5

Story Time: “The Day I Became “The Original Back End Specialist”

I was recently asked at an event why I am called “The Original Back End Specialist”. If you’re in business or in sales, it’s an important story. It shows the immediate power of differentiating yourself from everybody else.

Listen to my story!

Transcription:

Many of you know that I earned the title of “The Original Back End Specialist”. Let me tell you the story of how that came about!

It’s a cool story. First, because it teaches you how to create opportunity for yourself. It also teaches you how to differentiate yourself from everybody else. Finally, and most importantly, it illustrates what business owners desire most from you.

This is a picture that’s actually hanging on my wall right next to me as I’m speaking to you. An artist sketched this a few years ago while I had lunch with Jeff Lipton, the owner of Bobalu Cigar Company.

That’s Jeff on the left. That’s me in the center, and that’s my wife Sherri on the right. This is early on in my relationship with Jeff and Bobalu.

It was a steaming hot day and I was downtown Austin, Texas looking for new clients. I was just getting started as a marketing consultant. This was right after I got fired from my job and I decided to go into business for myself.

My back was up against the wall. We were having trouble paying the bills, having trouble making the mortgage.

Believe me, I’ve been there more than once and we were going through one of those times. I was out drumming up business, going door to door. I was cold calling.

I’m a trained salesmen with 30 plus years experience and I have to tell you I hate cold calling.

Cold calling is a complete waste of time.

But, back then I resorted to it because I was a still unclear about how to differentiate myself.

Even with all my knowledge, I was still feeling a little desperate. I needed to make things happen and start bringing in some revenue.

It was the end of a full day and I was getting ready to come home. I knew that if I jumped on the highway now, it was going to take me over an hour to get home because of rush hour traffic.

So I decided to stay downtown and kill an hour before heading home.

I found my way to this cigar shop called Bobalu Cigar Company. It’s this funky little place and they actually rolled their own cigars.

That was kind of cool.

I sat down to boot up my laptop and light up a cigar I just bought. The owner came to my table and introduced himself as, Jeff.

“Hey, is this your first time to Bobalu’s?” He asked. “What brings you in?”

“I was just downtown looking for business, ” I replied.

“Really, what do you do?”

So, I answered him, “I’m a marketing consultant.”

Jeff turned around in anger and literally walked away from me. I could tell I pissed him off, but had no idea why!

“Whoa, Whoa, whoa buddy,” I called out. “What did I say? How did I upset you so much?”

He turned back around, pointed his finger and charged back at me.

His voice rising in anger. “I bet you came in here just to try to sell me something or get me to hire you.”

That was just the beginning! He continued blasting me.

“I get people like you coming in my business several times a week. You guys call yourselves marketing consultants. You guys promise me you’re going to get me number one on Google and more Facebook likes and all this other stuff”

He’s shaking in anger, but he continues, “Last month I spent $2,000 and these guys promised me all kinds of shit.”

(Yes, he actually called it “Shit”).

“I don’t even know what I got out of that, All I know is that I don’t have the $2,000 I flushed down the toilet with them. He’s showing me all sorts of crap that doesn’t mean anything to me. He thinks he did a good job, and all I know is that I haven’t sold any more cigars.”

I quickly got my footing and responded.

“I see the problem. All those other guys, they’re talking about the front end. They’re talking about getting you more traffic. They’re talking about getting you more likes on Facebook…”

I continued.

“None of that is going to help if you don’t have a back end. The back end is what keeps your customers coming back to buy more cigars. Because if they buy one cigar and smoke it, you want them to come back and buy 100 cigars, right?

He cocked his head. I could tell he liked what I was saying, so I continued.

“I focus on the back end of the marketing funnel. I make sure those customers come back. You could call me a Back End Specialist!”

His face lit up in excitement, “THAT’s what I need! I need a Back End Specialist!”

It’s funny, I had never used that term before. It just came up as I was defending my territory.

I was trying to break down those barriers and explain how I was different from all the other people..

Before that, I had always called myself a marketing consultant like everybody else.

But it all changed right then and there!

I was now the “Original Back End Specialist”!

Nobody else could ever claim that. I was first. And I have a great story to go with it that people always want to hear.

And with that he said, “OK, what can you do for me?”

Then he pulls up a chair and sits down. We spent the next hour while I’m smoked my cigar, talking about what I could do for him.

Then, he hires me!

And he’s been my client ever since.

Jeff’s been a darn good client! We’ve done some amazing things for him, more than doubled his business. He’s been able to expand and even opened up new locations because of the marketing that we’ve done.

Being “The Original Back End Specialist” is part of my Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. It’s what makes me different from every other business in the world.

What makes you different than every other business in the world?

Learn more about “Flawless Follow Up” and becoming a “Back End Specialist” at OfflineFunnelMastery.com