Have you ever been called a “best kept secret” in your industry? At first glance, it sounds like a compliment, right? But here’s the truth: being the best kept secret actually means you’re the worst marketer.
The Problem with Being “The Best Kept Secret”
Years ago, I used to frequent this Vietnamese restaurant that proudly displayed multiple magazine covers on their wall claiming they were the “best kept secret” in town. While my friend thought this was impressive, I had a different perspective.
Being the “best kept secret” means you have something great, but nobody knows about it. It means competitors with inferior products or services are better known than you. That’s not something to celebrate – it’s a marketing problem that needs fixing.
The Deadly Paywall That Kills Your Growth
How does this happen? The number one cause is not understanding marketing. If every post you make is about your product or service – your makeup, shampoo, essential oils, or whatever you’re selling – you’ve created what I call a “paywall.”
A paywall means no one gets to understand your greatness until they pay you. This drastically limits your reach and impact.
Over the past 14-15 years (maybe even 20 if you count my real estate days), we’ve built an email list of around 400,000 people. If I had to guess, only about 5-8% of those people have ever purchased something from us.
The $270,000 Lesson from a $97 Customer
Let me share a powerful example. At our first major event in 2013, we offered coaching packages ranging from around $17,000 to $50,000. Before the event, a woman from Canada negotiated to get our virtual ticket at a discounted price of $97.
After the event, something strange happened. We noticed six people from Saskatchewan had purchased our high-ticket coaching packages – totaling over $100,000 – but they weren’t at the event or on our virtual ticket list.
It turned out that this woman who paid $97 had organized a viewing party, charging $20 per person to watch our event. She made a profit on her $97 investment, but here’s where it gets interesting: those six people who attended her viewing party went on to invest over $270,000 with us over the next few years.
From a single $97 customer who never bought anything else from us!
How We Got There: The Power of Free Value
How did we achieve this? By producing a massive amount of free marketing content that educated people and provided value without a paywall. We simply gave people information, tips, and suggestions that benefited them whether they purchased from us or not.
Would I like you to buy something? Of course! But I understand that the majority won’t, and that’s okay. I provide value to speak to the person who wants to dive deeper. Then I help them on a deeper level to make more money and draw closer to God. That’s the model.
If less than 20% of our email list has generated over $30 million in revenue, imagine the impact of the other 80%. They might not be buying, but they’re sharing your content, hosting watch parties, or even remixing your videos.
Learning to Handle the Haters
I once discovered a woman who ran an anti-MLM YouTube channel. She would take my private videos from our paid Rankmakers community, copy them illegally, and tear me apart on her channel. The interesting part? She was a paying member.
When my team wanted to remove her, I declined. I don’t mind if someone bashes me or trolls me. First, I’m strong enough not to let it affect me – that’s kindergarten-level marketing. Second, I’ve had people tell me they discovered me through her criticism and ended up following me because my message made sense to them.
Invest, Learn, Teach: The Formula for Success
You won’t grow if you’re not willing to do the work for free. The formula I’ve been teaching for about 12 years is simple: Invest, Learn, Teach (ILT).
- Invest your time and possibly money to learn something
- Learn it thoroughly
- Teach it to others for free
I never read a book without pulling content from it to share. When I read books or attend events, I’m constantly taking notes – partly to understand the material better, but mainly to bring value to you, whether you ever buy from me or not.
Would Anyone Pay to Follow You?
Here’s a powerful question: If it cost $50 per month to subscribe to all your social media channels, would it be worth it? Would anyone in the world pay for it?
If you think of yourself as having an obligation to serve your followers as if they were paying you monthly (even though they’re not), it forces you to consistently show up with valuable content.
If you hold all your good stuff exclusively for paying customers, you’ll limit the number of people who end up paying you. The counterintuitive truth is: if you want to get paid more, provide more free value.
Serve Your Market, Not Just Your Customers
To grow your business, stop only serving your customers, clients, and teammates. Start serving as many people as you possibly can – while staying focused on who you’re called to serve.
I’m called to serve people who want to increase their profits while putting God first. That’s my target market. And by the way, if you hate church and religion, that’s okay too – we can still help you get closer to God. Your heavenly Father wants a relationship with you.
Provide value consistently, and you’ll never remain “the best kept secret” for long.
Check Out These Links
- The Faith-Driven Network Marketer – My latest book
- My Mentor’s Radical Love – Donna Johnson’s new book
- Rankmakers – Our coaching community
