At Funnel Hacking Live, I got to go on stage with about 20 other Prime Mover award winners.

Russell Brunson lined us up and started asking the same two questions:

1. How long have you been in the program?
2. How many presentations did it take for you to earn your award?

Everyone was answering... 2 presentations… 4 presentations… 6 presentations…

It was a great moment of social proof for the audience. A room full of people seeing real business owners earning back their investment in just a few tries.

Then Russell got to me.

“How long have you been in the program?”

“July of 2024.”

“How many presentations did it take you to earn your award?”

I held up a zero with my hand.

“Zero.”

Russell looked at me. “Zero? How does that work?”

“I presold it to my list.”

He laughed. The audience laughed. He clapped and said, “There you go! Give him a round of applause!”

And that was it.

That moment?

That’s exactly why you need a list.

I don’t have a huge audience.

I don’t have millions of followers.

I have less than 1,000 subscribers.

But I email them every single day.

Tips. Encouragement. Value.

I don’t just show up when I have something to sell.

So when I do?

They pay attention.

Because trust was already there.

This is why you build a list.

This is why you create lead magnets.

This is why you nurture, not just collect.

Because when you have a list that listens, you don’t have to rely on “launches” or hope your pitch converts.

You already have people who are ready.

And when the time comes?

You can hold up a big zero and say, “I already had buyers waiting.”

🚀

• James

​P.S. If you don’t have a list, start one today. Create something valuable. Give it away. And then keep showing up. That’s the real game.