Flow before Friction & Excellent Customer Experience (with Ryan Daniel Moran) Pt.2 July '21 Ep 460

In an insightful discussion between Ryan Daniel Moran and Alex Hormozi, they delve into the nuances of product development and marketing strategies. They emphasize starting with an unscalable, high-quality offer that overwhelms with demand before scaling, rather than focusing on scalability from the outset. Alex shares his success story with Gym Launch, attributing it not to advertising, but to exceptional products and word-of-mouth referrals. He also discusses the importance of creating demand and managing supply to maximize profits, and the benefits of an excellent product, including better margins, less acquisition effort, and entrepreneurial confidence. They highlight the significance of customer-centric business models, where giving away valuable content for free can generate demand and goodwill, leading to profitable opportunities for a select few clients. Alex's book, "100 Million Dollar Offers," is recommended as a comprehensive guide to creating compelling offers that serve customers and drive business growth.

• Discusses the balance between creating a smooth customer journey and intentionally adding friction to increase desire.
• Points out that too much accessibility can diminish customer desire, similar to the analogy of a relationship's desire over time.
• Emphasizes the need for customers to be ravenous, not just aroused, implying a deeper level of interest and commitment.

"If you sleep with your partner every single day, your desire will inherently be lower than somebody who hasn't slept with their partner in a week. Right? And so I don't want the aroused customer. I want the ravenous customer."

This quote highlights the psychological aspect of customer engagement, suggesting that scarcity or a degree of unavailability can increase customer eagerness and desire for a product or service.

• Explores the concept of starting with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) versus creating a grand slam offer right away.
• Questions the traditional startup approach of MVPs and suggests that starting with something amazing could be more beneficial.

"How do you reconcile the difference between an MVP and a grand slam offer? Aren't we supposed to start with a minimum viable product rather than something amazing?"

This quote introduces a key question in product development strategy, challenging the conventional wisdom of the MVP approach and setting the stage for a deeper discussion on the topic.

• Advocates for starting with unscalable, hands-on approaches to understand customer needs and refine the product.
• Shares personal experience of doing unscalable work to achieve a deep understanding of the business and customer challenges.
• Stresses the importance of facing the business realities before trying to scale.

"I believe in doing the unscalable first and then being overwhelmed with the amount of business that you have and then trying to make the things that you are doing unscalable scalable with the added resources you now have from new sales."

The speaker underscores the value of starting with unscalable tactics to build a strong foundation for the business, which can later be scaled up effectively.

• Highlights the power of word of mouth in growing a business and the necessity of creating an exceptional customer experience.
• Suggests that focusing on making one customer so satisfied that they become a referrer can be a powerful business strategy.

"Question of if I only had one purchase, that forces you to think about word of mouth referrals, and that forces you to make the experience so good that that person has to tell other people."

This quote emphasizes the strategic importance of designing the customer experience with word of mouth referrals in mind, aiming to create advocates out of customers.

• Shares a personal success story of achieving significant revenue and profit through product excellence and minimal advertising spend.
• Points out that a good product can lead to organic growth and sustainability, reducing reliance on advertising.
• Discusses the stages of business focus: promotion, product, and people, and the importance of getting product-market fit.

"We get so much word of mouth, is that as good as bitcoin, though? It's not better than bitcoin. Doge? Definitely."

The speaker compares the value of word of mouth to the high returns of cryptocurrencies, suggesting that customer referrals can be as valuable or more than high-return investments.

• Criticizes the practice of prioritizing marketing over product quality, which can lead to a "miserable existence."
• Argues for the long-term benefits of investing in product quality, including better margins, easier acquisition, and peace of mind.

"Having good product just really makes life a lot easier because your margins are really good. You don't have to work nearly as hard in the acquisition, and you can sleep pretty well at night because you know the product you have is good."

This quote conveys the idea that a high-quality product simplifies business operations, enhances profitability, and provides a sense of confidence in the value being delivered to customers.

• Discusses how product quality can influence an entrepreneur's confidence and reputation.
• Suggests that negative feedback can be constructive if it highlights areas where the product can be improved.
• Emphasizes the ongoing commitment required to refine a product over years, not just weeks.

"The only way to get through that is to really go through it by improving the product to a degree that you literally cannot think of another way that it could be better."

This quote speaks to the relentless pursuit of product excellence, suggesting that enduring criticism and continuously improving the product can alleviate entrepreneurial pressure.

• Asserts that exceptional products can achieve sustainable and viral growth through natural customer referrals.
• Predicts that in an increasingly digital world, the quality of products and services will become immediately apparent to consumers.

"The only way that you can have something that's unbelievably sustainable and grows virally... is if the people who buy the product tell other people."

The speaker highlights that the ultimate driver of sustainable growth is a product so good that customers naturally want to share it with others, leading to viral expansion.

• Draws an analogy between insecure individuals using pickup lines and marketers relying on tactics to compensate for a lack of product quality.
• Suggests that true confidence and belief in a product's quality negates the need for aggressive sales tactics.
• Implies that customers can sense authenticity and conviction, which is more persuasive than marketing language.

"When you have the best product, you don't need to sell it that hard, because you have the conviction that what you have is the best thing for the customer."

This quote suggests that the most effective marketing comes from genuine belief in the product's value, which resonates more deeply with customers than any sales pitch could.

• The foundation for creating a highly successful business is the belief that your product or service is the best for the customer.
• This mindset requires an honest self-assessment of the business and its offerings.
• Confidence in the value of the product or service is crucial for scaling to a 100 million dollar business.

"ate from a place of certainty, knowing that your product, your business, and your service is actually the best thing for that customer."

This quote emphasizes the importance of having confidence and certainty in the value that your business provides to the customer, which is a foundational mindset for achieving significant success.

• There is an emphasis on the importance of supporting authors by purchasing their books and leaving reviews.
• The speaker expresses a strong stance against those who do not support by purchasing and reviewing, suggesting a lack of partnership or friendship.
• Buying books is seen as a personal favor to the speaker.

"If you are still here, there's over 150 of you on here and you have not yet gone to Amazon.com and bought 100 million dollar offers with the intent of leaving a review. You are hereby booted off of this live."

This quote illustrates the expectation of the audience to actively support the business content being discussed by purchasing and reviewing the book, emphasizing the speaker's passion for the material and its importance.

• The discussion raises the question of whether the approach to business growth is the opposite of starting with an MVP.
• It suggests that initial sales should not be mistaken for a successful business; instead, they indicate the ability to market and sell a product.
• The concept of building a business and a brand that customers will rave about is highlighted.

"Isn't this the antithesis of an MVP? That's a fantastic question, Alex. How would you answer that?"

This quote introduces the topic of whether the business strategies discussed are compatible with the concept of an MVP, setting the stage for further explanation.

• The strategy involves giving away value for free to generate demand and interest.
• Initially, the focus is on generating flow without worrying about immediate profitability.
• As flow increases, friction is added to improve the quality of prospects.
• The concept of flow before friction is a marketing strategy to shift the demand curve in favor of the business.

"So I, I pretty much come from the perspective of give everything you possibly can away for free so that you can generate demand."

This quote summarizes the strategy of providing value for free as a means to generate demand and interest, which is a precursor to adding friction and monetizing the business.

• The speaker shares a personal anecdote of applying the concept of flow before friction to his own business.
• The idea is to start with momentum and improve over time rather than aiming for perfection from the outset.
• The process involves starting with simple offerings and gradually adding complexity to build a profitable system.

"So let me explain how we just use this in our business@capitalism.com."

This quote introduces a real-life example of how the concept of flow before friction has been implemented in a business setting, demonstrating its practical application.

• The speaker inquires about the reason behind the rapid growth of businesses and personal brands associated with the guest.
• The guest credits the provision of free content that surpasses the quality of others' paid content as a key factor.
• The focus on delivering exceptional value for free is seen as a primary lever for quick growth.

"Alex, every business that you start or every personal brand you start seems to grow incredibly quickly. Is it because you focus on flow?"

This quote asks about the underlying reasons for the rapid growth of businesses, suggesting that the focus on generating flow and providing exceptional value may be significant factors.

• Ryan Daniel Moran emphasizes creating high-quality free content that surpasses the quality of others' paid content.
• The intention behind the content creation is crucial and should be genuine rather than a mere marketing ploy.
• The aim is to create a significant price to value discrepancy, which in turn generates goodwill among the audience or customers.
• Goodwill is particularly important to Moran at this stage in his career.

"And so the idea for me is to create such a high price to value discrepancy that I engender goodwill, which is, candidly all I want right now at this point in my career."

This quote highlights the strategy of providing exceptional value for free as a means to build goodwill, which is a priority for Moran in his current career phase.

• The concept of artificially stimulating demand through marketing is discussed.
• Controlling supply can increase prices and create a favorable balance between supply and demand.
• The goal is to always have more demand than supply, which leads to greater pricing power and profits.
• This strategy ensures a consistent demand for products, leading to sell-outs and desired pricing.

"And so the idea is, how can we find the delicate dance between supply and demand that best serves us as business owners and best serves our clients?"

The quote encapsulates the strategic balancing act between supply and demand, aiming to optimize outcomes for both business owners and clients.

• Ryan Daniel Moran recounts a story from his book about a charity event where supply was intentionally limited to increase demand and ticket prices.
• The story illustrates the power of manipulating supply and demand to maximize profits.
• The anecdote serves as an example of how effective management of supply and demand can lead to successful outcomes.

"And so I remember seeing him do that, and it was such, like, a pivotal moment for me. That's why I tell the story in the book, is that I truly think that the single strongest factor in all of pricing is supply and demand."

This quote reflects on the pivotal realization that supply and demand are critical factors in pricing and can be manipulated for advantageous results.

• The conversation shifts to the application of scarcity in e-commerce settings.
• The notion of limiting available quantities is discussed in relation to sales channels like Amazon and Shopify.
• Scarcity can be a positive strategy when used to enhance customer experience and outcome.
• The discussion includes leveraging scarcity through membership offers, partnerships, and follow-up processes to create a more compelling business model.

"And I think so many people in our circle, specifically, like the ecommerce circle, they don't think in terms of scarcity in a positive sense, meaning limited the amount that is available because they're just thinking about selling the next widget."

The quote highlights the lack of focus on scarcity as a strategic tool within the e-commerce community, where the emphasis is typically on selling more products rather than creating exclusivity.

• Ryan Daniel Moran talks about the launch of Acquisition.com and its business model.
• The company aims to grow businesses within a certain revenue range to much higher valuations.
• The strategy involves helping the majority for free while partnering with a select few for growth investment.
• The model allows for broad assistance while focusing on tailored solutions for significant business scaling.

"And so the book is kind of the launch of that. And so we take companies between three and 15 ish million, and we're with the goal of taking them to 50 to 100."

This quote explains the purpose of the book as a launchpad for Acquisition.com's business model, which focuses on scaling companies to higher revenue tiers.

• Moran discusses the concept of providing substantial value for free to a wide audience.
• For those who can execute and grow their business significantly, there is an opportunity for a more customized partnership.
• The approach allows Moran to share his marketing expertise, which is not derived from teaching marketing but from practicing it.

"And so it's like, okay, well, how do I work with the people that I only want to work with? And then how can I give everyone else what they normally are paying 5000, 10,000, $20,000 for and give it for free?"

The quote outlines Moran's philosophy of offering high-value content for free to the masses while reserving personalized, intensive collaboration for a select few clients.

• Ryan Daniel Moran draws an analogy between Alex's business model and Taylor Swift's.
• Taylor Swift offers her music for free to the masses but earns significant revenue from a small fraction who pay for exclusive performances.
• Alex similarly provides broad value but capitalizes on a small percentage of high-value business opportunities.

"You listen to it anytime you want. And for a small fraction of people, they pay her a million dollars to come sing somewhere. You're kind of similar, right? For a small percentage of people, you're coming in and taking a nice swath of business and helping them grow from five to 50."

This quote highlights the business strategy of offering free content to attract a large audience and then monetizing a small segment of high-value clients.

• The speakers express a personal connection and admiration for each other and the book "100 million dollar offers."
• The book is highly recommended by Ryan, who considers it one of the best business books he has ever read.
• The friendship between the speakers predates the book, adding a layer of sincerity to the praise.

"Alex, I am proud to call you my friend. I am thankful for your friendship."

This quote emphasizes the personal bond between the speakers and sets the tone for a genuine endorsement of Alex's book.

"I'm not just saying this is your friend, but this is probably the best business book I've ever read."

Ryan's statement underlines the high quality of the book, suggesting that it's not just personal bias but a genuine belief in the book's value.

• The book is divided into three main sections: market selection, product ideation, and enhancers.
• Market selection involves picking the right niches and understanding pricing power.
• Product ideation is the core of the book, discussing the value equation and problem-solving.
• Enhancers include bonuses, scarcity, urgency, and various types of guarantees.
• Naming is highlighted as an underrated yet powerful tool for increasing conversions.
• The book aims to provide a comprehensive guide to creating irresistible business offers.

"So you've got the primary section, which is picking the right market to go after... The second kind of chunk of it is the actual product itself... And then the third main section is what we call, or what I call enhancers."

This quote outlines the structure of the book, detailing the key components that contribute to creating successful business offers.

• The book uses a baseball analogy to illustrate the potential for success in business.
• In business, unlike baseball, there are unlimited opportunities to achieve a "grand slam."
• The book is positioned as a tool that "loads the bases" for the reader, increasing the chances of hitting a grand slam in business.
• The analogy serves to motivate and inspire readers to keep pursuing business opportunities until they achieve significant success.

"The best thing, the biggest win that you can have in baseball is to score four points... But in business, the great game of business, you get to take as many swings as you want, and just hitting one grand slam in business can make hundreds of millions of dollars."

This quote uses the grand slam metaphor to convey the idea that persistence and continuous effort in business can lead to monumental success.

• The book promotes the idea that true entrepreneurial success comes from serving others.
• Entrepreneurship is described as a journey of learning selflessness, where focusing on the customer leads to personal gains.
• The notion that entrepreneurship is often misunderstood as selfishness is challenged, with the book offering a playbook for creating a business that serves others.

"The beautiful irony of entrepreneurship is that you get everything that you want as soon as you build the business that is completely in service to everyone else."

This quote encapsulates the core philosophy of the book, which is that the path to personal success in business is through creating value for others.

• The speakers express gratitude for the audience's attention and encourage them to read the book.
• The call to action includes buying the book, leaving a review, and embracing the insights offered.
• The conversation ends with a sense of camaraderie and a final push for the audience to engage with the book's content.

"Thanks, everybody. Go get the book. Leave it a review, or else. Good night, everybody. See you."

This final quote serves as a direct call to action, urging the audience to not only purchase the book but also to contribute to its success through reviews.