During my 40 years working and playing in the world of direct response marketing, there are two guys who I can almost always trace as the source (culprits?) of how each of us got into this wacky business.
They are each the “first domino” for more marketers practicing today than anyone else.
And they are part of a small and exclusive group of “O.O.G.’s” (“Original Original Gangsters”)
That doesn’t mean that the “N.G.’s” (“New Gangsters”)..including Gen Z and millennial marketers…who are teaching and mentoring today …would source their entry into marketing directly to these two guys…they might not have even heard of them…but trust me that whoever they do source their entry, it comes back to one these two (or both):
Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham.
Most careers in direct response marketing source to Dan and Jay…directly or once or twice removed.
When I came up with the idea to create a tribute event to the legacy of Boardroom (the company where I spent 34 years honing my craft) and Marty Edelston (the creator of our iconic company), I got in touch with Dan Kennedy to see if he would be interested in partnering with me.
It could have been Jay…but Dan became top of mind when Marty passed away in 2013 when he sent me a moving one-page letter in a Federal Express envelope…letting me know how much he respected Marty and how much he (and Boardroom) meant to the direct marketing industry at large.
I say one-page letter in a Federal Express envelope because Dan reserves that form of communication for his top shelf clients and friends…and for special occasions.
He uses fax for “common folk” and day-to-day communication …and he doesn’t use email for anyone.
Interestingly, Dan and Marty swam in different marketing pools…but they were connected by core fundamentals and principles that stand the test of time.
Simply put, Boardroom wasn’t part of “Planet Dan” …but that didn’t stop us from creating an eternal bond of intense mutual admiration.
Dan’s one-pager ignited the idea for the landmark event, Titans of Direct Response.
And when I visited him in snowy Cleveland in February of 2014, to plan out the epic event to celebrate direct response marketing, Boardroom and Marty, the first person I demanded as a speaker for the event (as much as one can demand anything from Dan) was Jay Abraham.
I knew once I had Dan and Jay on the stage, everything would flow from there…and it did.
I learned at an early age that having a Shamu speaker is how great events are created…it’s not rocket science…a headliner is a headliner whether it’s a person or a killer whale.
And two Shamus are better than one (if they don’t attack each other).
Plus, they attract other Shamus to join the party.
With the Titans event, we ended up with a third Shamu when Gary Bencivenga (who has been a mentor to some of the world’s top copywriters for decades) came out of retirement one last time to be part of this one-of-a-kind tribute.
So I guess three Shamus are better than two?
Actually, this particular event was an all-Shamu affair. 🙂
That was nine years ago—almost to the day—and Dan and Jay are still going strong:
- I recently attended a two-day event with Dan this past July…I wrote about it here…and he was still dishing out the wisdom in spades.
- Jay is launching a new book next week which is titled, Business Wealth Without Risk…and if there is anyone better equipped to talk about this topic, I haven’t met them
Details on a free live event he is hosting to launch the book (with entrepreneur whisperer Roland Frasier) are in the P.S…please check it out.
Today’s post was simply written to pay tribute to these two uber-mentors, Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham.
I believe tributes like this need to be done regularly whether they are about these two “O.O.G’s” or others of your choosing…so we are regularly reminded of the original sources of everything we think is original today.
I encourage you to spotlight your own mentors and “O.O.G.’s” to your respective audiences as often as possible…or at a minimum, talk about them every chance you get…what they’ve meant to you…and the contributions they have made to your career and the careers of others.
To honor Dan and Jay as they continue their missions of teaching all they have done, I want to give you some freebies (i.e., exceptional content) from my personal archives. Plus the link to Jay’s upcoming live virtual event.
These are gifts for being a member of my online family…and my desire to pay their wisdom forward.
From Dan:
This is special.
Click here to access Dan’s keynote presentation at the Titans of Direct Response event in 2014.
It’s the “7 things he includes in every pitch he crafts.”
Also: On the bonus page for my book, as part of “The Overdeliver Collection,” there is a swipe file that Dan put together specifically for the Titans event…and it’s one of 11 valuable bonuses you receive for buying my book.
You will want this magnificent compilation in your library.
Just go to OverdeliverBook.com
From Jay:
This is special too:
Also: There are priceless resources from Jay at OverdeliverBook.com as well…including 19 keynote speeches he’s given over the years PLUS the entire 12 session course he produced, How To Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be, which Jay believes embodies his life’s work as much as anything he’s ever done.
All free for buying my book here.
Not to mention he wrote the foreword to Overdeliver for which I will be forever grateful.
And his latest work, as described in the P.S., is the next chapter of Jay’s living legacy…well, it’s multiple chapters…it’s a book…and a lengthy legacy. 🙂
What Dan and Jay have brought to the world—and they continue to bring–are two lifetimes of work that will never be matched.
Thank goodness so much of it is documented, relevant and accessible…and has stood the test of time.
Once a Shamu, always a Shamu.
And that’s also how an “O.G.” becomes an “O.O.G.”
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. On Saturday, September 23rd, Jay Abraham and Roland Fraser will be hosting a live virtual event to kick off the launch of Jay’s new book, Business Wealth Without Risk.
Why attend this live event?
Not only will it expose you to the pivotal concepts from the book…but there will be a real-time Q & A session…and being able to ask Jay and Roland questions directly is worth the price of admission alone.
Oops…the price of admission is free. 🙂
But this is a rare opportunity to engage live with Jay and Roland.
There will also be some surprise bonuses in addition to learning from two of the best entrepreneurs and leverage experts who have ever lived.
Just in case you don’t know much about Roland, here’s a quick backgrounder:
Roland Frasier is renowned for his sharp ability to scale businesses rapidly, having directly managed and overseen thousands of acquisitions. co-founder/principal of 5 different Inc. Magazine fastest-growing companies in the e-commerce, e-learning, real estate, and SaaS spaces. founded, scaled or sold over two dozen different businesses ranging from consumer products to live events to manufacturing companies with sales ranging from $3 million to just under $4 billion.
And Jay?
Hopefully you have been a member of my online family for some length of time…and if you have, you know my special relationship with him.
Just in case you don’t, here’s the “press release” that accompanied the invite to this live event:
Jay Abraham has a legendary reputation as one of the world’s leading business strategists. He’s responsible for over $50 billion (yes, billion with a “B”) in increased revenue for different industries across the globe. When Jay speaks about growth, the most respected business owners on the planet listen. People like Tony Robbins, Daymond John, Stephen Covey, a Founder of FedEx, Planet Fitness, Bulletproof Coffee, Icy Hot, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Keller Williams all have been influenced by him.
And I will add:
I would do anything for him because of all he has done for me over the past four decades.
And whether you are aware of it or not, since he is a true “O.O.G.,” he has done a lot for you too, all hidden in plain sight. 🙂
I hope you will register and attend this one-time, very special event.
See you there!