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Reviewing DotComSecrets By Russell Brunson

Reviewing DotComSecrets By Russell Brunson
A Manual for
Selling Anything
Online (or Not)?

Starting with a fun fact…did you know that the first online purchase was made in 1994—and some news outlets referred to it as a ““tele-shopping magical experience”? Fast-forwarding to just 2 decades later, this so-called “magical experience” is the norm. | Russell Brunson

Online shopping is arguably the revelation of the 21st century. From a novel concept marred in criticism, it’s now a trillion-dollar industry—that keeps expanding. According to recent statistics, e-commerce sales skyrocketed from $1.3 trillion in 2014 to $4.2 trillion in 2020.

Why is this relevant? The same way the Gold Rush defined the 19th Century, online shopping is set to define the 21st Century—and beyond. Taking advantage of this lucrative trend demands a certain level of finesse, skill, and knowledge. In other words, selling online is an art and science! This is where Russell Brunson and his DotCom Secrets book come in—claiming to hold tried-and-tested “Secrets” to make it big.

The book—which is the first installment of a “Secrets” trilogy—aims to provide readers with actionable information to make the online marketplace your playground. It’s touted to offer the secrets to selling anything to an

online market of over 2 billion shoppers. But as much as e-commerce is an industry that’s ripe for the taking, succeeding as an online entrepreneur is easier said than done.

The Issue with Selling Products and Service Online

According to several sources—including Forbes and HuffPost—up to 90% of online startup fail within 4 months. This points to a serious challenge in the industry. Why are so many online entrepreneurs giving up? And what can be done to change the narrative?

One of the main “thorns in the side” of most online businesses is the lack of conversion and traffic generation. Make a mistake with your digital marketing technique or sales model—and you’re doomed to be part of the “failure statistic.”

It’s imperative to understand that times have changed—along with traffic generation and SEO practices. Some common traffic generation mistakes include:

Content that Doesn’t Offer Value

Content is king! This is a phrase that was popularized by the late Steve Jobs—and it still holds true today. But when it comes to digital marketing, content creation can be a complex endeavor.

When people first learned of the importance of content, many churned out blog content in a factory-esque zeal—paying little regard to the quality of the value of their posts. But as expected “checks-and-balances” soon followed in the form of improvement to the Google algorithm. Those who focused on quantity over quality endured the full wrath of the search engine.

My point is that the content you share should be of great value to prospects – i.e. if you hope to generate traffic. Russell Brunson’s DotComSecrets highlight this issue through the concept of a funnel.

Using the Wrong Conversion Strategy

Selling online doesn’t end with generating traffic – it’s just the first step. After you have successfully gained your targeted customer’s attention you will need a well-calculated strategy to turn them into paying customers. Ask yourself: “How will I convince people who visit my website to invest in my services and products?” The answer to this question starts with learning the strategies that work and those that don’t – hence the importance of considering books such as DotComSecrets.

Unscrupulous SEO Practices

Sure, keywords are important for search engine optimization—but just like most things in life, overdoing it does more harm than good. Stuffing keywords into your content or using any other “Black Hat” SEO practices might seem like a fast and easy route to ranking higher for traffic generation—but is it really the best way to go about it? The harm such practices can do to your SEO tactic is immense.

When you use keywords, make sure you approach the subject strategically – unless you want to risk receiving a spam flag.  Instead, opt for tried-and-tested SEO tactics that improve your odds of attracting traffic. Case in point, the purpose of Russel Brunson’s “Secrets” trilogy of books.

Failure to Act on Best Practices

Luckily, Internet Marketing books are readily available to anyone who has an interest in making it big with regard to selling online. There are different books that offer different success strategies to perfect your marketing skills. However, these resources can only help you overcome low traffic and lead generation problems if you leverage and actualize their lessons – which brings us to the main point of this article.  What “lessons” does DotCom Secrets provide? And if there are valuable as advertised, how can you make the best of them?

DotComSecrets in a Nutshell

1st Edition (2015): Dotcomsecrets—The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online

2nd Edition (2020): Dotcom Secrets—The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with

Sales Funnels.

Author: Russell Brunson

Website: dotcomsecrets.com

E-book ISBN: 9781401960605

Audiobook ISBN: 9781977309679

Hardcover ISBN: 9781401960469

What Makes DotComSecrets Different from Other Internet Marketing Books?

There are tons of internet marketing books—each with their own perspective and nugget of wisdom. So, what makes DotCom Secrets worth my consideration? Well, I was first attracted to the book due to its backstory and underlying factors. In particular, the author’s experiences and the purported purpose of the book.

A Sneak Peek into the Author – Russell Brunson

Born in the 80s, Russell grew up as a normal kid. His father (Ross Brunson) and mother (Marde Brunson) made sure they supported him in every way—as any good parents should. But despite his typical upbringing, Russell showed a unique passion for collecting junk, and venturing into any business offer that came his way made him differ from other kids his age. Some of his notable achievements that make his proposition even more convincing include:

At just the age of 25, Russell created a product— “How to Create A Potato Gun”—which was purposed to help its buyers and act as an upsell. This was his first venture into the online marketing industry. After his college graduation, the potato gun project earned him decent figures—and poised him for a future in online business.

In 2003, his prowess in online marketing manifested through a one-of-a-kind marketing tool known as Zip Brander. Its purpose was to automatically increase backend profits and boost the number of prospects visiting a website.

In 2014, he took a big step in his career by co-founding the company, Clickfunnels (also known as Etison LLC) along with Todd Dickerson. The software company grew into a million-dollar one and had over 100,000 paying customers in the first three years since it was launched.

He later decided to share his success stories and inspire people. He wrote and published his “secrets” books—one of them being DotCom Secrets, which became a best seller with 250,000+ copies.

In 2018 he coached over 206 ordinary people into millionaires using his software, training, and teachings and later assembled as part of the “2 Comma Club” (PS: The club’s name is derived from the commas on $1,000,000).

Purpose of the Book

Do you want to excel in the lucrative e-commerce industry? Of course, you do! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this post in the first place. DotComSecrets claims to offer a solution to this universal goal by targeting the most common challenges facing online businesses – generating traffic and converting prospects.

Over the years, the question of why a website gets low traffic—or has traffic but generates low leads—has on several occasions, gone unanswered. Russell realized that there were too many companies going to a fall due to low traffic and conversions.

But with Russell encountering the same problems many of us encounter and succeeding, DotComSecrets gets a point. As highlighted earlier, the book Dotcom Secrets aims to provide the secrets to getting more traffic and increasing conversion rates. The author includes sales scripts, marketing funnels, and other strategies to sell online.

If you have been active in the online industry or digital marketing, you might have heard whispers of Russell and his books. Although DotComSecrets was originally released in 2015, the book still causes a stir in the industry to-date. Unsurprisingly, it has racked up quite a number of positive reviews—partly due to the relevance of the information, which is relatable to most.

Why Read DotComSecrets in the First Place? – Potential Benefits

Just like a recipe book, Dotcom Secrets is organized in a step-by-step format—making sure you have all the ingredients and instructions necessary. The book not only contains “how-to” questions, but also the guidelines to conquering the questions. Here are some benefits of reading the book (based on my personal experience/opinion).

The book is for all businesses, whether a new one or an already existing one.

For the new businesses, you get to learn the importance of a funnel and the book goes to show you how to create one.

For the social media “holics”, you get to learn how you can use your social media hobby to attract your ideal customer.

It will help you understand your clients’ needs so that you can major in offering the best.

Once you know the type of client that can benefit from your product, you can devise better ways to reel them in.

You will learn the importance of quality over quantity—and how you can score loyal customers in the process.

However, the benefits above are merely my take on the book after combing through its page. The key question remains; is DotComSecrets valuable for YOU? Is worth buying, reading, or incorporating it into your business strategy? Read on for a summary of what is in the book.

What Should You Expect inside Russell Brunson’s Dotcom Secrets (1st Edition)?

Now to what really matters—the actual content housed between the covers of the book. As elaborated below, the DotComSecrets is structured in five sections—with each of them addressing a different purpose, style, or strategy.

Ladder and funnels – SECTION 1 Here

We always want to sell the most expensive product or the best services to our customers. But in a practical online setting this more of a fairy tale. In reality, clients often don’t have the courage and trust to take on high-value products.

Russell  Brunson begins by introducing the value ladder. This is designed to help you visualize the services or products you offer—starting from the lowest to the highest in terms of prices. On the lowest point, the customers are more willing to purchase your products/services, but as they get comfortable, they turn to your most expensive products—which of course have more value than those lower in the ladder.

The sales funnel model proposed by Russel is designed to help you capture customers in ascending order. But before this, he insists on the need of knowing who your dream customers are. Russel goes ahead to divide website traffic into 3 different parts—which I’ll only mention since I don’t want to spoil the fun for you.

The traffic you control

The traffic you don’t control

The traffic you own

Your Communication or Follow-up Funnel – SECTION 2

The same way you are “attracted” to Brunson and his ideas is the same way your customers should be “attracted” to you. Brunson describes an attractive character as an important aspect of making your sales funnel strategy thrive. In this case, the attractive character refers to someone that the target customers or rather ideal clients can relate to.

In my opinion, the most interesting part of this section is the last bit. He gives scripts of how you can send emails to the customers who have already signed up for your offering or proposition. In particular, he elaborates his “daily Seinfeld sequence” email strategy.

Funnelology – SECTION 3

A successful funnel is one that has been designed based on tactics derived from what works – i.e., other successful funnels. This section is meant to encourage you to take advice from experienced professionals who have succeeded funnel-wise—and leverage it for your growth Russel highlights 5 elements of different campaigns that are successful—including lessons on reverse-engineering the structure of your competitor’s funnel. He also highlighted 7 more phases associated with a funnel:

To make you understand the different phases he states that: The real difference between having a six-, seven-, or even eight-figure business is whether you understand the phases of a funnel and can successfully monetize the different points along the line” The last part of the chapter covers all the twenty-three block builders of a funnel. He compared creating a funnel to matching different blocks together. I really found this part more practical and workable.

Funnels and Scripts – SECTION 4

This section consists of extremely amazing ways that you can use to promote your funnels or product offerings. Russell  Brunson states that the offers should follow a specific rule to emerge into a perfect One Time Offer (OTO). He goes ahead to give the trick he uses to create his funnels and how they work.

The final part of this chapter covers the different types of funnels i.e.

Frontend funnel

Middle and value ladder funnel

Backend funnel

Clickfunnels – SECTION 5

This being the last section, Russell Brunson takes the opportunity to advertise his product – Clickfunnels. If you happened to miss what Clickfunnels is, it’s a multi-million-dollar SaaS software company that Russell Brunson—in partnership with Todd Dickerson—brought created. I believe this section also serves to motivate readers to strive for similar height as ClickFunnels.

How Does DotComSecrets Compare with Other Books by Russell Brunson?

Brunson has authored three “secrets” books namely:

Dotcom Secrets

Expert Secrets

Traffic secrets

Dotcom Secrets vs Expert Secrets

Dotcom Secrets majors on people who have companies that need more traffic conversion and online sales growth. On the other hand, Expert Secrets is primarily focused on helping new and established businesses cement themselves as experts.

Dotcom Secrets vs Traffic Secrets

Dotcom Secrets elaborates on the processes that you need to follow to understand your customers’ price range using a “value ladder”, how you can create good communication with them, and how you can create or grow your funnels. Traffic Secrets on the other hand majors on how to know your dream customer and fill your funnels—plus several growth hacks you can use.

DotCom Secrets Pricing

Official Website: FREE (you only cover shipping costs of $9.95 in the U.S. or $19.95 internationally)

Amazon: $21-74 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (Kindle)

Barnes & Noble: $26.99 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (NOOK Book)

Wait, why is the book free only if you purchase it from the official website? This is actually part of what Russell Brunson teaches in his books and seminars. It’s a way to engineering successful funnels by offering the book free—and effectively luring you into his “value ladder” with the hope that you’ll climb higher.

Only $7.95 and you have a book that could change your life status forever.

Bonuses

As an added advantage, DotCom Secrets comes with Free bonuses as shown below:

The 3 Core Funnels eBook ($47

Network Marketing Secrets eBook ($47)

Funnel Audibles ($97)

108 Split Test Winners eBook ($47)

30-Day DotCom Secrets Challenge ($97)

Pros and Cons of Dotcom Secrets

Why should you order DotComSecrets? And why shouldn’t you order the book? Here are some advantages and disadvantages I picked up on while reading the book. This information is also based on information from the views of other readers on the internet.

PROS

  • One of the biggest advantages of using Dotcom Secrets is the fact that you get to know the value ladders and sales funnels that can add value to your marketing strategies and scripts.
  • The book is free if ordered from the official website! Having such a wealth of knowledge for with little-to-no dent on your budget seems too good of a deal. Of course, you have to cover the shipping fee—but it’s still pocket-friendly at $9.95.
  • The book has simple strategies that are clear and precise—making it easy to understand and enforce in a practical setting.
  • You learn ways of communicating with your audience thus improving your relationship with customers.

CONS

  • The fact that it majors on online businesses is a bit of a disadvantage to brick-and-mortar stores.
  • The book will be of great help only if you have an existing business—although it can somehow suit start-ups.

Testimonials

There is no better way to rate a book or determine its suitability than from the horse’s mouth – i.e., previous customers. If you care to know that actual buyers think of DotComSecrets, here are snapshots of a few examples:

All in All, Should you Get a Copy of DotComSecrets?

If you have invested several cents on your online marketing platform and you are currently not yielding the results you expected, then yes! DotComSecrets is loaded with actionable strategies—or “Secrets” as Brunson calls them—to sell products online. 

The book contains valuable information that you will need to make your funnel, pull valuable traffic, and generate leads, and convert them into paying customers – i.e., sell products by pushing them down the funnel. The tips offered by Russell can also help startups pick up the pace for long-term sustainability – hence evading the 90% startup failure rate highlighted earlier in the article.

In short, I believe Russell  Brunson is a great author and an inspiration to aspiring online entrepreneurs. As an expert in the field of online marketing and an individual who has endured similar problems to his readers, his books are worth reading.

With all this in mind, consider ordering a free copy of DotComSecrets. Preliminary information from this review gives the book a thumbs up – now it’s up to you to determine whether the “Secrets” are applicable to your business model and unique needs.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Please note that this Expert Secrets review contains affiliate links. I am an independent affiliate of Expert Secrets products and not an employee. The review and opinion highlighted in this article are my own and they are in no way official statements by eBusiness4us or Expert Secrets. | Russell Brunson

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Dotcom Secrets

DOTCOM SECRETS IN-DEPTH REVIEW
UNDERSTANDING
TRAFFIC AND
FUNNELS

Looking to generate more leads? Sell more? Grow an online business? If so, you need to master the concept of sales funnels.

Anyone who has been in business can affirm that selling is not easy! It’s a complex blend of understanding the target audience’s psychology, creating products that offer value, making your sales pitch convincing, and battling with increasingly fierce competition. The trick to coming out on top is knowing and applying the best practices. One such practice is the idea of a sales funnel.

“Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.”

            —Og Mandino, Renowned American author

According to Russel Brunson—an online entrepreneur magnate—sales funnels are all about making things simpler and easier for customers. It’s about addressing a customer’s pain points and building long-lasting relationships. (PS: Russell Brunson is widely credited with popularizing the concept of funnels).

An effective sales funnel helps a business create winning online experiences and make sales. Russell breaks down his idea of an effective sales funnels in his book – DotCom Secrets. The book is touted to offer several ‘secrets’ that help readers master the art and science of sales funnels .
 
The lessons on the DotCom Secrets are based on the author’s experiences—including how he used the ‘secrets’ to build a business worth over $300 million (i.e., ClickFunnels…more on this later in the article). At its core, the book is designed to help online businesses achieve the impact they crave with the help of funnels. | sales funnels
 
In this post, I will dive into the nitty-gritty of DotCom Secrets—how it helps readers build winning sales funnels, how it compares with other secrets books, and whether it’s worth it. Read on for invaluable tips on sales funnels as popularized by Russell Brunson.
 

Traffic and Funnels – The Bedrock of Online Businesses

First things first, let’s dig deep into the concept of funnels…
 
Ever felt like you’re doing everything in your power, but customers just aren’t buying? The call-to-action is on point, your offer is seemingly irresistible, the website is user-friendly, and content is of the highest quality—but the results don’t reciprocate your efforts? If so, don’t fret. What you’re doing is right—but you could do moreConversion optimization is a two-faceted approach. First, you need to focus on the set-up! This includes the copywriting, form design, and the page layout of your website. Next, you must leverage the best practices to nurture leads.
 
As an online entrepreneur, you need to understand that customers are not a commodity tumbling down a mass-production assembly line. They are people—and people’s buying decisions are complex, sometimes unpredictable, and often guided by emotions. To convert them into paying customers, you need to get your set-up right and lead nurturing game on fleek!
 
According to market statistics, businesses that nurture their leads see a 50% growth and 450% surge in qualified prospects. That’s a lot of numbers to ignore. The underlying message is simple: When people realize that you anticipate their needs and your website is structured in a manner that addresses these needs, they’ll reward you with sales.
 
In any sales funnel, prospects are bound to drop off at different stages – hence the ‘funnel’ shape. They drop off for a number of reasons—including disconnects in the landing pages and technical errors. An effective sales funnel is defined as one that minimizes the number of leaks, leading to more customers down the sales funnel.
 
At the top of the funnel is the Target Audience, in the middle of the funnel you have Potential Customers, and at the bottom are New/Existing Customers. At each of these levels of the sales funnel, you need to ask the following questions: 
 

How do I attract more traffic by making prospects aware of my business/brand?

How do I capture the leads and entice them to move to the next
level? With this in mind, is my offer or landing page optimized?

How can I anticipate the needs of the target audience?

Why would they drop off, and what can I do to push them
further down the funnel?

Russell Brunson’s Idea of An Effective Sales Funnel

To elaborate on his idea of a sales funnel, Russell uses the example of someone visiting a grocery store. Let’s assume that your website is the grocery store. The conventional website (i.e., one that does not leverage the power of sales funnels to nurture leads and improve conversion) is like someone wandering around in a messy grocery store. The right goods are available, the services are great—but the customers are overwhelmed and they don’t know what they need. Such a customer may leave without checking out – i.e., leads leak out of the sales funnel.

On the other hand, a website that leverages an effective sales funnel is like a grocery store whereby customers are nurtured from the moment they enter the store. Someone gradually and gently guides them through a logical sequence of events (step-by-step) until they successfully checkout at the counter. In this scenario, the grocery store owner (i.e., you…in case you missed the memo) will have made a sale and built a relationship with the buyer. And that’s the whole idea of a sales funnel.

As Russell Brunson explains in DotCom Secrets, a sales funnel should resonate with the customer. And the customer would rather have something personalized and simple experience—rather than an over-the-top and huge experience.

As you’ll soon see in my in-depth review of DotCom Secrets, Brunson simplifies the idea of traffic and funnels into three processes…hook, story, offer. The hook is the catchy idea headline or video that grabs a random user’s attention. The story builds a connection with prospects. And the offer seals the deal! Collectively, these three steps help build lasting relationships while driving sales in your online business.

The Best Sales Funnel Software

You’ve decided to leverage the power of sales funnels to generate traffic, nurture leads, and improve conversion rates—but how do you go about it? Which sales funnel software is the best for your business model and needs? Read on as I pull back the curtain on the top software for online businesses—based on popularity, features, and user experiences.

CLICK Funnels - best overall

Russell Brunson’s ClickFunnels is easily one of the most popular and widely used sales funnel software – and for good reason. It’s a solid option for online entrepreneurs and small businesses that need a straightforward and simple system for taking advantage of a prospect’s interest to increase revenue by making hard sales.

The SaaS software rapidly grew from a self-funded start-up into a multi-billion dollar business (source: Forbes). ClickFunnels was ranked as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies by Inc. It boasts of an active community of over 100,000 paying users – aka., FunnelHackers. The entrepreneur also ranked the company in its Entrepreneur360 list as the “Best Entrepreneurial Company in America.”

It’s loaded with tons of lead nurturing and funnel conversion features right out of the box. This includes a simple drag-and-drop editor set-up landing pages in minutes, pre-built funnel assets, templates to quickly build tried-and-tested sales funnels, a one-click upsell tool to increase your potential revenue, and a suite of supporting tools—making it a powerful, yet user-friendly sales funnel solution. Its pricing starts at $97 per month, with a 14-day free trial to test the waters. The main drawback is that ClickFunnels does not prioritize customization—opting for templates.

HUBSPOT GRWOTH PLATFORM - BEST FOR COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS

Ever heard of HubSpot? Let’s rephrase this…ever heard of one of the standout digital marketing companies of the last decade? Among its far-reaching list of digital marketing solutions, HubSpot also offers an effective way to maintain a highly functional sales process.

The HubSpot Growth Platform delivers everything you’d expect from a typical sales funnel—plus tools to accommodate all your marketing and service needs. All-in-all, it’s a great resource for attracting leads, delighting, engaging prospects, and retaining customers.

As reflected in its pricing options (starting at $113 per month), the HubSpot Growth Platform falls on the higher side of the budget—making it a tricky option for small businesses or startup. But considering its wealth of features, it may be a worthwhile investment.

KAJABI - BEST FOR SELLING ONLINE COURSES

Kajabi is arguably one of the most powerful sales funnel platforms for anyone selling or creating online courses. The software focuses on users looking for an easy and effective way to sell digital products – better known as infopreneurs.

It’s a SaaS solution that gives creators all the tools they need to launch their products. The platform houses a truckload of templates to build webinar pages, sales pages, or landing pages. As a sales funnel software, Kajabi offer features to guide users through your course in a step-by-step format. Like the other platforms on this list, it also provides one-click upsells, email automation, and customizable checkouts. Its pricing starts at $119 per month—which is relatively higher than its competitors’ and may not suit startups or small businesses.

LEADPAGES - CHEAPEST OPTION

Looking to create high-converting and visually appealing alert bars, websites, and landing pages? If so, LeadPages might be the sales funnel solution you need. It offers an easy-to-use interface (ideal for beginners or web design novices) and dozens of engaging templates.
At a starting price of $25, LeadPages is arguably one of the most cost-effective options in the market. It may be a sound investment for mid-sized or small businesses—as long you’re willing to settle for the bare minimum in sales funnel creation.

KARTRA - BEST FOR WEBINAR

Katra is the brainchild of two renowned digital marketers, Mike Filsaime and the late Andy Jenkins. It offers the basic features of a sales funnel software—but with a special focus integration with webinar software. (PS: Kartra’s parent company—Genesis Digital—are the makers of WebinarJam and EverWebinar).


The software is marketed as an all-in-one funnel solution for online businesses. It allows users to easily create sales/landing pages with a drag-and-drop editor, run automated email campaigns, host/track video engagement, design optimized checkout pages, offer one-click upsells, manage affiliates, and deliver membership site securely. The basic plan goes for $69 per month. The main drawback of Kartra is their pricing structure. The more traffic you attract, the more you’ll pay—topping at $499 per month.

Who is Russell Brunson?

Russell Brunson—aka, the funnel guy—is what we’d call a digital marketing guru of his time. If someone ‘put a gun your head’ and asked you to name a single character who epitomizes funnels, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone other than Russell (Go on…open another tab right now and run a quick internet check if you need the proof).

Throughout the internet, there are recurring stories (or folktales, if you’re into medieval art) of Russell. They tell of a young man who sold over a million dollars’ worth of services and products from his basement—barely a year after his graduation. Over the years, he honed his skills in the art of online selling.

Around 15 years down the line, he had co-founded a multi-million-dollar company and earned the respect/admiration of a raving community of online entrepreneurs. Not to mention, publishing and selling hundreds of thousands of his DotCom Secrets and Expert Secrets books—both of which turned out to be best sellers. He also released another book (Traffic Secrets) in 2020—but it’s too early to predict whether it’ll achieve the same level of success as its predecessors.

Drawing on his expertise in the field, his success story with ClickFunnels, and my obsession with generating traffic and funnels, I had to give DotCom Secrets a shot. The book allegedly contains the best practices for creating sales funnels that…well, sell!

Summary of DotCom Secrets

1st Edition (2015): Dotcomsecrets—The Underground Playbook for Growing
Your Company Online

2nd Edition (2020): Dotcom Secrets—The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels

Author: Russell Brunson

Website: dotcomsecrets.com

E-book ISBN: 9781401960605

Hardcover ISBN: 9781401960469

Audiobook ISBN: 9781977309679

The first edition of DotCom Secrets was written shortly after Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson launched ClickFunnels in 2014. Russell wrote the book intending to share his knowledge with other online businesses. It contained the same funnels, processes, scripts, frameworks, and techniques used by Brunson to create/scale ClickFunnels. The end game was to help readers grow their businesses faster than ever before.

From an objective outlook, the 1st Edition of DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson was a success. Since launching the book, Brunson has helped nearly 800 people rake in over one million dollars—solely using his funnels.

DotCom Secrets elaborates on the importance of building an effective sales funnel to drive traffic and convert. The best funnels leverage different strategies (e.g., communication, product, and traffic strategy) to nurture leads and profit your business.

The first book by Russell Brunson, tells you exactly how to go about all this in a step-by-step process—using concise explanations and clear diagrams. According to the book’s prologue, “In truth, this is a proven playbook for growing your company with effective lead generation and sales/conversion methods, which can be used online and offline.”

The 1st Edition explains 13 Secrets—while the 2nd Edition goes a step further with 23 Secrets to grow your business online with sales funnels. In the words of the Russell Brunson, “When you implement these secrets, you will transform your website from a flat, two-dimensional company into a three-dimensional sales and marketing machine that allows you to outspend your competitors, acquire an almost unlimited number of new customers, make (and keep) more money, and most importantly, serve more people.”

How Does DotCom Secrets Compare with Traffic Secrets and Experts Secrets Russell Brunson Books?

DotCom Secrets is the first installment in a trilogy of books that have helped revolutionize digital marketing or online selling as we know it. Each book covers a specific subject and objective:

DotCom Secrets is the SCIENCE

Expert Secrets is the ART

Traffic Secrets is the FUEL

Collectively, these books are advertised to offer all the necessary tips, tricks, and lessons to thrive in an increasingly competitive online market. They contain everything you need to know about selling online, generating traffic, and funnel building secrets. Here’s a breakdown of how DotCom Secrets compares with the other “Secrets.”

DotCom Secrets Vs Expert Secrets

There are tons of ways to learn something—but the easiest and most effective has to be using the example set by another person (i.e., an expert in your field). This is the underlying message in the Expert Secrets Russell Brunson book.

Brunson explains how establishing yourself as an expert business in your industry is a remedy for greater success. Expert Secrets contains precise, clear, and simple guidelines to hone your skills and share the knowledge you’ve acquired with others—hence achieving the coveted ‘expert’ status.

As an expert, a new or established business can create a mass following or a community of other aspiring businesses and entrepreneurs. This concept is applicable to all types of businesses—regardless of size and base of operation (i.e., online or brick-and-mortar stores). Drawing on a quote by Bob Burg (see below), an expert is someone who is known, liked, and trusted in his or her niche industry.

“All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.”
—Bob Burg, Best Selling Author and Famed Speaker

Just like DotCom Secrets, Experts Secrets has been recognized on the bestseller lists of USA Today and Wall Street Journal. While both books share several similarities—including the writing style and approach—they also differ.

Whereas DotCom Secrets focuses on successfully running an online business and improving conversion rates (i.e., scaling and getting more traffic), Expert Secrets highlights important steps to take right from the moment you start a business (i.e., creating initial offers and nurturing a tribe of followers).

In other words, Experts Secrets take a more generalized outlook on online/offline businesses—while DotCom Secrets is more specific, highlighting the concept of sales funnels and selling online.
Interestingly, Russell Brunson advises people to start the trilogy with Experts Secrets—despite DotCom Secrets being the first installment. The reasoning behind this recommendation is rooted in the information contained in the books.

The Expert Secrets Russell Brunson book contains beginner steps—including identifying and establishing meaningful connections. On the other hand, DotCom Secrets elaborate ways of telling stories that sell and building funnels that convert. Following a logical sequence, it makes more sense to start with Expert Secrets. So, even as you contemplate buying DotCom Secrets, consider adding Expert Secrets to your shopping cart. (PS: Every book by Brunson is an excellent resource in itself. Therefore, reading them simultaneously is more of an option than a necessity).

DotCom Secrets Vs Traffic Secrets

Traffic is key to the success of any online business, period! You may have the best products, services, and conversion process—but if you can’t generate traffic, your funnel is useless. Brunson reiterates this statement in the synopsis to his latest book (Traffic Secrets). “The biggest problem that most entrepreneurs have isn’t creating an amazing product or service. It’s getting the future customers to discover they even exist. Every year tens of thousands of businesses start and fail because the entrepreneurs don’t understand this one essential skill, the art, and science of getting traffic or people to find you.”

Traffic Secrets aims to transform businesses and attract traffic naturally. This frees online entrepreneurs from the ‘shackles’ of social media and other digital marketing platforms. Brunson claims that the tactics highlighted in his book help you thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape. It should show you how to capture the attention and keep the interest of potential customers.

“I spent the last 15-years perfecting the strategies in this book…Helping other entrepreneurs to get their products and services into the hands of customers who need it, is my mission. I’m proud that Traffic Secrets will give people that roadmap to increase their influence and audience,” says Brunson.

Traffic Secrets builds on the lessons, concepts, and secrets highlighted in the previous books by Russell Brunson. With this mind, it offers the most benefits to people who have read the rest of the trilogy.

Similar to DotCom Secrets, Traffic Secrets discusses the concepts of traffic and funnels. Both books are geared to an audience of online entrepreneurs who are interested in generating traffic, capturing leads, and converting prospects into paying customers.

Summarizing the entire trilogy…Experts Secrets tackles the psychological aspect of selling online (i.e., the art), DotCom Secrets looks at the process of building an effective sales funnels (i.e., the science), and Traffic Secrets show you how to pull target audiences into your funnel (i.e., the fuel). Theoretically, reading the three books should propel your business to greater heights. But for now, let’s get back to the main purpose of this article – reviewing DotCom Secrets. | sales funnels

What is Contained in DotCom Secrets – 1st Edition?

The first edition of the DotCom—which was released in 2015—is divided into 5 sections. Each of them discusses and explains the different secrets of building sales funnels. These 5 sections contain a total of 13 secrets for growing your company online.

LADDERS AND FUNNELS - SECTION1

Secret1: The Secret Formula

Russell’s ‘secret formula’ has four ingredients in the form of questions: This includes:

Who are your dream clients? Consider their characteristics, their desires, dreams, goals, activities, and anything that makes them ‘dreamy’.

What can you find your dream clients? This may include email lists, blogs, Twitter,
Facebook, and other social platforms.

What bait can best attract them? A bait is anything that will capture the attention of your dream customers. It may be an audio recording, a DVD, an e-book, or a physical book. (PS: The Russell Brunson books are a perfect example of bait. The books are offered for free to attract you – i.e., you’re Brunson’s dream customer).

What results will you give your dream clients? Focus on helping clients rather than
just pushing your products and services.

Secret 2: The Value Ladder

As shown in the diagram, the value ladder is a step-by-step process with which you sell the lowest-priced products first. As customers realize the value you offer from the lower-priced levels, they’ll be willing to pay more as they climb the value ladder.

Secret 3: From a Ladder to a Funnel

The 3rd DotCom secret highlights the process of converting the value ladder into a sales funnel. Based on the value ladder and funnel model provided by Brunson, this may include the following four steps (feel free to adapt it to your business model):

Bait – Free product or service

Frontend – Cheap product or service

Middle – Middle-priced product or service

Backend – High-priced product or service

Secret 4: How to Find Your Dream Customers

Where are your dream customers hanging out? Where is your potential hunting ground? This should be highly targeted demographics—that define everything relevant about the dream customer’s whereabouts.

Secret 5: The Three Types of Traffic

The traffic you control – This is traffic from paid sources such as
affiliates, and advertisements.

Traffic you don’t control – Cold traffic from sources such as Facebook
and blog posts. The user’s journey or roadmap is beyond your control.

Traffic you own – Your subscriber list, which is acquired by converting
‘traffic you control’ and ‘traffic you don’t control’ into your own.

Your Communication Funnel – Section 2

Secret 6: The Attractive Character

Even after building your own traffic, selling may still be an uphill battle. The challenges are associated with your persona. Prospects need to trust and like you. You need to be an attractive character. Brunson categories an attractive character into three components (as shown in the figure):

⦁ Elements – This includes a backstory, speaking in parables, sharing character flaws, and polarity by addressing hard matters.

⦁ Identity – Your attractive character should have an identity. You may be a leader, an adventurer, an evangelist, or a reluctant hero.

⦁ Storylines – You need to find a specific perspective to your stories and stick to it. Choose between loss/redemption, us vs them to polarize the audience, stories of transformation, amazing discovery, or third person testimonials.

Secret 7: The Soap Opera Sequence

The whole point of building an email list is to eventually sell products by first building strong bonds. According to Russell Brunson, one way of doing this is through the soap opera sequence. And yes, the name and idea are derived from the likes of Telemundo.

Ever noticed how soap opera always end in suspense—with an unresolved, nagging issue? This is strategically orchestrated to foster a desire for the next episode. In DotCom Secrets, the soap opera sequence aims to make your emails interesting. According to Brunson, this includes—setting the stage by presenting the attractive character, opening with high drama (backstory), the epiphany (big secret or discovery that impacted the attractive character), hidden benefits of the product or service, finally, urgency and call to action.

Secret 8: Daily Seinfeld Sequence

The soap opera should be followed by more emails—each selling certain products. According to the Seinfeld sequence, your emails don’t have to include anything relevant. 90% of the emails you send to subscribers should be for entertainment purposes—the remaining 10% can be content-rich.

Funnelology Leading Your Customers to the Sale – Section 3

Secret 9: Reverse Engineering a Successful Funnel

How do you make a successful funnel? You either reverse engineer one that already exists or you start from scratch. The latter is rather difficult, time-consuming, and risky—so we’ll go with the reverse engineering option.

Secret 10: Seven Phases of a Funnel

Selling online of offline demands an understanding of the customer’s experience—from the first Ad they see, to being repeat buyers. This process includes 7 activities, namely:

Determining the traffic temperature – Is it hot, warm, or cold?
Set-up the Pre-frame bridge – Make your audience realize that there is a problem that needs a solution before you sell your products.
Qualify subscribers – Ask users for their email addresses.
Qualify buyers – Segment subscribers from buyers. A good example is offering a free product + shipping. Someone willing to pay around $9 for shipping is likely to buy again. Case in point, the Russell Brunson books.

Identify hyperactive buyers – At times there are buyers who are on a shopping spree—and are willing to cash out multiple times. You need to have an offer to cash in on them
Age and ascend the relationship – Give your subscribers or buyers time to discover the value of

Secret 11: The Twenty-Three Building Blocks of a Funnel

Just like Lego pieces, building a sales funnel is all about connecting the pieces. Some combinations work better than others. Russel elaborates 23 building blocks that are based on the 7 phases of a funnel (highlighted in the 10th secret).

Secret 12: Frontend vs. Backend Funnels

The 12th secret builds on everything you’ve learned. It requires you to connect all the elements and create a successful funnel. This includes preparing the offers, creating a funnel, preparing the Soap Opera Sequence, and the setting up the Seinfeld Sequence. DotCom Secrets includes examples of proven funnels designed by Russell Brunson himself.

Secret 13: The Best Bait

Nothing is attractive to a consumer as FREE! These four letters with zero monetary value are easily the best bait. The trick lies in offering a free product, but asking the customers to pay for shipping. The first purchase sets up the customer for a higher chance of buying from you again.If you’ve already noticed the trend…Brunson is literally describing the entire process he uses to get you and me to order the “Secrets” trilogy of books. And since it works perfectly for him, it may also be possible to customize the principles to your business’s needs. For example, you can offer free e-books or memberships

Funnels and Scripts – Section 4

The ‘Funnels and Script’ section focuses on ways to promote the sales funnels you build. But it’s not a straightforward process. Russell Brunson highlights the steps to take and rules to follow to create funnels that sell. This process is divided into:

FRONTEND FUNNELS

Two-Step, Free-Plus-Shipping – Funnel 1

Self-Liquidating Offer – Funnel 2

Continuity – Funnel 3

FUNNELS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE LADDER

The Perfect Webinar – Funnel 4

Invisible Funnel Webinar – Funnel 5

Product Launch – Funnel 6

BACKEND FUNNEL

High-Ticket, Three-Step Application – Funnel 7

ClickFunnels – Section 5

The purpose of the final section is in the title…ClickFunnels. This is more or less a handful of pages that advertise Russell Brunson’s software—albeit some useful and actionable tips here and there. | sales funnels

How do the Price of DotCom Secrets, Expert Secrets, and Traffic Secrets Compare?

What is the Price of DotCom Secrets?

Official Website: Underground Playbook for Growing Your
Company Online

Amazon:$21-74 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (Kindle)

Barnes & Noble: $26.99 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (NOOK Book)

If you’re wondering why DotCom Secrets is free from the official website, it’s part of the whole funnel building and qualifying buyers process taught by Russell in books. He is basically luring you into his “value ladder”—with the hope that you’ll take the next step and buy something else.  

Bonus: As an added advantage, DotCom Secrets comes with Free bonuses as shown below:

The 3 Core Funnels eBook ($47): If you’re looking to scale and grow your business, Russell claims that you only need 3 basic sales funnels to succeed.

108 Split Test Winners eBook ($47): This e-book contains simple tweaks to significantly increase your rates of conversion. These split tests provide limitless possibilities for improving the effectiveness of your funnels and websites.

Network Marketing Secrets eBook ($47): The e-book is written with network marketing aficionados at heart. It elaborates on different ways to build motivated teams with the help of funnels.

Funnel Audibles ($97): This is more of a backup or safety net for when you funnel flops. Funnel Audibles is adapted from a workshop by Brunson, in which he explains the process of reviving a broken funnel.

30-Day DotCom Secrets Challenge ($97): Wondering where you’ll start? The 30-day DotCom Secrets Challenge is designed to hold your hand and guide you through the daily process of getting where you want.

What is the Price of Experts Secrets?

Official Expert Secrets Website: FREE (you only cover shipping costs of $9.95 in the U.S. or $19.95 internationally)

Amazon:$21.84 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (Kindle E-Book) – shipping costs not included)

Barnes & Noble: $26.99 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (NOOK Book) 0 shipping costs not included

By ordering the book via the official Expert Options website, you become eligible for 5 free bonuses—which total at $585 if purchased separately. These bonuses include:

Expert Evolution ($97): This is a presentation by Brunson on the frameworks you need to create—including steps to establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

Hook, Story, Offer ($97): You get to learn about how to employ proven funnels by either fixing underperforming funnels or building better ones.

The Perfect Webinar Slides ($197): These are basically Keynote and PowerPoint webinar slides created by Brunson. Their design and structure are based on a tried-and-tested framework (PS: the webinar slides are customizable).

The 5-minute Perfect Webinar ($97): This a webinar presented by Jaime Cross—a member of the Two Comma Club who made over $1 million selling lotions and soaps. Cross dives into the actionable strategies she used to achieve her success.

30 Day Expert Secrets Challenge ($97): This is a challenge or roadmap to kickstart your journey and keep you going—one day at a time.

What is the Price of Traffic Secrets?

Official Site (Recommended): FREE + $9.95 for shipping in the U.S. (or $19.95 internationally)

Amazon: $18.78 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (Kindle)

Barnes and Noble: $26.99 (Hardcover) or $12.99 (NOOK book).

The free bonuses that come with an order of Traffic Secrets from the official site include

30 Day Traffic Secrets Challenge

Traffic Secret Foundation

How to Make A Video Go Viral

The Ultimate Unfair Advantage

Please note that buying Traffic Secrets allows you to buy The Secret Trilogy Box Set for $97—as an upsell. This includes Expert Secrets, Traffic Secrets, Dotcom Secrets, and Unlock the Secrets Worksheet.

How to Order a Free DotCom Secrets Book – Step-by-Step

As highlighted earlier, a free copy of DotCom Secrets is only available if you order the book from the official website. You’re welcomed by a landing page that is optimized to guide you towards one single goal…convincing the visitor to reserve a copy of the book.

Step 2: Provide Shipping Information

By clicking on one of the “Reserve My Free Copy” prompts, you’ll be directed to a checkout page—starting with the shipping information. If you take a keen look at the technique used by Russel Brunson throughout the website, you’ll notice that he strategically highlights or underlines key factors to grab the user’s attention. The website is an ideal example of how landing pages should be designed to capture and nurture leads down the sales funnel—as Brunson intended.

Step 3:

The final step in the checkout process requires you to give up your credit card details. Sure, I understand some of you might be apprehensive about the idea pulling out your credit card for a book that’s advertised as free—but it’s necessary to cover the shipping cost or the upsells.
The upsells include a DotCom Secrets Audiobook package (The Order Form Bump, The Invisible Funnel, The Bridge Page, The Yellow Brick Road, and The Funnel Hacker’s Cookbook) for $37 and access to DotCom Secrets book LIVE training for $97. The total of the book’s shipping fees and all upsells tops at $153.95 for international users or $143.95 for U.S. residents.

Pros and Cons of DotCom Secrets

PROS

Engaging and Easy to Follow Writing:
I have to admit…
I’m a sucker for basic hand-drawn art. So when Brunson decided to use stick figure illustrations, it was eye candy galore. Putting my weird taste aside, the text is also engaging, simple, and clear to cater to the
needs of all types of readers.

DotCom Secrets is an Undeniable Resource: Learning about how value ladders and sales funnels can add value to different marketing strategies may prove to be a game-changer for most businesses.

The Book is FREE: I believe this perk is self-explanatory. It’s the perfect bait—and we’re willingly going to bite the hook. For a book with as much value as DotCom Secrets, a free tag is a steal.

Tons of Positive Reviews: As you’ll realize in the next section, DotCom Secrets has managed to amass tons of positive reviews and sold hundreds of thousands of copies over the years. For most, this is the only proof they need to buy the book.

CONS

Sales Pitch: As you progress towards the final pages of the book, you can’t help but notice Brunson’s attempt to sell his ClickFunnels Software. While it’s understandable from an objective point of view, not all readers take kindly to the approach (*check out
some testimonials below for more
on what users think about the book’s
sales pitch).

Focused on Online Business: What about offline business? Huh? Even as businesses relocate to online markets, there are those that rely on brick-and-mortar stores due to the nature of their industry. DotCom Secrets does not offer an actionable solution for
such business.

Testimonials and Reviews of DotCom Secrets

Is DotCom Secrets Worth Ordering or Reading?

Well, this depends on your answers to the next questions. Do you think your business could benefit from techniques and strategies used by an expert in online business? Do you want to learn how to build sales funnels that convert? Are you willing to read through, even with the author’s evident attempts to sell ClickFunnels through the book? If yes, then click here and reserve your free copy now. | Sales Funnels

And if you feel the DotComSecrets book does not provide the information you need at your level of business, then maybe Traffic Secrets and the Expert Secrets Russel Brunson book will meet your needs. Either way, the books are a wonderful resource for any online entrepreneur interested in traffic and funnels.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Please note that this Dotcom Secrets review contains affiliate links. I am an independent affiliate of Dotcom Secrets products and not an employee. The review and opinion highlighted in this article are my own and they are in no way official statements by eBusiness4us or Dotcom Secrets.

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