Join Kasim as he sits down with Matthew Stafford, CEO of Build Grow Scale, to discuss the game-changing tool that can help scale Shopify stores.

The game-changing tool we're talking about is "The Early Checkout." It's a weekly newsletter that aims to provide a deep dive into the latest strategies across SEO to paid traffic, influencer marketing, and more to help you grow your store and make more sales.

Aside from The Early Checkout, Kasim and Matthew talk about the potential of AI in the eCommerce industry and the AI tools they recommend. They also discuss the importance of focusing on your checkout page to scale your eCom business, and more. Listen to this episode now.

Mentioned Links:

The Early Checkout: https://www.theearlycheckout.com/

Chatbase: https://www.chatbase.co/

MeasurementMarketing.io: https://measurementmarketing.io/

Connect with Matthew Stafford on LinkedIn:  

 / matthewstafforddotcom  

Learn more about Build Grow Scale here: https://buildgrowscale.com/

0:00 FREE Resource 29,000+ Shopify Owners Read To Grow Their Shopify Stores

2:37 The resurgence of newsletters

4:28 Using AI as a supercharging tool

8:35 AI will decrease the number of people you need

13:45 Focus on your checkout page

14:44 AI tools Matthew recommends

16:35 Bard VS. ChatGPT

18:44 Tactics are fun and they work but it still takes the engine that drives the entire train

21:42 Connect with Matthew Stafford

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Hey, it's Kostin with Solutions 8, and I'm excited to welcome

2

back my buddy, Matthew Stafford,

founder and CEO of BuildGrowthScale.

3

Matt, thanks for being

here as always, buddy.

4

Yeah.

5

Excited to be here.

6

Good to see you.

7

And you have a new initiative that

we're just going to dive right

8

into, which is, it's a newsletter

specifically for e commerce store

9

owners called the early checkout.

10

first of all, this is a masterclass

in CRO right out of the gate.

11

Like I love everything

that you've done here.

12

I love the delineation

in the offers using font.

13

Without looking messy, you've broken

this up in nine different ways.

14

Five minute read,

thousands more customers.

15

Like what a great value

proposition that is.

16

29, 000 Shopify owners read this

to grow their Shopify stores.

17

this is just so well done.

18

so give me the sales pitch.

19

What's the value prop?

20

Why would I sign up?

21

the part of the reason is, because I

actually reached out and got people

22

like yourself, to be contributors.

23

So over the years, obviously we've

been doing e commerce at really high

24

level for about 10 years and which is

forever on the internet, but, we focus

25

on conversion rate optimization, but

there's other parts to e commerce like

26

Google ads, Facebook ads, email, SEO.

27

And so instead of trying to be all

things to everybody what we did is

28

we got together with a whole bunch

of the very best people in e commerce

29

and asked them to be contributors.

30

And through that.

31

It's meant to be about 800

words for each deep dive.

32

So a good 10, 15 minutes you can go

through it once a week, twice a week

33

and basically get all your areas of e

comm covered in one spot and then also

34

be able to reach out to the experts

that are doing it at a high level.

35

Yeah.

36

I'll share just so our viewers

can see, this is the first.

37

publication that I was

sent and it's robust.

38

This doesn't feel like generic copy,

this feels like really actionable

39

insights and it's a choose your

own adventure to it's, what is it

40

specifically that you're looking for?

41

And then you can dive down those

rabbit holes as is necessary.

42

Yeah.

43

And we even give you a kind of,

Hey, this is what you're gonna find

44

out from this particular article.

45

So you can come back and

some peaks are in a test.

46

It's really meant to give you nuggets.

47

Yeah.

48

I'd love to.

49

So newsletters I'm now obsessed with

my business partner, Perry Belcher

50

talks about this all the time.

51

like you never thought that newsletters

were going to make a comeback.

52

You know what I mean?

53

got me excited about them

54

yeah.

55

I think they have one of the highest

valuations of any new business category,

56

but it makes so much sense because

we're so overwhelmed with content.

57

you need someone who's smart and

discerning to say, here's what

58

to pay attention to this week I'm

trying not to be hyperbolic, but

59

I actually really feel this way.

60

I'll get like panic attacks.

61

Feeling like I'm missing out.

62

Yeah.

63

Because I'm in digital marketing,

which means all the things.

64

And I'm like, I have to know

everything all the time.

65

And it's really nice.

66

I subscribe to four or five newsletters.

67

And I at least feel like I'm not

caught unaware when someone's

68

Oh, did you hear about the thing?

69

Like I feel safe.

70

Sure, Protected.

71

Same even in e commerce digital

marketing, whenever you're consulting

72

people that are in business, you

feel like you have to have a broader

73

scope AI it's such a broad scope

that for us, we just keep narrowing it

74

back down to okay, it's a great tool.

75

it does replace.

76

The need for the number of

people that you have, but really

77

the way that we've viewed it.

78

And the way that we've talked to our

other business owners is to use it

79

as a tool to supercharge yourself.

80

So basically create like super employees.

81

So not get rid of anybody, but give

everybody the ability to use a tool

82

that Makes what they do more powerful.

83

And one way that I just give you a couple

of examples of what we've talked last

84

using AI's knowledge base where now

what you can do is you can essentially

85

put all of your product information

into a knowledge base and then have that

86

live on your site as a little chat bot.

87

They're getting really good with in

fact, we're actually developing a product.

88

doesn't have to do with e commerce,

but using one of those bots,

89

because you can actually make them

go out and query information and

90

come back, be very conversational.

91

You can actually have them speak bunch of

different things that we're playing with.

92

But just to give you an example one

of Our coaching students, they have

93

about a 2, 000 average order value.

94

So their product is extremely technical.

95

Their conversion rate on their site

was around 1%, a little over 1%.

96

We.

97

Went in there, cleaned up, took all

of their knowledge base from all

98

the different models and all the

different things and put it in there.

99

And now it can answer questions and

their conversion rate went up over 2%.

100

2, 000 product, it's

literally life changing

101

. Everybody that now they can buy

more traffic than competitors.

102

. I always tell people, chances are

you don't have a traffic problem.

103

90 percent of the time people come

to me like we have a traffic problem.

104

I'm like, no, you don't.

105

You have a conversion problem.

106

And when fix that, we'll

get to the traffic.

107

I didn't mean to interrupt you.

108

No.

109

I have the same conversation

because people come to me and they

110

go, Oh yeah, ads aren't working.

111

I'm like what's your conversion rate?

112

And they're like, Oh, it's 2%.

113

Your ads are working.

114

Yeah.

115

For every hundred people you get to

your site, two people are buying.

116

I said, think about the 98 that left

that came, go get two more of those.

117

You doubled your business, right?

118

You guys are thinking like, Oh, my

ads, I need to send more people.

119

No, you just need to do a better job

with the people that already came

120

and you'll double your business way

before you have to go buy more traffic.

121

Yeah.

122

yeah, that's not the issue.

123

So for them, essentially, if you

think about it, that customer support

124

person is never in a bad mood.

125

They're never short.

126

They can give complete answers.

127

And they probably make way less

mistakes and they're on 24, seven.

128

And so you can put guardrails

on the backside of it.

129

Like never mentioned our competitors

never, be very conversational or be

130

very, jovial, whatever you give it, all

these guidelines and it will literally

131

change the way that chat bot works.

132

Is this proprietary or are you using

a tech stack that you can share?

133

yeah, there's several of them out there.

134

I will tell you the easiest one

to use is probably chatbase.

135

co.

136

That's the one I've seen people using too.

137

Yeah.

138

It's very cool.

139

We're building a custom one for what

we're doing just because of the, what

140

we're trying to get it to do, but

chatbase will work for 99 percent

141

of Every e commerce owner out there.

142

My experience with people who

have used it's not plug and play.

143

You buy it and then it's

about how well you train it.

144

And so there's some logic

going in on the back end.

145

that one of the things that

you teach at BuildGrowthScale?

146

We can, and we probably will just

because for us, it's fairly new.

147

So we always do the stuff on

our big partner stores first.

148

And then if it's working,

then we use that to teach.

149

yeah we're getting some

really good results.

150

So now that will then trickle down

into our membership where we teach.

151

So for sure.

152

You said something that I

really appreciate it because

153

nobody's willing to say this.

154

You said AI will decrease the

number of people you need.

155

And so far I think Emperor's New

Clothes mantra has been like, oh,

156

no, it's not going to replace people.

157

It's just going to make what they do

more effective and they're going to

158

get to focus on what they want to do.

159

And I'm like, no there's definitely

going to be a, decrease in the amount

160

of human capital necessary along

certain assembly lines, hundred percent.

161

And so what I always say is where

you've used it, the people that

162

are making themselves valuable in

your company, if the AI reduces.

163

Their value in that particular area,

you're going to use them somewhere else.

164

Sure.

165

That's my question for you.

166

What are the roles that

you think are not AI proof?

167

Because that's a stupid way to phrase

it, but safe now, if somebody is in this

168

role, they should go learn another skill.

169

And if somebody is in this role, you

think that they're okay, or, not quite as.

170

Yeah.

171

What we live in the world of data,

like that's really what we do.

172

And so we're constantly looking at it.

173

I will tell you that we're

keep trying to find ways to let

174

AI, analyze the data for us.

175

Yeah.

176

But no matter what, it's always going to

take somebody is going to have to then

177

translate that into how it's going to.

178

Affect the site or hey, what is

this data actually telling us?

179

How do we make it better we're measurement

marketing piece is still very human.

180

Yes, Chris Mercer.

181

Nope.

182

I don't mercerownesmeasurementmarketing.

183

io.

184

I've said this all the time.

185

I think Mercer is the most important

voice in digital marketing.

186

He teaches people how to do

exactly what you just said.

187

And here's the best part.

188

Nobody wants to listen to him.

189

Because he has the worst time, he's

Oh, I'm going to teach you measurement.

190

And everybody's Oh dear God, no.

191

Like they want to learn offers.

192

But I love that you just

brought that full circle.

193

I'm probably going to send

this interview to him.

194

I do, I should connect you guys.

195

There's a ton.

196

Yeah, I would love that.

197

We've got a bunch of customers for you.

198

I'm sure.

199

But I think you've got a bunch of

customers for him too, because people

200

have to start learning measurement.

201

They have to, it's critical.

202

Yeah.

203

It's amazing.

204

So we're dealing with a company right now.

205

It cracks me up how far into the process

they get before they actually start.

206

Thinking, Oh, I need to clean up my data.

207

Oh, I need to do this.

208

And they don't realize like all

along the way, they've just been

209

leaking like companies that are doing

several million dollars a month.

210

Like they've literally leaked millions of

dollars on the way to that because they're

211

doing that now and they have no good data.

212

And so when we go in there and cleaning

up just those little things, it's crazy.

213

The difference you take equity deals.

214

I do.

215

Yeah.

216

I would, man, there's gotta be so much

leverage for you there because the one

217

or two or three things where you're like,

Oh gosh, I could, double the EBIT on this

218

company just by pulling these two levers.

219

Yeah, that's been a huge change

for us over the last 12 months.

220

It was more agency work and now

we do a lot more Hey, we'd love to

221

come in and have some skin in the

game and do something partnership.

222

What are the pre qualifications for that?

223

If somebody wanted to partner

with you in that way, they need

224

to be a certain size industry.

225

Yeah, it makes sense.

226

Obviously, a really good idea that we know

that we can reach out to some of our other

227

strategic partners that know how to run

ads and do things like that we don't do.

228

But typically I would say it's got

to be at least a quarter million

229

a month that they're doing gross.

230

Yeah.

231

Sales.

232

Okay.

233

Yep.

234

Because what we see is when you get up

to the two, 3 million a month traffic

235

again, like us coming in and optimizing

and doing that, it helps and it sure

236

cleans up the process, but they don't

get that two to 3 million a month 6

237

million a month from us optimizing.

238

They've already got it working

well enough that it's good.

239

People that are around

that 200, 300, 000 a month.

240

They have a good idea.

241

They have a good product.

242

They have a obviously a supply chain.

243

And when we come in and fix the

website and clean up the communication

244

and stuff like that, those are the

ones that, five, six X and in a

245

matter of months, and that for us

is, where the goal is so interesting.

246

So 250 grand a month for you is the

line of demarcation where an e commerce

247

business is effectively proven concept.

248

Yeah.

249

We know like you've got a real

business here that obviously runs.

250

Yeah.

251

And can in most cases be much

bigger once you clean up the CRO.

252

What's and don't give away the secret

sauce here or do it's up to you.

253

But if you were to give me the

short list, the three or five, man,

254

I go in and this lever, that's

the easy button for helping those

255

businesses when they're at that level.

256

The checkout.

257

Matters a lot.

258

That's where all the money, changes hands.

259

So the little changes there make the

biggest difference in the business.

260

It's funny how many people, even

at that level are still fascinated

261

with their logos and their

homepages and all the other stuff,

262

but there's so many more steps to

where the money actually transacts.

263

And so what we do is we always start

at the checkout and then go forward.

264

Because if I fix your homepage and make

it convert way better, all that does is

265

get more people to your product page.

266

If I fix your checkout,

you get more money.

267

And then if I fix your

cart, you get more money.

268

And then if I fix your product

page, you get more money.

269

And so we always start backwards and then,

started the checkout and work towards

270

the front of the store, even though they

want the look and feel to be better.

271

We just want to make more money.

272

What a phenomenal tip that

is, start at checkout.

273

I feel like that could be the name of a

newsletter or maybe a training series.

274

Or the early checkout.

275

Yeah.

276

Or the early checkout.

277

Yeah.

278

I guess you already have a newsletter.

279

I'll stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

280

What other AI tools are you using

right now that you'd point people at?

281

Obviously chat GPT we use it every day.

282

The cool thing is if someone does

a little bit of work with it we've

283

used it to go in and ridiculously

change the SEO for a site and would

284

have said, don't worry about it.

285

Just buy traffic, years ago.

286

In fact, that's what

I have said for years.

287

Now that you have an AI tool, like you

can use bar too, but like these tools

288

will give you exactly what you need to do.

289

And tell you the strategy and everything,

and one person can implement it.

290

we did it with a golf site.

291

We use it and they sell used golf clubs.

292

And so it's a constant

changeover of different products.

293

But it's great for SEO because

now they rank for all kinds

294

of terms for different things.

295

And we really used AI to do it where

as a manual process, if you had to

296

rewrite, 8, 000 product descriptions,

and then they're always changing,

297

it was never doable without AI.

298

Now it's totally doable with AI.

299

So there's a bunch of branches and

this always happens when I talk to

300

you, Matt, because there's all these

things I don't want to talk about.

301

I'm curious though, just to backpedal

a little bit, do you prefer chat GPT

302

or BARD in certain instances, if you

notice one is better than the other for.

303

speaking from my own experience I do

that you can hook up Google sheets to

304

chat GPT because by doing that, you can

feed in your product feed, you can feed

305

in the Google keyword tool, and then

also give it some really good prompts.

306

And then it will literally write all of

your product descriptions done in SEO.

307

Way and, we're very specific about

how we do it in three sentences or

308

less don't mention X, Y, Z, and then

use the most popular keywords and

309

it will write very conversational.

310

Product descriptions, which

matters if you think about it, why

311

was Jay Peterman such a success?

312

Cause every single product description

is a story and people remember stories.

313

And so if you where, if

you're not a copywriter, you'd

314

never be able to do that.

315

Or if you couldn't afford a copywriter,

you'd never be able to do that.

316

But now this tool literally gives

anybody that's willing to put a

317

little bit of time and effort into

it to differentiate themselves.

318

Are you going to Perry's AI Bot Summit?

319

Yeah, I'll be there.

320

I figured.

321

Are you speaking?

322

No.

323

Dude, I gotta, would you be

offended if I told Perry he

324

needs to drag you up on stage?

325

No, I don't know.

326

I don't know, he might, it's so close to

the time, he might already have his slate

327

figured out, but I'm gonna text him and

let him know that you're so funny, dude.

328

You would just sit there in the audience,

probably the smartest guy in the room.

329

I doubt it.

330

I don't know, man.

331

You're being too humble.

332

All right.

333

I've made the note for myself.

334

We've only got five minutes left.

335

How do we make this the most productive

five minutes of the interview?

336

What do people have to

know they're in e commerce?

337

They want to use AI.

338

What are the little hinges

that swing the big doors?

339

bEfore we hit record, we

were actually talking about

340

mindset and believe it or not.

341

Tactics are fun and they work

but it still takes the engine

342

that drives the entire train.

343

And what I've noticed is when the

owner or the CEO of the company

344

does the work between their ears,

the entire company does better.

345

And so a lot of times.

346

It's, yes, we'll give you things that

you can do that will make your business

347

work better and be more profitable.

348

But the things that you do for

yourself and learn about yourself

349

are typically going to make

your business grow just as much.

350

I had a really unique opportunity

to talk to a gentleman who works

351

on behalf of one of the largest

private equity firms in the world.

352

And all he does is run around

helping them buy businesses.

353

That's his job.

354

And I asked, I was in the middle

of my exit what's the thing

355

you're always looking for?

356

What's that one, key.

357

And he goes, we don't buy businesses.

358

We buy founders.

359

Yeah.

360

And I don't care what the business

does, how it does it, how long it's

361

been around, what profitability

is if the founder's not.

362

And he'll ask things

like, what do you read?

363

What do you watch?

364

What time do you wake up?

365

How do you spend your day?

366

Do you exercise?

367

And these are.

368

Goldman Sachs guys, these are

number cruncher, bean counter types.

369

You wouldn't ever expect such an

esoteric answer, you've heard their

370

name, like they're one of the largest

PEs in the world, billions of dollars.

371

And their mandate is by founders,

go get the people that do

372

the work between their ears.

373

Yeah.

374

on that subject, I always remember

something that Vinnie Fisher I

375

think, he's on the faculty of driven.

376

Okay.

377

Yeah.

378

he said, so many people think I'm going to

build this business to exit on and build

379

this business to exit and five years,

he said a little shift of go build the

380

business that you would buy in five years.

381

if you're going to exit, you're

getting off the ship, right?

382

So every decision that you make

is to get it to that point.

383

Then who wants to buy it when

you've taken it to the point

384

of wanting to let go of it.

385

If you build the business that you want

to buy in five years, five years from

386

now, that business sellable because

you've made decisions that are beyond

387

that, that are going to do much better.

388

For me, that's always been something that

I've never forgotten is build the business

389

that you want to buy in five years.

390

And it'll be a lot more sellable.

391

I'm going to go tweet that when we're done

here and pretend that I came up with it.

392

sell it to two other people.

393

And then after that, it's yours.

394

Then it's mine.

395

Yeah.

396

Those are the rules of

the internet, right?

397

It's copywritten hashtag trademark.

398

Where can people find you work with you?

399

Hang out with you.

400

Yeah.

401

Build gross scale.

402

com or they can email me at

Matt at build gross scale.

403

com.

404

Okay.

405

And if this is your first time

hearing from Matt, this is truly

406

one of the smartest people in the

world from an e com perspective.

407

He's been an e com at a

high level for a decade.

408

Build, grow, scale, I think has one of the

best curriculums, period, full stop when

409

it comes to e commerce development, mostly

Shopify strongholds, but not all right.

410

Like a wide variety.

411

Have you seen that go high levels

coming out with Shopify killer?

412

haven't, but they've been making

waves, so it wouldn't surprise me.

413

Yeah, that'd be worth you and

I talking about sometime too.

414

I'm one of their top affiliates, so I

gotta convert you over to the dark side.

415

Okay, talk to you about it.

416

Yeah.

417

Y'all go check out Matt.

418

All the links are in the

description of the video.

419

Comment, subscribe.

420

You know how YouTube works.

421

And we'll talk to you later.