for us it's like okay, we did it and it's like there's numbers and tweaking changing tweaking changing until we get to the spot where that's that's the numbers coming in, you know? And so I don't know that's what athletics taught me. And I think for those who haven't been athletes, it's like learning that like if you fail, you're not a failure.

8:53 Failure, is, a, good, thing., Fail, forward., I mean, look, I I get on stages all the time and I'm like, I'm the largest failure in this room

8:59 guaranteed. But, is, by, the, time, you're, trying, to, load the gun, I've already missed the target 18 times and now I'm hitting the bullseye every time. Because I jump right in and I jump in and I'm like, and everybody goes, "Dude, that's not going to work." I'm like, "You're right. It's not going to work, but we're going to get it to work because it's hard."

9:16 Yeah., There's, something, in, my, DNA., I've got ADHD. I don't care about failing. I don't care about embarrassing myself. I stopped caring about what other people think to a certain extent. I care a lot about my fiance and my family. But um you think some people are born entrepreneurs. There's a book I read a while, ago, called, Driven., I, don't, know if you've read that book. It talks about there's like a gene that there is a gene that people actually have that are more driven. Yeah.

9:39 And, um, I, think, somebody, can, learn, to, be entrepreneurial, but I definitely think that like there's some people are born with it with with that as a as a tendency and some some people aren't. Um one of my first mentors told me like there's two type of people in this world. There's starters and there's finishers. figure out who you are and surround yourself with the others. And so, I'm, I, think, I'm, one, of the, greatest starters of all time and I've got like 400 finishers. Well, someone told me it was like it's like we're like kites. Um but there's got to be like the integrator on the ground holding the string to like to make sure that we can like fly otherwise we just like go off and you know like that's a really good analogy.

10:12 I, was, like, that, that's, how, I, feel sometimes. If it wasn't for all the people around me that are holding the strings um I'd be a wreck. I'd be a nightmare.

10:19 It's, so, true, man., I, can't, agree, more, is it's like what I've learned to do is write things down, have systems to get really, really organized people around me.

10:28 Yeah. So,, your, digital, marketing, book, trilogy has sold more than half a million copies worldwide.

10:33 Over, a, million, now. It's, over, a, million. Yeah., Between, three, books,, sold, over, a million copies. So, yeah.

10:38 What's, your, thought, on, when, you, write, a book, what's the main reasoning behind it? Is it like a a trip wire or whatever?

10:44 Kind, of., But, for, me, it's, like, um, I believe every every great movement throughout time started with a book right? And so it's like the it's like giving people the playbook to understand how to play in your world, right? What Tony Robbins like the books he's rolled out over the last decade, right? Like he wrote he wrote Money Master the Game was his first book he'd written in 20 years but the goal was he had a big fund that he was trying to raise money for, right? Writes the book, teaching the strategies, launches the book, and I don't know the numbers. It's like I think it's like six or 10 billion dollars.

11:12 Readers, are, leaders,, dude., and, taking the time. Jim Quick, I was on a podcast with him recently. Blew my mind because I'm like, "Dude, I must be lazy." But what I've noticed is it's hard to be everything. There's 168 hours in a week. You could spend 50 sleeping, 50 working 10 working out, still have 60 hours left for family if you you watch Netflix whatever. But how do you maintain because I know you're a strong believer. You're a family man. You're excited about business. You're taking care of your fitness. You're learning all the time. How do you find yourself handling those? Yeah. Um, it's a good question and first off, I do agree with you like it's, hard, to, be, well-rounded, most, of the time is impossible, right? Everything great in my life came during times of radical imbalance, right? We launched Click Funnels, it was radical imbalance for a season, but then you can snap back

11:55 to something more balanced. And so for me, it's just very much it's like I had to learn how to become very present in the thing that I'm doing right now. So like literally when I get to my house like I drive in my garage at night, um I come in the door, like I stop for a second before the door and I'm just like, "Okay, like Russell Brunson is I'm leaving him here and Russell's coming in the door." Like it's two different people, right? And I come in and now I'm husband. Yep. I'm husband. I'm a father. This is where I'm at. We had one of my my mentors had had he wanted me and my team to do a time a time study for.

12:22 Yeah. And, for, me, it, was, like, I, got, done, I, was like, "Wow, I got a lot done today." And everyone else in my team was like "Yeah, I only I'm only working like an hour a day." I'm like "What?" Like I couldn't I couldn't fathom. and they're like, "Yeah, like between all this stuff, like I'm only actually getting an hour." And for me, it's like I was the opposite. Like I was like, you look at my day, like it is jam-packed. There's there's not there's not time. I'm just like,

12:40 yeah,, there's, no, breaks., I, mean,, the calendar's lit up. Yeah., And, so, I, think, that's, what, a, lot of people understand. It's just like it's it's like compartmentalizing the environments and then when you're in there, like you got to be and that's how at least, for, me, how, I, get, how, I, get, a lot of stuff done.

12:53 No,, 100%., And, mylette, has, talked, about he's built a workday into six hours and he's got three work days to year one.

13:02 And, as, much, as, I, love, the, guy,, I, think he's so amazing. I'm like, you know what?

13:07 I, don't, want, to, outwork, anybody, anymore. I've I've served my time. I want to out delegate.

13:12 I, want, to, out, delegate, and, I, want, to trust people but, I, hold, them, to, the, highest, standard of what I hold myself to. And I'm like I'm not being tough on you. I'm way harder on myself. I got three repeat questions, then we'll jump back into some more. Uh, these are what I ask everybody. So, what's one gamechanging piece of advice you wish you knew in your 20s?

13:34 This, is, actually, something, you, mentioned earlier. It's based on one of Ben Hardy's book, but the who, not the how. Um, for the first decade of my business like I thought I had to be the guy who did everything. And it wasn't until um uh one of my now business partners, Todd Dickerson, uh he was an employee of mine working on stuff and then when we had the idea for ClickFunnels, he was like "I want to do this with you, but I don't want, to, do it, as, an, employee., I, want, to do it, as, your, partner.", And, I, was, like, "But I'm the guy. Like I do everything."

14:01 I had never had a partner. Like, "No this is like" And it was um it was funny because like he lives in Atlanta. I live in Boyisey. He was up in Boisey for a week as we're planning the next thing we're going to create, you know, and we figured we had the idea for Click Funnels. We mapped it out and I'm driving back to the airport. That's what he tells me. He's just like, "I don't want to do this as your as your employee. I want do as your partner." And it was all the, you know, I'm literally dropping off the airport to say bye to him. It's just like, "Uh what do I say? What do I say?" And, and in that moment, I I like literally was the second best decision of my life outside of marrying my wife was like saying yes to him. And I was like, "Oh my gosh." Like I realized now like seeing now decade later like what we were able to create because he he had ownership because he was, you know, all

14:39 that stuff. It's like step number one now for me is like who are the who's the dream team we're we're assembling to be able to do the thing and being okay giving away mo you know a lot of what we're doing as opposed to trying to keep it hoard it all myself.

14:51 Yeah., You, know Richard, Richard, Branson, does, a, great, job because me and you had to hire bottom up. We we had to take the trash out clean the toilets.

15:01 We, were, everything., I, had, to, do inventory. I had to do payroll which I can't stand. I used to have to do accounting and accounts receivable and I hated it. And all of a sudden, I figured out, what if you hire top down? You got the best of the best.

15:13 Yeah. And, there's, the, EIP,, equity, incentive program, Phantom Stock. Hey, guys,, pausing, here, to, explain, what an equity incentive program is. Also known as an EIP. An EIP is a program that allows company employees the option to buy shares in the business. This means that as the company grows in value, so does the value of the employees shares. An EIP turns employees into partial owners, not just workers. So, when the company does well, they directly benefit financially, often through stock options, restricted stock units, RSUs, or performance-based equity awards. It's a powerful way to create buyin and long-term commitment from your team. My company, A1 Garage, in state of this program a while ago, and it's one of the best things we've ever done. It gives company employees a shared purpose and motivation. Leave me a comment down below if you like an episode where I go into more detail about how I set up my

16:05 EIP, and, how, exactly, it, works., All right, back to the episode. This is like saying, "What are your dreams? What do you want?" And sometimes it's not money. If you really look and say, "Look, I'm here to um you could have anything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want."

16:22 Yeah., Zigz,, it's, so, true., Yeah. Uh,, what, millionaire, habit sets you apart from the rest of us?

16:31 I, think, for, me, it's, like, it's, um obsession in a in a thing, right? Like I am not It's funny. I always joke with my wife like I'm really good at two things and that's it. Um, and I think I I go really really deep on again funnels like there's no one on this planet that's gone deeper than me on that. Like I know that better than anybody in the world. Um, I think for most people it's like they're they're trying to become super um good at all the things and everyone's like "Well, I thought you were the CEO of your company." I'm like like, "Yeah but like just because that's like the title, like like I want to I want to be building funnels." And so we built a company, around, where it's, like, I, can still be like the thing, but like my my day job is in the part that like I'm obsessed with. Like I wake up every morning, I get to think about it and talk about it and figure things out and

17:12 we're creating new things and like it gives me the energy. And I think um it's the obsession so you can focus on the thing that gives you the most energy

17:19 you, know?, That's, so, powerful, because, I walk in people like, "Why do you work so much?" I'm like "I never I never go to work."

17:25 Are, you, kidding, me? I, had, the, best, I, do, all, day., Yeah. I, mean,, look,, I'm, doing, a, podcast, now with you. It's It's phenomenal. Like this isn't work.

17:33 Uh,, if, you, had, to, start, over, with, $10 million tomorrow, what would you do with it?

17:38 Oh,, see,, I'm, a, bootstrap, guy., I've, never I've never taken my never start with money. I wouldn't even know what do $10 million. I would just put it throw it in the put in the bank and build a funnel and then we launch it like you know like everything we've ever done has been um the like it it it's all been sustainable up front so I wouldn't know to $10 million other than maybe maybe use that to hire a dream team bringing in very specific people for for something I learned bigger lessons through time now I make a decision and it's like you're going to spend $3 million I'm like I know it's but I already we've already tested it there's going to be a high probability of a massive return

18:11 I, see, people, who, start, business, they some startup capital or again they go with SB alone and they're buying office equipment, computers, desks, all like like what are you doing like

18:19 work, out, of, your, house,, work,, whatever you have to do like you, um, I'm, curious, because, I, want, to talk a little bit about sales funnels but I'm a home service home improvement guy so I don't know if you could relate to that but obviously you know there's this idea of building a thought in people's mind to remember who you are and let them get to know you. The wizard of ads Roy Williams talks about this a lot. He's like they it can't it needs to be relational. So I talk a lot about my mom worked three jobs when I was a kid. You know, let them know who I am. There's got to be a figure at the top. So if you had to think about it more of a home improvement, home service

18:56 how, would, you, think, about, offers, and like clickfunnels in a way that it applies to like a conventional business like this?

19:03 You, one, of the, frameworks, I, teach, all time is hook story offers. I'm throwing out a hook to grab their attention so I can just long enough I can like tell them a story. And the goal of the story is to increase the perceived value of the, offer., And, then, the, hook, goal, of the hook is to give them long enough I can tell them a story and then make them an offer. Right? I think about this all the time like especially in the internet world like people have their their controlled environment where they they control the thing. Like they're on their phone, they're on their computer, like they have these these controlled environments where they're in charge.

19:27 And for me to have the ability to persuade and influence, I need to move them out of those environments to a thing where I control the environment right? Because environment is like half of half of the game. And so it's like I'm pulling somebody from their computer to a webinar to a three-day challenge to a live event to a like so I'd be trying to get somebody from that whatever that is to a spot where I can talk to them long form. So I'm trying to get them out of the environment they're comfortable so it's an environment that I can actually control. Right. So we move them

19:49 I, love, that. Now, we, have, a, different, environment, now sales percentages conversions everything shifts because now I can the reason why we do live events. Right.

19:56 My, first, event, I, got, a, great, buddy, of mine. He's doing 150 million in plumbing in Ohio. And he goes on stage and I love the guy, but this is his first time. He's nervous as hell. He threw up in the back and he's got this story about his son holding his son Chase up. They were living on his his sister's couch and his son would sleep on the couch. He'd sleep I kind of get emotional thinking about it. But he told this story and he held his son up and said, "This is not the life we're going to live." And uh I mean I get teeyed thinking about it just because Chase just graduated. He's going to a master's degree. And um everybody in that room was changed by that story of like we're going to work no matter what. We're going to fail. He went bankrupt twice, failed. And I'm like everybody pull out your phones and look at your Google My Business page and like you know and like teaching t I'm

20:48 like this stuff will work. I promise you this is going to change your life. get a review on every job with a picture in it and I'm going it's still stuff I do like I'm super tactical. I just learned something super important because I I always invite those people that'll talk about like like being happy with yourself and I just I love telling stories and that's what I wanted to ask you. I mean I remember stories so well if someone's on stage and they tell me a great story. So I started really talking about stories like I just listened to this the other day. when you should start out any speech, you should start out with once upon a time and all of a sudden you're like you're in that moment and if you could put your if you could have people put themselves in your shoes and really apply it to their own life.

21:31 So with storytelling, how do you even craft that story and message? Yeah., So, this, is, like, my, big, three event. This is literally we talk about we call let's call it subconscious selling because when you're selling to the masses, especially online stuff like that, it's different than oneonone right? oneonone you have the opportunity to like ask them questions get feedback resolve their concerns but you're speaking like one to many you don't have that ability so what we do when we're crafting a presentation if it's a webinar or challenge or a video whatever it is right the question I'm asking myself is like what's the false belief they have inside their mind and the false belief is a subconscious belief right and subconscious speaks in stories so it's like so as soon as you tell them something a story pops up in their head that's either positive or negative that's like controlling whether they're

22:09 going to listen what you're saying if they're going to buy they're not going to buy like that story just magically pops up as soon as you start saying something, right? Um, no matter what I say, as soon as I start saying it, their subconscious is going to pop up a story about what they already believe. If that subcon if that subconscious story is

22:22 against, me,, I'm, going, to, lose. And, if, I, can, tell, the, story, in, a, more compelling way and I can convince them that my story trumps their story, the subconscious mind will literally take my story and replace their story with it. And I'm like, why? Like, why do I not have that false belief? And it's like oh, because this is what happened to me. I'm like, okay, that's the story I'm telling. And now they have a new story. Now, they, have a, new, they, have, a, new belief, new story in there. Now I own it. And so for me it's like what are the false beliefs? What is a story I have I can tell that replaces their false belief with a true belief that's empowering? That's the game.

22:51 So, what, this, is, genius., Walk, me, through I'm, a, big, whiteboarder like, big, big big.

22:57 So, the, first, thing, I, write, down, on, the whiteboard is do you write the end goal? So p but my goal is to sell this and do you reverse it? Like if you were to just whiteboard with me.

23:08 Yeah., Great, question. How, would, you, start, this? I, would, start, with, um, Okay., Okay,, so what's what's the result we're trying to get somebody right? So if they buy my thing, this is the result. And then second thing is like what are all the other things that people are selling to try to get that result like all the other potential options, right? So for example, like people in my world come to me because they want to make more money on the internet, right? So it's like there's a lot of ways to make money on the internet. You could sell stuff on eBay, you could do, you know, like whatever. And I'm trying to convince you the funnel is the best way, right? So like that's my that's my version.

23:36 So, then, I, break, it, down, into, like there's basically there's three core groups. Three, there's three core false beliefs that somebody will have when you're making a presentation. The first false belief is their false belief about is that vehicle the right vehicle that's going to, get, them, the, result., Second false belief is like if I believe that's the right vehicle like what's the internal false like I think that's I think the funnels are great but I don't know if, I, could, actually, I'm, not, technic like whatever the the internal false beliefs and then third false beliefs um if someone believes first off I do believe that's the right vehicle. I believe I could do it, but then their brain's looking for some escape route but I don't know how to do that or I can't do it because of some external reason. Right? Those are the three categories.

24:10 Then, it's, all, stories, pretty, much. That's genius. So, one of the things my my old COO, really great friend of mine we're still very close. He did very well on the first exit. He's like, "Dude you're giving away all of our freaking secrets, man. What are your thoughts about just giving it all away?" But obviously, you charge people to do it for them. Like, it's a done for you package. What's your like thought process around that?

24:34 Um,, yeah,, I, give, it, all, away., It's, so what what my belief is that people will spend more money for the same information packaged in different ways. So like I give all my way all my stuff I give away for free on my podcast. It's awesome. If someone wants to buy in a book, I have a book format. It's 10 bucks for the book. Like same information packaged different way. But the thing I'm teaching is the same frameworks. I'm teaching every single level. It's just packaged a different way. So if you want to if you want to watch, it, on, a, podcast,, cool., If you, want to read it in a book, cool. you want to come and work with me in my office and we're and we're going doing figuring out but it's all the same. People will want to consume it different ways and they're willing to to invest and they want proximity and proximity is you know that's what people pay more and more money for.

25:12 I, love, it, man., Um, I, got, a, few, more closing questions. All right so this is the biggest thing on my mind is um the future AI is here. It's not going anywhere. It's actually going to start compounding. I think within two years uh it'll start writing its own code better than anybody. But what what do you think the next five years look like?

25:32 It's, it's, uh, it's, exciting., It's, scary. I think um I I'm nervous for like I mean you you said half an hour ago about programmers. It's like in two years from now obviously I want eBay and it'll code eBay. I want Clickfunnels. It'll build Click Funnels. So me as a software guy like

25:49 okay, that's, that's, scary,, right?, Um, I think a lot of jobs it's like people aren't going to need lawyers or accountants or most those kind of jobs like I can I can have

25:59 or, realtors, or, Yeah. Yeah., Like, all, all, those, things, start, so so it's it's scary for people who like have who aren't used to change and stuff. It's exciting for those who are just like oh my gosh this is the change right. So for me it's like the the place in my mindset's going like where's the opportunity? The opportunity is in creating and building things that have network effect right. So for for example like if if every single person on the planet like asked Chad GBT to build them eBay there's gonna be 10,000 eBay but people are still going to go and list their stuff on eBay. Why eBay's got 100 million people a day to log in there's a phone

26:30 and, that's, the, that's, it's, the, network effect like it's that so it's like it's communities it's personality it's connection it's and the the people who figure that out are the ones who are going to win. And you said why do people buy information? Well they're buying it because in in five years from now they're buying it because they connect with you as a human. they they like know, trust you. And number two, you've got a cool community they want to be around. Like the network like that's and so for everyone, it's like if you're building something right now, realizing the info is going to be less valuable software, is, going to, be, less, valuable.

26:58 Um brand, personality, community network effect is going to be the most valuable. So it's like building stuff in that through that lens is where things are going.

27:09 Yeah., No,, it's, interesting., I, really like that perspective. It's it's excellent advice. The best I've heard yet. Um, for sure. Um, give me one book that you didn't write or or or two or three that are game changers that are like, "Dude, this will change your life that that obviously the Bible's important. We all know like The E-Myth Revisited. He He's been in here before."

27:29 Oh,, yeah. But, but, like, is, there, anything, that that's not like mainstream that you are like game changer?

27:35 Oh, man,, I, love, books., So, I, have, about 18,000 books in the last three years. All first editions, manuscripts. Like I collect rare books. I

27:40 Yeah,, I, know., I'm, a, little bit, of, a, nerd that way. Um, so Elsie Lincoln Benedict most people know who she is. We're actually republishing her book right now, hopefully out of next month or so but she wrote a book set. It was a little book. She she was she lived in the 1920s. Um, she was speaking in arenas full of women. Um, she spoke over three million women at a in like a couple year period of time, but she was filling arenas back in the 20s and she would teach personal development and uh she would she would teach these different courses and she'd she'd sell she'd sell she'd speak a big room, sell an event, small. I just like what all of us are doing nowadays. She was doing it in the 20s and she had an invention she did called How to Get Anything You Want and then she made a book series based on that. It was these little tiny books and I found a rare first edition copy. It's been out of print for forever. And so

28:27 we're bringing it back and that's probably the most fascinating coolest book I've I've found of all these books that I read

28:34 to, buy., I'll, send, I'll, send, you, a, copy because if you read it it'll it's, uh, it's, insane, that, she, wrote, this 1920s like it's Anyway, so that's in fact Napoleon Hill in his in Think

28:45 Napoleon, Hill, and, Del, Carnegie, same, era. Yeah. Thinking, Napoleon, Hill, talks, about, this. He's like there's this woman she's filling up stadiums. He's talking about her. He was like watching. He's like how is she doing this and no one's ever heard of her today. So she like that book's insane. Um and then my favorite Napoleon Hill book because I he's he's my favorite author. Uh Outwitting the Devil is insane. Um, I I'm obsessed with that book. I actually got the manuscript from that book from the foundation. So I've had a chance to read like the original pages from his typewriter.

29:12 I, love, it,, man. So, much, fun. Last, thing, I, always, do, is, I, got, to, let people know what's the easiest best way to get a hold of you and what's coming up that people should get involved in.

29:20 Oh,, yeah., I, mean,, you, can, follow, me socially if search Russell Brunson all the places. But, um, in my YouTube channels, I'm actually each week I'm bringing in my old rare books. Like, my guy spent 1.5 million for this book. Let me tell you the story. Like that's if you get into old books and stuff, it's my YouTube channel. But uh the best thing we do is uh I do an event about once a month called selling online. 3-day event on selling online.com. It's the cheapest thing we do and it's uh probably the best thing we do. So anything you want the audience to hear that we didn't talk about? Final thoughts?

29:47 Um, I, think, I, think, for, most, people, it's just most people in the world are dabbling. They're not obsessed. I think I think a lot of times it's looked down upon like "Oh, this guy's obsessed with what you And like I think if people find the thing they're passionate about and then just like put on blinders and just become obsessed and become the greatest in the world at that thing, you know that's where I look what you do like garage doors like in infinity years someone came to me like this is what I'm going to, be, building, like, that, makes, no sense and look what you build like it's an obsession that's deeper and I think if people will be willing to let themselves do that because I think culturally there's a stigma about like you know that person's obsessed like it's like a negative thing like no like the greatest things happens people that are obsessed like pick something you love and just become obsessed like

30:28 become the best in the world at like I tell, my, kids, this, time something, I, don't care what you do but whatever you do like like try to be the best at that thing and like read the book study it like get to the spot where like you understand it deeper than anyone else and if you do like you know it'll change everything I mean the thing that I became obsessed with was 20 years ago no one knew what a salesunnel was like it was the dorkiest thing but for some reason like I just like this is the thing this it got me so excited and I just going down the rabbit hole

30:52 potato, potato, potato, guns yeah, 20, years, later, it's, like, we, built an industry based on this thing that nobody even knew before we built you know Uh, you know, Click Funnels, we've done over a billion dollars in sales on our platform ourselves. Our clients have done like, I think 14, 15 billion in sales on the platform. It's just like because I was obsessed with this nerdy thing that no one cared about. Like, be obsessed and be okay with it and become the best in the world at what you're doing.

31:11 I, appreciate, you, being, here,, brother., It means a lot to me. I'm glad you made it out. And um, anything I could ever do for you, you let me know. And uh hopefully the audience took a ton from this. I'm going to get this on the Home Service Expert podcast as well.

31:23 And, I, hope, you, have, a, great, day and, a, great, week., Thank, you. All, right,, guys., Thanks, so, much, for listening to this episode. Like always we're going to close it out with the Tommy truth, which is a little slice of wisdom from me to you that can help guide you in whatever you're striving towards right now. In business, I always got upset when somebody made a mistake. I'm like, why didn't you just ask me? And what I've learned is to let them fail. Let them learn. Just don't make the same mistake twice. Every failure is a little lesson. And if you're failing all the time, you're actually going faster through life. I always say ready fire, aim, because I've made so many mistakes. I didn't hit the target, but you're still loading the gun. This time I'm hitting the bullseye every time.

31:59 Failure is a great thing if you embrace failure quickly and move on. So many people are just afraid to get started. Learn to fail quickly so you can succeed quicker. And that's it, guys. We'll talk to you next week.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Marketing Like a Billionaire: Inside the Mind of Russell Brunson"?

Tommy Mello (Host), Russell Brunson (Guest).

What is "Marketing Like a Billionaire: Inside the Mind of Russell Brunson" about?

Russell Brunson, co-founder of ClickFunnels, transformed online marketing by building a platform that has generated billions in sales for its users, driven by his passion and innovative strategies. As an author and prominent speaker, he empowers entrepreneurs to pursue bold dreams and reshape their approach to sales through effective funnel strategies.

What is mentioned in this Tommy Mello episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including ClickFunnels, Outwitting the Devil, Expert Secrets, Traffic Secrets, .com Secrets, Marketing Secrets. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Marketing Like a Billionaire: Inside the Mind of Russell Brunson"?

The episode runs 32 min; the transcript is about 7,955 words in 97 timestamped sections.

More from Tommy Mello

• All analyzed episodes
• Books mentioned on Tommy Mello
• People mentioned on Tommy Mello
• Topics mentioned on Tommy Mello