In less than a week, I will be hosting my first live, in-person event since 2023 (not including “Boardroom-style Intentional Dinners”) …and I want to give you the flavor of what it’s like to be in such a room…not to give you FOMO…just ideas you can put to use in your own business.
While I meet on Zoom two or three times a month with my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind, and the meetings are epic, Zoom is only an acceptable substitute when we can’t be live.
It’s a good way to contribute and connect…but in-person beats Zoom by a mile…and I can’t wait to be in a room with 48 of the best direct response marketers, copywriters and entrepreneurs on the planet later this week.
I promise to share what is shared which undoubtedly will be mind-blowing, world-changing and of interest to all of you.
Stay tuned.
As far as today’s blog post goes, I thought the best thing to share with you, like I did last week, are some additional highlights from another “best ever” live Titans Mastermind event.
The summary last week was an event which took place in Miami in 2018. If you missed it, it’s worth checking out.
This week I will summarize another meeting—from Connecticut in 2022—with different themes, learnings and of course, a different cast of characters.
If there was one overriding theme of the 2022 Titans Mastermind (i.e., also “the best one ever”at the time), it was that “nice to have information” (or services) are just that—nice to have—and creating “need to have information” (or services) is the key to all marketing.
Not earth shattering on the surface…but how it played out led to multiple revelations among the attendees.
And it doesn’t happen by edict…you need to transform your nice to have into need to have by creating (building) the perfect audience, a killer offer and immersive copy.
Putting all three of these items in play at the same time, and in that order, (audience-offer-copy–dare I say on steroids)—gives you your maximum chance at creating maximum impact.
I know this isn’t a new concept for you, my sophisticated and very wise online family, especially if you are a regular reader of this blog…or if you read about the 41/39/20 rule in Overdeliver…but it was front and center at every moment of this event.
The three-legged stool of direct response marketing was on full display…list/offer/creative.
But at this meeting there was a fourth leg added (courtesy of my friend and marketing genius Robin Robins) …math.
And how all four relate to being 100% relevant…and needed…by any group you target.
Side note: When I say “math,” I am not talking about calculus. I’m talking about “marketing math” …the truths (e.g., the importance of statistical significance)…vs. the myths (e.g., disguising revenue for profit.
There was also a fifth leg uncovered at this event…read on for that.
Below are some examples of how this played out during the event in a variety of ways…this is only a sampling…and my guess is that the event this week will add on to many of these…probably with a healthy dose of AI.
But you can be sure it was, and will be, delivered by humans…which is true for every event I ever attend. 🙂
From Stu McLaren, membership expert and philanthropist:
While launch numbers (i.e., dollars in the door) are about marketing math—and may have little to do with profit—for Stu it’s all about impact.
And he happens to make a healthy profit even with all that impact. 🙂
Impact for his community, his staff, his family…and families around the world.
Stu’s mission is helping entrepreneurs get rich inside their niche/genius zone by creating memberships with staying power, by giving them a success path and meeting each one where they need to be met, which lifts everyone.
And when they get rich, the folks in his community make the world richer by following his lead and by what they give back.
Dan Sullivan, the top coach for entrepreneurs in the world, says entrepreneurs don’t have to give back since they never took anything.
They just give.
I stand corrected…Stu leads by example by simply giving generously…and teaching his community (by showing and not just telling) how they can incorporate giving into their businesses and lives.
Stu wants to be a billionaire…he’s not there yet…but when he becomes one, he wants to live on only what he needs and give away the rest to those who deserve the most help.
He’s not the first to embrace this philosophy (see Gates, Buffett et al.) …and if he has his way, he will get there…and he won’t be the last.
I also spoke about Stu in my post, “The Titans of Kenya” … why he builds schools in Africa…and why it is a global endeavor.
If you haven’t read it yet, please do…to learn more about this incredible entrepreneur.
Simply put, Stu is “need to have.” 🙂
From Eric Betuel, A-List copywriter, who churns out successful control packages on a regular basis, without any publicity, fanfare, or a whiz bang course…and goes fishing and spends time with his family in between projects:
Eric has been a friend and business colleague for close to 30 years.
He is etched in stone on my “Mount Rushmore” of the copywriters who have influenced my business and life during those three decades.
And chances are, you probably never heard of him.
You will now.
Eric believes that no one really wants what he’s writing about–it’s nice to have until he makes the case that they can’t live without it–through demonstration, high integrity copy and an offer they can’t refuse.
It’s not as easy as it sounds…but Eric is one of those magicians who I have written about before who makes it look easy.
First, when I shared a case history of how he used ethical bribes to create a blockbuster of a promotion using strategy, tact and simplicity (and a healthy dose of common sense).
And a second time when I wrote about his blockbuster promotion, “Twelve Smiling Swindlers” (who are not who you think they are) …creating a compelling narrative that you wouldn’t expect.
Click on one or both of those links above and see how Eric creates his magic.
We also spent some time talking about the importance of design in making promotions and sales letters more appealing (call it #5 on the three-legged stool). 🙂
I invited world-class designer Rob Davis, a partner of Eric’s on his most successful projects, to the event to make the discussion more real.
Design creates a mood and a vibe, consistent with the words, to invite the reader into a world of “need to have.”
They made a compelling case to never leave design out of the conversation…or to leave it to an amateur.
[Fast forward to the present: Eric will be speaking at the event I am hosting this week…along with two other writers from that Mount Rushmore–David Deutsch and Parris Lampropoulos–to give us a road map on how to stay relevant over a long period of time through dynamic changes since they are all still at the top of the marketing/copy game…using the same formula that got them there in the first place…while adapting to everything that is new. Looking forward to sharing what they share]
From Steven Pressfield, world renowned author of many fiction and non-fiction books, including his masterpiece on creativity, The War of Art:
Steven is uniquely qualified to address the nice to have/need to have dilemma for writers…and he even wrote a book titled, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t.
I bought copies for all the attendees to emphasize the dilemma.
And if you think he’s a mean guy for titling a book as an admonishment, you’d be wrong.
He is humble, caring and always searching for the truth…maybe with some tough love built in as a teacher and mentor…and it was one of the highlights of my career to be able to interview him.
I must admit that I was a bit intimidated…but he made me feel comfortable…and the Titans in the room (many of them superfans) helped move the room forward in a variety of ways.
He includes himself in the same category of all writers who do not need to be read…but he makes it his business to make his writing must reading by how he researches and writes every word, paragraph, chapter, blog, and book with the utmost meticulousness…by being able to “Put His Ass Where His Heart Wants to Be.”
Substitute “His” for “Your” above and you’ve got another commandment from Steven Pressfield…and the title of his latest book at the time of the event in 2022.
The thesis, which is a another take on what he wrote about in The War of Art, is that nothing replaces “doing the work” (not surprising he has another book titled Do the Work) …putting your body/person/ass in front of a keyboard…and recognize the enemy (resistance)…and attack it head on.
How a writer…or anyone…deals with resistance can be reduced to “when the pain of not getting it done exceeds the pain of resisting doing it.”
But you always need to be aware of the clear and present danger of resistance.
And when you are writing from your heart, resistance is a lot easier to deal with.
We talked about many other things…the changes in book publishing, blogging, villains, ethics, adapting books to screenplays…it was a smorgasbord of literary intelligence and wisdom.
To summarize “Titans Mastermind Connecticut, 2022”:
I wholeheartedly believe that nobody wants to read my sh*t, buy my books, join my masterminds or anything else I might offer…unless I speak to them where they are in their lives.
From what I wrote today, I realize more than ever that I (and you) need to:
- Create a success path that works for you–and more importantly, your audience/community (thanks Stu)
- Write using stories that surprise and delight…and create irresistible offers while surprising and delighting (thanks Eric)
- Always put our asses where our hearts want to be…which is what I am doing right now (thanks Steven).
But of course, you knew all this already.
I am still learning. 🙂
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. As soon as the “Titans Xcelerator Live” event concludes at the end of this week, I am back into my planning cave to put the finishing touches on the next (eleventh!) “Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp.”
And seats are now open.
Note: This is not simply a “repeat” of the first ten Bootcamps…far from it.
It’s cumulative wisdom—albeit with the eternal truths that Gene Schwartz penned in 1966, all still relevant today…that part is gospel, timeless and NOT repetitive; but there is also just as much new information that gets added with each Bootcamp, based on what we have learned from the over 500 people who have experienced it.
(We even have a discount for those who want to repeat the Bootcamp. Please inquire with an email.)
We learn from each previous Bootcamp, add in new samples and examples, new tools (yes, including AI) and applications which were only a gleam in our eye when we launched the first Bootcamp many moons ago.
It is the ultimate way to go deep into one of the most miraculous books ever written–and the best way to turn the book into a utility—with dozens of your peers rooting you on.
The author, Gene Schwartz, entrusted me to be the shepherd of his work, now through his wife Barbara, which I don’t take lightly.
Gene was my friend and mentor…and I want you to know him like I knew him…and this is your opportunity to do that.
The fact that we have sold more than 15,000 books in over 75 countries is proof that Breakthrough Advertising is much more than paper between two covers.
And without hyperbole, it’s a global phenomenon…and an education/re-education for new and existing generations of marketers and copywriters (who are also the best behavioral scientists too).
The Bootcamp will be under the direction of my marketing partner and long-time student of Breakthrough Advertising, Chris Mason…and I’ve got some stuff to teach you as well.
I’ll be talking about the Bootcamp a lot more in the weeks to come…but check out all the details here.
Six, jam-packed 90-minute calls over two weeks (first call is on November 10 th) …including the recordings…with emphasis on the principles first…and then attacking your specific business or category through hot seats and group discussions.
I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity…and I’d love to meet as many of you as possible there.
In person would be better…but Zoom will be quite good. 🙂