January 2, 2021

Don’t worry…this is not a post about why clicks are more important than orders. 

I would never subject you to that…especially at the beginning of a new year. 

This post is about another kind of “click”…and whether you have heard the expression “clicks on a dial,” before or not, buckle up. 

Because, if you will allow me a little over dramatic hyperbole, when you know all of the clicks on your dial, it is life-defining. 

First, let’s define what your dial is… 

It’s the storehouse of cumulative knowledge (and more importantly cumulative wisdom, which makes for a far more valuable dial) in the hard drive that sits on your neck between your shoulders–the top part—your brain. 

Once you gain wisdom in a particular area—it can be narrow or wide, with varying degrees of proficiency—you have created your “dial.” And it is never stagnant—there’s way more storage capacity no matter how packed your dial is today. 

And make no mistake about it…we all have dials (some larger than others and all are valid). 

I believe it was Gary Halbert who coined the phrase “clicks on your dial”…and if it wasn’t him, there is no evidence disputing that on The Google. 

Any Halbert groupies out there want to confirm or dispute? 

Even if he didn’t come up with it, he definitely made it famous in marketing and copywriting circles.  

Where do the “clicks” come in? 

In your brain is a dial of information…and, to use Halbert as an example, when he was asked a question in his area of expertise (copywriting or marketing for example), he simply clicked…clicked…clicked… on the dial until he arrived on something that related to what the person was asking. 

Clicks are the subset of your dial…the specifics under the umbrella called your wisdom. 

These specifics combine your knowledge with your experiences over a long period of time. 

Come to think of it, that’s not a bad workplace definition of “wisdom.” 

Note that Halbert had a HUGE dial—with thousands of clicks within it–which always enabled him to go deep with anyone asking him a question (once he got to the appropriate click). 

Maybe he gave them an answer straight up…or maybe just a new way of thinking about the issue…or both. 

But he always gave them something meaty to chew on. 

And from what I understand in the world of “hot seat lore,” that’s how Gary made “hot seats” famous—he wasn’t the first to do them but he definitely was a pioneer with them. 

What he did for his clients was profound. 

And by following his example, it has enabled many of us in the marketing world today become more proficient in hosting hot seats (i.e. having confidence that our dials could help many people on a hot seat); and also how we go about participating in hot seats ourselves (i.e. only “take a hot seat” in a room full of big dials).  

The first step to lead in this area is to have a big dial…relative to the community you serve…and then have the ability to connect any question you are asked to a click on your dial. 

Sounds easy…and it kinda is…as long as you are a lifelong learner with good recall and memory skills. 

Of course you also have to “do the time.” 

Having a right sized dial doesn’t happen overnight. 

Gary had a special dial…there were very few like his…but there are many of those around today that I flock to if I ever get a chance to be on a hot seat myself. 

I am not embarrassed to tell you that I’ve paid hundreds of thousands of dollars during my career to those dials for the privilege—and by dials, I mean people. 

Dials are people too! ☺ 

Geniuses like Dan Kennedy…Jay Abraham…Frank Kern…John Carlton…Mark Ford…Jeff Walker…Ryan Levesque (and many others)—who can take almost any question that matches something on their HUGE dials…put it through their accumulated wisdom to arrive on a click…usually for a solution…or close to it. 

Plus the biggest dials all have the ability to ask questions from your questions which leads to additional clicks on their clicks. 

I hope I’m not confusing you! 🙂 

That last point is a pro tip I learned from Jay Abraham.

I have marveled at this skill my entire career…because my goal is to help as many people as I can with their opportunities and challenges in direct response marketing and I am always eager to have them tap into my decades of wisdom…but I was also scared to put myself out there because I doubted whether my dial was really big enough. 

But no more—and not because I’ve “arrived” or that I now have all the answers. 

On the contrary. 

What I realized is that 40 years of accumulated wisdom is more than enough to be dangerous…and that I don’t have to have all the answers. 

If you have put in the time and paid close attention to everything around you (e.g. marketing by walking around continuously, and for a long time) you will have enough clicks on a big enough dial. 

And it’s interesting that the more you repeat your clicks, the smarter you get–not only because repetition is how you learn, but also that each person asking you a question has a little different angle on the issue as well. 

“Clicks on your dial,” by definition, means you are always on reruns…but that is a strength, not a weakness. 

When a new encounter with an old question hooks up with one of your clicks, it’s not simply repeating what you’ve said earlier…you actually build on your click as well…which generates new epiphanies. 

And not just for the questioner…also for you, the clicker.

Bonus: Your dial also gets larger with every click. 

A little over a year ago, I decided to put my dial to the test. 

I was launching Titans Xcelerator (my virtual mastermind) and in the launch, I added an “Ask Me Anything Webinar,” (AMA) with the hope of incorporating the concept as a benefit of the program on an ongoing basis as well).  

For me, this was a bold move. 

My insecurity arose from the fact that I was essentially asking marketers and copywriters from anywhere and everywhere on social media, from lists and communities I was unfamiliar with, and many other strangers (and even my online family members) according to my one dimensional mind, to “stump me.”  

Of course that was only my perception about doing an AMA Webinar…the truth is way more profound and certainly well beyond spending any meaningful time in some kind imposter syndrome. I got over it quickly. 

Putting your dial “out there” for all to see is bold…but it’s not as scary as you think. 

That initial experience a year ago was fulfilling and impactful (for the “askers” and for me)…and the beauty part was that learning beat teaching by a wide margin on both sides. 

I ran with the concept after doing an AMA in the initial launch by taking it to Titans Xcelerator on our weekly calls over the past year (with over 200 experts in the group, all with the ability to ask me anything anytime)… and I can safely say that I’ve never been “stumped” once. 

Have I not had an answer (from a click on my dial)? 

Of course. 

Did someone else on the call have the appropriate click on their dial for that question? 

Of course. 

I realized it wasn’t about having all the answers…but rather to allow access to the answers if I didn’t have them. 

That’s where 40 years of accumulated wisdom (and assembling a group of 200+ badass marketers) came into play. My 40 years of paying close attention to core concepts, techniques and philosophies of direct response marketing was coupled with an equal intensity to paying attention to the people behind it all. 

Getting them into my world (whether through a mastermind or having them on speed dial) has been the critical piece…and the ones on speed dial end up presenting to the folks in my mastermind. Brings it all full circle. 

New title for my next webinar: 

“Ask me anything…I’ll get you the answer…but it won’t necessarily be from me” 

Fast forward to these last few weeks of 2020… 

  • I did another launch for Titans Xcelerator (it’s now closed but you can get on the waiting list here –-see the P.S.)…and thank you to all of my new members for your trust in me and who are now part of the Titans family!
  • In this launch I did another “AMA Webinar”—I loved it for all the reasons described above—and I was far less insecure this time.
  • The one thing I will do next time is to do it on Zoom to get more interaction (to get the “wisdom of the crowd”/dials and clicks from attendees) and it won’t just be about my dial and clicks.
  • And I will continue doing this in Titans Xcelerator weekly in 2021 and beyond…teaching in the guise of learning.

Lessons from being a “big shot” a year ago by doing my first AMA Webinar…and why they only get better today…and why you should consider variations of it for yourself  (and your own online families):

  1. The dial that was my accumulated knowledge over four decades was nothing to sneeze at…and my paranoia that everyone would ridicule for me putting myself out there was unfounded.
  2. The dial that I created by launching, and then interacting with Titans Xcelerator members (on live calls once a month over the past year), has expanded my dial (with many new clicks) tenfold.
  3. The AMA and launch for 2021 was even more successful than the one I did for 2020 (in numbers and the knowledge/wisdom of the new members)…and I can’t wait to see what happens when these newest “Titans” mingle with the 70% of the Titans who have renewed from last year. One thing is for sure: We will have “exponential dials!” ☺
  4. The dial that is my rolodex (going old school on you!)–all of the people I have contributed to and connected with over four decades—are included in the wisdom on my dial. And if I don’t have the click to go with that knowledge, I’ll just bring them on an AMA call with the Titans Xcelerators so they can share their click firsthand.

I can’t wait for the next call, whether to use my ever expanding dial to advise my family of Xcelerators…or to use their dials to lift up the group in one way or another…and if push comes to shove, I’ll just call a friend with a completely unique dial (and expertise) to expand everyone else’s wisdom (i.e. yes, to expand everyone’s dials further).

And you can never have too big a dial or too many clicks on your dial…because once you think you are there, you are doomed.

Just think “Lifelong Dial” and you will be fine.


Warmly,


Brian


P.S. Titans Xcelerator is now closed…

I don’t know when I will be opening it up again…and since I know I gave you more than enough chances to join over the past couple of weeks, my emails were clearly not persuasive enough AND you now hate me for badgering you so much.

But it was for your own good! ☺

Obviously I would still love to have you as a member when you’re ready (and when enrollment opens up again).

I encourage you to get on the waiting list today (click here)…and I promise you will be the first to be notified when Titans Xcelerator opens up again.

I’m off now planning world class speakers for 2021, setting up the schedule for (almost) weekly calls, finding new members to present to the group in the coming year (because I love their dials!) and gearing up for an experience like no other in a virtual mastermind.

In the meantime, work on expanding your dial—it won’t be as easy not being in Titans Xcelerator —but I have confidence that if you follow some of the tips hidden in plain sight in this blog post, you will be on the right path on your own.

If you do, you will be ready for me to ask YOU anything! ☺

Click here to get on the waiting list. 

That’s a click not on your dial…yet.

About the author 

Brian Kurtz

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