I admit it. When I first came across Russell Brunson I thought he was just another fancy guru selling dreams and hopes.
I think it was a photograph I saw on social media, a banner or something a long time ago.
But when Russell joined forces with Dean Graziosi and Tony Robbins, all my disbeliefs and negative thoughts have gone away.
Since then, I’m monitoring Russell, watched a lot YouTube videos, and listened to a series of podcast episodes.
And 3 days ago I stumbled upon a his book, the Marketing Secrets Blackbook.
I thought, OK, this is the perfect chance to get to know him better.
And here I am, already finished with the book and sharing this review with you.
Notice: I rarely publish reviews of books although I read non-stop. I do that only when there’s a very good reason.
Marketing Secrets Blackbook Review
The book is 290 pages long in the form of marketing secrets and advice.
There are 100 chapters, easy to read with cool and sometimes funny illustrations.
It’s extremely interesting, straight to the point without small talk or fluff, and it’s not salesy.
Russell mentions his company ClickFunnels and some other books he wrote but only as an example to justify his presentation.
At the end of the book, there’s an option to sign up for his podcast show, and that’s all. He’s not trying to lure you into his company.
Russell Brunson Background
Over the past 10 years, Russell has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, popularized the concept of sales funnels, and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels that helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace.
He’s been featured on Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, and other similar channels.
In college, Russell had his first success as an online marketer selling potato gun DVDs. This small business hobby became an obsession and launched Russell into the world of Internet Marketing, where he quickly became one of the top marketing minds in the world. Within a year of graduating college, he’d made his first million dollars selling his products.
He’s also the author of books like:
- DotCom Secrets
- Expert Secrets
- Funnelhacker Cookbook
The Book
Russell starts off with this:
A little over 5 years ago, on the backside of a failed business, I decided to start a new podcast that initially was called “Marketing In Your Car.”
On this podcast, over the past 5 years, I have documented my journey from the brinks of bankruptcy, to building a software company that will do over $100,000,000 in sales this year alone! Those who listen get to hear the ups, the downs and everything in between.
A few years ago I decided to rebrand the podcast the “Marketing Secrets” show.
Earlier this year, I asked one of the great marketers in our community, Julie Stoian if she’d go back and re-listen to over 500+ episodes, comb through it all, find the BEST stories, examples, and strategies that she felt had the greatest impact for business owners from the podcast and put them into this “blackbook.” She spent countless hours listening, then organizing, writing and rewriting to give you this Blackbook. I am so grateful for the time and energy she put in to make this available for you.
What Is All About
It’s all about marketing of course.
It’s about entrepreneurial mindset, business principles, sales funnels, building marketing offers, sales, persuasion, and positioning.
He shares stories and gives examples that you will remember.
As Russell highlights at the beginning, every problem in life can be fixed with good marketing. I don’t care what it is. You give me any problem in your business, or your life, and it boils down to this:
You’re bad at marketing. that’s the issue.
The Book’s Promise
The promise of this book is plain simple but very promising:
99 marketing secrets that will change your business, and your life!
My Review
Throughout the book, there is marketing advice that can be applied immediately to your business.
The book is a must for:
- Marketers (beginners and advanced) – if you’re just getting started with marketing, this book is gold
- Business owners
- Aspiring entrepreneurs
- Salespeople
I won’t reveal any crucial information or any of the secrets, it would be a dishonor to the author of the book.
Besides, the book is free and you can download it here.
Russell’s philosophy is straight and he’s focused on helping business owners maximize their results. He shows you how to make more money and how to take advantage of every resource available but I feel that sometimes he’s overdoing it. Maybe he’s super excited about helping brands grow or he’s obsessed with money.
More or less, all of us entrepreneurs, are obsessed with money, even if we don’t want to acknowledge that.
But as I already analyzed in a previous post, entrepreneurship is not just making money or running businesses.
He also underlines that you should not be afraid of making sales. Sales are the lifeblood of any business, and if you can’t sell, you do a big disservice to your customers and society. In other words, why are you running a business? Isn’t it about selling your products? Anyway, what’s wrong about selling?
I believe that I have a lot in common with the author. When he was talking about an event he attended, it was like when I had a very similar experience.
He decided to watch Tony Robbins live and he could not get it when people were dancing all around and screaming. He thought that Tony was a big BS talker.
But after a few hours, he asked himself…What if these people are feeling so great? There’s a possibility, you know.
A Pool Guy Setting Himself Apart From Competition
This pool guy had given Russell a very hard time. He could not believe it that this guy was underselling himself.
The author was trying to pay him more, but he was always denying it.
Here’s how I see it…
Maybe the pool guy thought that the task was very easy and that anyone could do it with some help.
Maybe he had only time for more important tasks and projects.
Of course, the author insists that this guy is one of the worst salespeople in the world, and I can’t disagree. But for some people, money is not everything. Some people don’t have big-big dreams and a vision.
Although they should…
When Your Plane Lands And Your Phone Explodes
What a story. How many times we’ve been in such tough situations.
The author is on a plane, his mobile in airplane mode, and finally, he arrives.
Messages, texts, notifications come and go.
His partner was laconic, on purpose?
“If we survive this”.
What happened?
Their servers crashed, and thousands of customers gone angry.
They would not be able to fix it soon, not at all.
Russell’s response was memorable…
I remember a time when I was still running the manufacturing business in the basement of my home.
I had an order to deliver in 2 days and all the suppliers let me down. No fabric, no clothes.
So what you do? Sooner or later, they’re gonna call…
Hmmm, there’s a plan B actually!
Big Wins
The author also mentions some big wins they had with their company, and he talks about how they were able to help a big number of clients reach their goals.
I enjoyed a reference to a record in sales they were able to hit in just 30 days.
Awesome stuff, great inspiration!
Sales Funnels
A section of the book is devoted to funnels. The author explains passionately what funnels can do for your business.
In a nutshell, you can get your customers to go through cycles where you offer them a series of products and services.
This is the game.
Brands should never stop discovering new ways, developing new products, implementing new ideas, taking risks, monitor, improve, scale, repeat.
If you don’t like this game, stay home. No problem!
To add here: everything in marketing is about funneling customers and people through processes and exposing them to products and services.
Final Thoughts
The book contains a pile of examples, stories, real-life experiments, failures, big wins, accidents, anything that happens in business and marketing.
Get your free copy now and improve your skills drastically.
That’s it, another review has finished, here on Web Market Support. I am waiting for your comments and thoughts. Till next time.
Tasos Perte Tzortzis
Marketing Consultant, Creator of the "7 Ideals" Methodology
Although doing traditional business offline since 1992, I fell in love with online marketing in late 2014 and have helped hundreds of brands sell more of their products and services. Founder of WebMarketSupport, Muvimag, SummerDream.
I enjoy reading, arts, science, chess, coffee, tea, swimming, Audi, and playing with my kids.
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