Sell Like Crazy Summary & Review | Book by Sabri Suby
How to Get As Many Clients, Customers and Sales as You Can Possibly Handle
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Introduction
Your business success depends on harnessing the power of digital marketing.
Too many marketers cannot use robust online systems like Google, Facebook, and email to drive sales. They waste valuable time and money on ineffective marketing. They lose thousands of potential clients.
You need to know the nine phases entrepreneurs must go through to drive tremendous sales. This starts with creating the right mindset for success. You can then begin your journey from novice to powerhouse salesperson.
Sell Like Crazy asks you to rethink traditional marketing. This includes changing how you manage your time. It also involves shifting how you think about presenting your product or service. You’ll learn how to:
- leverage time to drive sales;
- nurture dream client relationships over time;
- use High-Value Content Offers (HVCOs) to build trust;
- and focus on solving your clients’ problems.
About Sabri Suby
Sabri Suby is a serial entrepreneur. He is the founder of King Kong, Australia’s fastest-growing full-service digital marketing agency.
Suby was raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to support the family. He often credits his mother for instilling his work ethic and tenacity in him from a young age.
Suby founded King Kong in 2014 in his bedroom with nothing but an internet connection and $50. In under five years, he built a team of 54 digital marketing specialists and a worldwide client base. In 2022, the company’s valuation was estimated to be over $50 million.
King Kong has impacted 250,000 businesses in 42 countries. It has generated well over $400 million in sales for Suby and his clients. In 2021, Suby launched the company internationally in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.
StoryShot #1: Change Your Mindset
The preparatory phase is about your mindset. If you want to become a billionaire, you need to think like a billionaire. Successful people eliminate time-wasting activities and focus solely on money-making activities.
There is a difference between being busy and being productive. Trivial tasks will keep you busy but will kill your productivity and sales.
Successful business owners manage their time using the 80/20 and 64/4 rules.
80/20 Rule
Focus on the 20 percent of business activities that produce revenue. Delegate or outsource the other 80 percent of your business activities.
64/4 Rule
4 percent of your activities create 64 percent of the revenue for your business. Make it your goal to give all your time to your 4 percent.
StoryShot #2: Recognize that Your Business is Sales
As a business owner, your top priority should be sales. You should spend most of your time and energy on marketing and sales. Your marketing must focus on solving your client’s problem rather than on the product or service.
Rather than selling one-to-one, sell one-to-many by:
- writing a powerful sales copy;
- getting in front of traffic on Google and Facebook;
- learning how to convert traffic into sales;
- using an automated lead generation system;
- investing in quality advertising;
- and scaling your advertising budget.
StoryShot #3: Understand and Identify Your Dream Buyer
At any moment, 3 percent of potential customers are ready to buy now. The other 97 percent fall into three categories:
- 60 percent are not problem aware.
- 20 percent are problem aware.
- 17 percent are in information-gathering mode.
Your goal should be to capture and nurture this 97 percent. You can become the trusted brand for those potential customers. Do this by offering robust, insightful, and education-based information. They are likely to buy from you when they hit the “buy now” stage.
You can use the 80/20 rule to identify your most valuable customers.
Typically, 20 percent of customers represent 80 percent of total revenue. Within that 20 percent, the top 20 percent (or the top 4 percent overall) represents 64 percent of your sales.
What does this 4 percent have in common? What other products do they like? How did they find you?
Focus your marketing activities solely on this 4 percent. Learn more about them by visiting online spaces where they hang out. This might be in niche Facebook groups, forums, YouTube comment sections, Amazon review pages, etc.
What problems do they have? What are their concerns and desires?
Knowing your dream buyer will help you develop your product and service offering. It also helps with marketing strategy, value proposition, pricing, tone of copy, advertising channels, and more.
StoryShot #4: Create the Perfect Bait for Your Dream Buyer
Now that you’ve identified your dream buyer, use your marketing to attract them – whether or not they are ready to buy now.
Your goal should be to target the 97 percent by offering value and information. Don’t take a gamble that someone among the 3 percent of “buy now” prospects will see your ad and act immediately.
The most effective way to target the 97 percent is by presenting a high-value content offer (HVCO). Offer value and a solution to their problem without them purchasing anything. All they have to give are their names and email addresses.
HVCO is not an ad. It’s free, value-added content that gives people a taste of what’s to come if they work with you. It uses the principle of “giving before asking.” Some tips to create a successful one include:
- Present information like a public service announcement.
- Don’t dismiss long-form copy.
- Create an attention-grabbing headline.
- Make sure every point touches a burning issue.
- Keep it simple.
StoryShot #5: Capture Leads and Get Contact Details
Think of nurturing your 97 percent as wining and dining them. Do not try to sell right away.
Do not send them directly to your website’s homepage or landing page. Use a strong “opt-in” page so they can share their name and email address voluntarily.
Elements to include on your opt-in page are:
- a powerful headline;
- a subhead that restates your offer and what they’re getting;
- highly compelling, punchy bullet points describing valuable content;
- an image of what they’re getting: a free report, e-book, cheat sheet;
- and a simple form for prospects to enter their name and email address to access content.
StoryShot #6: Use the Godfather Strategy
The “godfather strategy” is about giving your prospects an offer they can’t refuse. Eliminate doubt and present an irresistible offer every time.
To create an irresistible offer:
- Sell benefits, not features.
- Start with the outrageous.
- Research competing offers.
- Make it believable.
- Establish the value of your offer.
- Know the value of premiums.
- Have a power guarantee.
- Sell scarcity.
- Offer a free consultation.
The first step is to create an offer page. It should detail your benefits, features, and basic information such as cost and how to buy. Next, write the most outrageous offer you can imagine. Then scale it back into something you can deliver but with the same powerful spirit.
Establish the value of your offer. Show what you would normally charge or what the competition is charging. Explain why your product or service is an excellent value even at full price.
Premiums are gifts included with a purchase. Having hot premiums has been shown to double or triple your sales.
Your power guarantee tells people they “can’t lose.” It is proof that you are confident you will deliver on your promise.
Scarcity tells your prospects they need to act fast so they don’t miss out on something unique. Make sure the scarcity is genuine, or you will erode trust in your brand.
If you’re offering a free consultation, demonstrate the stand-alone value of the talk, whether or not they decide to buy from you.
StoryShot #7: Convert Traffic Profitably
Many marketers think they need more traffic. What they need is an offer that converts traffic profitably.
Unit economics is important. You need to know:
- how much a customer is worth to your business over their lifetime;
- how much you make from one customer;
- and how much you can spend to get a customer.
The most successful businesses use multiple flows of traffic to capture leads. Based on your budget, start with one channel. It could be SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
Know your cost per lead and cost per acquisition from this channel and establish a profitable conversion system.
When targeting 3 percent of prospects in buy mode:
- Use Google Ads or SEO.
- Use purchase-intent keywords and phrases.
When targeting 97 percent of prospects not in buy mode:
- Use social media or search engines, such as Google and Facebook.
- Create tailored messaging for cold, warm, and hot prospects.
- Build value and educate over time.
- Entice prospects to click the ad (never try to sell from an ad).
Use Google Ads Effectively
The secret is a killer headline, but this will take trial and error. On average, it takes 20 attempts to get the perfect headline. The perfect headline is provocative, shocking, and says the opposite of what your competition is saying.
Use Facebook Ads Effectively
Most Facebook users access the site on mobile phones, so make sure you optimize your ads for mobile. Take advantage of Facebook’s tools to target your dream clients.
You can present your ads as breaking news on Facebook. Content that reports some kind of new finding or research gets the most shares and engagement.
Each Facebook ad has key components. Here are some tips to effectively use each feature.
- Intro text – Call out your audience, or go in with the news angle. Experiment with short and long introductions — both work.
- Ad image – Don’t use images that look like an ad because people will tune them out. Your image should look like normal content being shared.
- Call-to-action button – The call to action is a short phrase that invites the reader to do more. Examples include “Inquire Now,” “Learn More,” and “Download.” Research shows “Learn More” is the least aggressive and converts best.
StoryShot #8: Use the Magic Lantern Technique
Once a prospect opts in, you can nurture them digitally at no cost. A combination of emails with videos generally works best for this.
How do you convert a prospect who has opted in but isn’t ready to buy?
You can nurture the 97 percent using the “magic lantern technique”. Think of this technique as guiding prospects down a path to their desired end state. They receive lots of free value and goodwill along the way.
Your offer will consist of:
- 2-3 informative videos with a call to action at the end;
- videos that lower skepticism while building trust;
- videos comprising 80 percent value and 20 percent pitch at the end;
- hints of more valuable information coming in the next video;
- and offers for a free, no-pressure consultation.
StoryShot #9: Convert Sales
Think “sell like a doctor.” Pay all your attention to the diagnosis, not the prescription. Spend your efforts diagnosing the problem, then if your product or service can help them, give them an offer they can’t refuse.
While on a call with a prospect, here are some tips for diagnosing their problem:
- Understand their “why”.
- Ask open-ended questions and listen.
- Ask your prospects to tell you about their desired outcome.
- Learn about their frustrations, struggles, and everything they’ve tried in the past that didn’t work.
After you learn about the prospect and “diagnose” the problem, move to your value proposition. Formulate a plan and show them all the ways you can solve their problem.
Spend time beforehand rehearsing your sales pitch. Your pitch should be no more than two minutes long. Alter your pitch to use the exact words your prospects use when describing their problem.
If you sense the customer is “hot” and ready to close, state your price. Then do not say another word.
There’s an old saying in sales: “The person who speaks first loses.” Show your confidence by waiting for their response.
Avoid wasting your time on calls with prospects who will not be a good fit. Use surveys and applications to free up time for consultations with valuable prospects who need your help.
StoryShot #10: Automate and Multiply
Remember, most prospects who enter your funnel will not take the desired action. That’s the nature of the business.
Should we give up on these prospects? No. We nurture them over time and stay in touch by providing value through email.
For email marketing, you should have three goals: get it delivered, get it opened, and get it clicked.
1. Get It Delivered
Ensuring your email lands in your prospect’s inbox instead of their spam folder depends on three things:
- sender reputation;
- bounce and compliance rates;
- and recipient engagement.
The first step is to make sure you’re using a reputable email platform. One of the most popular ones is Mailchimp, but there are several others to choose from.
Next, you need to establish a good IP address reputation. Your IP address is a string of numbers that identify your computer. To learn more about your IP reputation, visit a website specializing in sender scores.
The best way to increase your sender score is to send engaging emails. Make sure at least two-thirds of your emails offer value and education.
If you have a new IP address, start slowly to build your reputation. Send slowly with low email volume until a favorable IP address reputation is established.
2. Get It Opened
Plain text emails are the most effective because they feel more personal. Fancy graphics and logos look like a sales proposition, not an email from a friend.
Your email should be friendly and conversational. Don’t try to sell. Chat up your readers as if they were your friends, and don’t be afraid to be polarizing.
The subject line is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to email open rates.
Here are some tips for an effective email subject line:
- Use your personal sender name, not your business name.
- Use lowercase or sentence-case with little punctuation.
- Keep it to four or five words.
- Provide intrigue or ask a question.
Subject lines under 20 characters are more effective than medium lengths (21-60 characters). Longer subject lines of 61+ characters have slightly above-average open rates and unique click rates.
Make sure to optimize the time you send your emails as well. Tuesday is the best day to send emails based on many studies. Thursday would be the second best. The best times of day are 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., or 8 p.m.–midnight.
3. Get It Clicked
The goal of your email marketing is to entice prospects to click off the email to another landing page.
To draw readers into the body of your email and make “the click” irresistible:
- Captivate with an interesting fact or statement.
- Get their attention with a “pattern interrupt”.
- Include fascinating real-life stories and examples.
- Include an enticing call to action at the end (don’t ask, tell!).
StoryShot #11: Use Sabri Suby’s 17-Step Secret Selling System
Sabri Suby’s 17-Step Secret Selling System is an offshoot of the godfather strategy.
Here is a grab-and-go snapshot of the secret selling system:
- Call out to your audience: “Attention new moms!”
- Demand attention with a big promise.
- Back up your big promise.
- Create irresistible intrigue.
- Shine a floodlight on the problem.
- Reveal the solution.
- Show your credentials.
- Show how your offer will benefit them.
- Provide social proof.
- Make your godfather an offer.
- Add bonuses.
- Stack the value.
- Reveal your price.
- Inject scarcity.
- Give a powerful guarantee.
- Call to action.
- Close with a P.S. that includes a warning and reminder.
Final Summary and Review
Implementing each phase of successful digital marketing takes time, patience, and persistence. With practice, anyone can master the techniques described in Sell Like Crazy and maximize the power of digital marketing to drive sales.
Let’s go over those key points again.
- Time is money. Shift your mindset to focus on the marketing activities that generate the most profit for you. Delegate the rest.
- Make sales and marketing a top priority for your business.
- Identify your dream buyers. Focus your marketing efforts on their desires and concerns, whether or not they are ready to buy now.
- Build relationships over time with a high-value content offer (HVCO). Your offer should provide value without asking the prospect to purchase anything.
- Offer value to prospects using an “opt-in” page. Give your prospects the option to receive a free report, e-book, cheat sheet, etc. in exchange for their name and email address.
- Clear up doubt and eliminate any risk of working with you. Understand your unit economics to budget for digital marketing. The preferred channels are Google and Facebook.
- Use the magic lantern technique. Nurture prospects over time using 2-3 informational videos. Your videos should be 80 percent value and 20 percent sales pitch.
- Sell like a doctor by focusing on the diagnosis, not the prescription. Ask questions to understand your prospect’s needs. State your price and be confident in your ability to deliver on your promise.
- Use email marketing to warm up prospects and convert them into paying customers. Three things matter in email marketing: get it sent, get it opened, and get it clicked. Use the 17-step secret selling system in all your advertising.
Are you ready to get as many clients, customers, and sales as you can possibly handle? You have powerful tools at your disposal, thanks to the internet. Failing to leverage these tools correctly can cost you thousands in lost revenue, not to mention hours of wasted time and resources.
With insights from Sell Like Crazy, you can learn how to effectively use digital marketing to drive sales and scale your business. This is one of the best books for beginners in digital marketing to read.
Rating
We rate Sell Like Crazy 4.2/5. How would you rate Sabri Suby’s book based on our summary?
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Editor’s Note
This article was first published in June 2022. It was updated and revised on 23/01/2023.
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