“Fishing without bait”

For Dean it is just one of many observations that eventually become part of the marketing lexicon.

It’s fascinating (yet not surprising) that Dean can do this with a turn of a phrase…thanks, Dean, for being you.

More on Dean’s concept in a minute…and so much more from that miracle of an event.

Today I am in the middle of planning another miracle of an event…which takes place in less than two weeks…which promises to be the best Titans event ever…because it’s the one in the present.

But the one in Miami was no slacker…and it was the “best ever” at the time.

I’ve been talking about (in these posts the past two weeks), the notion of taking ONLY what is most useful from our past into the present and future (while discarding the rest) …and I’m going to do just that with the Miami event from 2018 today.

Today’s post is a look back at timeless brilliance… and a look ahead to even more brilliance two weeks from now.

I wanted to remind myself (and you) that the lessons learned from the members and speakers at “Titans Mastermind Miami 2018” are as relevant to everyone participating in “Titans Xcelerator Greenwich (Connecticut) 2026.”

Both were, and are, key stops on the “Titans World Tour” which has been non-stop since 2015.

If you’ve read or heard about “Titans Miami 2018” (the summary is below), read it again (it’s been updated a bit) …you will find many new insights, especially in light of the year we have all had in 2026.

Hint: There was nothing about AI in 2018…or was there?

If you’ve never read it, you are in for a treat.

I apologize in advance for the length…but each speaker was so good and all of them deserved a spotlight.

I also realized that along with the speakers from 2018 (Dean, Eben Pagan, Todd Brown, Nicholas Kusmich, Mark Ford and Bob Burg), a look back of eight years may mean (sadly) that there could be Titans who were there who might have left us since…but of course, they are never forgotten.

In the spirit of the movie Coco (where no one achieves a “final death” until they are no longer remembered), I want to acknowledge the late Clayton Makepeace who was seated “in the horseshoe,” as a special guest in Miami in 2018, dishing out golden nuggets of advice and counsel throughout.

And…bringing it full circle, his wife and business partner Wendy will be at the event in two weeks presenting to the Titans (and soon to the world) the launch of a new “Clayton Bot” which will keep Clayton alive forever.

I will talk about that in an upcoming post, probably on the anniversary of Clayton’s passing in March. Or before.

This may seem like a sorrowful tangent but it’s necessary (and not sad at all).

To regularly remember (and appreciate) Titans of the past (and present) is always a celebration.

All were (and are) world-class marketers and copywriters, committed to multi-channel direct response–which made for an epic event in 2018–and it will make for an epic event in two weeks as well.

Titans Mastermind /January 2018/Miami Beach, Florida

Dean Jackson

I’m all for killer offers and compelling calls to action (CTA’s)—but it was obvious during the Titans Mastermind in Miami, that the marketing landscape was changing quite a bit…and almost daily.

Sound familiar?

And I think it is for the better.

So does Dean.

The thesis is that you can’t talk about irresistible offers without using (compelling) copy and content…with congruence…and a healthy dose of consistency.

“The four c’s of fishing without bait.”

It’s not enough anymore to just put your fishing pole in the water with a hook and some bait; it takes so much more to play the long game in direct response marketing.

Dean gave us this idyllic image that I have not been able to get out of my head to this day:

Imagine you are in a boat on a lake “fishing” for new customers…and instead of fishing in a traditional sense, pole in hand with an effective “hook” (i.e. sales copy) and delicious “bait” at the end of the hook (i.e. an irresistible offer), you instead shine a spotlight over the lake all the time (i.e. communicating regularly and powerfully without always selling).

And instead of reeling in the fish, the fish are jumping in the boat on their own when they are ready to engage with you…or order your product…or join your mastermind…or whatever you might want to do together.

And when they jump into your boat on their own, they also have a much better chance of staying in the boat longer as long as you give them air (e.g. constant value) to breathe.

I know I am taking this metaphor a bit too far…sorry.

They jump in your boat when they are ready–assuming you have reminded them regularly you are always there for them—and occasionally letting them know what you have to offer.

This creates a relationship over time on their terms rather than always on your terms.

I guess we can say “when the fish (students) are ready, the fishermen (teachers) appear.”

I am by no means saying that we should be completely passive with our marketing messages.

Deadlines, timed launches and making offers at live or virtual events are all important to have in our tool (tackle?) box.

But it’s clear that in today’s competitive marketing environment, always full of distractions—too much noise, overflowing inboxes—including way too many pictures of food and vacation spots on Facebook–-patience is a virtue.

I know this sounds counter-intuitive (i.e. “don’t ruin a great offer with a CTA”) but it is fascinating how much we kept coming back to this theme with so many world class marketers in the room at “Titans/Miami 2018.”

And it has reverberated in many rooms since…and it will again.

To bring this concept home, I just happened to get an email from one of my online family members the week after the event:

I must say that you are the only marketer in my inbox who gives me the feeling that you genuinely want to provide great value to his online family instead of obsessively trying to sell something each time.

Interestingly, I’ve also bought more books and materials from you than from any other marketer.

I didn’t invent this alternative way to fish…it’s not for everyone…I just learned from the best and established it as a best practice.

I humbly submit it here for your consideration.

Eben Pagan

Eben is a pioneer in online marketing and made a name for himself practicing and perfecting the craft…and then he went on to teach all he has done.

Evidence of his success:

The hundreds of superstars who point to him as their mentor.

Eben is known for never standing still and he is always reinventing himself.

At the event, he talked about a new product he’s working on that covers the very subject of “re-invention” …because he believes that without constant re-invention, life is far less compelling and impactful.

And he’s all about impact.

(NOTE: In the eight years since he spoke at Titans Mastermind, he has developed many other new products, incorporating state-of-the art strategies and techniques…but “Eben-ized”)

When you ask this visionary about “marketing” he coyly says:

“I haven’t been interested in marketing for over 10 years.”

Despite this, Eben knows how important marketing is to make sure he can fully share the knowledge he is absorbing in areas such as “mental models,” “futurism,” “collaborative romantic partnerships,” and “visionary art.”

Yes…those are just a few things Eben thinks about on a regular basis.

Two additional takeaways from his talk (pre-AI so it seems a bit dated…or is it?):

1. When reading up on anything new, instead of just Googling it, go to Google Scholar for information you can really trust.

Eben reminded us that 90% of all the scientists that ever lived are alive today.

It’s less than that eight years later…but it’s still significant.

Did you know that? I didn’t.

Why this is important:

We need to access these geniuses directly now…because we can.

2. You need to have high self-esteem (and confidence without arrogance) to be a creative visionary.

I touched on this in my post “12 Notes”—that is, it is less important what you “invent” and far more important what you share with the world that has already been invented inside your own story.

Eben went even deeper on this, reminding us that protecting our self-esteem is critical to keeping our confidence level as high as possible as entrepreneurs and business leaders…even when we often feel like we are only re-doing and re-hashing work from others.

Again, AI makes this even more challenging.

Our unique creativity is everywhere, and we always need to cultivate it, curate it…and take pride in it.

Todd Brown

Todd has always been at the bleeding edge of all things online marketing…and at the meeting, he dissected a blockbuster promotion he created that stayed with the theme of delivering as much valuable content as you can before you are even thinking about a CTA (i.e. asking for money from prospects).

It was a unique take which he labeled “Narrative Lessons.”

On the surface this is a bit counter-intuitive, but it’s consistent with what we are seeing in the marketplace today from top marketers.

Throughout his case history, he proved how narrative often trumps offer and CTA–and he talked about this methodology as one that does not disqualify anyone from the promotion until necessary.

There were many more gems as Todd performed “copy forensics” in real time.

Here are some notes/sketches from Todd’s presentation taken by a Titan who was in the room, Eric Bakey, a copywriter and entrepreneur…and as you can see, an accomplished artist too:

Nicholas Kusmich

Nicholas gave us a blueprint (and a master class) for maximizing effectiveness of Facebook advertising in the dark ages of 2018.

Still relevant today?

You decide.

And true to our theme, he focused on both desirability of the content you should offer along with ease of consumption of that content.

Once again, offer and CTA are not front and center in terms of “selling.”

He stretched us to think out of our boxes since so many of the direct response skills we know, and love, are having trouble being applied to this platform.

He eloquently said:

“Facebook is not accepting (or appreciating) those skills.”

In addition to your traditional direct marketing chops not being as effective as they are in other media, if Facebook doesn’t like the claims you make, or the initial aggressive offer you construct, you’re not going to be on Facebook for very long.

He drew up the model below (with a creative assist again from Eric Bakey).

I’d love your thoughts on this model and how it applies to advertising on Meta today.

Nicholas was solving the Facebook puzzle early on—for what we should do to achieve the highest desirability–while also creating the easiest content to consume (and content that will not be rejected).

Something tells me that this model can stand the test of time…with tweaks…and maybe a little AI magic.

If you study and take to heart Nicholas’ Cartesian coordinate system above, using the vertical axis of desire and the horizontal axis of ease of consumption to guide you , creating the quadrants of Gap/Trap/Snap/Crap, you’ve got the visualization of a brilliant model.

The overall theme, once again, of delivering on the right kind of content at the right time, is paramount.

Mark Ford

One of the architects of the publishing giant Agora, Mark led us in a discussion about “hiring slow and firing fast” by asking everyone in the room a question:

“Can you think of a time you fired someone and after you let them go, you thought that you should have waited longer to fire them?”

I know this is the toughest thing we do in business–most of us are just too nice.

Mark is the author of many books, and three of his best were given out to everyone in attendance:

• Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat
• Persuasion: The Subtle Art of Getting What You Want
• How to Speak Intelligently About Everything That Matters

I highly recommend all of them.

In addition, we gave away another one of his must read books, Great Leads: The Six Easiest Ways to Start Any Sales Message, at a future Titans Mastermind event, where Mark came for a well-deserved encore.

Mark also shared four of his favorite quotes:

On flattery:

“Flattery works. At least it does on me. I am equally pleased by insincerely given compliments as by genuinely felt ones.”

On curiosity:

“The thing we most want to know is often the thing we’ve been told we don’t need to know.”

(NOTE: My mentor Marty Edelston has a nice spin on this one: “The only things worth talking about are the things you can’t talk about.”)

On teaching new skills:

“The behavior or skill I most want to teach others is usually the one I’ve only very recently acquired.”

On success:

“In retrospect success looks like luck. Looking forward it looks like hard work.”

One of our Titans commented after the meeting (regarding Mark’s time with us):

“Mentoring from the builder of a billion-dollar powerhouse. Thrilling and priceless.”

Bob Burg

Bob is the author of The Go-Giver, which in 2018 sold over 850,000 copies worldwide and the classic has been translated into 22 languages.

Bob came back to so many of the same themes from earlier in the event, and one that is critical in his work:

We should always provide exceptional value first, which makes selling anything later more natural (and a lot easier).

That led us into a discussion about whether you needed to be a “nice person” to truly be a Go-Giver–and surprisingly, you don’t.

While we agreed that it’s probably better if you are pleasant, the key is, first and foremost, to deliver value to others as your top priority.

We talked about the “mercenary marketer” who can deliver exceptional value at the highest level; and at the same time ethically extract every dollar he or she can, making “warm and fuzzy” only a bonus in the process.

This also started a conversation about how to be the “right kind of giver” …one that does not get taken advantage of regularly…while still being about contributing first all the time.

Summary

Let’s head back to Dean’s lake (and climb inside our boat)–and connect the dots.

As you survey the lake and its inhabitants, always think about being in service and contributing to others first…and saying “yes” as often as you can…without giving up your right arm.

In addition, consider putting away your fishing pole and your tackle box on occasion–and instead, pull out the aforementioned spotlight to shine on the water consistently with generosity and a full heart (creating overdelivery of great content and value, and as crazy as it sounds, no “offer”).

Regularly practice the four c’s of fishing without bait:

Copy, content, congruence and consistency.

And then be patient.

The fish are always swimming and jumping –below the surface and above.

Therefore, at least occasionally, you allow them to swim and jump at their own speed…rather than always at yours.

Warmly,

Brian

P.S. I promise to write a post that will summarize the upcoming Titans event…maybe I’ll split it into multiple posts to avoid a 2,500+ post like the one today.

Sorry/not sorry.

Sorry, that it’s so long.

Not sorry because I got to share the brilliance of some of the most exceptional Titans of direct response marketing.

With a healthy dose of fishing without bait.

The post Don’t ruin a great offer with a CTA appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

This post is for everyone, whether you are waiting for a year-end bonus, distributing one (or more) …and even if you’re not interested in bonuses at all right now.

It has been my experience (after sitting on both sides of the desk), when it comes to additional compensation, the biggest issue is unreasonable expectations (a universal concept way beyond “bonuses”)…which can lead to devastating consequences.

That is, expecting more than you eventually receive.

The other way around seems fine on the surface…but getting more than you expect can be accompanied by peril too.

I want to share a couple of stories today…one about a salesperson I knew whose expectations were so off base they got her fired; and the other about sending a surprise bonus/royalty when none was expected and how that created a deep, lifelong relationship of collaboration and extreme profit.



“You have to pay me more than last year”

Once upon a time, in the olden days when direct mail ruled the media landscape, there was a phenomenal list manager…someone who could sell (rent) mailing lists to anyone and everyone…whether they needed them or not. 

One day she got a new job selling a family of lists that had never been on the market before (NEW is always a big thing in the world of direct mail lists/media as it is in all media).

And these lists were going to be “hot” (i.e. super responsive) …they were affluent professionals who bought expensive books through the mail in large quantities.

Our ambitious list manager negotiated a deal with the publisher of these books (a large, legacy corporation–dare I say “stuffy”) for a salary and a hefty commission…but not unlike she had negotiated before at previous companies…and she was off and running.

Note that this old school corporation had no idea about the dynamic world and inner workings of the direct marketing/mailing list industry…they were naive but still very excited about the new profit center their lists would produce.

Simply put, they went in with at least one eye open…

However, this “normal deal” netted her–in her first year–a total compensation package that was not only more money than she ever earned in her life, but it was also greater than the CEO of the entire company.

And as I said earlier, it was a large corporation (which means that the CEO made big bucks).

Safe to say it was “high six figures” at a minimum, bordering on seven figures.

Who knew being a list manager could be so lucrative?

The secret to her success was a combination of her selling acumen coupled with representing lists that could have “sold themselves” …because they were new and had a profile that yielded high response rates for almost all who tested (and continued) mailing them.

This windfall, although a big win, was also the beginning of a perfect storm of calamity for our hard driving list manager.

When it came time to negotiate her second year, she followed the rules she had been taught from previous sales jobs, a rule I abhor, but she saw it as gospel.

That is, “If I made X dollars this year, I should make additional income on top of X dollars next year because that’s how salespeople with ambition who have success get paid.”

She didn’t see this first year as a windfall…equal to four or five years of previous compensation…just a big number that had to get bigger because of her talent.

And since her contract was for two years, with a stipulation for an increase in her salary and commission if she met certain goals (which she surpassed by a wide margin), the publisher was obligated to pay her even more in year two.

While I agree a contract is a contract, if she had viewed her first year as a windfall and her second year not as an entitlement, resulting in a windfall on top of a windfall, she might have thought long and hard about renegotiating her salary and commission package downward in exchange for a long run at the company at more money she could make anywhere else.

At least that’s how I would have played it given the outrageous amount she made in year one, a number that was well beyond her wildest dreams (and an unforeseen nightmare for the company).

You can guess what happened after she made even more money in year two…and I have no data whether the CEO got a raise or not.

The CEO unceremoniously let her go as soon as he could.

If there was ever a case of unreasonable compensation that could be acted upon, this was it.

Of course, she probably stockpiled enough cash to last her for five years or more…but I wonder how much she could have made with a “fair” (i.e., robust but not unreasonable) package by working at the company for two decades rather than two years.

This is a somewhat extreme case…but cautionary just the same.

Would you have considered “negotiating down” …at least a little?

I’d love to know what you think.



“You mean copywriters collect royalties?”

In the 1980’s, 1990’s and into the new millennium, I worked with a stable of copywriters who were the best-of-the-best.

I like to think that was because we had the best products and the most competent (and pleasant) staff to work with…but I must admit it was also (mostly?) because we always paid to play…offering large upfront fees plus generous royalties.

Because these word magicians were worth every penny.

That alone was a differentiator…because we understood that the A-List copywriters were a rare breed…and they would prioritize to the clients who would pay the most (and were nice to them too). 

We had one copywriter…who had multiple controls (i.e winners) for us…who had not caught on to the “royalty craze.”

He charged us large upfront fees to write for us…but he simply didn’t know that he could add in a royalty once he created a winner.

And shame on me that I didn’t let him know at the outset…but frankly, I didn’t know he would be that good.

However, once I saw that he was as good as the other royalty writers, I sent him a large bonus check after he wrote us a BIG winner.

When he called me to ask what the check was for, I told him it was for his genius…and specifically, for the current winner and winners of the past.

I then educated him on the world of royalties, and we negotiated a royalty arrangement for all ongoing and future promotions, similar to the arrangements I had with all the top gun copywriters we were working with at the time.

Which led to a partnership like no other…we got first dibs on his calendar (which is a coup with these top copywriters) …he became a true partner and helped us by writing in other media than direct mail…and best of all, he became a trusted friend, much more than a “vendor/copywriter.”

And that trust and friendship went both ways. Over decades.

The lesson here is that when you have a good deal in your favor (in this case, my favor, saving lots of money by not paying a scarce resource what he or she deserved), it’s far more powerful to fess up that you are in windfall territory before the other party lets you know first.

This philosophy led to symbiotic partnerships with all my royalty copywriters, resulting in them being amenable to “tiered royalties” (which I think I invented despite saying I never invented anything).

That is, when the copywriter had a control and certain lists couldn’t be mailed with their royalty, I would produce a spreadsheet (with complete transparency), mapping this out to them…and then getting their permission to mail certain lists without a royalty.

Did I say this philosophy led to trust both ways?

It did.

Which led to additional profit both ways too.

And the best news is that every one of those copywriters I consider a “best friend” …even today when they are no longer working for me.

In fact, four of them—Eric Betuel, David Deutsch, Kim Krause-Schwalm and Parris Lampropoulos—are attending (and speaking) at my “Titans Xcelerator Live” event on October 22^nd and 23^rd.

Thirty years (or more) of working together—sometimes for money and sometimes for “sport”—counts for something.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And by the way…there are still five (5) seats available for this epic event…I’m not making a scarcity play because that is all the room will hold comfortably…and you can grab one of those seats here.

Note: Those four “best friends” (who happen to be four of the top copywriters in the world) are only one piece of this epic event (which as you can tell, I am very proud of). 



I hope these two examples were instructional in some way…and will enable you to recognize early in every relationship when you’re being paid (or paying) too much…or when you’re being paid (or paying) too little…and stop trying to always get the “upper hand” in every negotiation and “payout.”

My staff often challenged me when I renegotiated a contract with a vendor that was too much in our favor…but if the changes reflected fairness, that’s all that mattered to me.

I always play a long game…and from the many engagements I’ve had with you over the years, I believe you play the game the same way.

I encourage you to read Chapter 10 of my book, Overdeliver which explores “playing the long game” from many different angles over four decades playing in the sandbox called direct response marketing.

As Dan Sullivan, the top coach for entrepreneurs in the world, says (and I am paraphrasing from the paraphrase I used in last week’s post about leaving the past in the past except for what you really need):

Cash is about your past; your knowledge, wisdom, resources, relationship capital, intellectual property–what you take that’s useful from your past–is what moves you forward…today and into the future.

That was worth repeating two weeks in a row. 



One final story to bring this home:

On his deathbed, my most influential mentor, Marty Edelston, asked me a strange question…strange if you didn’t know Marty.

I was sitting on his bed, holding his hand, he was in and out, opening and then closing his eyes.

Then…with his eyes wide open…he asked:

“What deals did you make today?”

If you knew Marty, you’d know that he is one person who would be thinking about “the office” on his death bed…his business was his life.

I told him about some negotiations I was working on, all in the spirit of the things I’ve discussed in these posts over the years, and in my books, letting him know about the give and take…with more give than take.

He simply replied:

“Be fair.”

That’s the final word on this topic…well, two words. 



Warmly,



Brian



P.S. I can understand why most of you didn’t jump at the opportunity to sign up for “Titans Xcelerator Live.”

It’s a hefty expense–$3,000 plus travel and hotel…but I’m perplexed that not all of you have joined Titans Xcelerator yet.

I guess my expectations are unreasonable…but hopefully not calamitous. 

While I know the live event will be worth every penny, I also know that Titans Xcelerator gives you “30 live events” (yes, on Zoom, not the same thing as being in real life but still super powerful) for significantly less than the one in-person event.

It’s my way of creating similar value over a full year.

With the offer I have laid out here, now is the perfect time to “underpay me” for a mastermind that has no competition, no rival, and it is the best value anywhere.

It’s the most wonderful marketing family…without the bickering…simply great people sharing knowledge and wisdom among themselves and with outside experts too.

And I guarantee you will make your own “best friends” inside the membership despite the meetings being held on Zoom.

Up to thirty (30) live calls creating a year of camaraderie, connection, and the most clear-headed, common-sense canniness.

With less alliteration in the future. I promise.

The experts who are members—and those who appear as guest speakers— include the top of the heap in direct response marketing, in media buying, offer creation, funnel building, copywriting, design, AI, and entrepreneurship/marketing leadership.

The members become speakers too…in the way of “Titan Spotlights” and expertly curated Hot Seats.

All of that is a reason to join in itself…but there’s more.

There is a digital portal and a monthly mailing of all the content produced inside and outside the mastermind (including recordings of all the calls), a private (and very active) Facebook group (not mandatory to join for those who don’t use Facebook).

Simply put, Titans Xcelerator is a marketing insurance policy, a de facto Board of Advisors, to present your best opportunities (and most difficult challenges) inside a group of over 250 caring direct response marketers and amazing thinkers.

While always learning.

Please read all about it here…the benefits, the success stories, and some special bonuses.

The fact that we are going on our eighth (8^th) year, with close to a 75% renewal rate, kind of says it all.

But it’s worth reading the details just the same. 

Click here.

The post A windfall is not a bonus appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

• You are a former member of Titans Mastermind
• You were a guest speaker at a Titans event in the past
• You were a special guest at a Titans event
• You have been a supporter of Titans (or me) over the past 12 years…and some of you over my entire career (which is a long time)

And ALL of you are wonderful people who are on a select list, expertly compiled and curated.  

Excuse the group email…but I wanted to tell all of you at once about a live and in-person event I am hosting (for family and friends of Titans Marketing only).

It will be held on October 22nd and 23rd…and it will be epic as all Titans events are.

And I want to extend a special invitation just for you.

It will be held at the JHouse Hotel–yes, the boutique hotel in Greenwich, Connecticut (with the funky toilets) which many of you have been to when you attended Titans events in the past.

It will be two days of wonderful speakers, discussions about all things direct response marketing (yes, we will talk about AI at a high level) …with shares from everyone who is attending, each with their special genius moves and breakthrough ideas…and with meals (including a “Boardroom-Style Intentional Dinner”).

It will be intimate…45 people in the room (max)…and we are currently at 40…but I wanted to reach out with this email to this special group to see if any of you would like to join us.

I know it’s late and your dance cards are probably full for October…but any friend of Titans is a friend for life, and we’d love to have you join us if you can.

There’s no elaborate sales page…just this.

Note that this is the price I am charging active members to Titans Xcelerator Mastermind and despite you not being a member, you qualify.

There are former Titans Mastermind members who are now members of Titans Xcelerator...so you won’t be in a room of strangers.

But you will meet some new friends whether you like it or not.

If you have any questions about the event, simply reply to this email and I will answer anything that’s on your mind.

But now that the “sales portion” of this email is complete, let me tell you the real reason I wanted to send it (in addition to the long shot of seeing you in person in a few weeks).

As I went through this list, and prepared this email, I got a warm and fuzzy feeling seeing so many people who have been part of this community from the beginning…and I also felt some loss for losing track of many of you.

Hey…life gets in the way.

I still love you all.

But this is a perfect time for a reunion. Even in email.

And if there is a hug in our future, so much the better.

Just the act of reaching out to you, to say, “thank you for being you,” fills me up whether you are interested in attending or not.

Once a Titan, always a Titan.

Hope to see at least some of you in October.

Click here.

Or email me with questions.

Or email me just to say “Hi.”



I never hid the fact that I wanted them to register for a paid event…but it was “an ask from somewhere” given my intimate relationship with everyone on this exclusive list.

The magic happened when I admitted that it was “last minute” and I revealed the real reason I was writing to them (which only revealed itself while I was writing the email).

I didn’t need them them to register…but I needed them to know what they meant to me.

I wanted to contribute to them in some way…and connect (or reconnect) meaningfully at the same time.

Mission accomplished.

I got dozens of responses, mostly regrets, and a couple of registrations.

But all were warm and heartfelt regarding how Titans Mastermind changed their businesses and how they could support me in other ways.

Each one turned into a rekindling of a previous deep relationship…making each one “the best communication ever” with these special Titans…and I even scheduled a few of them to speak on an upcoming Titans Xcelerator call.

And there will be more goodness from that email since responses are still coming in.

My advice?

Try this at home.

Contact cohorts from your past who have something profound in common (including what they have done for you in the past and vice versa) and don’t ask for anything (unless you have a live event coming up perfectly suited to them). 

Or…just reach out to special people you have loved in the past and fallen out of communication.

One at a time is fine too. You don’t need “cohorts” to do this.

I’m sure many of you do something like this already…but consider this a reminder to do it now…and regularly.

You will be rewarded.

I guarantee that if you loved being with them, they loved being with you, and your Inbox will light up with love and connection…

…while adding to the compound interest inside your relationship capital account.



Warmly,



Brian



P.S. I’ve been wondering why my “relationship capital account” has accumulated so much non-monetary wealth, and has compounded so much “interest” over 45 years.

That’s not me bragging…just observing.

I think I’ve invested wisely, watched the “account” carefully, reinvested in the best stocks and bonds…er…people…and compound interest is one of those exponential multipliers where time is its friend.

Note that when I say “wealth” I mean relationships, not cash…which may be less exciting to many of you…but they are related (even when you’re not trying to make money which often I am not…but I’ve made a few bucks with my relationship capital account just the same).

I think it’s a simple formula that I will never take credit for…just one that I implement every day, handed down to me from various key mentors who had robust accounts themselves.

And now that I have hopefully motivated you to reach into your relationship capital account to contribute and connect to folks inside it, I have another “homework assignment” for you:

Create a one-page infographic of your “playbook.”

I wouldn’t have thought of this myself…it took a member of my online family to do it for me.

And I’m sure many of you have done this already.

I didn’t ask him to create it…he hardly knew me…but he had studied me.

It was a delightful surprise and I was flattered by it…and it’s pretty accurate…not 100% accurate…because after all, he got an assist from AI which is never 100% accurate. 

The author is Dr. Mehmet Nurettin Alabay…we met on LinkedIn where he was teaching principles from Breakthrough Advertising…which prompted me to “invest” in him (i.e. I made a deposit into my relationship capital account by inviting him to the “Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp”).

Now we are friends for life.

Not because he flattered me…but because he was curious and proactive with his curiosity…and now it gave me something I can share with you (i.e. you should consider a one page infographic of your very own).

The reason you should create one:

It is reductionist and expansive at the same time.

Reductionist because you have to get everything you are known for (your “playbook”) on one page.

That will keep you humble…and succinct…two things I can always have more of in my life…and I am not alone.

We are all pretty smart, but we only know “everything about something” and not everything about everything.

Expansive because you should ask once you complete it:

“What’s next?”

Not to beat yourself up about what’s missing inside your playbook to date…but to build on the aforementioned bigger future by taking what’s most useful from the past…while always living in the present.

And we’re back to where I started this post.

Here’s my first playbook infographic…I plan to do more (and only use AI for design,  not copy)…and send me yours once you complete it:

The post Love the one you’re with…and the ones you’ve been with appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

-Martin (Marty) Edelston

After writing last week’s post to never forget 9/11–the tragedy of it all 25 years ago…and then a “September 11^th rebirth” from 12 years ago—I only paid lip service to the reason for that rebirth (i.e. a landmark event) from 2014.

Martin “Marty” Edelston launched a company called Boardroom Reports in 1972 and created one of the greatest “direct marketing universities” of all time–and a successful company at the same time.

Imagine that. 

Boardroom defined the term “learning organization”… Marty’s legacy lives on…which I want to highlight for you today.

I’m just glad I got into that university at a time when no one was checking my SAT scores.

Marty passed away in October of 2013 and was the inspiration behind what many have called the event of the (last) decade, “Titans of Direct Response.”

I talked at length last week about the event itself.

My dream was that after the event, many more people would want to follow in Marty’s footsteps and focus on creating the biggest impact possible on the world of direct response marketing.

Here’s how I have committed to that dream which is now reality:

• I’ve written these weekly blogs consistently (on Sunday mornings) for the past 12 years. (Albeit with coaching from the likes of Ryan Lee and Jeff Walker…that’s a story for another blog)
  
• I launched three mastermind groups for multi-channel direct response marketers since the event.
  
• I have released the Gene Schwartz classics Breakthrough Advertising and The Brilliance Breakthrough (along with co-authoring Breakthrough Advertising Mastery and launching the “Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp”).
  
• I have created exclusive swipe files and copywriting secrets from two of the greatest of all time, Jim Rutz and Bill Jayme.
  
• And I’ve written two books, The Advertising Solution and Overdeliver.

Marty is the one that got me into this mess, and I have no desire to get out of it anytime soon.

I hope you feel the same way.

Today I would like to share some of Marty’s genius with you in two areas:

First, “the myth of work-life balance”; and second, the four pillars I have identified which enabled a man with limited education, an incredibly difficult childhood and very few resources or connections when he started out, to become truly extraordinary.



The Myth of Work-Life Balance

If this sounds familiar, it should…because I repeat it in these posts in different contexts at least two or three times a year so I never forget it…it’s a North Star for me and many of you…so excuse this rerun with a purpose.

One evening almost 30 years ago, when I was leaving the office very late, I walked past Marty’s office and saw him working at his desk very intensely.

It was probably 8:00 p.m.–he and I were the only people in the office–and he was playing with some direct mail copy and writing what he called “nice notes” to people he wanted to connect with–just doing his thing.

I remember saying to him that night:

“You know that expression about no one thinking they should have spent more time at the office when they are lying on their deathbed? That doesn’t apply to you, does it?”

He said that he had never heard that before and if he had, it would not have registered anyway. I’ve got the receipts on that because I was with Marty while he was on his deathbed and it did not apply to him. I’ll share that story in a future post.

He went on to say, with a wry smile, that if he dropped dead at his desk later that evening (after moving a line of copy on the cover of a promotion an inch to the right), that I would make sure the change was made the next day. 

That brings me to the quote that was printed on the back of Marty’s business card–and I framed one of those cards, both sides, for the wall in my office:

“The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.

-Zen Buddhist Text

Here’s what it looks like:

I know that this idea of our work also being our play seems more like an ideal and not based in reality…but what if this was true for you?

I invite you to reprint this quote and put it on your wall (or in a place you can read it regularly).

Every day we spend above ground is a blessing…and loving “what we do” (while not differentiating between work and play) will make all the difference. It’s a lofty goal…one that is hard to achieve…but worth striving for.



The Four Pillars to Becoming Extraordinary

At 2:00 a.m. on the day of Marty’s funeral, I was sitting at my kitchen table trying to construct a fitting eulogy (through some tears).

I was grateful (and terrified) that I was given the honor of being the only non-family member to deliver a eulogy…and I wanted it to be extra special for the man who changed my life.

And the lives of millions more. (See pillar #4)

Marty would tell me often that he was just an ordinary guy who was able to do extraordinary things… he was simply “Mickey from Newark, New Jersey”, trying to do the best he could do all the time.

Excellence was his mantra.

He had stationery that read:

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until the good is better and the better best.”

As I sat there in my kitchen just hours before well over a hundred people were going to pay tribute to him, I came up with four pillars of why I thought “ordinary Marty” became an extraordinary businessman, entrepreneur, marketer, editor, benefactor…the total package:

1. He outworked everyone
   
2. He had insatiable curiosity
   
3. He always surrounded himself with people smarter than himself in areas where he lacked knowledge and/or expertise
   
4. He focused on helping YOU first…with “saving lives” as his ultimate mission

Not a bad way to run one’s life.



On “outworking everyone”:

Marty was the guy in school everyone hated because he always won.

He spoke often about how he could “outrun the gazelles” as a member of the track team despite being slower than most of them (by working harder to make himself faster).

And he was that guy in the office early in his career who always outperformed everyone by whatever measure was relevant. While offering up his “secrets” to his fellow salesmen but sadly, out of jealousy or stubbornness, most did not take him up on that.

Their loss.

He wasn’t the fastest runner or the most successful salesman just because he was driven and super-competitive.

Yes, he certainly was both of those things.

Most importantly, he knew that outworking everyone is the ultimate expression of generosity.

Much more on this pillar (with an illustration of how beating your competition is ultimate generosity) …and more about all four  pillars…are included in a video in the P.S. (something I rarely share but today is a good time to do that. 



On “insatiable curiosity”:

Without curiosity, life is so boring.

And to bring it back to our world of marketing, this might be the most important trait to have in your arsenal to bring your vision into the world most powerfully.

Without insatiable curiosity you might end up only going through the motions.

The advent of AI is certainly helpful in asking good questions…but you still need curiosity to come from within you.

My good friend Paul Bigham, a terrific marketer and an even better person (a worker and player and you never know which he is doing), shared this about Marty in a blog post he wrote recently:

It begins by asking expansive questions. Marty would often remind all that the only inconsequential questions were the ones not being asked. And if history serves me right, he would add something to the effect that the questions worth asking are the ones not being asked. 

Again, more details on this in the video in the P.S.



On surrounding yourself with the best people you can find:

Simply stated, and this is an oldie but a goodie…

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”

It is critical to surround yourself with folks who will tell you the truth, not just feed you what you want to hear, and who will never let love leave the room while they are telling you the truth (especially when the truth is painful to hear).



On “saving lives”:

Publishing large circulation newsletters and selling millions of books with the most important and lifesaving consumer and health information he could find (by outworking the competition, having insatiable curiosity and connecting with the top experts in the world) is how Marty accomplished this in a huge way.

There are countless examples of subscribers and book buyers (and people inside Marty’s inner circle) who have stories of how Marty saved their lives. I need to profile some of those in the future…since Marty did not. 

We can all do this in our own way following the first three pillars above…and then working towards this fourth pillar as often as we can.



The event was extraordinary as was Marty.

Those who were involved in “Titans of Direct Response” all agreed on the importance of bringing together as many of the people as possible who Marty surrounded himself with during his lifetime…the people who made him so big and strong…and extraordinary.

And it was particularly rewarding when one direct marketing/copywriting superstar after another said they would like to speak, share and educate, on their own time and without a fee, simply to honor Marty.

Even folks who never speak publicly or had previously decided never to speak in the future.

Coming out for Marty was easy for them because he always came out for everyone else.

I am sharing this background about Marty and the “Titans” event today since so many of you are new to my online family and might not know about either one; and sharing lessons from Marty and his fellow Titans is always worthwhile, whether you have heard them before or not.

The hope is that you will be able to incorporate many of them in your own lives.

It will be worth it.

Being extraordinary matters.

I share this quote from Marty often and it bears repeating:

“You only go through life once so you might as well be the world’s best”



Warmly,



Brian



P.S. I want to share the video of my opening session at “Titans of Direct Response” …going deeper on the four pillars to becoming extraordinary based on the life and times of Marty Edelston.

Click here.

The good news: It doesn’t seem dated since the principles are timeless.

The bad news: It DOES seem dated because I am 12 years younger!

Anyway, please let me know your thoughts on these pillars…and how you are incorporating them into your “life and times’ as well. 

Click here to watch “The Four Pillars to Becoming Extraordinary.”



P.P.S. In the spirit of spreading the gospel of the “Titans of Direct Response” one more week. I will repeat last week’s one-time offer…now a two-time offer (since the inventory is not quite cleared out yet) …

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.

One last time: In honor of the 12^th anniversary of this monumental event, if you would like one the remaining few boxes (I still have a few 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/

The post Being extraordinary matters appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

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 11^th, 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 12^th anniversary of that epic event (and the 25^th 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 12^th 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/

The post The world before AI appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

• A humble (subject to interpretation) –yet confident–leader…who is in it for the long haul (and I recognize that supreme confidence can cross over into arrogance which is “less than humble”) …but success (and leadership) comes in many flavors.
  
• A “way of doing things” that is unique to the organization
  
• Documentation of that way of doing things…so even when you change the players, everyone knows the rules and roles to continue to make the magic happen without interruption
  
• Loyalty among the “staff,” all marching in the same direction, but recognizing the uniqueness of everyone on the team.

I’m sure you can think of other characteristics of how a winning culture is created by simply thinking of the teams (or bands or businesses) who have a history of long-term success.

In sports we call them “dynasties”; in music we call them “bands that are relevant for decades (often led by 70-year-old rockers)”; and in business, we call them the best companies to work for and work with.



The “Spur Way,” “The Gonzaga Way” …and the way to create a successful business for a lifetime

Also, during the discussion on the Titans Xcelerator call, one of the members added basketball coach Greg Popovich as a perfect example of a “Boss” who created long term success using the prescription above.

You can read about him here.

The thing to pay attention to is that over a 20-year span, his teams came in first or second place every year but one (they came in third once) …they won five National Basketball Association (NBA) Championships, which is the premiere professional league in the world…not to mention that he has the most wins in NBA history.

One of the stories about him, shared by the above-mentioned Titan, was that when he was evaluating players—whether he was drafting them out of college, trading for them from another team, or signing them as a free agent, he asked one question:

“Is he a Spur?”

Popovich spent his entire coaching career with one team, the San Antonio Spurs.

That was his code for, “Will this player buy into our system and be loyal?”

What could be more important than that?

Side note: It’s equally important that Popovich created said system…was loyal to it himself for his entire coaching career…and loyal to his employer.

He personifies the word loyalty.

Another example that came up in our discussion (from a Titan who lives in Spokane, Washington) is Mark Few (who you can read about here).

Like Popovich, Few is a basketball coach…but his incredible run of success (comparable to Popovich’s in many ways) is far more unlikely because he coaches in college, where your players will only be with you for four years max…so the revolving door of new recruits to “buy in and stay loyal” is short term…and far more challenging.

But…also like Popovich…Few is a “CEO” who has stayed in the same place “forever” (i.e., since 1989) …with a defined system and mission… and has never had anything close to a bad season.

He’s not the only college coach who has had a lifetime of success by staying in one place with a defined system…but he did it at Gonzaga University, a small Roman Catholic/Jesuit school with 5,000 undergraduate students, where he competed on the same level as powerhouse universities which have six to seven times the enrollment with many more resources at their disposal.

Simply put, Few has no business having the highest winning percentage of any college basketball coach in history…except for the fact that he treats his coaching gig as being the boss of a business, a business based on the bullet points outlined above…and proves that you can have excellence with longevity from anywhere, including a small school in Spokane…with every one of his wins being extremely hard earned (773 to be exact).

And the fact that he has never won a national championship doesn’t take away from over 30 years of consistent success running his “business.”

I guess that’s “The Gonzaga Way.”

I bet he also asks every recruit some version of: “Are YOU a Bulldog?” (Bulldog is the Gonzaga mascot)

Some of you who have examined this topic might want to argue that because Few has never won “the big one” that he is somehow a failed CEO.

Much like the greatest players and coaches who pile up gaudy, hall-of-fame statistics but who are treated like second class leaders because they never won a championship.

I dismiss that theory wholeheartedly.

The CEO of a successful business wins every day when producing excellence over a long period of time…as does the rock band who sells out 50,000+ seat stadiums around the world even after being in the “game” for over 40 years…as does the coach who creates a living legacy without a championship.

I guess “winning” is how you see it as The Boss…with data.

Feel free to disagree.

I’m not changing my opinion, however. 



I love this topic…and I’m sure you have your own rock bands, sports teams and businesses that qualify to be in this “circle of excellence with longevity” …all with different Bosses…philosophies…numbers to support them…and missions.

And I bet you can document the “how and why” that enabled them to enter that circle.

Please share some of your favorites with me (I will be sharing another next week with the opening of the football season in the United States) …because there can never be enough of them to emulate.



Warmly,



Brian



P.S. Are you The Boss of your career?

Whether you are a CEO, an employee, a solopreneur/entrepreneur or any other flavor of “businessperson,” following the steps of being “The Boss” I’ve outlined above—and any others you can add from your own experience—need to be acted on.

The best way to act on them is to get out of your house and/or office and do some “marketing by walking around.”

And I have the perfect opportunity for you to take an epic walk.

And meet some excellent humans (who are all bosses of their careers)…in the flesh.

“Titans Xcelerator Live” is a two-day event I am hosting in Greenwich, Connecticut (near New York City) on October 22^nd and 23^rd.

And while much of the focus will be on state-of-the-art marketing strategies and tactics, copywriting in a world inundated with AI, media in a world of infinite advertising opportunities…the uber- focus will be on leadership.

You know…being The Boss. 

Of your business…and life.

I’ve got a faculty of some of the best minds in direct response to guide us (including Jeff Walker, Parris Lampropoulos, Anna David, Ryan Lee, Wendy Makepeace, David Deutsch, Jason Friedman and many others) …plus members of my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind who are as gifted as the guest speakers.

You will never find a room of 50 people more powerful…more giving…more empathetic…or more on top of everything at the forefront of direct response.

Click here for additional information.

Or… if you want to ask me anything about being the boss in your own life at “Titans Xcelerator Live,” just reply to this email and give me an opportunity to convince you. 

The post Being the boss appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Beware when someone asks to pick your brain because more times than not, they are picking your pocket

You may think Joe is being a bit cynical when he says this…and the irony is that Joe is one of the most giving and caring people in the world, allowing many to pick his brain regularly.

But that doesn’t take away from the point he is making…and why I wanted to write today about “pickpocket prevention.”

Like Joe, I am always open to giving free advice…whether I have something useful to deliver or not.

But I rarely think in terms of those who ask to pick my brain as taking advantage of me…until it’s too late.

I admit I’m a little naïve…and I also see my brain as similar to the brain of “A B NORMAL” from Young Frankenstein…

Definition of “too late” is when brain pickers never stop picking until you cut them off…and it is much less painful to cut them off early.

That’s why you need to cut them loose once you can identify the signs of a pickpocket in waiting…and I have some thoughts on spotting those signs.

Here is a checklist of ideas and thought processes you can use to save time, create less anxiety…and avoid loss (in income and general happiness) when a brain picker comes knocking (and picking):

• Assess how much the request is an “ask from nowhere”

I wrote a post about this (and repeated it a couple of times—it’s important) about how you make “asks” of others (i.e., requests and/or picking someone’s brain).

And whether you read it previously (or watched it—there are videos inside the post)–read and watch it now through the lens of those making requests of you.

Simply put, the more established the relationship you have with the brain picker, the closer you are to not getting your pocket picked.

But that’s only a starting point.

There are many subtleties involved and they are contained in that post and in the videos.

Check out “Never ask from nowhere again” by clicking here.

• Getting your pocket picked is more than simply losing money (e.g., someone asking for valuable advice that others have paid you top dollar to share with them)

It can also be about losing time (which translates to money).

But I think the biggest thing that gets picked (and disrupted) is your mental state…a depressed feeling that you are being taken advantage of…and a general malaise that something is not satisfying or excellent.

Those are the things that create the biggest loss.

Don’t assess on money or time alone…always ask, “How does this request make me feel.”

Then act in accordance with those feelings, sometimes at the expense of logic… and in the spirit of pure generosity; or ruthlessness when something in your gut tells you the request is “off.”

Try to get in touch with those feelings to begin the process of creating limits.

I am open to suggestions on setting limits because I am a work in progress on this one.

And I am aware of the limit where you can say “no” to anyone, anytime. I just have a hard time implementing that one often…

• In addition to setting limits based on feelings, set boundaries at the outset with specific guidelines…whether it’s a request from nowhere or somewhere…and set expectations and objectives of what you will do on a first brain picking meeting or call

It may be as simple as setting the meeting for 15 minutes with a hard stop…or as complex as having them send questions in advance before you say yes to anything.

Also good: Set objectives of what they want and what you want up front.

• Beware of the flattering pickpocket

My good friend Mark Ford says this about flattery (and I’m not embarrassed to admit that I subscribe to this philosophy myself):

“Flattery works. At least it does on me. I am equally pleased by insincerely given compliments as by genuinely felt ones.”

Fortunately for Mark, he avoids flattering pickpockets better than I do…but try to be aware when insincere compliments are being bestowed upon you…and try not to be a victim of a misdemeanor pickpocketing offense without realizing it’s happening.

Even if you can’t get rid of the suspect right away, try to pick up on clues of insincerity and make sure you call your internal “psyche police” to arrest the culprit before they commit a felony.

• Create a true sense of reciprocity…without setting up a 50/50 deal

This one takes some experience…with even more elegance…and you cannot keep score on a “reciprocity equation.”

I define “reciprocity” as Robert Cialdini, author of the classic book, Influence, defines it as his first “Principle of Ethical Influence”:

Reciprocation—You, then me, then you, then me…be the first to give service, information, concessions

Once you understand this principle, then your experience and elegance can take over.

Create a way to be first…with a 100-0 mindset as opposed to a 50-50 mindset…without getting taken advantage of…and be aware that “first” doesn’t mean “forever.”

You need to build protection for yourself while being the most generous person you can be.

• Someone picking your brain can always create windfall opportunities for them (and for you) under this principle of reciprocation…but it’s up to you to set it up in advance

One way to do this: Set up the initial meeting/call with defined boundaries (e.g., an objective with some kind of “what” to be explained or presented by you) …but since every “what” needs a “who” to do it…and then a “how” to get that “what” done…you can be the who (or the person who makes it happen) …for a fair price.

Give them a taste of your brilliance…and then rock their world with the follow through of your genius.

And feel free to charge appropriately.

Although I tend to not practice this as much as I’m preaching it here.

• One more pro tip from Cialdini (and I will paraphrase below) to advance the feeling of reciprocation when you are the first to give service, information or concessions–while getting your brain picked.

After you deliver what they are asking for in a helpful way, hopefully you will get a sincere “thank you.”

Note: If you don’t even get that, your pocket has already been picked!

Your response to that sincere “thank you?”

“You’re welcome. It’s what friends do for each other.”

This is a subtle way to forward pace “returning the favor” without asking for anything.

And…to get them to at least think about what the advice or counsel you just gave them might be worth to them…and that you did it out of friendship.

Even if nothing is ever given in return immediately (or ever), you will be able to tell whether you got your pocket picked just by their reaction.

Also, if you vet them properly at the outset, something magical will happen…at least in my experience.

They will become “friends with benefits” (and get your mind out of the gutter).

These are non-sexual benefits that come back to you in the future whether from that brain picker or somewhere else in the universe (through a referral).

Or…the benefits come to you simply because of the good karma (and advice) you share on regular basis.

That’s just the way high integrity human beings…and the world…work.

I call this “serendipitous reciprocity” …when you put positive vibes into the world (which includes free advice), and the world rewards you when you are not expecting it.

And to be clear, it all begins with having zero expectations.

Under the right circumstances with the appropriate people, it all comes back to you from places you expect…and from places you don’t expect.

I’m not being woo-woo here. This is a blueprint for success and happiness.

The key features of anything you do for anyone (whether you interpret it as an honest brain pick or not), must never increase your anxiety, never be a money grab and never be a time suck…and it should always lead to peace and prosperity in your life.

And consider a pay day or other forms of compensation “gravy.”

Not every pickpocket makes it their career…you can rehabilitate many of them through the process described above…and make them useful members of society (and part of the league of blue-chip marketers too).

Then you can leave the rest of the pickpockets to mingle in large crowds with fat wallets (and vulnerable A B NORMAL brains).

Warmly,

Brian

P.S. I invite you to pick my pocket by picking my brain…and the brains of 50 of the most dynamic direct response marketers, copywriters and entrepreneurs on the planet…LIVE AND IN PERSON…on October 22nd and 23rd, in Greenwich, Connecticut (near New York City).

Speakers already confirmed:

• Jeff Walker, inventor of Product Launch Formula, responsible for revenue upwards of $1billion online, encompassing thousands of businesses and categories, not to mention his influence and impact on the marketing industry at large.
  
• Jason Friedman, THE customer experience guy…a trusted advisor to marketers and entrepreneurs you have heard of even if you haven’t heard of Jason. If you have ever heard him speak, you know he is on the cutting edge of everything to do with live events, gamification and experience marketing.
  
• Anna David, who is a bestselling author and entrepreneur, a TV personality on the side, and a “legacy publisher” …her own legacy and yours.
  
• Ryan Lee, the “quick start entrepreneur” …an innovator in online marketing for three decades…who shares everything with anyone who wants to listen and learn from a master marketer…and listening to him and following his advice has led to millions in sales for those who have been following his innovative online marketing strategies and tactics.
  
• Parris Lampropoulos, David Deutsch and Eric Betuel—three of the wisest men in direct response (who happen to be copywriters) –who I have worked with intimately over my 40+ year career. The panel I am planning with them will be epic.

And that’s the tip of the iceberg.

Invites are out to some other special guests.

And…most of the attendees are members of my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind—marketing and copywriting rock stars in their own right—and many will deliver 12-minute “Spotlights” showcasing their expertise and genius.

There will be time for discussions, interactive meals (including a “Boardroom-Style Intentional Dinner”) …and much more.

Click here to register at an exclusive “family rate.”

Despite you not being a member of Titans Xcelerator, you can still attend at a very attractive price because you are part of THIS online family.

Once you register, you will receive a personal email from me and my wonderful assistant Carla with all of the details regarding travel and logistics.

Or if you are on the fence, email me with any questions…or if you need additional convincing.

I implore you to pick my brain and all the brains who will be in the room…and pick my pocket at the same time…because what you will learn and act on will be a fraction of the investment.

No felony (or even a misdemeanor) necessary.

Just click here.

The post Pickpocket prevention appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

It’s a story I share when someone around me loses a loved one…only when they are ready to hear it…to let them know that loss of a loved one, while permanent, also has some built-in immortality.

The grief is always there…but there are things to observe every day that make the grief a little more bearable…and maybe even celebrating.

I believe that everything is on the table when you experience loss…and I hope that when you go through it, you can find peace and support in whatever ways that are meaningful to you.

The premise behind this story is one of many ways to give support to the people I love who are grieving:

Recognize the signs (anywhere and everywhere) when those who have passed are trying to contact you or appear in your life.

Sometimes you need to be extra observant since it is not always obvious.

And sometimes it hits you in the face.

That’s what happened to me in early 2009.

Another thing you can do:

Write to your family (and yourself), online and offline, like I’m doing right now,

Call it a personalized, written séance.

The pink tie that will never die

Setting the stage:

February 5th, 2009…my nephew Zachary’s 21st birthday…and I was attending a fundraising dinner to benefit ALS (“Lou Gehrig’s Disease”) …a devastating prognosis for anyone who suffers from it, since it involves a long, painful decline…with no cure.

The dinner included a silent auction with hundreds of items of sports memorabilia.

I wanted to buy a bunch of items to support the cause (for ALS research) …anonymously…and I was also looking for something to give to my sports fan nephew at the same time on this monumental day (when he was legally drinking at college while I was “shopping” for him).

I know that because I called him from the dinner and there was some loud celebratin’ going on the other end of the phone.

The pressure was on to find him the perfect gift…beyond a six pack or a bottle of Jack Daniels.

My dad, who died in 2005, is Zachary’s grandfather.

And Zach was his first (and unspoken favorite) grandchild.

One of the reasons was that Zach idolized him (as I did, albeit a little more quietly); and another more subtle reason was that Zach rooted voraciously for my dad’s alma mater in football, Penn State, as much as anyone who was not my dad (or me growing up).

Those of you who are not aficionados of college football might not know the story of the rise and fall of Penn State…from national powerhouse for decades, only to fall from grace, deservedly (and in a huge way), due to an internal sex abuse scandal involving an assistant coach.

You can read the sordid details here if you like.

While I wish my dad had lived longer, it may have been a blessing that he was not alive to witness the events leading up to the scandal (although I know he was turning in his grave throughout the ordeal).

The coach at Penn State during the good times…and then the demise (from 1966 until 2011) …was the legendary Joe Paterno.

He was a God in my household growing up…so when the scandal surfaced in 2011, it affected me a lot…and not in a good way.

Even though the culprit of these outrageous crimes (who is currently serving 30 to 60 years in prison) was one of Joe’s assistant coaches, Joe’s crime was equally heinous.

Joe’s crime was more about omission (i.e., not paying enough attention and not acting on what was going on) rather than one of commission.

Regardless, it cost him his job…and his legacy…all of it justified.

The school even tore down a statue of JoePa (as he was called) after the scandal.

In 2009, the night of the fundraiser and Zach’s 21st birthday, Joe Paterno was still a hero in my family.

He gave us a lot of joy in his heyday.

After 2011, not so much.

What we thought about JoePa in 2009 changed drastically in 2011.

Sorry for that diversion but I need to make sure you know I was not condoning Joe’s actions (by putting a timeline to the events).

Anyway, one of the items at the silent auction was a full-size Penn State football helmet signed by Joe Paterno.

After some fierce bidding (and a $565 donation), I won the helmet…and bought the ultimate birthday present for Zachary.

The story doesn’t end there, although it could have, since it was a neat coincidence that the helmet was available at the auction on Zach’s birthday.

But it goes beyond coincidence into the bizarre.

When I went to pick up the helmet, the gentleman who handed it to me was wearing a Burberry tie, from the iconic and recognizable clothing and accessory brand.

You’ve probably heard of Burberry and would recognize their products (known for their famous beige plaid design).

And since spell check made me capitalize Burberry, it must be an iconic brand.

Here’s the basic, most common design pattern used on many of their products:

However, the tie that the presenter of the helmet was wearing had a distinct Burberry variation, accentuated with pink—I guess even iconic and traditional brands can add a little color now and then:

Why is this significant?

I bought the identical pink Burberry tie for my dad to wear for my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, in early 2005, just months before he died…and I then wore that tie to his funeral…and literally threw it into the grave as we were shoveling dirt to cover his coffin.

It’s a Jewish tradition for funeral participants to assist in shoveling dirt to honor the dead…and I only threw the pink tie into the grave because I was shoveling aggressively on a 90-degree August day…and the tie was soaked in sweat…so it seemed as good a place as any to deposit it.

So, what did this guy, in the pink Burberry tie, handing me the signed Joe Paterno helmet for my nephew on his 21st birthday, signify to me?

My take is that it was my dad, visiting me through the man in the pink tie, teaching me about “reflex generosity” (a term that speaks for itself and one I have written about before) …and obviously approving of the kick ass gift for Zachary.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

And I think my dad was also asking me to remember all the other lessons he taught me, most of which (including this one) were hidden in plain sight (because that was his way).

One additional, final observation, and why I shared this story today (beyond the fact that it’s the 21st anniversary of my father’s passing):

Whether or not you are religious, spiritual, agnostic, superstitious–or anything else– keep in mind that those who are no longer with us expended a lot of energy while they were above ground…and that energy needs to go somewhere.

Literally in the form of lessons they left us.

And more subtly, in the form of lessons they still want to share and accentuate with us, as gentle reminders, despite no longer being here in the flesh.

If it takes a tie and an autographed football helmet to get there, so be it.

These lessons and communications from those who have left us are there for the taking whenever you are attentive…aware…mindful…and if you are open to letting them in…and believe in a little bit of magic.

Note: There are still a lot of people in your life who are still alive who deserve the same kind of attention (with a little less magic involved).

I maintain that all our teachers and mentors…dead and alive…and anyone we look to for guidance and direction…

…are always communicating with us in one way or another, whether directly like my dad did or through what they left us with writings, lessons, videos, books etc….

…always teaching as they accumulate their lessons on earth…and dare I say what they learn from the beyond…

…and for us to remain lifetime students as well…

…by showing rather than telling.

Warmly,

Brian

P.S. I can tell you about all of the lessons I’ve learned from one of my greatest mentors, Gene Schwartz (who still communicates with me from the beyond like my dad )…but I can also show you…through “The Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp”…a unique event/workshop made up of six, 90-minute calls…which I have delivered 10 times previously and the 11th is coming up in November.

If you don’t know what I am referring to when I mention Breakthrough Advertising, possibly the most influential book ever written for marketers, copywriters and anyone interested in what makes humans tick (no Bot required), check out the book here.

If you know the book…or (hopefully) own it…check out the “Bootcamp” here.

While registrations aren’t open yet, getting on the “alert list” is available on that page so you will be the first to know when seats become available.

It will take place the weeks of November 9th and November 16th…three Zoom calls each week, going deep into Gene Schwartz’s masterpiece, and making it actionable to your business, whatever business you are in, online, offline…or both.

I hope to see you there.

Click here to be alerted.

The post The pink tie that will never die appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Which brings this idiom front and center:

…bringing a knife to a gunfight…means you are very badly prepared, lack the right tools, or are totally outmatched by your opponent in a serious challenge. Flipping it to “bringing a gun to a knife fight” implies an overwhelming, lopsided advantage where you are excessively overprepared.

I’ll take overprepared please.

Today I want to share marketing lessons from my hospital knife fight, in the spirit of the great John Carlton, who says ideas are all around us and everything is a blog post waiting to happen.

That is, you’ll never run out of ideas if you are mindful of the world around you.

And scars (whether literal or figurative) make you mindful for a long time….sometimes forever.

What I came up with are “three pacifist guns” that enabled me to win many “marketing knife fights.”

Here is a 16 second video clip that is a visual representation of why bringing a gun to a knife fight is incredibly helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQKrmDLvijo

I couldn’t get that image out of my mind as I stared down at my navel (and abdomen) after surgery…and that’s how I came up with today’s subject line.

So…if you don’t like it…shoot me.

You may have noticed in that clip that it only takes one gun to win a knife fight…but I have three “guns” I use in similar situations–not as violent but more powerful–and only deadly (in good ways) when it comes to return on investment with my marketing dollars.

And then there was this cartoon sent to me from a good friend (and superb marketer), Michelle Falzon, from Australia (more from Michelle later too):

Birthmark or not, you never have to be a victim in the operating room…OR on the marketing battlefield.

A quote I’ve used before from Winston Churchill applies here:

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result”

And to make sure that happens, I want to share the three “weapons” I suggest you take with you into any marketing battle.

GUN #1: Knowledge (and eventually wisdom)

The preparation to do battle…whether as a patient or as a marketer…requires laying the groundwork for success…and as you might expect, knowledge (and research) is power.

With the surgery, for example, I researched doctors (rather than hospitals or techniques) under the premise that a surgeon who has performed hundreds—even thousands—of my surgery, is a much better doctor to put a life bet on… rather than someone who has performed dozens.

The litmus test: When the surgeon opens me up, no matter what might be going on with my situation, he or she has seen it before.

The same is true when planning a marketing project or product launch of any kind.

Marketing done wrong is “death by a thousand cuts” which happens when you jump in too soon…then you “overstay your welcome” in the project…with the wrong players executing.

But it doesn’t have to be that way when you plan your entrance with your exit at the same time.

One of my mentors, Gordon Grossman (the architect at The Reader’s Digest in the 1960’s and 1970’s), said it best about testing something new:

“Your only mission is to find out if you have a business”

What does that mean?

Test only what you need to test to determine if there is something viable or not; and do it slowly going in…and don’t keep reinvesting in it if you can prove it’s a dog.

And with the right planning in advance, you can control how much blood you want to leave behind.

You will shed a lot less blood this way since wishy washy marketing projects with no clear objectives (and no sense of the key metrics you need to meet on your way in) is a knife fight you never want to be in.

And the longer you keep saying, “I’ve already invested so much I can’t give up despite lackluster results” the closer you will get to death by a thousand cuts—rather than cutting your losses and consider the project as a sunk cost (rather than turning it into part of a sinking ship).

You also need to run scenarios as part of this “knowledge creation”—at least three (low/average/high) with everything you test—and determine what your “go/no go” decisions will be going forward based on actual vs. projected results.

The analogy in hiring:

“Hire slow/fire fast”

And this search for knowledge in marketing up front includes personnel in addition to the nuts and bolts of the project itself.

Despite being more of a “hire slow/fire slow” kind of guy when I staffed and ran Boardroom’s marketing department, when it came to marketing projects, I was (and still am) laser focused on hiring a la carte for specialists…only the gold standard in every area of marketing.

Just like I would never leave elaborate surgery to less than an expert surgeon, leaving your list segmentation, media buying, offer creation, design and copy to anyone but the best of the best for each area for each element of the project will lead you down a long road of misery.

In fact, when you look at a marketing project as having “multiple expert surgeons” (I hate one stop shopping), you will get your best possible result up front and scale the project further and faster…or get out faster because you know you gave it your best shot out of the box.

GUN #2: Peacefulness

If you have ever researched anything about “preparing for surgery,” many of the “tips” coincide with things like eating a low sugar, plant-based diet with no smoking and regular exercise…you know, things that work for you all the time.

Another thing that works for you all the time—and I believe it is one of the “big guns” you can take into surgery and marketing—is to always be peaceful.

Michele Falzon, my buddy from Australia who sent me (now us!) the Gary Larson cartoon above, said it so well in reference to this concept of peacefulness through surgery and marketing:

I think there is a link between “attitude” in both scenarios. The positive attitude and open, relaxed posture when applied to marketing is all about wanting to know and understand others and being empathetic and connected… all the things that lead to wanting to do the research and, ultimately, increase your “survival” rate.

I will add that there is data on surgical patients, who move themselves towards a more peaceful state before surgery, connecting their mind and body without letting stress and anxiety ruin the party in their brain, and have significantly better outcomes than folks who are all worried with no peace.

And surgeons can tell when they are working on a more “relaxed” (i.e., peaceful) body than one that is more stressed…with makes their job easier.

I’ve always found this fascinating…and it kind of makes sense.

This is easier said than done. And I confess that I was not as much in this state for my surgery as I would have liked…but do as I say and not as I did on this one. I certainly tried to be as peaceful as I could.

My goal was to “present my body” to the surgeon in the most relaxed posture possible, to do whatever he needed to do with it-without my help or interference.

My singular role was to surrender to his expertise. Frankly I wish I could have done it even more.

In marketing and business, I always submit to a more peaceful business with superstars executing on everything.

That isn’t the same thing as being totally hands off…just confident you have the right marketing surgeons executing your plan, so you don’t have to micromanage in areas where you are not the expert.

For example, having a business that is “launch upon launch” (one after another)–or a constant fire drill–is not only not fun, it’s not built to last either.

There isn’t any one way to make launch-to-launch, fire drill businesses, into peaceful businesses that are built to last…but I have some suggestions:

• You can’t rush peace in marketing…every project/launch needs a longer runway (Stu McLaren, a launch expert has this nailed…because he’s not only about the runway for his launches but he’s all about runways in every aspect of his business). Whatever your current runway is today, extend it…not to procrastinate…but prioritizing speed over effectiveness is never a good idea.
  
• Also with a nod to Stu (one of the world’s leading membership experts), adding memberships, continuities, subscriptions into your business are the key to a more peaceful business…one where everything is not a “one-shot”…but an ongoing revenue stream which sells by delivery and quality rather than hype and chaos.
  
• Think multi-channel and you will always have choices in media…which will always allow you to choose a different kind of “piece” … of mind.
  
• Dare to Prepare: How You Win Before You Begin, is not only a wonderful book written by 40+-year baseball executive Ron Shapiro, but the title sums up what it means to have a truly peaceful business. And it’s a good read and game plan not just from a sports angle but from a business angle–Ron interviews folks such as wine guru Robert Parker, investment legend Bill Miller, pianist Leon Fleisher, Goldman Sachs partner Lisa Fontenelli, firefighter Ann Marie Tierney, in addition to sports legends who dare to prepare like broadcaster Bob Costas and player/manager Willie Randolph.
  
• And again, hire a la carte, and hire the best in each specific area.

This “peaceful gun” has some legs.

Gun #3: Capital

While having money is always a good thing in any endeavor in health or business—and for major surgery that also means solid health insurance—the capital I am referring to here is “relationship capital.”

I’ve spoken about it incessantly over the years and in my book, Overdeliver.

I got the phrase from my legendary mentor Jay Abraham…and it’s the “capital account” that has no relevance to the stock market or investing.

It’s about investing in contributing to others to connect deeply with them.

And when done correctly, it compounds exponentially.

Frankly, if you put a gun to my head (pun intended) and forced me to choose which of the three guns to bring to a knife fight (surgery or marketing), I would have to choose this one…I guess that’s why I listed it third?

It’s #3 because it envelops #1 and # 2.

If you make regular, deep and sincere deposits into your relationship capital account over many years, the knowledge you need for anything is somewhere in it…as are all the clues to being more peaceful.

That’s why I see little difference between “major laparoscopic surgery” and “full contact marketing” in terms of how you use this heavily diversified account.

It’s all about having access to the deepest thoughts, prayers, support, resources, ideas, partners, vendors, referrals…and the beauty part is that no one helped you build it because it is all your unique construction.

But remember to make many more deposits than withdrawals…which makes the withdrawals so much more valuable.

And by deposit, I’m not talking about adding friends from Facebook or LinkedIn to your account.

You make deposits by contributing to your assets first. Deeply.

In closing, I’d like to make one more “withdrawal” from my relationship capital account from Michelle Falzon, who summed up this post simply and succinctly:

This message from you is, in it’s very DNA, exactly what you are talking about… you are finding content and ideas and wisdom in an experience you could have done without – but you’re here – so you may as well make it good

It’s another flavor of Carlton’s advice to pay attention to everything going on around you as a lesson to write about…and another flavor of Jay Abraham’s “getting everything you can out of all you’ve got.”

It’s not a way to exploit my health issues for anything but lessons learned, lessons I love sharing with my online family.

Hopefully you find some of it useful or insightful in some way…and no pity party please.

Consider it a deposit in my relationship capital of which you are a big part as well.

And the knowledge and peace I received at the time of the surgery (now 5 years ago) from many of you (and others) got me through a difficult time…and of course has led to multiple marketing applications.

This post is one of those.

I received another summary from my good friend, top online/social media expert Kim Walsh-Phillips.

Her take was more succinct than Michelle’s…well, Kim is a social media expert so that makes sense:

I am so flipping happy you are on the other side and leveraging your illness for writing content. All is right in the world.

Warmly,

Brian

P.S. How is your “relationship capital account” doing?

Is it the star of your portfolio?

Are you making regular “deposits?”

Receiving compound interest?

Here’s an idea to give your account an immediate jumpstart…with interest…

My live event mastermind, Titans Mastermind, folded its tent in 2023 after an eight-year run…24 exquisite live events…with legends galore as speakers and members.

It was time to grow Titans Xcelerator (TXL)…which I have…from zero to 250 members…with a renewal rate over 70% after folks have been with us for two years.

Both were awesome rides.

And TXL is still going strong.

But TXL was missing something.

That is, connecting beyond squares on a screen.

Something IRL was needed.

So, before I folded Titans Mastermind, I opened up the last two meetings (at a fee) to TXL members…which was a revelation.

Not simply because it forced the Xcelerator members to wear pants (a negative of a live event vs. Zoom ) …but it emphasized why a “return to real” (nod to Ryan Levesque) is…well…real.

Those who experienced the live events became anchors and leaders within Titans Xcelerator…and those live events encouraged me to do one-day events and dinners for TXL (in Connecticut, Florida and Arizona) over the past two years.

Which has now led to a two-day event this October…on the 22nd and 23rd…in Greenwich, Connecticut (near New York City)…which you can attend whether you are a Titans Xcelerator member or not.

All the details are here.

Note that your registration fee and attendance include a one-year membership to Titans Xcelerator…because while you will come for the information, you will stay for the inspiration (i.e. connections, resources, lifetime friendships).

You can’t do all of that in two days…stuff like that takes a lifetime…and at a minimum, two days plus a year.

However, if you simply want to attend the event and not join TXL at the same time, email me and we can adjust your registration fee.

By attending, you will be hanging out with the most giving marketing entrepreneurs on the planet and building your relationship capital in a perfect environment.

With legends of direct response…world class copywriters…launch experts…multi-channel media savants…with decades upon decades of experience.

The best-of-the-best of the “Original Gangsters” (O.G. ‘s) and the “New Gangsters” (N.G. ‘s).

Being able to hug as many members of my online family as possible at this event is the goal…I hope you will be one of them.

It will be intimate (under 50 people in the room) …full of 12-minute Spotlights, guest speaker presentations, mini-hot seats, discussions about direct response marketing and personal development (aren’t they the same thing?) …and contributions at the highest-level yielding connections for a lifetime.

Relationship capital building at its finest…in real time.

My record of bringing together the best minds in direct response marketing speaks for itself…or not if you haven’t been paying attention.

The best minds with passion, heart and smarts.

Click here and plan to join us.

Or email me if you have any questions.

If you email me I promise to give you a spoiler alert (or two) on who is coming.

The post Three guns to bring to a knife fight appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

• The tweak Brian made to the classic 40/40/20 rule of marketing… and why shifting a single percentage point changes what you work on first
  
• Why Brian calls creative “the least important element in your campaign, until it’s not”
  
• The danger of one-stop shopping in marketing, and why it’s still a mistake no matter how good that one stop might be
  
• The quadrant exercise Brian uses to make a business feel like it’s everywhere, without driving yourself crazy or going broke
  
• Why paying postage made Brian a better marketer, and what that discipline replaces when your marketing is free to send
  
• The Bill Bernbach principle most marketers get backwards: Adapt the idea to the technique, or the technique to the idea?
  
• What RFM reveals about which of your customers will buy next… using data you already have
  
• “Be a bot or be the best.” Where Brian draws the line between AI as a tool and AI as a crutch
  
• Why the sexy part of marketing (cold traffic) is usually the wrong place to look for money hiding in your business
  
• The moral obligation Jay Abraham handed Brian decades ago that still drives everything he does
  
• Why Brian says the starting point for finding money you’re not seeing is assessing your assets, and what most owners walk past every day
  
• The counterintuitive reason to give away your best stuff first, even to a brand-new customer

 
AI will keep getting better at 90%.

The fundamentals Brian has spent a lifetime mastering are the 10% that decides who wins.

As always, what you get from any of this depends on your market, your offer and your execution.

WATCH: The last 10% Is Everything (My Conversation with Brian Kurtz)

Best,

JOE

And…



Warmly,



Brian 

P.S. This notion of “the last 10% being everything” is something that has been in my head for the last year…although it’s been with me probably from the beginning of my career in different forms…and it comes down to what we as individuals bring to the table every day.

It also serves as justification for who we are and what we are passionate about, especially with dynamic AI expansion all around us…but hopefully you agree with me that it’s much more than that.

While I talked about this during my interview with Joe (which I realize many of you won’t have the time to watch or listen to), I went deeper on this particular idea in my blog post from March…which you can read here.

I’d love your thoughts on this topic as I continue this lifelong inquiry…

The post Cheat sheet (video) of my greatest hits…plus… appeared first on Brian Kurtz.