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 ...

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 a “hot seat” during a mastermind…but you don’t ...

I can’t believe it’s been four years since we launched the first Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp…and with the 10th one coming up soon (it begins on May 12th), 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 ...

I received an email from a member of my online family two years ago in response to an interaction I had with the greatest living copywriter, Gary Bencivenga. It came to mind again today because the theme of greed not being a bad thing seems to come up often—whether inside my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind, across the ...

Author, results leader and “memoir and legacy coach” Anna David approached me to do an interview with the question, “Has your book made you a million dollars? I said “Yes” (without thinking). Was I saying that it made $1 million in sales? Hardly. The math doesn’t work on a $20 book that sells 10,000 ...

I found out something very interesting when I took a deep dive into the full quote referenced by today’s subject line. It goes like this: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear; when the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.” However, if you believe as I do—that the student is ...

Consider this week’s post a thought experiment (and a little hypocritical)…don’t shoot me because the section in bold below is intentionally generated by ChatGPT (and contradicts what I have told you numerous times that I write these Sunday posts entirely from scratch). Well, everything before and after the ChatGPT part in bold is original ...

My take on mentors: They choose you; you don’t choose them. And here’s a 9-minute video that makes that case. You can take my take…or leave it…but if you send a cold email to one of your marketing heroes asking them to mentor you, keep your expectations low. Not because your heroes are mean…but ...

When I was asked to appear on an “AI Summit”—with the billing of “the adult in the room”—I was nervous. Not imposter syndrome nervous. But wondering what I could say about AI that would move the room (Zoom screen) given that I am an inquisitive student of AI rather than a power user. Be ...

In the spirit of remembrance, it’s time to honor a legend of marketing and copywriting who we lost 4 years ago this month. He was a true “Titan of Direct Response,” a pioneer, innovator of the highest order…and one of the most prolific (and original) storytellers in direct response history. He basically invented “copywriting ...

I appeared on a podcast five years ago and the first question was a doozy. Shortly after that, I had a discussion with marketing superstar Todd Brown about the same question. And then during a Titans Xcelerator call two years ago, the topic came up again. Which brings me to last week when I attended a mastermind ...

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) #Sean365 It’s that time of year…on or around February 14th…when Hallmark gets rich…but not as ...

David Ogilvy has my back. How do I know? Well, it says so on the mug I drank my coffee from this morning. 😊 I want to talk about him today…and not because he is responsible for buying my house…which is a reference to last week’s 2-minute video where O.G. copywriter Drayton Bird gave ...

A subscriber to this blog sent me a 2-minute video of the wonderful and exceptional copywriter Drayton Bird…where he mentions two giants of direct response marketing…one of which caused Drayton’s worst hangover of his life…and the other is responsible for “buying” his sprawling home. Here’s the video. The “retirement newsletter” he mentions is one ...

A beginner’s mentality is a mindset that will serve you well throughout your lifetime. I call it “earning your Double White Belt” (more on that shortly). This is a theme I’ve shared with you before…but it was front and center when I spoke to a group of heart-centered entrepreneurs and founders whose missions reside ...

Chapter 10 of my book, Overdeliver—which is titled, “Playing the Long Game”—begins like this: I hate the word networking. And that is despite having a reputation as someone who connects the dots as well as anyone once I know the superpowers of the people I interact with. So how does a connector like me ...

I am not reporting on or predicting a collapse of our financial markets with this subject line. Rather, I am referring to a different “Black Monday” which is the Monday after the football season ends in the United States…and coaches get fired. 🙁 During a Titans Xcelerator call a  little over a year ago, one of my astute ...

My daughter—who was blessed (cursed?) from birth with curly hair—asked for a “Brazilian Keratin Treatment” when she entered high school so she could avoid being late to school every morning. As she explained it: “Do you want me to be an on-time, attentive student, always ready to learn…and who will be ready for college ...

As we begin 2026, I want to revisit a topic I first shared with you in 2021…when we were coming off the pandemic (the ultimate “blindside/unexpected hit”) …but the topic is as relevant today as it was then. The term “blindside” is exactly what it sounds like…and it’s often used in football regarding the ...

With Christmas on the horizon and Hanukkah now in our rearview mirror, I want to share something I wrote (with some updates) in 2019…because it’s the right time of year. It is not an attempt to equate Hanukkah with Christmas because there is no competition. Christmas is one of the four best days of ...