Interview with Shanda Sumpter: Adding $400k in Revenue with Her Book

Can you imagine writing a book that drives over $400,000 in revenue to your business? Or what about adding over 11,000 people to your list in just a few months?

Today’s guest, Shanda Sumpter did both.

Shanda is the Queen Visionary at HeartCore Business, a training company designed to give entrepreneurs the powerful systems they can use to share their gift and use those gifts to create profitable sustainable businesses.

There was a time Shanda had only $500 to her name and was facing the possibility of having to move back home to her parent’s house. Now she runs a successful coaching company on the brink of hitting eight figures.

Today Shanda shares her strategies to get multiple $10,000 clients, why she decided to offer a free, signed copy of her book to people, and how her team closes sales on the phone.

Rob: So you do a lot of really cool things, but what caught my attention most recently was we had talked and you talked about how you had used your book to drive $409,000 in revenue just this year, as well as tons of awesome leads. You sent me the details of this, which I thought was just amazing. So in the last few months, you’ve brought in 11,572 leads opt-ins and 1.6% bought something after opting in immediately and 7,700 people provided their telephone numbers.

Shanda: What’s interesting about that, Rob, is you know, I’m very spiritual and very much about God. I remember sitting, reading my Bible, and I thought to myself, I thought to myself and I asked God, “I would love to know another way I could give. How can I give more of a difference in the world?” I think making money has so much to do with the more generous you are. I believe that the more you give, the more you earn because it’s coming from an unselfish place. So I talked about this with a few people and it was suggested to me to give away my book for free, as a downloadable pdf version.

I created this free PDF funnel and I made it required that they give me their phone number. Now it’s optional, but at the time people were telling me that I’ll get fewer people when I made it a requirement for them to give me their phone number. I said yeah, that’s probably true, but I would rather have a lower amount of opt-ins that are higher quality. Do you know what I mean?

So 60% of the people gave me their phone numbers and we text messaged them and generously asked them if they wanted some help in getting an ROI off the book. And it was just insane. It was incredible. We had so many opt-ins that we had to get a second coaching line.

Rob: That is awesome. So you told me you have two versions of the free book, right? You have a simple downloadable version, which is like a lead magnet where you’re asking for their telephone number and you have gotten 7,700 telephone numbers just this year. Is that correct?

Shanda: That is correct! In addition to the downloadable PDF version, I heard about a funnel in which the customer pays for shipping and handling, and I send them a physical copy of the book. I think this is a great exchange because it does actually cost me money to print and ship the book. I also offered to sign them all.

My team was hilarious, at one point they asked if we should take down the funnel. And I said no way! I told them that if my sole job became just speaking on stages and signing books, I’m okay with that because I replicate the training that I do and train other people to do those trainings as well (which I have done within our company).

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the more generous you can be with these books and the more that you can give them out and find creative ways to give them out. So many people are trying to work out these funnels that the “masters” have taught us, but I think sometimes you just have to just follow your own instinct to do something a little different because you can get great results.

Rob: I love that. Dare I ask how many books you have signed in this free plus shipping and signature book funnel?

Shanda: I actually have no idea.

Rob: That’s hundreds, right? I mean, thousands maybe?

Shanda: Probably not thousands yet, because we actually just started that not too long ago. One week, there was like 140 or 150 that I signed. We did a movement challenge where I taught people how to create a movement with their business by learning how to make really authentic offers.

That challenge was where this original thought to sign the books came from. I wanted to know how I could serve these people, even more, the people who are really hungry to create a movement in the world. And it was to just sign copies of books.

So I filmed a quick video and I just put it in the group and I said, “Hey you guys, I’m going to do something a little different. You’re always welcome to download a copy of my book for free, but the truth is… I would love to give you a signed copy because I personally don’t like my printer getting bogged down by printing 200 pages.

So I can send you a hard copy with a personalized message, not just a signature. So all you have to do is pay the shipping and handling, I’ll get the books. Just give us some time to be able to sign them because I’m going to personally sign them and then let’s do, and it was like, let’s do that with cold traffic too. It’s always crazy how the perfect message shows up at your door at the right time.

Rob: So you’re still running this constantly? I mean this is, this is a cold traffic Facebook offer that you guys are running continuously. That’s beautiful.

Shanda: Yeah even all the people who went into the movement challenge too, they were all cold traffic. None of them came from my list.

Rob: So I know you are incredibly generous, even in sharing this information because this is like real gold stuff. This is stuff that you’re making money on and making a difference with right now. I know first and foremost wasn’t about the money, but I know that everybody watching this is wondering how they can serve, but also how they can monetize. We talk about income and impact.

So 409,000 just this year from this one particular funnel. Can you walk me through the offers? Because you didn’t do 409,000 giving away books. You did 409,000 on the back end with what you’re selling.

Shanda: Basically, the funnel’s really simple. I don’t consider myself an internet marketer. I really consider myself a businesswoman. And so I’m always thinking about how to serve them the best. So for the funnel, you go from a Facebook ad, which is a video ad, it’s a video ad at my son and I. My son’s always up in my space so I had him sit on my lap and I said, all right, honey we’re going to cut a video together.

Then, you know, he crawled out of my lap and they crawled back into my lap. It was a perfect example of what women and mothers face trying to raise kids while he’s pulling my hair and things like that. It was perfect because it was so real, which is what people are looking for.

So the ad basically says, “I know what you’re facing inside of your business and if you’re a mom or parent, I know that you’re facing the truth, which is that hard moments come up. None of us have enough time or money or any of that to grow businesses. So what I’ve done is I’ve actually put every step that I’ve done to be able to create a coaching business while working from home. I live on the ocean, which is right here next to me. I showed you a picture, Rob.

Rob: Turn the camera on, let’s see it. Look at that. There’s Shanda’s home right there guys.

Shanda: Yeah. And my little guy just walked over here, so it’s perfect. This is exactly like the ad. So I did an ad with Zach about that and I said, you know, I wrote everything in this book. Everything except for how I do live events are in this book and it’s the same thing that I started with when I didn’t have any money in the bank to crossing the seven-figure, to crossing the 3 million mark, to doing 5 million in sales.

It’s actually all in this book and it’s so freaking simple, it’s ridiculous. There are ways that I know that I could increase the funnel, and make it so much better now, but here’s what I did: I took the video ad with my son, I let it be totally organic and truthful and then they click through to the red stage and the opt-in page, which is so simple.

It as a picture of me and it literally has two boxes that give you the opportunity to get my step by step plan in my book, whether you want it free or whether or not you want to pay shipping and handling and get a signed copy of the book.

If they hit shipping and handling for a signed copy of the book, we consider you a better possible client for us. At that point, we actually bring you to a page that actually gives you access to getting coaching from us. Now we’re split testing that right now with a landing page where you can book a calendar link to be on with one of my coaches or you can call right there.

I have found that calling is working much better than booking an actual session or appointment because the people who pick up the phone and call the way more qualified. If five people call, there’s a good chance that at least three are going to close into a $10,000 or more program. There’s a big difference between the booking on the calendar for the free coaching session.

Rob: No, you’re only offering that for people that are asking for the signed copy?

Shanda: Yes.

Rob: So two different landing pages depending on which route they go?

Shanda: Exactly.

Rob: That’s awesome.

Shanda: And if they take a free copy of the book, then we try to get them to drop into the Webinar, which he hadn’t been wildly successful in. We’re still cracking the code on that. That’s the honest to God truth.

Rob: And so, you take them from the signed copy, free plus shipping, right into the coaching. What’s the offer on the coaching?

Shanda: There’s a page with a video of me just welcoming them and encouraging them to read the book and that we’ll get that signed copy out to them. Below that, there’s an opportunity for you to get coaching from a senior coach on my team. We have two senior coaches. The coaches are looking for the number one challenge the person’s having inside their business and they’re going to coach them if they’re an ideal client.

They are not all ideal clients. We don’t make offers to everyone. Just the other day, one of our, one of our girls said, “All they want to do is write a book.” And I’m like, “Did you send them to Rob?!” That’s what we’re looking to do and we want to be the most generous and the most successful coaching company for business owners to go through to grow their audience and become profitable soon.

So part of that means we need to send them wherever they want to go right now. If they are an ideal client, we will make them an offer for our PACE club, which stands for Profit Acceleration Club for Entrepreneurs. That’s a $10,000 program that we checked them through over the of the year.

Rob: Awesome. You gave me some numbers on this. Can I give those numbers?

Shanda: By all means. Those numbers will significantly grow because right now we’re selling PAE club and then towards the end of the year, we’ll sell PACE club for the January start date. So those numbers are going to significantly grow.

Rob: Beautiful. From this funnel you’ve sold 35 people into the PACE club, according to the numbers you gave me. So that’s 350k but you’ve also sold List Power and Shanda’s Success System, which you didn’t mention, but those are two of your info products as well.

Shanda: Yep. So List Power is $997. Sometimes we run a bonus for $600, but really the product is worth five grand. We coach them for three months on top of giving them the info product. Shanda’s Success System is my sales training and I used to sell that for $1500 and I brought it down to $97 because people need to put cash in their pocket.

Rob: That’s the I-Solve process in essence, right?

Shanda: Yea.

Rob: I love it. I always joke about this, but you have the most beautiful mastermind group I’ve ever seen. I tell my wife about that as well. The other thing that I say and, my business partner Kevin and I talk about this, is that they are killers on the telephone. I mean, I don’t want that to sound bad. I mean that in the like most favorable way. Like you teach people to get on the telephone and meet people’s needs, to help them and close deals. I love that.

Shanda: Yeah. So that’s my sale model. That’s what I sell for $97. We’ve had a “cash injection” month for a bunch of my clients. I don’t know what happened, but a bunch of them got into a cash crunch in one shot, where they wanted something that was going to require them to stretch. It was a cash crunch because they can’t get that thing that they want because we inspire big vision. So like five people come to me and they ask, “what’s a good cash injection?” None of them had ever sold intensives before, they didn’t know how to.

Rob: I saw that in the mastermind. They were all selling intensives.

Shanda: They’re all selling intensives and they’re selling like hotcakes. Like a woman that’s never sold anything, who’s brand new to the community uses my ISOLVE model, that I sell for $97 on my website, and in about a day and a half, she sent me a text us and she said, “Oh my God, I’ve never sold anything like this. I just think $5,000 in a day and a half.”

And she’s probably $47,000 in debt right now. I said, do that every day! Literally, do two of those a week. It’s so possible! But again, it comes down to what we’re willing to do. We have a newsletter going out on Monday about how business has become an epidemic. It’s almost like we’re cool if we’re busier. It needs to be shifted because it costs you too much money.

If you’re scared or you don’t think you can do it, or you don’t think you have enough clients, or you don’t have enough people to talk to, come talk to me. It’s amazing that we can get over all of that. Inside of every day, there’s an opportunity for a ton of production. They use that ISOLVE program to get on the phone.

Selling through email, which I love, selling through ads and funnels, which I also love, is harder than getting on the phone and talking to someone and everybody avoids it because they’re afraid of some level of rejection. The big ticket sales are done on the phone. And I think a lot of people are hiding from that. So they’re spending a lot of time getting pretty websites up and a lot of time just working on things that are not producing cash flow now. There’s nothing worse for an entrepreneur than being in a cash crunch so you’ve got to get out of it.

Rob: I think that’s what I loved about this funnel when you described it. We talked about a lot of things and maybe people could get confused because we talked about the $97 ISOLVE program you’re selling or the $997 program but the reality is this is really simple.

This is a video ad to your free book. They have two options to buy them. They can either buy it or get it for free as a digital download. Either way, you’re asking for their telephone number and you’re getting on the telephone, not you, but your coaches or team. That’s it.

It’s an ad to get my free book, which gives you all of my stuff and we’re going to get on the telephone and if you’re a fit, we’re going to make you an ISOLVE offer. That’s so simple. Anybody can do that with their book? Right? Anybody can

You don’t need to complicate it. You don’t need an autoresponder. You don’t need any of those things. You just need a telephone and you need a way to get people to your offers. So I love that.

Shanda: Well, what I was saying is that we actually use an infusion-soft technology through texting to do it, but it’s not necessary. Even if it was just me starting up, I would do this funnel all day long. I would take out my phone and text them personally on my phone.

Rob: I know you would!

Shanda: I would! We get about 20 a day and anybody can text message 20 a day. Of those 20, if 5 of them become $10,000 clients. That’s 50 grand.

Rob: Yea. Let’s say one does, right? That’s 10 grand.

Shanda: When you call, more buy. It’s not the same (as selling digitally). You have to be really hungry to pick up the phone and call. The great thing is everybody’s trying to do these qualifiers to qualify people. Do text message marketing and have them an inbound call to you.

Rob: I love that.

Shanda: And when that happens, you’ve already figured out the qualified people. Qualified doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve got the money in the bank, but they will figure it out because they want to succeed. They’re hungry. Does that make sense?

Rob: Oh absolutely it does. 100%. I love it and it makes it even simpler. You’re texting them and you don’t have to use Infusionsoft. You can use something like Call Fire or whatever. Or if you’re hustling this on your own, then just text them yourself and say, if you’re interested, just call me back. Wow.

Shanda: Yeah, it really is super easy. So basically you’re looking at a registration page, landing page, and thank you page. That’s it.

Rob: That’s it. It’s three pages. Before I knew what a funnel was or about 10 years ago when I wrote my first book, my offer was to get a free copy of my book. I didn’t even know what the heck I was doing, but it was to get a free copy of my book and call the office and that’s it. Call the radio station because I did it on the radio or call the office. That was the whole offer. There was no website, there was no nothing. We made 1 million bucks or very first year using that simple strategy.

Shanda: I want to say something that I think you said really that was really important for people to hear and that is that there was no website. Most new online business owners think they need to have a website for credibility. And I get it. There was one point in my life I thought that I needed, when I worked for Coldwell Banker that I needed a VP title to lean on because I didn’t get that it was really me that mattered, not the VP title.

Rob: So if you just not need anything else to give you the confidence, like they’ll do a leadership training or something to really get your power, you really don’t need a website. I mean it’s great to have one if you’re going to start selling other things and blogging and things like that, but there’s nothing more important than getting on the phone and getting things moving. Because like you said, that’s how it happens. That’s how I made 7 figures.

Yup. 100%. Most people who are doing marketing online has their book at the front of their funnel. I’m obviously the book guy so whatever someone thinks to me, that’s important, but when you see, for example, what Russell Brunson is doing with his funnel, his entire Click Funnels offer is fronted by his book.

Frank Kern built his continuity to 500k a month, all with a free book offer on the front end. Everything with the free book offer on the front end. So I love what you’re doing. It is super, super scalable. We’re going to do this again when it’s like 10x what it is right now.

Shanda: I love it! So exciting!

Rob: Shanda, thank you so much. Any final words of wisdom?

Shanda: I waited a long time to write my book because I didn’t know what to say in that and for every penny, I ever paid you up to help me write my book because you helped me, I will say that $400,000 is beyond good and there is much more on its way. I wish I would have just written it sooner because the piece where I didn’t know what to put in the book, and I say this to my clients and people all the time, is that you helped me actually clarify that insight in like two phone calls. I had my whole table of contents and my mission. You help me organize all the thoughts that were drifting for so many years. So thank you. I appreciate it.

Rob: Thank you, Shanda. It was my honor and our team’s honor. You’re not, you’re never short on taking action, that’s for sure. Lots of action takers are wondering which direction to go in and evidently, that was your situation too, so you went in the right direction.

Where to Connect with Shanda

Website | Facebook