Dan S. Kennedy's Blog, page 7

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Any small business that survived 2020 needed to be adaptable, needed determination and needed a little bit of luck. This episode of the Magnetic Marketing Podcast highlights a pandemic business story that has a happy ending, and it all started with four words: Make it rain Russell. This week, Joe is joined by the team at eLaunchers, Parthiv Shah, the President of eLaunchers and Russell Martino is a copywriter and a direct marketing specialist. Parthiv and Russell share the story of how eLaunchers was able to help their clients and their company survive the pandemic thanks to their grit, creativity, and Dan Kennedy.

About Parthiv Shah:
Parthiv is the President of eLaunchers.com, a locally grown & internationally know marketing automation company serving small & mid-sized businesses, professional service practices (dentists, orthodontists, CPA’s, attorneys, etc.) and elite information marketers. Parthiv has been an implementation craftsman & data scientist practicing big data in small business.

About Russell Martino:
Russell is a copywriter and a direct marketing specialist. He writes response-pulling sales copy, and develop marketing-systems that explode sales and methodically move your sales-and-profit needle higher and higher.

Specialties: Writing sales letters that sell. Building entire sales campaigns, online and off line, that pull a huge response. Developing marketing strategies that generate leads and establish new revenue streams that may add substantially to your bottom line. Finding untapped opportunity to generate a huge surge of business and cash flow in a short time.

Parthiv Shah & Russell Martino
 - Magnetic Marketing Podcast Transcription

Joe Pardavila: This is Dan Kennedy's Magnetic Marketing podcast. You'll meet folks that are using the Magnetic Marketing principles to take control of their advertising and marketing dollars. I'm Joe Pardavila. Let's do this.

Any small business that survived 2020 needed to be adaptable, needed determination and needed a little bit of luck.

And I'm just going to come out and say it, spoiler, this episode, all highlight a pandemic business story that has a happy ending, and it all started with four words, Make It Rain Russell. This week, I'm joined by the team at eLaunchers, a marketing automation company that serves small and mid-sized businesses and professional practices like dentists, orthodontists, CPAs, and attorneys.

Their names are Parthiv Shah, the president of eLaunchers,  and Russell Martino, a copywriter and direct marketing specialist. Parthiv, hello, how are you? 

Parthiv Shah: Wonderful. How are you doing? Thanks for having me. 

Joe Pardavila: I'm doing great. And Russell, how are you?

Russell Martino: Doing great, Joe. Thanks for inviting me to the podcast. 

Joe Pardavila: The reason I had to get you on this podcast is that I saw an email with the title that said Make It Rain Russell.

So I was like, this sounds like a really cool story. So Parthiv, take me back to March of 2020, the dark old days of 2020, and what inspired that message Make It Rain Russell.  

Parthiv Shah: I have been in the Kennedy world since 2009, my background, my passion, my profession are done for you implementation.

I've worked for physicians, dentists, orthodontists, attorneys, financial advisors. 2/3 of my clients are dentists and Covid-19 shut them down. I lost 84% of my revenue in two and a half days in March. So I had a family meeting. I put everybody on a Zoom call and I said, look, we are going to make this. Nobody's getting laid off.

Nobody's getting fired. We are going to fight this beast. Head-on. And I pray that we run out of the Coronavirus before we run out of cash.  

Joe Pardavila: And so that's what inspired the message that you sent to Russell? Make It Rain Russell. Russ, take us back to when you received that message from Parthiv. What were your initial thoughts?

Russell Martino: As always, when someone wants me to do something, I listen very carefully to what they say, what they want. What they're really asking and so on. And it was abundantly clear that eLaunchers had gotten into a real bind, the same bind so many other businesses in the United States were in. And some of them survived.

A lot of them didn't. Some are coming out of them. It just depends on what they do. So when Parthiv called me up and sent me the email and said, make it rain, please make it rain.  I'm a master copywriter, so I did what a master copywriter does. I ask a lot of questions and then it was just about getting business.

It was about getting people to say yes. And perhaps the most complex problem-ridden economic conditions since probably the 2008 recession. So I came up with a really intense headline. I called out the prospects. I did everything that a really good copywriter should do.

And I wrote a letter. And then Parthiv, as he mentioned, is a private client with Dan. And so Dan critiqued my letter, and Dan got back with me and he said, Russell, it's a good letter. He said, I only found five things that will make it a whole lot better. And I took copious notes and he was right on every single one of them.

And it ended up being a 20-page letter. 

Joe Pardavila: Wow. Is that normal?

Russell Martino: For long-form sales. Everybody says long copy is dead. That's crazy. It's insane. Anybody who believes that is completely out of touch with reality. Long-form is alive and well. And yes, people will read it. If you're interested in something, as long as the copy is not boring or confusing or redundant, you can't put too much information into it.

And if you're not interested, it doesn't matter how short it is. You're not interested. And so I write to people who are interested. That's why list research is so important. Part of this letter, Parthiv calls it the prism letter because essentially, after I dimensionalized the problem and just told the truth about how bad the situation is.

And how, if you don't do something different, you're going to just suffer and die as a business.  So what is the something different in this case is something that probably nobody in the country is better at, than Parthiv Shah. And that is granular list research that lets you identify the top 5% of the pyramid that Dan talks about so much, because who can afford to do business with people who sell expensive products and services in a down economy.

If not when the top 5%. Dan said something, and Dan is so brilliant. it just blows my mind. Every time I listen to him, he said, if you don't work on the top 5% of the pyramid, you're just going to lose out. He said, if a guy has $10 million and if he loses $5 million, guess what. He still has $5 million.

If a guy has a million dollars and he loses half of it, he's basically broke. He doesn't have any money for marketing. He said, so focus your marketing on the top percent of your pyramid in order to do that, you've got to have excellent list research. Otherwise, you're just wasting your marketing dollars, whether you're online or offline.

And the letter that I wrote was designed to be direct mail and then we've repurposed it and put it online. So we're using it in multiple formats, but the message was excellent list research combined with excellent copy that really connects with the prospect. For the Dan Kennedy fans out there, if that doesn't sound strangely like a message-to-market match, you're not paying enough attention today.

Joe Pardavila: And Parthiv, so you get Russell, you let them go to work, you connect him with Dan Kennedy. He puts together this sort of a 20-page tome that will help your customers. What was your initial reaction? 

Parthiv Shah: While the letter was being built I went to work, putting together our list of people I want to send this letter to, it took them about six weeks to build out the letter.

They began sending out the FedExes in June. We stopped losing money in August. October was our first month approaching our pre-COVID news. Russell made a trade. 

Joe Pardavila: Wow, gentlemen, the terms life or death, get thrown around all the time in business. This is going to be a matter of life or death.

Literally in 2020, what you do is a matter of life and death. So Russell, talking about the initial message you got from Parthiv, to then writing the letter, teaming up with Dan Kennedy and then it turning into a success. Tell us what your emotions were like when that all came full circle there.

Russell Martino: First of all, working with Dan is always a very high point for me. I love Dan. Before I ever met Dan and got to know him, he was one of my true business heroes. I'd probably listen to a thousand hours of Dan Kennedy products before I ever shook hands with him in person. And so getting pulled into his world and then having him actually critique my copy.

It was like a kid who idolized Mickey Mantle and all of a sudden Mickey Mantle's teaching him out of the bat. The fact is I wasn't surprised at all that it was a success, but I was delighted it was a success.  Not because, Oh, Russell, look, you did it again. The heck with all that, I was delighted because it meant that it helped eLaunchers considerably.

And more important for me, the eLaunchers clients that came on board because of my writing. They benefit a lot. And when they benefit, guess what? Their families benefit, their children benefit, their employees benefit. So I don't look at this as, yeah I write letters. I look at this as I have an opportunity to have a real positive effect on a lot of people's lives.

And my real client is usually in my mind, not the man or woman who's signing the check for me. They're just the conduit that makes it possible for me to do what I do, which is to write persuasive copy that when people agree to buy my client's products, their life somehow improves. 

And so I look at my client's clients, our customers, they're the ones I'm really writing for. And I take it seriously. 

Joe Pardavila: And Parthiv, I know you have a lot of faith in Russell, or you wouldn't have sent that request, Make It Rain, how's it feel now I have to, after you weather the storm and this letter,  that Russell and Dan Kennedy crafted became a success.

Were you surprised? Were you elated? Tell me about your emotions. 

Parthiv Shah: Russell sounds a lot different about the emotions of success compared to me, I had a genuine, sincere fear about what to expect. I've seen this battle before. Okay. This happened to us in the 9/11,  Y2K mortgage meltdown, Iraq war.

We have seen how America suffered and how America rises. I have been through these battles. I'm a battle, hardened soldier. I had confidence in my ability to survive. This time things were a little different. This is the first time  I have 15 lives dependent on this to work. I cannot just make money to take care of my family.  This time things were different.

I was preserving and protecting the paycheck from the livelihood of 15 families that depend on me. There was more at stake. So then Russell's letter started performing and we started seeing the turnaround.  I was happy like a family member whose family is fighting for their survival in the hospital.

This wasn't about growing my business. This was about bringing in enough money before the savings account runs out. 6 out of my 15 people have been here almost a decade. If that's not family, what is?  This time, this basically was all about taking care of my family and my company. I did not want to start over.

I did not want to shut down the company. Shrink it down and call it a small consulting practice. I wanted to keep eLaunchers to be eLaunchers, and thanks to this one effort it's going to have a beautiful holiday season in my home and home for 15 that depend on us. So I want to thank Russell and Dan for what they did.

Joe Pardavila: It's a great story. And, as you mentioned that the eLaunchers story is not over, it will continue. Thanks to Russell's ability, Dan's ability, the fact that Parthiv, you had the wherewithal years ago to land on Planet Dan and use his teachings to build this company. I want to congratulate both of you on this amazing effort.

I can't imagine what you were both going through. Russell, it seemed like you were handling it just fine. But Parthiv, I know it was a lot of pressure on you. Russell, thank you very much at the time. And congratulations on that letter. 

Russell Martino: Thank you, Joe. 

There's one more point, if I may, I'd like to make. Part of the reason that the letter was so successful. Yeah. I wrote a good letter, and yeah, Dan made it better with his critiques. But part of the reason it was so successful, there's a couple of other elements. One, it was so successful because Parthiv was willing to reach out to expertise for help.

He was willing to do that. And he did. And he went to the best people who he knew to reach out to, but then he did something else too. And that is, he did the research and he pulled together a list to send this letter to, which would make a huge difference.  If this letter went to the wrong list, nobody would have bought anything.

It wouldn't have mattered who wrote it or how much time it spans or who critiqued it. And Parthiv did a brilliant job getting this in front of the right prospects because he's got thousands of prospects on his list. And that huge growth was the result, not just of the message, but hitting the right market.

And as Dan teaches you to focus on the top 5% of the pyramid and you're probably going to do a lot better. And so Parthiv deserves a lot of the credit for the success of this letter and as the copywriter who understands that but doesn't pick the market. I don't do the list research. I have to give him a big piece of the credit for a success that now I can put a notch on my gun and say, yep, we did this. But with the wrong list, it wouldn't have happened.

Joe Pardavila: It sounds like you agree with that Parthiv. It sounds like the perfect team effort. You've got Russell's writing ability, Dan Kennedy's wisdom, Parthiv's list, and business acumen. And that's why eLaunchers is surviving and thriving into 2021. So congratulations to both of you. 

Russell, thank you very much for the time. 

Russell Martino: Thank you, Joe. 

Joe Pardavila: And Parthiv, thank you so much. It's a great story and I wish I had more time to get into some more Dan Kennedy stories with you, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to discuss that in 2021. So thank Parthiv.

Parthiv Shah: You got it, man. Thank you very much.

Looking forward to being on the show again. 

Joe Pardavila: Don't miss our first, What's Working Now Day, Wednesday, March 10th, with seven incredible speakers sharing What's Working Now in direct response marketing. You'll come away with exact templates of successful marketing campaigns that you can swipe and deploy for your business.

Register for the virtual event now at WhatsWorkingNowDay.com.

The post Dan Kennedy’s Magnetic Marketing Podcast with Parthiv Shah & Russell Martino appeared first on Magnetic Marketing .

On our final day of Growth Summit, we heard from Adam Witty on how we plan to move forward in 2020…

I’ll get into that more in a minute. But first, here are some highlights from our speakers. 

Andrew Tweito delivered three actionable plans in his presentation “Make Money Where No One Thinks It Is Possible: Generating Leads for your Business with Facebook and Instagram.”

Whereas most tell you what to do and maybe even how to do it but aren’t willing to show their winning campaigns with copy, offers, landing page, etc., Andrew demonstrated real-world examples from the BEST campaigns. 

He told Members to focus on a FEW critical things instead of trying to do everything and helped Members see where to start. He demonstrated each step and told them where to focus. For example, the quiz funnel campaign and Instagram Story ads were two of the campaigns he recommended. 

Lee Milteer and Peak Coaching Members shared powerful ways they’ve used Renegade Millionaire principles in their business and how it’s created success for them. 

And Karyn Buxman delivered a very funny, yet actionable presentation: Funny Means Money. She showed Members strategic ways to use humor for influence, to build sales, teamwork, trust, and profits – giving real-world, proven examples of how this is done. 

She said, “People gravitate toward funny…” Funny people are paid more and receive promotions more often. People who see humor have diminished health problems and are seen as better looking.  The good news is you don’t have to be funny. You can leverage other people’s humor, something Karyn showed us how to do.

By knowing humor and APPLYING it, you can stack the decks to see funny and manipulate your environment to get all the rewards of funny.  Karyn also gifted attendees her Humor Lab Starter Kit.

Now on to Adam…

One of the big, important ideas Adam Witty discussed at Growth Summit was the idea of being “All In.”

If you follow Clemson Tigers Football, you already know what that means. Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney started a poker chip tradition in 2008. A metaphor for every player giving 110% and being fully committed to an “All In” effort, each player places a poker chip in the “All In Bucket” before kickoff. 

Adam began doing this for all team members of the Advantage Family – so each day every team member starts the day by putting their poker chip in the bucket to show their support, belief in, and commitment to the company goals. While a simple gesture, Adam says those who aren’t truly ALL in or who won’t put their chip in the bucket, tend to work themselves out of the company. 

I share this with you—not only for you to take this idea and run with it in your business, but to demonstrate the commitment that every one of our team members has to deliver a quality experience to you. 

Over the three days, Members were treated to surprises including enhancements to your membership that will take your results and experience to the next level…

Things you’ll be hearing more about in the coming days. For now, here is a brief review…

During the conference, we launched a new Magnetic Marketing app! You’ll quickly and easily be able to access all of your membership and audio materials right from the app. 

Peak Performers’ coaching is being retired. Enhanced and new coaching programs were announced. These coaching programs are designed to help you implement, keep you accountable in a more significant way than ever, and take you and your staff to a new height of achievement. The three new coaching programs introduced: Elevate, Renegade Millionaires, and Magnetic Marketing. 

Commitment to make the No B.S. Marketing Letter a “marketing seminar in print” which will include more examples directly from within OUR community of what’s working.

More contests and rewards to recognize your efforts and wins.

Formal education to help your staff and team implement Magnetic Marketing.

A focus on attracting and putting high-quality people that are REAL business owners in the room for you to connect with at events and within our community. By REAL business owners, I mean business owners that have a REAL business and are not just information seekers. We believe this will make the quality of the conversations you have with other members higher.

Create once-in-a-lifetime experiences for the Diamond Receptions that not only allow you a place to connect with each other but have a WOW factor.

Dedicated Professional Practices Intensives that will help you build a professional practice of your dreams at every event.

New masterclasses for Diamond Members which will use video to do a screen share to deliver detailed “How To” information that is relevant, foundational and shows “what’s next”.

Adam pointed out that the power of the community is not Dan, it’s not Adam… the power of the community is YOU. 

One way to build the power of the community is to bring more people into the community. 

The second way is to bring in quality people. 

We are committed to doing both. 

And together, if we each throw our “poker chips” into the “All-In Bucket” we can build a community that is more powerful than ever. 

We are honored to have you as part of the Magnetic Marketing/No B.S. Inner Circle Community. We look forward to you being a part of an unstoppable, powerful movement. 

And that’s a wrap on Growth Summit!

PS: Adam posed a question that I feel is important to share. Relaying what Dan Kennedy said to him during one of the five conversations he’s had since Dan fell ill, Adam said, “Dan said, ‘Adam, you’ve got to keep people together.’”  

Adam continued, in Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he talks about a “level 5” leader. There aren’t many level 5 leaders. A level 5 leader is one in which the network thrives even without the leader. We don’t know when or to what extent Dan Kennedy will return. We know he wants to be a part of our community. 

That said, Adam posed a question that I’ll leave you with, “If this membership falls apart without Dan, what does it say about him? Even more so, what does it say about us who have gained so much because of him?”

PPS: Want to register for next year’s Growth Summit? Give us a call at (800) 871-0147 or send an email to us at [email protected]

Yesterday at day 2 of Growth Summit was an absolute first for me…and hopefully a last too…

I was the last speaker to take the stage just before lunch. I had just started sharing the 6 Renegade Millionaire success habits I implemented that I felt made a difference in my business. 

I’d only just made it through my first habit –which is Renegade Millionaires create businesses with enterprise value. 

I shared the five sources of power in your business and how I ask the question before adding something to my business, “Does this add to the enterprise value?” (By the way, if the answer is no, I don’t do it.) 

I had some pretty great slides I was showing on the screen when all of a sudden…

The power went out! 

No lights. No microphone. None of those terrific slides I’d prepared. No teleprompter. 

Turns out not only was the power out in the entire hotel, but the power was also out for the whole area. 

I continued my presentation and got the other five Renegade Millionaire habits delivered, but it wasn’t something I’d like to repeat! 

Here are the other five habits for you: 

Renegade Millionaires are known for something that people will pay a lot of money for…

Renegade Millionaires have a plan. They spend as much time thinking and planning as they do executing…

Renegade Millionaires are always thinking about future bank…

Renegade Millionaires work on themselves. Dan Kennedy says far too many small business owners work hard on their business rather than investing in themselves. The more you invest in yourself, the more you will be a better leader. 

Renegade Millionaires have coaches, mentors, and peer groups.

Do you have these six habits in your business? These are what I consider the most important 6 habits that will make or break you in the next 12 months.

The power did come back on…after I was done with my presentation! 

We also heard from Brian Kurtz who shared his tribute to Dan Kennedy along with how and why to overdeliver. He gave 22 ways to overdeliver in business and 11 ways to overdeliver in your personal life. Here are just a few highlights:

Customers refund transactions, not relationships. He pointed out that not everything in business and life is a revenue event; but everything is a relationship event. 

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. 

Surround yourself with smart people. If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. 

Give the customer more than they ever expected. And then “overdeliver” some more.

Rusty Shelton and Caroline Nuttall talked about how to get publicity for yourself. A big idea shared here is what to do when you get an interview…

Rusty said that interactive lead magnets such as a quiz or assessment has a 4 to 1 conversion vs. static content such as a book. 

Caroline added that when you get an opportunity to be interviewed by the media it is so important to lean into what makes you unique and whatever you do…DON’T be vanilla. Be chocolate with sprinkles. 

Members were able to choose from a variety of break-out sessions today too. 

Travis Lee showed attendees how to grow your business with a set it and forget Direct Mail campaigns that are designed to attract and convert more leads. 

After revealing that Dan Kennedy found a common denominator for businesses that are struggling or failing is the absence of direct mail, Travis gave a detailed plan for exactly how you can automate your direct mail to make it easier for business owners. 

The key he said is to find a mailing list that can be replenished on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. 

Darcy Juarez delivered a detailed roadmap on the fast-track to starting an information marketing business. The million-dollar questions for you to ponder on what could be a great information marketing business opportunity for you are: 

What are you doing in your business that your competitors are not? Cannot? Or will not? Or is it proprietary to you?

What do you have that others don’t?

What are you really good at? 

What are your prospects not good at that causes their pain? And are they in enough pain to pay for a solution?

After she gave the information marketing formula, Darcy did a second session where she had a panel of legendary Members who shared their info-marketing lessons learned at the feet of the master, Dan Kennedy. 

Andrew Lock, who is always a favorite at events, gave members a powerful plan for delivering a Walt Disney inspired customer experience. 

A key point Andrew made that should not be ignored is this: “If your business is focused on transactions, you’re in danger of going extinct. You MUST offer a memorable experience.” 

Andrew made a strong case for this and demonstrated how Disney dominates the field because they saw that society was trending toward experience. He gave examples on how any business, even the most mundane, could create a WOW experience for their customers. 

Lexi Later showed our members how to OUTSMART the competition rather than outspend them through audience targeting and segmentation. 

And Doug Johnson shared secrets from behind the Salesforce Cloud: How to build your very own outbound sales machine to generate opportunities that you otherwise would not have had. 

We wrapped up the learning portion of the day when I interviewed longtime Legendary member Steve Adams. By implementing everything Dan Kennedy taught him, Steve built his pet store business to 44 stores and $100 Million Dollars before exiting. He shared not only how he did it but was transparent and generous in answering audience questions. 

Diamond Members headed to Broncos Mile High Stadium for a fun evening where we received private tours of the stadium, dinner, networking, and drinks. 

There was so much more that I wish you could have been there to see, hear and experience it all! 

Looking forward to another great day in Denver today!

PS: If you’d like to register for next year’s Growth Summit and join in on all the fun you missed, give us a call at (800) 871-0147 or email [email protected] today!

Bruno the Bull here or as Rusty Shelton introduced me yesterday… “One of the Most Important Members of our Community”…

How do you like them apples?

I have the task of stashing Magnetic Marketing|No B.S. Bucks around the conference room, so I think he might have just been trying to find out where I hid the money so he could get some of it.

But enough about me. Let’s get to what happened yesterday during Day 1 of the Attraction, Conversion, and Retention Growth Summit!

Adam Witty kicked off the Celebration of Dan yesterday with an update on Dan Kennedy and a conversation he had with Dan on Tuesday.

With a dose of cautious optimism, Adam said that it was the first time he’d talked to Dan since his illness in which Dan sounded like the old Dan Kennedy. Dan’s doctors say this is because he is off the pain meds.

Dan has been moved to a rehabilitation facility and is working with therapists to regain his strength. There was no loss of Dan’s cognitive ability and there are very good signs that his health is improving, however, Dan still has a long way to go.

Adam expressed his belief that the tribute letters sent to Dan had a lot to do with the miraculous signs of improvement that Dan is experiencing.  Adam had more to say about this which I’ll leave for the update which will be posted to the www.DanKennedyTribute.com site. Also, if you haven’t yet sent Dan a letter, please do. Dan still has a long way to go and it will help him to hear from you while he fights the most difficult journey of his life.

Next, was a very special presentation. If you haven’t been to Growth Summit or SuperConference, Dan Kennedy usually has the first spot of the day on Day 1. Since Dan couldn’t be here with us, Adam Witty and Darcy Juarez talked about Dan’s new book which is out NOW – called Almost Alchemy: Make Any Business of Any Size Produce More with Fewer and Less.

Published through ForbesBooks, Adam revealed that this book has been in the works for over 2 years. Adam said, “This is one of the most significant books Dan has ever written… and I’ve read all of Dan’s books.”

To help present the ideas inside the book, there were several Magnetic Marketing|No B.S. Legendary Members who presented including Lee Milteer, Dave Dee, Scott Manning, Rjon Robins, Adam Witty, and Darcy Juarez. If you tuned in during the LiveCast you saw these presentations. (I understand some Members were having trouble with the LiveCast – so a replay has been made available HERE.)

Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from these speakers:

“The way you treat money gives it energy. If you’re telling money you’re afraid, it will leave you.” – Lee Milteer

Scott Manning asked the question, “What actions are you taking to move money towards you?” He said your business is a never-ending experiment and money moves to the person who moves fastest.

Dave Dee shared three principles about place. He said to “think bigger”, “keep moving upstream” and “monetize everything you have.”

RJon Robins talked about ascension. One of my favorite take-aways from RJon is the idea that ascension is for EVERYONE. He said it helps make your existing customer better…in their business, in their life, in their education… and that if you don’t give them an opportunity to do more with you and trade up, they will go somewhere else to do so.

Adam Witty talked about price liberation. From 2005 to 2018 the average value of a customer jumped from $2,495 to $148K. WOW. Many eye-opening ideas here including: “Do not look to our industry for guidance on price. NEVER set your price on cost to deliver. And you should ALWAYS set price on the VALUE you provide.”

Darcy Juarez went into Dan Kennedy’s very powerful FOUND MONEY MAP. Honestly, I will not attempt to explain this in the limited space I have here. I’ll just say this. It’s in Dan’s new book. Go buy it so you have this amazing tool.

Throughout the day longtime members shared their biggest lessons they got from Dan Kennedy. As a newer addition to this community, I found them inspiring and filled with gold nuggets. Rusty Shelton described them perfectly when he called these stories, “A portal of what is possible for you.”  Another common theme was to focus and take action.

Here are a few highlights from these Members:

The more entrepreneurial you are and the more successful you become, the more you don’t fit in – which is one of the reasons Dan Kennedy created GKIC, now Magnetic Marketing|No B.S. Inner Circle. To create a community where entrepreneurs had a community where they fit in. Dr. David Phelps credited Dan for giving him a community where he’s found lifelong friends and for giving him the tools to create autonomy. He challenged us with this question he got from Dan, “If you hit the lottery tonight, what would you rush out to do? Reinvent what you are doing to make that possible.”

Mike Crow’s theme was “Dan can…” asking each of us to put that out into the universe. He shared the “360 Rule” by talking about how everywhere he turns he see’s Dan in his life – from books Dan wrote to gifts he’s received and so on. He challenged us to think about how we could be “everywhere” our customers look.

Donna Krech emphatically talked about the importance of Wealth Attraction and how that changed EVERYTHING for her. She challenged us to think about: “Are you making your difference?” In other words, are you making the impact in the world that you are destined to make?

Keith Lee had many lessons – but what struck me the most was that he wanted the community to know this one belief: That the business lessons and opportunities he had because of Dan Kennedy are still available for everyone here in our community – whether Dan is here or not.

Two-time World Champion, Financial Consultant, Author, Speaker and Life/Business Coach Steve Sax delivered an energetic and powerful keynote. He talked about the differences between a leader and a manager, preparation and habits, and the power of resilience. Three things I found especially impactful were:

“The most expensive thing you own is a closed mind.” He said you should be willing to take advice from others – even if they aren’t an expert in your field, because they might just have something valuable to contribute.

Challenge your confidence.

Celebrate failure…because failure is one of the fastest ways of learning.

Diamond Members got to have their photos with Steve and have Steve autograph his book “Shift” as well as baseballs and baseball cards.

Michael Mothner from WPromote took the stage after lunch. Michael started his business in his dorm room. Today it’s one of the fastest-growing and widely recognized online marketing firms in the country.

Michael covered A LOT of ground, solving digital marketing problems for Members. A couple of the big takeaways include:

It is really important to keep your customers. Even more important than getting new customers. Because when you increase the value of a customer, you can spend more to get a new customer. Michael revealed that businesses are spending too much on acquiring new customers and not enough to maximize your current customers. Carving out even a small part of your marketing budget for retention will make a powerful impact.

Video is HUGE and VERY powerful. He says no one is doing it because everyone (big and small businesses) are intimidated about it. Michael encouraged us to just start doing it. Not to overthink it or to be fancy or over-produce the videos. Video will increase your engagement and reduce your costs.

Darcy Juarez presented a complete, extremely detailed step-by-step plan on Customer-Cloning: How to Multiply and Clone Your Best Customer. This too was content rich with a roadmap laid out for Members to take home and implement. Since there is no where near the room to give you the whole plan here, I leave you with a couple of major ideas…

A buyer is not yet a customer. A customer is not yet a committed customer… A committed customer is not yet an evangelical ambassador.

Replace random acts of marketing with an organized SYSTEM.

You should implement an attraction system, a conversion system, and a retention system simultaneously, NOT sequentially.

Referrals are not automatic which is why you need a SYSTEM for referrals and to create a referral culture in your business. (Darcy laid out all of the steps for this.)

Members had three break-out choices for the afternoon which included:

Caroline Nuttall who delivered a thought-provoking presentation about the idea that even our expertise has become commoditized.

She said to combat this you MUST be crystal clear about what you stand for so you can attract your ideal customer and repel everyone else to become a TRUE category of one. Once you figure this out, you can accelerate.

But if you don’t, you risk going out of business. Members clamored to the back of the room to sign up for FREE consultations with Caroline to help them clarify what they stand for that will make them stand out in a cluttered world.

Dr. Jamie Reynolds delivered the unique ways his professional practice has been able to grow his business with Conversations that Convert. Jamie taught Members how to use the magic of language and choreography in your professional practice to convert more prospects into patients/clients.

Robert Skrob delivered a powerful presentation on How a Twice Bankrupt, Alcoholic, Stutterer Turned his Professional Speaking Career into a Billion Dollar Movement. Robert gave Members the tools and game plan to turn their own customers into loyal, raving fans and even turn them into a movement eager to refer.

The day wrapped up with Adam Witty having a conversation with Chris Hurn, Founder of Fountainhead about why as a business owner you should own your own building.

Fountainhead is the nation’s leading Nonbank Small Business Lender and helped Adam out a jam when he went to buy a building for his expanding business in 2017. The bank Adam had turned to for a loan changed their terms three weeks before closing – something that Adam wasn’t happy about and would cause a real strain.

Adam called Chris for help and Chris was able to close the deal on time with even better terms than the bank had initially offered… and he got it done with only 3 weeks’ notice!

(Be on the lookout for Chris’ new book coming out called Fuel: What Every Business Owner Must Know About Growth Capital, Wealth Creation, and Legacy.)

The evening was a networking reception complete with drinks and tons of food – from a taco bar, to pasta bar, to Chinese bar.

Sorry you couldn’t be there. Hope to see you at the next one!

PS: Want to register for next year’s Growth Summit? Give us a call at (800) 871-0147 or email [email protected]

I’m not a fan of following the crowd. 

Which is why I like to stay ahead of trends. Because if you wait to jump on board, you fall behind. Not only is it harder to jump on board, you blend in—rather than stand out. 

Can you think of a time where you missed out because you waited? 

I can think of a time I did. 

BIG mistake. Opportunity missed. Don’t even get me started on what it cost me. 

Which is why now I pay close attention and act when the opportunity presents itself. 

So you don’t miss out, here’s what you should watch out for and who you should be watching. 

Trend #1: Using Direct Response to play for the long game

Bridging direct response marketing to state-of-the-art strategies, tactics, and channels is key to long-term success and lifetime clients. Are you successfully using the media available both online and offline? Do you know the best ways to attract, convert, and retain customers by playing the long game? 

One of the most respected business builders and company leaders in the professional direct response marketing community, Brian Kurtz helped build publications into GIANTS, leading the development of Boardroom, Inc. from a small, $3 million a year info-marketing business to $150 million. He’s sold millions of books and newsletter subscriptions in multiple categories, including the largest paid subscription newsletters in their category in America, building the list from scratch. 

He knows the ins and outs of every medium where direct marketing lives and thrives and is known for working with the most innovative direct marketing techniques and some of the greatest direct marketers and copywriters who have ever lived. 

Discover how to build a business for the long game and maximize both revenue and relationships.   

Trend #2: Membership/Subscription Programs

Creating a membership site is the #1 method for creating reliable recurring income. Even better, it does not require you to trade time for dollars. 

Plus, consumers want them –in fact, 80% of the population are already subscribed to a least one membership program (think Netflix, Dollar Shave Club). Businesses are selling membership and subscription programs because people are buying them. Are you offering a membership program? And if you are, are you giving your members what they want?

Think you can’t add a membership component to your business? Think again. In what is easily one of the greatest business growth and transformation stories in history, McKeel Hagerty grew a “mom and pop” insurance agency from $7 million in annual sales to $1 billion by re-imagining it into a market-dominating membership and media company with a magazine, video studio, and more. 

He created The Hagerty Valuation Tools®, the first of its kind, which are used universally throughout the collector car industry. 

He built the “Airbnb of Collector Cars” called Hagerty DriveShare® and Hagerty Driver’s Club™, a membership for classic car lovers that includes everything: roadside assistance, exclusive events, and member discounts. 

Become a category of one and create a reliable recurring stream of income by transforming and re-imagining your business in ANY industry into a membership, media and software powerhouse so you can become a category of one and create a reliable recurring stream of income.  

Trend #3: Horizontal income streams

Most millionaires who’ve dumped trading hours for dollars have created horizontal income streams. 

Everyone starts with a vertical income stream. 

Adding horizontal income streams will provide you with more consistent income with little or no effort which gives you more time and financial freedom. 

Broke and unemployed, a 26-year-old David Osborn returned home from traveling the world inspired to design a life of freedom. 

Testing his entrepreneurial merits in the world of real estate, his results were nothing short of remarkable.

In less than 10 years, David built the 6th largest real estate company in the world with over $10 billion in annual sales. 

Plus, he is an operating principle and/or investor in 55 profitable real estate related businesses. 

Learn how to create more financial freedom by building horizontal income streams. 

Trend #4: Customer experience

The number one opportunity for companies in 2019, according to a recent survey conducted by Econsultancy, is… experience marketing! In fact, it was found that investing in customer experience has the potential to double your revenue within 36 months. This is so hot right now that you can create a competitive edge based on the customer experience you deliver. 

I think you’ll agree with me that nobody tops Disney when it comes to providing customer experiences—which is why we looked to an expert on Disney. 

Andrew Locke has spent almost his entire life studying Walt Disney and Walt’s business practices, starting his lifelong fascination with Walt in his early teens.  Andrew’s visited every single one of the Disney theme parks… on 3 continents …more than 100 times. 

He’s read 24 books about Walt Disney’s life. Watched 9 documentaries about Walt Disney’s personality and business ventures. And even holds a special pass called the “Premier Passport” for accessing all the parks. 

He wrote the book for entrepreneurs and small business owners called, Walt Disney’s Way coming out this year. (Andrew is the author of 10 other books.) 

Plus, he leads behind-the-scenes business-building events at Disney with entrepreneurs where they discover how to create the same magical marketing experiences as Disney for their own business. 

Discover how to create customer experiences that are so far superior it will put you on the map.

Trend #5: Outsmarting the competition

This may not be a trend you see or read about, but for the most successful entrepreneurs I meet, this is definitely a key to success. 

It can be confusing with all the choices out there to market and grow your business. Erroneously 95% of business owners spend more than they need to on marketing and don’t fully capitalize on the customer flow they already have. 

Hop on the Internet and do a search in your business category. You’ll find considerable clutter. You are literally surrounded by your competitors’ advertising which means your competitors are a millisecond’s click away. 

In that space, you are competing not only against companies similar in size to yours but against big Wall-Street-financed corporations. This is good news and bad news for you.

The good news is… to a visitor, there is no immediate difference between your online presence and any other company—even if it’s ten times your size. You have the same amount of space to work with as they do. 

Which means you can compete against these companies and win. 

The bad news is bigger companies with bigger budgets can reach out to the best, highest-paid experts. 

They can outspend you. 

To compete, you need to know how to squeeze every drop of profit from every dollar spent. 

And because using online media is a powerful strategy, especially when coupled with offline media, that will help you win customers, clients, and patients, you need to understand how to do this yourself. However, with the rapid evolution of online media, many business owners find themselves wandering in the dark.

Founder and CEO of Wpromote, Michael Mothner is an Internet pioneer whose company is one of the fastest-growing and widely recognized online marketing firms in the country. Wpromote has a track record of transforming online lead generation results PROFITABLY. 

A leader in accelerating growth, acquiring new customers and nurturing, Michael routinely delivers effective, comprehensive digital strategies that not only integrate with your marketing plan, he provides the formulas you need to win the fight in the online space. 

In other words, you won’t have to outspend your competition because you’ll be able to OUTSMART them. 

Discover Michael’s profit-driven approach on how to build a better online experience, predictably attract customers, meet your revenue goals, and take on the competition.

Meet Them In Person

I encourage you to pick at least one of these trends and focus on it for your business.

I also hope you can see why I’m so impressed with the entrepreneurs above who’ve transformed their businesses by focusing on at least one of the trends listed. 

Which is why I’m excited to shine the spotlight on them at our Growth Summit event in October. Of course, this is only a fraction of who you’ll see and what you’ll discover. 

We have chosen leading experts who will share the MOST POWERFUL attraction, conversion, and retention strategies working RIGHT NOW. 

Join me and don’t miss your chance to meet them in person at www.GrowthSummit19.com 

PS: Is something holding you back? You’ll also hear from Two-time World Series Champion (Dodgers), 5X All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner Steve Sax. 

Steve is the epitome of inspiring comebacks. After being named Texas League Player of the Year in 1981, and Rookie of the Year in 1982, he committed a league-leading 30 errors in 1982. Battling his way back, he became the leading American League second baseman in fielding percentage and double plays and set a team record for the most singles, a record he still holds. 

After realizing that he had accomplished his professional baseball aspiration; he rededicated his talents to helping individuals and families to manage their finances as Vice President of Investments for the Royal Bank of Canada. 

The author of the book Shift, he will give you the action steps to change your mindset and overcome obstacles and doubts to achieve whatever you want in life and business.

Steve will also be signing autographs and taking photographs with Members. 

Register at www.GrowthSummit19.com 

PPS: Want to hear these business owners speak live? Claim your seat at Growth Summit 2019 to discover the MOST POWERFUL strategies working in your fellow entrepreneurs’ businesses. Hurry before it sells out!

Bruno the Bull coming to you live from the Wealth by Entrepreneurship and by Marketing SuperConference…

I’ve got to say, as a bull I had my reservations about coming to Texas (with rodeo’s being the state sport and all), but I’m sure glad I’m here in the room.

Maybe you had reservations about coming too? Well, whatever the reason, put it on your calendar now to join me and the rest of the No B.S. Inner Circle family at next year’s SuperConference.  I guarantee you won’t regret it!

In the meantime, if you were unable to join us at SuperConference, here’s what you missed yesterday on Day 1…

Dan Kennedy kicked things off in the Wealth Zone with his first presentation: 5 Things No One Else Will Tell You About MONEY, That You Desperately Need To Know. Instead of focusing on philosophical, psychological stuff – Dan covered pragmatic, actionable secrets. Attendees exited with things to do, not things to think – focused on powerful trainings about money and wealth.

A couple of the things that really resonated with me were:

You have to get out of your own way when it comes to money.

Money is not concerned with who has it. You can’t force it to go somewhere it doesn’t want to go.

Another big idea was that money moves because of commercialization, not invention. Those who commercialize an idea are the ones who get wealthy.

He also said that more fortunes lack a grand scheme behind them than had them. Wealthy people become rich by doing the highest value work day in, day out. So, don’t worry if you don’t have everything figured out yet – just keep doing the work. Keep implementing stuff and you’ll get there.

When Dan finished, Adam recognized No B.S. Inner Circle member Gayle Carson with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Gail is the longest continuous Diamond Member and has attended more events than anyone else!

We also heard about a NEW member benefit which I’m super pumped about where David Spindler will be doing a Magnetic Marketing interview series every month with No B.S. Legends! This will be video based so you’ll be able to see examples and see Magnetic Marketing working in the highest and best forms.

Next Adam Witty shared the story about how Advantage came to team up with Forbes to create Advantage|ForbesBooks, which was a testament to the Magnetic Marketing philosophy in and of itself. (There is definitely something to this Magnetic Marketing stuff!)

After that Adam brought up Steve Forbes.  Steve shared his knowledge and insights on capitalism, free markets, and a healthy economy.  Here are a few take-aways from Steve’s presentation:

– Knowledge can’t be destroyed.
– A vibrant economy will always provide new things and new jobs for people to do.
– A wealthier society provides more opportunity.
– Remove the barriers and we will all have a more fulfilling life.

 

And the Diamond and Coaching Members, as well as our Magnetic Marketing Advisors had the opportunity to meet and take their photo with Steve following his speech!

Following lunch, Dave Dee graced the stage to discuss the Power of Copy Unleashed. Dave was once a struggling entertainer, a magician and mentalist (mind reader), he discovered the power of marketing and his business exploded. Dave shared how to develop newfound power and confidence so that you can get your message out to more people, to generate a FLOOD of sales, more leads and make a LOT of money.

One of our No B.S. Legends, Chris Tomshack, who is the founder of the largest chiropractor franchise in the world shared his inspiring story and how he grew his company. He had great tips for all different levels of entrepreneurs everything from marketing tips to how to grow your company to how having mentors and coaching impacted his business to how to identify if your business is good for franchising.

So many great tips from Chris – from using newsjacking to get free PR to why hiring a COO was one of the best decisions he ever made.

Chris said even if you are the CEO of your business, you should never abdicate all of your marketing. He still works on marketing one hour every day.

He also shared that you must upgrade your team as you grow. He said NOT doing this cost him millions. And warned that the person you fail to fire is the person who will destroy your business. Now Chris uses a professional recruiter to hire people and never places ads.

Adam Witty interviewed Ken Fisher, America’s money manager next. There is no way to even put into words what this was like. Ken unveiled how he built Fisher Investments into a Multi-Billion Dollar Business from just $250 despite the fact his family didn’t expect him to be a success. He covered a lot of ground in his time on stage from how to be a good CEO (Show up, be visible, and focus on your customers) to why he has his company located in states where there is no income tax to his firm’s advertising and marketing “machine” which  includes use of LGM’s (Lead Generation Magnets), Magnetic Marketing®, Print Media, TV, Direct Mail and Sales Representatives.

Three things that really stuck out for me that Ken shared were:

– Look for what your competitors are not yet doing – and do it.
– Hearing Ken talk about the things he’s done to build his credibility…including writing 11 books and having the longest running column in Forbes.
– “Quitting is good.” Ken said as an entrepreneur you should quit as much as you can, as fast as you can by hiring people to do the things you aren’t good at and delegating as fast as possible.

 

The last speaker for the evening was top woman business builder Cordia Harrington who left everyone totally inspired as she told her story of how she built her empire starting with just $587.  When it comes to wealth attraction, money reacts to certain actions taken by you but ignores you should you fail to take those actions. At SuperConference, Cordia shared how she seized those opportunities, excelling in the manufacturing, transportation, restaurant, real estate and construction industries.

Following Cordia’s presentation, it was time for me to shine … I took photos with attendees… and everyone got to participate in our No B.S. Book Signing with Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer, get questions answered during the Round Tables hosted by several industry experts and of course there was lots of networking and deals being made between members. One member told me he had made two huge deals already – worth far more than what he invested to be here!

Now it’s time for day 2 and I can’t wait to see what I discover today!

I’ll fill you in later!

Bruno, No B.S.’s most eligible bachelor coming to you from inside the Wealth Zone in Dallas, Texas.

As I write this, we just wrapped up the Pre-Day at the Wealth by Entrepreneurship and Marketing SuperConference… Focused on How To Grow The Value and Equity In Your Business, Even if You NEVER Plan To Sell…

Attendees were able to discover how to make their businesses worth a whole lot more, even if they aren’t interested in selling.

Because whether you plan to sell your business or not, Dan Kennedy has long taught that it is wise for every business owner to have an ENDGAME planned out. This is for multiple reasons including the fact that most people at some point want to “retire”.

I’ve got to say, as a young bull, before today, I wasn’t really thinking about exiting my business. After all, even in “Bull Years” that seemed like a long way off, especially now that I’m out of the rodeo and bullfighting business.

However, I discovered that you should not only be thinking about it, but you should also have a plan to make your business more valuable now.

Because when you do…rather than just closing your business, if you plan for it, you can build up the value and equity so you can sell your business or arrange for a replacement.

We even heard from Cliff Oxford that you can set up a sale where you get paid royalties for years after you sell!

One client of Cliff’s ended up getting $10 million in royalties whereas without the plan, his business would have only sold for maybe $1 million, if he was even able to sell it at all!

These options provide you additional income during your retirement or give you some years where you don’t have to worry about anything should you decide to sell and do something different before you are ready to retire.

Plus, I discovered that even if you don’t plan on ever selling, there are additional reasons raising the value and equity in your business is a smart move:

– It can make your business stand out as superior to your competitors.
– It will help you scale your business.
– It puts you in a position to charge more for your products and services.
– Most importantly, it is key to building your wealth.

 

If you weren’t able to join us this year, you’ve seriously got to come next year. (We even got gifts today and they fed us lunch –score!)

Oh, and there were some crazy successful people in the room. I thought I’d be intimidated by this, but you know what –they were super nice and answered questions, helping anyone who approached them. It was pretty amazing. One guy I sat near had a 9-figure business and was talking to a whole group of people!

Anyway, sorry you aren’t here this year so I compiled some “Writer Downers” from today’s event.

At Pre-Day Grant Schuette shared his valuable and vast knowledge on How To Make Your Business Sparkle: The 7 Steps To Increase the Value of Your Business.

Grant is the director of the Oxford Strategic Group at Advantage. He offers entrepreneurs strategic counsel to make sure you are moving in a direction that is right for you and your business and guides you through the exit process.

Grant walked us through how to get the answers to questions such as…

– What’s is your business worth?
– How many years do you have to build value in your company before you consider selling?
– How do you time your exit? And when is the best time to exit?
– How do you know if you’ve received the best offer?

The big take-away for me was that you MUST plan. Not only will this help you protect your legacy, it will maximize the value of your business. Because if you don’t plan your exit, you’ll be leaving money on the table. Plus, you set yourself up to sell to someone who won’t properly run your business.

And you know what else? The same 7 elements of a valuable business that we covered not only let you exit on top, they also are the key to scaling your business!

We discovered the answer to which of the 7 elements has the greatest leverage too…

If you want to exit your business, a strong and steady financial stream will have the greatest impact. But…if you want to scale your business, having a strong culture is the most important.

During our Lunch & Learn Presentation,  we learned about Valuation, and the Pros and Cons of Potential Buyers of Your Business.

And then Cliff Oxford and Richard Kopelman shared how to manage the sales process and avoid exit traps.

An internationally successful Atlanta entrepreneur, W. Cliff Oxford is the premiere thinker on how to scale your business and strategically exit your business.

Twice named a Most Admired CEO in Georgia and Who’s Who in the accounting industry, Richard Kopelman serves as CEO and managing partner of Aprio, LLP, a nationally-recognized, CPA-led business advisory firm.

Cliff explained how you work all your life creating this company… you take all the risk…put hours and hours into it… and what so often happens is that when you go to sell, you find out your business isn’t worth that much.

The good news is, Cliff and his team created a process that avoids this trap. This works especially well for lifestyle businesses, legacy businesses, info-marketing businesses and professional practices.

Two things Cliff told us about how to avoid this trap (that no one ever tells you):

– When you go to sell, you are going to have to write off debt. It can’t be brought to the table. This allows you to say your company is debt-free which makes you attractive to potential buyers.
– You must have clear due diligence set up in an organized fashion. This gives buyers confidence.

Richard disclosed that he, (like other buyers), keeps a scorecard based on what he is looking for in a company. Three big secrets he revealed were:

– He looks for the story he’s not hearing. In other words, where are the bodies buried. He said he prefers a straight shooter and can sometimes even help sellers when they are straight with him and he knows there is a problem.
– Leases and real estate can kill a deal. He recommends you always leave yourself an out on lease deals or buy great real estate that you can lease to someone else.
– Get cloud-based accounting set up so you can easily share your financial info to potential buyers.

 

Cliff Oxford called Brian Reynolds “the most brilliant person in the room”. Brian showed where the money is flowing to by providing a forecast of the mergers and acquisitions environment. As a Founder of Chatham Capital, Brian specializes in lower-middle market companies and has taken part in over 340 deals reflecting $25 billion+ of transactions!

In Rod Robertson’s presentation he revealed how to successfully navigate the post-sale “after life” with a smile on your face. As Managing Partner of Briggs Capital, Rod has led scores of small to medium-sized business acquisitions. He’s also sold multiple of his own businesses. Whether you’re looking to grow your business or preparing to sell it, Rod is the man who can  give you the roadmap to increase the value of your business.

Of course, there was a WHOLE LOT more shared today. It’s impossible to put everything from a whole day into one post!

I can tell you this, after what I already discovered, there will be another reason to vote me most eligible bachelor again…

Cause, I’ll not only be the best-looking bull in the room, I’ll be the wealthiest too.

As Day 1 of SuperConference starts today, I’m more excited than my friend Ferdinand the Bull when sitting in a field of flowers!

Here’s what’s on deck for today…

– Dan Kennedy will reveal The 5 Things No One Else Will Tell You About Money
– Steve Forbes will join the stage, discussing Politics, Trade, the Economy, and the Future of Capitalism in America
– Ken Fisher will disclose how he built Fisher Investments into a Multi-Billion Dollar Business
– During our night session, Cordia Harrington will unveil how she Built a $100 Million Empire on Buns, Starting With Only $587 In Her Pocket
– And we’ll also hear from Adam Witty, Dave Dee, Chris Tomshack, and MORE on Day 1 of the Wealth by Entrepreneurship and by Marketing SuperConference 2019.

 

I can’t wait to let you know how Day 1 unfolds, so keep an eye out on your inbox tomorrow for more details.

This week we lost Lester Wunderman, known as the father of direct marketing.  He was 98.

A college drop-out with no formal training in advertising, he got into the mail-order business when he and his brother, Irving, proposed that the two of them work for one salary split between them. He became the advertising executive who pioneered the modern techniques of “direct marketing,” a term he coined, first using it in a 1961 speech to the Hundred Million Club of New York, a mail-order trade group.

He went on to become the chairman emeritus and co-founder of what became the world’s largest direct-marketing ad agency and author of the books, Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay and Frontiers of Direct Marketing as well as authoring speeches and articles which have appeared in publications worldwide.

For decades, he used zip codes and research databases to identify customers, then send them personalized messages matched to their interests and characteristics with mailings, promotional letters, phone calls, newspaper and magazine inserts. He dramatically increased sales with toll-free telephone numbers for ordering, postage-paid subscription cards, buy-one-get-one-free offers, and loyalty reward programs.

A laundry list of well-recognized clients included American Express, Ford, Citibank, and Burger King and many others. From book clubs to record companies, advertisers became his clients because they liked his ideas of selling direct to consumers. Always looking to innovate, in the 80s, he created a subscription coffee service, using direct-mail ads (and later online advertising).

Recognized for being vocal about holding advertising dollars accountable for results, here are some wise and memorable words from Lester Wunderman…

From his speech to the Hundred Million Club in 1961…

“I believe the next ten years will see a continuing decline of the mail-order business as has been defined in the past. It will be replaced by direct marketing—a new more efficient method of selling, based on scientific advertising principles and serviced by increasingly more efficient automated warehousing, shipping and collection techniques… We may not yet know the eventual shape of the new marketing form we are building—but we do know that fresh ideas will be its bricks and mortar.”

From his MIT speech in 1967, “Direct Marketing: The New Selling Revolution”…

“Those marketers who ignore the implications of our new individualized information society will be left behind in what may well come to be known as the age of mass production and marketing ignorance.”

In 1971 he said…

“Advertising has always been capable of eliciting a response—but only in the nature of a direct marketing dialogue do we find the potential for responsiveness. And if I read our marketing and social revolution accurately, responsiveness is the only road to a technology which will serve people instead of enslaving them.”

On the CEO Show in 2010, he said…

“I got the sense that advertising ought to be totally accountable. If people were going to spend money on it, they ought to know what effect the expense was having.”

“I grew up watch data become a science, and in our case, the science of data became the foundation of our business.”

“It’s what we know about the customer and what the customer does, has done, and is likely to do that lets us pretty much predict the effects from advertising.”

“What we have today are two-way technologies. We’re in the death-knell of one-way conversations and the birth of the dialog system of marketing. The secret of the future is to listen to the customer, not to talk to him.”

From his book, Being Direct, Making Advertising Pay:

“The most dangerous question a prospect or customer asks is “Why should I?” And he may ask it more than once. The product and its communication stream must continue to provide him with both rational and emotional answers.”

And this final thought from Lester…

“Look back through the whole of history of advertising and you will find that eruptions of brilliant creative effort took place wherever great talent existed and was permitted to function under stimulating and rewarding conditions.”

Thank you, Lester Wunderman. You were a great talent whose brilliant creative effort not only impacted the way we think about and do advertising, you also paved the way for the small business owner to grow his business. May you rest in peace.

P.S. What are some of your favorite quotes from Lester Wunderman? Let us know in the comments!

I have a hard time understanding why business owners spend so much money on something that doesn’t really work…

When there is an alternative that works right in front of their eyes.

For example, I just read that more than half of marketers report allocating half or more of their budget to generating leads, yet 80% say their lead generation efforts are only slightly effective.  

Even more baffling is that all this money is being spent yet 79% of marketing leads NEVER convert to sales according to Marketing Sherpa.  

Which is a shame.

Because done right, there is a system that is highly effective not only in generating leads but in CONVERTING them to sales.

Once created, it continues attracting highly qualified leads on auto-pilot for years. Our No B.S. Inner Circle members report theirs working for 10 years, 13 years, even 20 years and more.

In other words, the SAME marketing they created 10, 13, 20 years ago is still working today!

Forrester Research reports that when looking at the companies that are winning customers – 82% of consumers are responding to this strategy, which is an Info-FIRST marketing model such as the ones used by our members. Forrester states that consumers are viewing at least 5 pieces of content FIRST before making a purchase.

When I think about it, I can see the confusion. Many believe the content marketing strategies they read about –such as keeping a blog—will do the trick.

Don’t get me wrong. Having a blog will help generate leads if you have the right content, include the correct elements such as a call-to-action and you don’t go into the SELLING mode.

But relying on a blog alone or trying to piecemeal without having an info-FIRST system attracts leads sporadically instead of predictably.  

You see, there is much more to an Info-FIRST marketing model than meets the eye. Which is why it is important to really immerse yourself and look behind the curtains, so to speak, so you can implement it in your own business.

This is important because using the correct info-FIRST model not only attracts the RIGHT clients, it helps CONVERT them and KEEP them as a client. Our members also find they can charge more once they put this in place too.

The reason this works so well is that you are providing more VALUE and you are providing them with value FIRST before you are asking them to give you money.

This is great for business owners because people show up and willingly give you money – without you having to persuade them.

In fact, one of the most common things we hear from No B.S. Inner Circle Members who have Info-FIRST marketing in place is:

“People show up ready to buy before even speaking to me.”

You’re invited to attend an event with the step-by-step plan, resources and the people who are successfully doing this in their business, so you can easily plug this system into your company. You’ll find, as our members who’ve done this have, your lead generation and competition worries disappear.  

If you’ve had one or more months in 2018 where you didn’t have enough business … or if you aren’t predictably attracting leads and converting them, then this is for you.

Join us to get your step-by-step plan, resources, and instruction.

So why aren’t the leads coming in? And better yet, what can you do to get them to show up ready to buy so you don’t have to go into a sales pitch?

I don’t want you to go through another year struggling to get enough business through your door. I want you to know, with complete confidence, that you’ll have a predictable stream of business flowing to you day in, day out. And when they show up, have them ready to buy the minute they contact you the first time.

And that can only happen when you have the exact plan and strategy proven to work.

But this opportunity to get this plan won’t be around forever. Which is why I wanted to invite you to reserve your seat for you and a guest or your team to get in on the Info-FIRST Marketing Summit designed by Dan Kennedy and Adam Witty and personally taught by Dan, Adam and a team of experts.

Get your ticket here.

Look, you can keep spending money on ads and strategies to attract leads that are “slightly effective” and which only convert a small percentage of prospects to paying customers like all those other businesses out there…

OR…

You can invest a small portion of your lead generation budget now and get a proven, step-by-step plan you can implement in your business before the year ends and make your money back and then some.

If you want to rise above the competition.

If you are sick and tired of having to overcome price objections.

If you want to escape commoditization and price and profit destruction.

If you want to transform your business into a better, stronger, more profitable business…

This is for you.

PS: Don’t let another year go by running on a treadmill and never really getting anywhere. Make this the year you move ahead of the pack. Get your ticket today at www.infosummit18.com or call 800-871-0147.

Read on to discover the best-known human operating system (assembled over 41+ years) for time management, autonomy, and wealth attraction…

A computer operating system is the most important software that runs on your computer.

It manages your computer’s memory and processes, as well as all of its software and hardware.

And it doesn’t matter if you have a Mac, PC, Tablet, and Laptop or just about anything ‘SMART’ and ‘I-TECH’…

They all need an Operating System to Function.

Just like you.

In today’s blog, I’m going to reveal how you can apply Dan Kennedy’s personal “Operating System” to your life and business.

So, keep reading if you want to experience all the benefits of better time management, autonomy, and wealth attraction…

You see, Dan’s operating system has been gleaned from 41+ years in marketing and advertising.

INTERESTING FACT: In 2016, Dan delivered between 35-45 consulting days for people who have paid up to $19,000 per day.

Do the math, that’s over $800,000 just in consulting.

In fact, one guy has been visiting Dan for 20 years.

Why you may ask?

He’s grown his business from a 3-person team in a basement office, to a company that rakes in tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

And he’ll be back next year.

According to Dan (at GKIC we listen to EVERYTHING Dan says…) the best part is that coaching and consulting only makes up 55% of his income…including current fees as well as royalties from present and past work.

Dan has multiple streams of income from GKIC and other sources, and is extremely diversified regarding income sources—which brings a lot of STABILITY…

Which is what’s in his ‘Operating System’.

If you follow Dan’s system – You can have it all…

•     Wealth

•     Freedom

•     Autonomy

•     The Ability To Work With Whomever You Want, For What Price You Want

So let’s take a look at an example…

Dan’s System will show you how to switch from being the “pursuer” to being the “pursued.” 

Think about that for a second.

If you could have your ideal customers CHASE you…

•     How much could you charge?

•     Do you think they would pay top dollar?

•     Would everything be on your terms?

•     Would your client(s) bend of backwards to work with you?

YES

Y-E-S

Y-E-E-S!

Dan mentions how he get’s clients to fly to Cleveland and meet with him and agree to his terms without having to “beg” or pursue prospects.

One of the parts to the system is POSITIONING yourself as the expert in your niche.

There are many ways you can do this. Here are 6 ways to get you started…

•     You can start a blog – (Like this one) or like Ramit Sethi, who started his multimillion-dollar business from his I will teach you to be rich (IWT) blog.

•     Write a book – surprisingly you don’t need to write the next ‘Harry Potter’ and you don’t need to be the next King or Patterson to make this work for you.

You just need to focus your efforts on solving the problems your potential clients are facing.

•     Videos – Don’t be shy. Get your content out there! Your ideal clients may respond better to video. Remember the triangle: Message – Market – Media

•     Testimonials/Endorsements – this will give you social proof! A study by Dr. Robert Cialdini on social proof (found in his classic book Influence) suggests: “people are especially likely to perform certain actions if they can relate to the people who performed the same actions before them”

•     Get Featured On Authority Sites – This can position you as the ROCK STAR in your niche!

•     Become A Specialist – For example don’t just be the Copywriter, become the marketing consultant…

or better still, The direct-marketing consultant for ‘X’ who specializes in ‘Y’

(X = The specific market and Y = The result the market want’s to achieve)

If you want to uncover Dan’s System that will show you how to switch from being the “pursuer” to being the “pursued.” (That’s what true wealth, freedom and power is all about)

Then you must check out Dan Kennedy’s Personal Operating System right here!