Summary5 min read

The Russell Brunson Show: “You Gotta Have Faith... Marketing Faith”

Date: May 30, 2017
Host: Russell Brunson
Podcast: The Russell Brunson Show

Overview

In this episode, Russell Brunson dives into the crucial role of faith in both marketing and entrepreneurship. Using relatable anecdotes from his personal and business life, he illustrates how doubt can shift consumer decisions and how taking action—in the absence of certainty—is the foundation of true entrepreneurial and personal growth. Brunson weaves together practical marketing insights with philosophical reflections on faith, risk, and reward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marketing by Planting Seeds of Doubt

Anecdote: The Water Machine Switch
- Russell shares how his colleague Steve Larsen convinced him to replace his beloved Athena water machine with another brand (Echo) simply by planting a “seed of doubt” about its effectiveness.
  - “He planted a seed of doubt, and that seed of doubt became so big that my Athena water machine... is now sitting as you see here in my garage in this big pile of garbage.” — Russell Brunson (03:35)
- Brunson admits he never verified the claim, but the subtle doubt led him to completely change his behavior and purchase decision.
Marketing Principle:
- The core of this principle isn’t about being manipulative, but about understanding how doubt influences buyers.
  - “The marketing principle is true. Whether you’re doing it about yourself, other people. How can you place a seed of doubt?” (05:00)

2. The Role of Faith in Entrepreneurship

Faith Before Action
- Russell underscores that entrepreneurship is about acting without guarantees—having faith before results are visible.
  - “Entrepreneurship is all about not guaranteeing. And so you have to like have an idea and then you have to have faith in yourself. If you don’t have faith in yourself... you’re not going to do it and then you’re not going to succeed.” (06:14)
- He draws parallels between faith in business and faith in religion—both require belief before evidence.
Critique of Desire for Guarantees
- He contrasts entrepreneurship with traditional paths like education, which are perceived (not always accurately) as guaranteed.
- The absence of a guarantee is “what makes it fun,” and builds real growth and satisfaction.

3. Real-World Example: The Inner Circle Dilemma

Story of a Hesitant Entrepreneur
- Russell tells the story of an entrepreneur who repeatedly inquired about joining Brunson’s high-ticket Inner Circle coaching ($25k/year), but never took the leap due to fear of not having a guarantee.
  - “He said the reason I didn’t join was because I didn’t think the Inner Circle could help me with my specific problem... I didn’t want to just throw 25k at the wall not knowing.” (13:45)
- Ironically, the Inner Circle is the most personalized option on offer, yet the prospect wanted certainty beforehand.
Russell’s Response & Lesson
- Russell provided a hint via a relevant funnel link instead of giving direct answers, reinforcing that growth comes from action, not certainty.
  - “My goal is not to sell you an Inner Circle. My goal is not to tell you, like, I know the secret—give me 25k and I’ll tell you. Like, you missed the whole point. The point is that you have to have faith first.” (15:20)

4. Faith as the Engine of Growth—Wins and Losses

Success Comes From the Unknown
- Russel makes it clear that the most significant achievements result from stepping into uncertainty.
  - “If you knew ahead of time, then what’s the point? There’s no challenge. There’s no—this whole life becomes really boring if there’s no faith.” (09:30)
Personal Story: Wrestling State Title
- He recalls winning a wrestling state title, noting it was the struggle, not the guarantee, that made victory meaningful.
  - “The not knowing is what makes it great. The fear of failure is what makes the success so great.” (18:00)
- Those who demand guarantees either miss out on real growth or rationalize their decisions post-factum.
Encouragement to Keep Faith Even After Failure
- Not every risk or coach will work out, but the process refines belief and leads to eventual wins.
  - “Sometimes we put our faith in the wrong things, which is understandable... But keep putting faith in people, in ideas, in products, because one of them will work. They don’t all work. That’s okay. But they will if you do that first.” (19:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Marketing Doubt:
“He planted a seed of doubt, and that seed of doubt became so big that my Athena water machine... is now sitting as you see here in my garage.”
— Russell Brunson (03:35)
On Entrepreneurship and Faith:
“Entrepreneurship is all about not guaranteeing. And so you have to like have an idea and then you have to have faith in yourself.”
— Russell Brunson (06:14)
On Inner Circle Hesitation:
“I didn’t want to just throw 25k at the wall not knowing.”
— [Unnamed entrepreneur, paraphrased by Russell] (13:45)
On Real Growth:
“If you knew ahead of time, then what’s the point? ... The not knowing is what makes it great. The fear of failure is what makes the success so great.”
— Russell Brunson (18:00)
On Failure and Faith:
“Sometimes we put our faith in the wrong things... But keep putting faith in people, in ideas, in products, because one of them will work.”
— Russell Brunson (19:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:01 — Introduction & background on marketing doubt.
02:30 — Story: Steve Larsen, the water filter, and seeds of doubt.
05:00 — Explanation of the “seed of doubt” marketing principle.
06:14 — The necessity of faith in entrepreneurship.
09:30 — Parallels between religious and entrepreneurial faith.
11:00 — Story: The entrepreneur who won’t take the leap.
13:45 — Message exchange with the hesitant Inner Circle prospect.
15:20 — The importance of acting despite uncertainty.
18:00 — Wrestling state title analogy—why the struggle matters.
19:30 — Lessons about failure and continuing to keep faith.

Final Thoughts & Tone

The episode is direct, conversational, and steeped in personal experience. Russell’s tone is encouraging but unfiltered—he’s honest about both entrepreneurial risks and the frustration of watching others become paralyzed by the desire for guarantees. His overarching theme is simple yet profound: “You gotta have faith.” Only by moving forward without certainty do entrepreneurs—and people—find true growth and success.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:02]
A
So the big question is this. How are entrepreneurs like us who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, who are spending money from our own pockets? How do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Russell Brunson, and welcome to marketing secrets. What's up, everybody? This is Russell. Russell brunson. Welcome to the marketing secrets podcast. Now, if you are watching this@marketingsecrets.com you can go watch the video of me showing you something cool. If you're just listening itunes, that's cool too. But if you go to marketingsecrets.com youm can actually see what I'm showing you guys. So last week I did a podcast or a couple days ago about planting seeds of doubt. All these people messaged me like, russell, you're so mean. I was like, I wasn't trying to be mean with this. I'm trying to explain a really important marketing principle. And so I want to show you guys something to kind of prove this whole thing works. So a lot of you guys know Steve Larsen, who sits next to me every day building funnels. And. And when he first started working for me, at the time, I had a water filter machine. It was an Athena that we paid, I think, three grand for. And I always loved it because it was like this really cool thing. It filtered our water and did all this cool stuff. And then he told me, he's like, oh, well, if you're using that brand, it actually doesn't work. So there's only one brand that is any good, and it's a company he used to work for called echo. And I was like, really? Like, why? Like, why? He said, well, they had this patent, said most water machines, the way they filter. So after like, five or six filters, it builds up all this residue on something and it stops working. And he said, this company has a patent where what they do is that every time you turn on, it flips this thing which break, and then it, like, pushes through and breaks off the stuff so it keeps working. Now, I have no idea if that's true. He may have completely made it up for all I know, but he planted a seed of doubt, and that seed out became so big that my Athena water machine that I love, in fact, my kids just call it magic water. Every single day, we would go and we would make magic water out of it. It is now sitting as you see here in my garage in this big pile of garbage we just ripped out of the wall. Actually cut the plug because it was hard to get to. And it's gone. It's just sitting there now. Because I don't, I don't know if it works. I have a seat of doubt. And then I was gonna get a Kong and he's like, no, Kongan can't do it either. These guys are the only ones in the world that have the patent. And so because of that, guess what I have right over here. You never guess. Yes, it is one of the echo machines. And sorry, it's kind of a mess here in the laundry room. So we have it because my wife doesn't think these look very good and they are kind of ugly. But now I come here and this is where I get all my water from. Is the echo machine okay? Now again, I have no idea if it actually is better. It could be worse for all I know. But he placed the seat of doubt that caused me to rip my old machine out and put a new one in and not go with other competitors. So the marketing principle is true. Whether you're doing it about yourself, other people. How can you place a seed of doubt? So there's a follow up from yesterday for those who think that I was mean. I'm not being mean to you guys. I'm just teaching good marketing principles anyway, so that's what I got. Alright. Now one more thing I want to share with you guys because this is important. I think a lot of people struggle with this is having faith before you take action. Okay? Entrepreneurs, you'd be successful, you have to have faith first, right? You don't know that your product, your service is going to work. Like if you have that guarantee, then everybody would do it. It'd be like, oh, I'm guaranteed. In fact, that's why people go to school, because you're like, oh, I'm guaranteed to get a job. Turns out you're not. At least not a good job. But people, because of the guarantee, they do it right. Entrepreneurship is all about not guaranteeing. And so you have to like have an idea and then you have to have faith in yourself. If you don't have faith in yourself, then you have like, then you're not going to do it and then you're not going to success and then all disappear. So it all hinges on faith. It's weird. I don't know if you guys are religious or not and doesn't really matter to me for this thing, but religion is the same way, right? Like, we get the. Like, we have to have faith first. Then we take that step forward, and then the truth is manifested back to us. Like, oh, that thing you did was actually right. But if you knew ahead of time, then what's the point? There's no challenge. There's no. There's no. This whole life becomes really boring if there's no faith. If you knew the answer to everything before you went into it, then why would this even be fun? It wouldn't. We'd be bored out of our minds. Now, I'm telling you this because I had a funny experience today that I want to illustrate because it's kind of. It illustrates this, and it's why a lot of people struggle is because they don't have faith first. They're waiting for the perfect answer before they move. So there's this guy. I'm not going to mention his name. He's a cool guy, but like three or four times over the last two years, he's messaged me asking about my inner circle. And he always like, I'm going to join, man. I'm like, cool, like, here's where you apply. He said, well, ask some questions first. I always ask as much questions. And he. He never applies. Yeah, and it's happened, I think, at least three, maybe even four times in the last two years. And I'm always like, hey, man, go get in a circle. I can work with you. I do get my best coaching almost a million entrepreneurs, but I can't talk to every person individually. I wish I could, but I can't because I have 100 people inner circle. I'm boxing every single day on my phone, trying to keep with them, as well as running my own company and my family and my church and the scout group and everything else I'm doing. It's insane, right? I can't help everybody. I wish I could, but people I can't help, they're in inner circle. That's just how it works. So getting inner circle, I can look deeper in your stuff. Anyway, so he messaged me today. It's kind of funny. He said, what you think? He showed me his funnel and he said, compliments. Click funnels. I was like, oh, cool, man. You got done. Congratulations. Looks great. And then he said, problem is, this is the best. Problem is I can't get it to sell. For the life of me, when people try it, they're hooked. But getting people to buy it out of the gate, no bueno. And so I went back to slide to look a Little closer. And I looked like I smiled. And I sent Steven Larsen as well. I'm like, hey, what do you think about this funnel? I'm like, I want to know in three seconds. And three seconds he's like boom, boom, boom. I was like exactly those three as well. And I was like, I can just tell him. But like then he didn't. He missed the whole point. Right. So I came back and said, and I was trying to help him out. So I said I won't tell you the answer because you didn't join the inner circle. Three times you asked me about it. Haha. But here's a hint. And I gave him a link to a certain funnel. I said the answer's in this funnel. And it is like everything he's looking for in that funnel. So it was a huge heads up. Hopefully. Anyway, we'll see if he runs it or not. But I sent that and just kind of said it that way. And he said was my video wrong? Asking if it was the video. It's not the video of the video. Could use some help. He said the reason I didn't join was because I didn't think the inner circle could help me with my specific problem. Names his product. And I didn't want to just throw 25k at the wall not knowing. Okay, So I got that, I laughed out loud and I read it to Stephen and he laughed and because first off, the inner circle is all about personalizing your problem. What is your problem? And you message me and I tell you the answer. So it's the most personalized coaching program on planet earth for our industry. Right. So like I don't think it would help my specific problem and I didn't want 3rd 25k while not knowing. So I didn't want to have faith and just like assume that you know what you're talking about seeing as you've helped, you know, hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and you know you have all these people that pay you 25k a year and they renew every single year because you just keep helping them. Probably 10 or so are all supplement companies, but I didn't know I'm not going to pay you. And then he said this after looking at blank and if you have some big ideas on how to blow it up that you know the 25k would be chump change for, for investing to get your help, then obviously that's a no brainer. So he says if I can come to him and say hey man, I know exactly what it is, give me 25k. And I'll tell you these things. I guarantee you'll make more than that. Then he would do it. Then he will take a leap of faith when there's no leap of faith to be made. I was just like, my goal is not to sell you an inner circle. My goal is not to tell you, like, I know the secret. Give me 25k and I'll tell you. Like, you missed the whole point. The goal, the point is that you have to have faith first. You have to. Like, the mentors I've hired in my life, I didn't know if they were gonna be good. I looked at them, I tried to do my research. I saw other people I work with. And you're just like, okay, I don't know. But I'm gonna have faith, and I'm gonna take a step forward. And then when you do that, you get rewarded for it, right? Anyway, I wrote back and said, sorry, man, inner circle's closed. For now anyway. But the answer's in that. So hopefully he finds it. It's there for him. And again, I don't want to be a jerk. It's just like, I get some people hitting up, I can't help. If I could help everyone free, I would, because it's so much fun. But it's just interesting how people don't want to take that faith. And if you want to be an entrepreneur, like, you have to understand, like, that's the game. That's the whole entire thing, is you have to have faith first. Faith in your idea, faith in the product, faith in the process, faith in the coaches, faith in mentors, faith in all these different things. And you're not going to know ahead of time. If you did, it's not entrepreneurship. If you did, it's no fun. If somebody came to you and said, this is Zach product sales message, everything like that, then you did it, and it worked. It's like gambling. It's like cheating. It doesn't count. It's not real. It comes from the excitement, the thrill, the fun, the satisfaction. Everything comes from the success of it. I remember I started wrestling. When I started wrestling, I had another friend that wrestled. We both started at the same time. It was interesting because after a year, he quit and I didn't. Within, like, three years, I won a state title. And I remember after running a state title, he told me, he's like, oh, man, I could have won a state title, too, but I just didn't want to, you know, I just didn't want to put in the effort. I was like, are you kidding me? You know what I went through in the last three years to get that, to earn that? Like, if I would have known up front, like, I guarantee you'd get a state title. I don't know if it would not have any fun. Like, I would have been like, oh, what's the point? That if I know if I can guarantee to get a state title, if I do it, then why would I even do it? You know what I mean? The not knowing is what makes it great. The fear of failure is what makes the success so great. If you don't have that, can you imagine what life would be like? Can you imagine how boring it would be? Every Sunday you wake up and you know there's no chance of failure, so you just. I can't even imagine. Like, I would. Ugh. Anyway, so I want. My message for you guys today as entrepreneurs is you have to understand that it takes the faith first. You have the faith, you take the step, and then you'll be rewarded. And sometimes we put our faith in the wrong things, which is understandable, and we follow something and it doesn't work. Or we hire someone and they don't work out. But you shouldn't lose faith in all things. Maybe I got the wrong mentor, the wrong person. But keep putting faith in people, in ideas, in products, because one of them work. They don't all work. That's okay. But they will if you do that first. So anyway, you gotta have faith, as George Michaels would say. That's all I got you guys. Appreciate you all. Have an amazing day and we'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye, everybody. Would you like to see behind the scenes of what we're actually doing each day to grow our company? If so, then go subscribe to our free behind the scenes reality TV show at www.funnelhacker.tv.