I attended a two-day event this past week—with some of the top marketers (entrepreneurs and practitioners), copywriters, media buyers, funnel builders, membership and continuity experts and book publishers in the world—and it was as exhilarating as it was exhausting.
Exhilarating because when you are in a room where everyone is getting smarter (which is way different than simply being in a room of smart people)—contribution, heart, all give/no take makes that possible; but exhausting when everything comes back to AI, Claude, ChatGPT and their friends with every conversation (or most).
I’m not saying the extreme emphasis on AI is not justified…it’s changing the world…and in the world of marketing, it is now a fundamental tool that everyone needs to employ in some way.
But sometimes it’s overkill. 🙁
And I’m sure I’ve got as many folks in my online family (that’s you) who agree with that (“AI all day every day is unhealthy!”) as disagree (“AI is the best thing to happen to marketing since the Internet”).
I’ll just chalk it up as an observation, so we don’t need to argue. 🙂
Today I want to reflect on a time before AI.
I’m writing this post on September 11th, a day that those of us who lived through 25 years ago will never forget.
A nightmare that was reality.
As a lifelong New Yorker (I’ve lived my entire life within 50 miles of New York City), I remember going to the city in the days and weeks after 9/11, and it felt like everyone was in a cationic state (while still moving/walking)—and it was eerily quiet everywhere.
Uneasy is an understatement.
The disbelief and horror were on everyone’s face.
But something that has been shared by others (a glimmer of hope?)–and I experienced it–was when I was walking the city streets during those weeks and months following the attacks, despite everyone being in a dream/nightmare state, there was still an attempt to catch the eyes of the people you passed, with a nod or a forced smile, letting each other know that we were in this together.
It was something different that I have never experienced before or since, especially on the streets of New York City.
The circumstances were awful…but the feeling gave me some optimism for the future.
Regardless, it was one of the saddest periods in most of our lifetimes…whether you lost someone in the tragedy or not.
There were posters all over the city of the “missing” …most of whom are still missing…but always remembered…especially today.
There’s not much more to say than, “Never forget…and remember those who were lost.”
I do my part each year as I am doing here.
But back to the exhilarating and exhausting conference I attended this past week…
It took me back to another conference I hosted 12 years ago to the day (September 11, 2014) …also exhilarating…about a mile up the road from the event last week.
Surprise! There was no talk of AI at that event in 2014.
Yet the principles that guided that agenda are all relevant to 2026.
Some things are timeless. Some are fleeting.
Will AI be timeless?
I imagine it will be if it doesn’t kill us all first. 🙂
When I decided to be the possibility of “contribution” many years before 2014, I had no idea about the depth of that declaration.
And when I stood on the stage on Day Two of “The Titans of Direct Response” on September 12, 2014, in front of 350 of the most influential direct marketers on the planet and declared, “I am a Titan,” I doubled down on my promise regarding contribution…and connection.
What an experience the event was…many of you were there…and many of you may have heard about it.
Dan Kennedy (who partnered with me on the event) sent me a Fed Ex’d “Mickey Mouse Disney card” and simply wrote:
“Titans was “THE event of the year…decade”
I know we accomplished something special…even if it was during the previous decade.
Two things that would have made the event flawless:
1) I think we could have set the temperature in the ballroom a few degrees warmer
2) We could have had continuous coffee service throughout the conference
If we had done those two things, we would have had almost perfect scores from attendees. 🙂
Seriously, those were the only consistent complaints.
I interpret that as most of the complainers knew they were in a special room for a once-in-lifetime event…so they put on a sweater and/or bought a Starbucks and absorbed all the amazing content despite the chilly and caffeine-starved conditions…because most rated the event a 10 out of 10.
Well, those people gave it a 9.
To honor the 12th anniversary of that epic event (and the 25th anniversary of 9/11), I want to share some of the lessons I learned putting together and staging “Titans of Direct Response” …lessons that I think will be meaningful to all of you whether you were there or not…whether you revere timeless principles or not…or whether you are an “all AI/all the time person” or not:
1) Grace and humility trumps all
So many people asked me, “How did you deal with all of those egos?” (referring to the speakers).
And I can tell you that it was easy (for the most part).
In case you are not aware who spoke at the event, click here and scroll down just below the fold and their pictures (egos?) will be exposed. 🙂
Two of the speakers epitomized why it was so easy to get all of them.
It was about who they are and had little to do with my persuasion techniques.
Gary Bencivenga (the best copywriter in the world with more “unbeatable controls” than anyone in history); and Greg Renker (the top infomercial producer EVER and the man with a $2 Billion company at that time).
I encourage all of you whenever you think about bragging about yourself or being envious of the success of others around you (or the accomplishments of anyone in your life), PLEASE go to gratitude over envy…and thank your lucky stars for everything you have in your life and be proud when you have the opportunity to interact with greatness all around you.
Simply put, if you could have been on any of the preparation calls I had with Gary or Greg before “Titans” …or been on any of the follow up calls or emails after…what you would have heard and seen from these two giants was 100% grace and humility…and THEIR gratitude for being part of such an amazing conference.
I told the story from the stage about the call I received from Greg Renker’s assistant months before the event asking:
“Where should Greg send his $3,500 registration fee.”
Of course I said, “Are you kidding?” (which would have been “WTF” today). 🙂
Greg’s assistant:
“Well, Greg just wants to contribute something.”
I thought I was in some bizarro world.
Greg contributes by breathing.
So did Gary by acknowledging and praising the competitors he beat over the years…and becoming their mentor when appropriate.
And despite being “retired” from all speaking and presenting in 2014, he came out of retirement for “Titans” to be part of an event where many of his fiercest “competitors” would be speaking and be in attendance…but for him, competition was always coexistence…and they were all “partners” to him in an industry he loved, and gave him a wonderful life.
I wouldn’t say he was “giving back”; he was just “giving.”
Nod to Dan Sullivan who says this about entrepreneurs:
“They don’t give back, they just give, because they never took anything.” 🙂
And I have similar stories about all my interactions with all of the speakers…an amazing group of Titans.
2) Over delivery MUST be your mantra in life
One of the constant pieces of feedback I received from attendees was how much we “overdelivered” …and whether folks realized it or not, I was practicing a direct marketing rule-of-thumb throughout “Titans”:
“Give the customer more than they ever would have expected”
That applies to things like giving disgruntled buyers extra care or premiums when they are yelling at you on the phone; or always delivering on all your promises in your promotions.
All of that was evident at “Titans”…turning up the A/C a bit (on request) helped…as did the exclusive bonuses created for the event…and exclusive content from some of the greatest minds in direct response who have ever lived.
Physical products are special…then and now.
And of course we digitized everything for grins. 🙂
Note: My second book, Overdeliver, wasn’t even a gleam in my eye at the event.
But this lesson became my mantra…and hopefully now yours.
3) Wisdom is eternal
I must admit that I was very surprised how young the audience was…given that we had so many old codgers like me speaking…but I think “Titans” showed the difference between:
“50 year’s’ worth of experience vs. one year’s experience for 50 years”
This was a conference that was inspired by my personal mission to share the eternal truths of direct marketing (a phrase I got from Titan speaker Perry Marshall) …I think we accomplished that…plus the mixture of tactics and strategy exceeded my wildest expectations.
The feedback and testimonials confirmed that.
It’s OK to hang out with old people with tons of wisdom…but just make sure they can still apply all that wisdom to you and your business (and life) while telling some war stories at the same time.
You’ll have time to apply AI to all of it later.
Mission accomplished.
4) Direct response marketing (and education) is global
OK…I admit it…sitting in my cocoon in Connecticut/New York these past 45 years, I often think that there is not much happening anywhere but here.
But I knew there was a big world out there and Titans of Direct Response proved that.
We had double digit attendees from Australia (and when one told me he spent 24 hours and $20,000 to get to “Titans,” I cried on stage) …plus folks from Canada (even the French speaking part!), England, Ireland, Germany, France, Croatia, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand–and I know I am forgetting many countries that were represented.
And 12 years later, there are international (and domestic too!) attendees from the event inside my current Titans Xcelerator Mastermind.
Global AND loyal.
This “lesson” opened the world to me in another way…by making it part of my mission to teach and reach and learn from others in foreign lands.
Over the past 12 years I have spoken live in Hungary, France, Italy, Germany…and on video and on podcasts in at least another half dozen countries…and each time, I learned more than I taught. Still do.
This was also the inspiration to translate my book–and translate the classic I have the rights to (Breakthrough Advertising)–into four languages each.
What was also amazing was how every one of those foreign attendees knew (and had studied!) one or more of the speakers at “Titans.”
Most were not only direct response practitioners but also students of the craft.
For me, that was unexpected…and so fulfilling.
My mentors and gurus were their mentors and gurus…and I knew conclusively I had chosen the right speakers.
And I also learned that the language of direct response marketing and its eternal truths have no borders.
5) Life imitates direct marketing
I was convinced before “Titans” …and now I am convinced even more…that when “teaching” direct marketing we must go way beyond concepts like “lifetime value,” “list segmentation,” and “new product development” etc.
This really hit home for me, especially when I was talking about my mentor Marty Edelston’s four pillars becoming extraordinary to open the conference (since the conference was a tribute to him and the company that he founded and I helped him build, Boardroom Inc.).
AND it hit home again when I was sitting on stage with my personal mastermind group (Michael Fishman, Jim Kwik, Ryan Lee) talking about “accountability for results” to conclude the conference.
There are so many things beyond tactics which are critical to focus on to make your biggest impact on the world.
Simply put:
Being extraordinary and accountable will make you a better marketer…I guarantee it.
That was the overriding theme at “Titans of Direct Response” although I had no idea it would be while planning the event. And it’s how life imitates direct marketing and vice versa.
It’s interesting that I get way more email engagement and positive feedback when I talk in these posts about things like developing your “relationship capital” than when I write about how to “build capital” via the best direct marketing techniques and tactics.
I have learned through you–the readers of these e-mail posts (and through the audience at “Titans”–many of the same people)–that it is critical to pay attention to all aspects of how we conduct ourselves to be the world’s best.
There was so much more to talk about coming off “The Titans of Direct Response” (which I have over the past 12 years).
I promised epic and I think I delivered epic…but I see now that it was only one small step towards my lifetime commitment to contribution and connection.
And yes…I am a Titan…with big boy pants to boot! 🙂
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. After the event, I put together a box of the materials we gave away at the event (exclusive swipe files, interviews, transcripts); and all the videos (first on CD’s and later on a USB), with the 9 hours of presentations from the greatest direct response marketers who have ever lived.
We sold dozens of these “boxes” at $2,000 each.
Here is the page which outlines everything that is in the box.
You can ignore the $2,000 price.
We later digitized everything we could from the box and sold even more of those packages as “Titans of Direct Response Digital” at $499 each.
Ignore that price too.
Just for today, in honor of the 12th anniversary of this monumental event, if you would like one the remaining few boxes (I’ve got 6 left and have no plans to recreate/reprint it ever again) …AND…the full digital product as well…
YOU CAN HAVE BOTH for $395 (domestic shipping included, international shipping will be extra).
Everything from “Titans of Direct Response is unique, timeless, still actionable…and a collector’s item too.
There is no order page…you will need to email me with your mailing address…and we will take it from there.
Put “TODR” in the subject line of your email.
https://titansofdirectresponse.com/