…well, almost everything I told you is wrong. 😊 In my post, “Tuesday with Dan,” from 2018, I shared some universal marketing concepts that I previously didn’t know, or had somehow forgotten — and in a couple of instances, I just needed a kick in the pants from Dan Kennedy to keep them top ...

In 2016, I asked marketing and copywriting icon Jay Abraham to interview me and endorse my first book, The Advertising Solution.He didn’t answer with a simple “yes.”And if you know Jay—or know about Jay—you know that he never answers “simply” …or with a single word for that matter. 🙂He just asks questions…and more questions…and more questions…and then asks ...

If you were asked, “What is the top priority in your business,” how would you answer?You might say things like: Keeping my clients/customers/students happy Getting new business from new people (new customer acquisition) …and note this is below keeping existing customers happy (intentionally) Creating new products or services (innovation) Commitment to positive cash flow and profit margin Fulfilling your mission ...

It’s been a little over a year since my daughter’s wedding…and lo and behold, the afterglow has stayed with me…as have the marketing lessons I learned from it. That event has some staying power. And the news for today is that I will be a grandpa (initiated from that same daughter) in October. No ...

In the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, when contestants are on the hot seat answering trivia questions for big bucks, one thing they can do when they are stuck is “phone a friend” for help. And it’s the same when someone is on the hot seat during a mastermind…but you don’t ...

Those of you who have been part of my online family for a while know about my mom, an expert in direct response marketing (and the concepts covered in my book, Overdeliver). However, her expertise was instinctive, rather than learning anything from me. ☹ She always said, “I need to get back to your ...

Every Friday morning, I sit down at my keyboard and channel the great Gary Halbert: “I don’t exactly know what I am going to write about today so what I’m going to do is just keep putting words down on paper until I start to get some direction.” I also channel the great Gene ...

I can’t believe it’s been three years since we launched the first Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp…and with the 8th one coming up soon (it begins on May 6th), I wanted to look back on its evolution.And I also want to share with you four examples of how I applied the fundamental concepts of Breakthrough Advertising in my career with ...

Don’t be sad that it’s over; smile because it happened.            -Dr. Suess, Gabriel García Márquez, Vin Scully (and I’m sure others) This may sound callous:I hate missing funerals.Not because I’m looking for reciprocity (i.e. I want folks to show up at mine).Rather, I am looking for maximum meaning and understanding ...

“Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave – 12 notes and the octave repeats.  It’s the same story told over and over, forever. All any artist can offer this world is how they see those 12 notes. That’s it.”                             ...

Being a serial direct marketer comes with lots of responsibility. It means that there are various forms of marketing and advertising that for the most part I avoid like the plague: Publicity Public relations Brand advertising Image advertising Basically, anything that is not measurable, has no obvious return on investment or has little or ...

The subject line of this email was written by a young marketer who had little faith in me …so of course I had to prove him wrong. 🙂I not only read his email, but I wrote him a detailed response.And since I spent significant time composing the response—he hit a nerve (as you will ...

Whenever I receive two emails on a related subject in one week, from two different people, I feel compelled to write about what connects them. I consider it the universe telling me I have a duty to do it. The first was from the greatest living copywriter, Gary Bencivenga…who claims to be “retired” …but ...

I received an email this past week from someone I highly respect who has training that is unique, super creative, and actionable.This results leader asked me one question:“I was wondering if you could give me a sense of what to charge for a new mastermind.”How would you answer this question?Here’s how I did:There are ...

I want to share two “exercises” which I have done via email, not in the gym…one took place “B.T” (“Before Titans”) and the other just recently (which almost closed the loop on the first one). I say “almost” because the second opened a new loop while doing it. And I just created an open ...

Enter a room like you’re supposed to be there and speak as if others need to hear you.” -Sean Stephenson #Sean365 Today I encourage you to embrace the idea that we belong in every room we enter. And enter in the spirit of “this will be the best experience ever.” I know for some ...

I couldn’t outrun the gazelles…so I just outworked them. -Martin “Marty” Edelston (February 14, 1929-October 2, 2013) A novice says, “I’ve already heard that;” a master says, “Ah…thank you for the reminder.” -Sean Stephenson (May 5, 1979-August 28, 2019)Sean Stephenson #Sean365 Of all the “Hallmark holidays” I love Valentine’s Day the best. It takes ...

This past week I’ve heard from multiple friends and colleagues who recently lost a parent…and unrelated to that, I’ve also heard from four people in my life about their near-death experiences that I never knew about previously. Tough week? On the surface, yes. But it has also been uplifting. When discussing the fragility of ...

There is your audience.There is the language.There are the words that they use. -Gene Schwartz With the re-election of Donald Trump this past November, I went back to the post I wrote when he was first elected in 2016 to see if it was still relevant.I believe it is…but I’ll let you decide.The 2016 ...

Advertising opportunities are now infinite -A wise investment banker, circa 2012 If there is a number called “more infinite,” that would be more appropriate for 2025. And that is true whether TikTok is part of your long-term future or not. 🙂 When the clock was “tiking down” regarding the dissolution of TikTok, there was ...