We lost a Titan of Direct Response this past weekend, a marketing innovator of the highest order.  Joe Sugarman passed away last week and there has been an outpouring of posts, blogs, videos being shared in many corners of the marketing world…and it’s my turn today.  Fans, students and friends–along with marketers and copywriters ...

“If you’re not part of the solution… …there’s good money to be made in prolonging the problem”  This definition is the dark side of what we call “consulting.”  It doesn’t have to be this way…but it’s true more often than it’s not.   I want to give consultants (and clients who hire consultants) more hope today…and ...

For those of you who follow baseball in the U.S., you are aware that after a long and arduous labor negotiation, the 2022 season will take place.  For those of you who don’t follow baseball, this post will still be relevant because I won’t be focusing on the negotiation or the intricate details of ...

I want to tell you about four “rebels” today…cut from the same cloth but completely different…all with a mission of spreading the gospel of direct response marketing, audience engagement…and entrepreneurial freedom.  As a bonus, while they spread their influence, they also leave us no excuses when we stare at a blank piece of paper, ...

Those of you who have been reading these blog posts for any length of time know that I often quote (and refer to) Gene Schwartz…and for good reason.  Not just as a copywriter or a marketer…but as a true Renaissance man.  This week, while working on a new book based on Gene’s classic tome, ...

In one of the mastermind groups where I am a member, someone posted a question whether they should use (for their students for a charter membership offer), a free trial, a one-dollar offer, a short term/lower priced offer…or simply charge them full price.  And the answers that came back from a group (who are ...

The first time I entered your inbox with this Sunday missive (some of you may recall that fateful day) was 8 years ago this week, in honor of Valentine’s Day 2014.  At that time, it went out to a small group of family and friends (a VERY small group) …but I maintain that it ...

Most awards given to marketers are silly…especially when they are based on anything but positive results.  Be skeptical when a marketer gets an award for an ad that looks pretty or because it contains clever copy…it’s far more important to find out if the ad worked (by some significant metric, whether related to response, ...

Many of us pride ourselves on being students of the craft of marketing and copywriting…and part of that includes becoming adept at “stealing smart.”  Now remember, stealing is a felony and stealing smart is an art.  And stealing smart as an art equates to re-purposing, re-imagining, re-engineering winning ideas, platforms, and design…which has nothing ...

Submitted for your approval…two mantras for any marketer, blogger, ecommerce business owner, entrepreneur, coach…anyone who sends out correspondence via email…whether information, customer service or an automated thank you: 1. Engagement is a two-way street  AND… 2. It pays to reply to every email with more than an autoresponder  When I wrote “Open rates are overrated,”  based ...

Once upon a time, a powerful emperor advertised for a new “Chief Samurai.”  Only three applied for the job:  1. A Japanese Samurai 2. A Chinese Samurai 3. A Jewish Samurai  “Demonstrate your skills!” commanded the emperor.  The Japanese samurai stepped forward, opened a tiny box, and released a fly.  He drew his samurai ...

Having just completed the annual launch for Titans Xcelerator, I went back to my blog post from a year ago after completing last year’s launch…and I noticed that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  The big difference this year was that we had our first group of third year renewals(in addition to ...

During the live Zoom call I hosted last week, with over 70 existing and prospective Titans Xcelerator members on screen, one of the members shared her experience with the group…which reminded me of a 6 minute video I recorded in 2016. She began with an apology (of sorts) letting the Zoom room know that she spends most ...

I received an inquiry from a prospective Titans Xcelerator member this past week which threw me for a loop…and it was one that I needed to think long and hard to give him a proper answer.  It wasn’t typical of the inquiries I receive, which I do have answers for…things like:  “Is Titans Xcelerator the right fit ...

I receive several emails each month which contain some version of, “Will you be my mentor?” …and since I obviously can’t say “yes” to every request, I refer them to this 9-minute video which gives them the not-so-secret-secret to have the best mentors in their court…and at a minimum to convince them that the secret is not ...

George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars series of classic films, was complimentary about the storytelling in Mel Brooks’ Star Wars spoof (which was titled Spaceballs, released in 1987).  After Lucas saw a screening of Spaceballs, he sent what Brooks recalled was a “lovely note”:“ It’s dangerous comedy. I was afraid I would bust something from laughing.”  Getting permission to make the ...

By now everyone has a good COVID story.  It seems like it’s been with us forever…and it doesn’t seem to want to go away.  I’ve learned a lot since March of 2020…I’m sure you have too…about business and life (as we knew it, know it and hope to know it in the future).  The ...

Three years ago, on Thanksgiving (it feels like 10 years after what we experienced in 2020), I was sitting at my dining room table with over 20 relatives of all ages. The guests included my mom (who was a spry 93 and is now a spryer 96), my wife and kids, siblings, cousins, nephews ...

During the Titans Xcelerator live call this week, we got into a lengthy discussion about “renewals” and “repeat customers” based on my post last week, “Selling a billion dollars’ worth of products…$39 at a time.”  The gist of that post (if you didn’t read it) is that successful direct response businesses come in many flavors…and one thing ...

One of my Titans Mastermind members recently asked me to meet with their expert copywriting team (20 + strong) to discuss some of the core marketing principles I write about in my book, Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing.  It got very real, very quickly, since this ...