Timeless Marketing Podcast Archives - Brian Kurtz

Zig When They Zag… Zag When They Zig

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ryan Levesque is the Founder of The ASK Method® Company, which helps companies understand their customers’ needs through strategic questioning techniques. He is a seven-time Inc. 5000 CEO and founder and a two-time national best-selling author, with his book Ask named the #1 Marketing Book of the Year by Inc. Magazine. Ryan also Co-founded Bucket.io®, a leading marketing automation platform used by over 80 million people globally. His work has been featured in major outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and NBC News.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[7:15] Ryan Levesque’s pivot from a failed $70 million deal to building his family’s dream life
[12:16] The power of asking better questions for life-changing breakthroughs
[13:35] The three questions Ryan uses to overcome feeling stuck or conflicted
[15:18] The impact of doing the opposite of your competitors to stand out in a crowded market
[16:30] Understanding marketing channel lifecycles to identify future opportunities
[18:01] Why emerging platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT represent the next wave of digital marketing
[19:47] How the shift from screen time to real-world engagement is creating new channels through audio and print

In this episode…

Have you ever followed the so-called “perfect” business playbook — only to watch your biggest deal fall apart? What happens when your vision of success doesn’t go according to plan, and the result forces you to question everything you thought you wanted? What if the solution isn’t to double down, but to step away and ask entirely different questions?

Ryan Levesque, author and expert in direct response marketing, shares the deeply personal story of a failed $70 million deal and how it led him to radically rethink his life and business. Ryan offers powerful, reflective questions designed to uncover blind spots, shift perspective, and inspire change. He explains how doing the opposite of your market, identifying underused marketing channels, and re-engaging with the physical world can unlock new opportunities for personal fulfillment and business growth.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Ryan Levesque, Founder of The ASK Method® Company, about redefining success and embracing a contrarian path in life and business. Ryan explores the value of self-inquiry, the marketing opportunity in audio and analog, and the unexpected lessons learned from starting a farm. He also discusses audience intimacy, market saturation, and the future of digital platforms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable moments:

“When you change your questions, you change your life.”
“How can you stand out by doing the opposite of everybody else in your market?”
“The most competitive piece of real estate is the 14-inch square we hold in our hand.”
“Screen time should come with a Surgeon General’s warning; the physical world is what we crave.”
“It’s the closest we can get to putting our voice directly inside our prospect’s brain.”

Action steps:

Ask yourself profound questions regularly: Regularly questioning your assumptions helps uncover blind spots, reveal opportunities, and lead to more informed decisions in both personal and professional realms.
Embrace the power of being contrarian: Exploring unconventional paths can create unique opportunities and market differentiation by standing out and capturing under-exploited niches.
Leverage less crowded marketing channels: Identifying and using less saturated marketing channels gives you a competitive edge by reaching potential customers more effectively with less competition.
Integrate physical and digital experiences: Combining physical products with digital enhancements creates an engaging customer journey, blending tangible interactions with the strengths of digital platforms.
Prioritize audio content for deeper engagement: Audio formats like podcasts and audiobooks offer an intimate, immersive way to connect with your audience, enhancing message retention and brand loyalty.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

It is one of the most giving communities and serves as the de facto board of advisors and marketing insurance policy for over 250 of the best and brightest direct response marketers, copywriters, media buyers, marketing agencies, senior executives, anyone in direct response marketing, who is committed to growing and scaling their business.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz: 00:16

Ryan Levesque: 02:29

I am here, my friend.

Brian Kurtz: 02:31

Hey, how are you? Hopefully we haven’t bored you too much.

Ryan Levesque: 02:35

No, this is amazing. This is a nice little unadvertised bonus as they say in the biz.

Brian Kurtz: 02:42

So for those of you who don’t know Ryan Levesque, basically you’re missing out. But you won’t miss out after today because you’ll get a good feel for who Ryan is and what he means to not only the direct response marketing industry but to me personally, whether you care about that or not. Ryan and I met a little over ten years ago. I knew of him before that, through Will Hamilton. He is somebody I’ve admired. I’ve kind of like, I’m not going to say I watched him grow up, but I kind of feel like I did in a way. And I’ve been watching his rise, his influence. Those of you who don’t know, he’s written two books, Ask and Choose. Ask was an amazing book. Kind of didn’t just put him on the map. I think, you know, he had a mastermind and he did a lot of other things. He developed the ask funnels. The idea of, you know, getting your audience to tell you what they want to do, which is something that goes back to Breakthrough Advertising. I think in my blurb on ask, I said, you know, Ask is a Breakthrough Advertising for today as opposed to 1966. And I thought that was the best compliment I could pay it, since Breakthrough Advertising for me is the most important book ever written on the topic of markets and creating a market and, you know, mass desire. So anyway, Ryan is in a new phase of his career in life. He just sold one of his companies. He still has his original company. He’s going to talk about this transformation he’s gone through. It’s not just the beard, but he’s become a farmer. And it’s an amazing journey. And there’s I guess two parts to it. I guess you’ll do it in at least two parts. And I may interject with some questions, but I really want you to share basically what you shared at the plat meeting and what you’re sharing now internationally. I know you were on a huge trip to the UK and you’ve been sharing this story and then you’re adding to it. I just realized you were on the Stu McLaren predictions call, and you’ve added to it even since like a month ago when I saw you, or two months ago when I saw you. So he’s basically transforming himself and he’s still the same guy, which is what the best thing about him is. So anyway, Ryan, I just want you to share your genius with this group. I just want to tell you how much I admire you, how much I value your friendship. And that you were. I didn’t even have to get the sentence out to say, would you come on this call? You were like, yes, before I even asked, and so I did ask, but not like your book. I didn’t do a quiz funnel to get you here, but I just appreciate you so much and I’m so glad you’re here.

The post Zig When They Zag… Zag When They Zig appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Going Berserk Over Email

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Troy Broussard is the Co-founder of BerserkerMail, an email marketing platform designed to provide world-class inbox deliverability and user-friendly campaign building for marketers. A former Navy nuclear engineer, enterprise-class software developer, and API-level marketing automation specialist, he has built multiple multimillion-dollar software, SaaS, SEO, and native app businesses. Troy is also the author of the bestselling book Infusionsoft Mastery and has been a sought-after email automation consultant for over a decade. His expertise has helped clients collectively earn over $150 million in sales.

Ben Settle is the Co-founder of BerserkerMail and a recognized authority in email marketing, renowned for his expertise in crafting persuasive email copy and building strong, lasting relationships with audiences. As the publisher of the Email Players newsletter, he shares valuable insights on email marketing strategies. Ben’s contributions to the field have earned him recognition from industry leaders like Perry Marshall and Tom Woods. His approach focuses on engaging communication and fostering consistent connections with audiences to drive measurable results.
sales.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[9:32] The constant tug-of-war between simplification and complex automation in email marketing platforms
[13:49] Why building tools for personal use leads to better product outcomes
[14:41] The truth behind tech companies faking customer support interactions to appear responsive
[17:02] Understanding “featuritis” and its impact on email marketing platforms
[19:20] How rejecting unnecessary features keeps BerserkerMail lean, fast, and effective
[20:58] The impact of image-heavy emails on engagement and sales
[22:31] Leveraging language that sparks imagination rather than relying on visuals

In this episode…

Most email marketing platforms promise big results — automations, analytics, sleek templates — but often leave marketers frustrated and stuck. Overpriced, overcomplicated, and under delivering, they end up being more of a burden than a benefit. So why do so many platforms fail to meet the real needs of marketers?

According to Troy Broussard, a veteran tech builder, and Ben Settle, a seasoned direct response marketer, most platforms are bloated with unnecessary features that marketers don’t need and rarely use. They highlight the industry’s obsession with “featuritis” — adding more tools instead of focusing on what actually drives deliverability and results. The impact? Poor user experience, rising costs, and disappointing performance. By designing a platform they personally use daily, Troy and Ben built a tool that prioritizes simplicity, efficiency, and real-world marketing outcomes. It’s a return to fundamentals — and it’s working.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, host Brian Kurtz is joined by Troy Broussard and Ben Settle, Co-founders of BerserkerMail, to discuss why most email platforms fall short and how they set out to fix it. They cover the dangers of feature overload, the importance of deliverability over design, and what it means to build software by marketers for marketers. Ben also shares tips for writing high-performing emails without relying on images or fluff.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable moments:

“Many tech platforms reply to tickets for show, pretending to care, but rarely reading or solving issues.”
“We’re one of the only platforms created by marketers for marketers, used daily by the owners.”
“Featuritis creeps in as platforms boast endless features, driven by funding pressures, misleading comparisons, and misguided policies.”
“Our whole thought was, ‘Instead of messing around, give them a good experience in the email.’”
“In email, the reader’s imagination is far more useful to us than what we’re trying to project.”

Action Steps:

Focus on simplifying email marketing strategies: Streamline efforts by eliminating unnecessary features, focusing on core functionalities to reduce complexity and enhance efficiency.
Prioritize high-quality content over visuals in emails: Engage readers with compelling narratives instead of images to foster deeper connections and reduce email neglect.
Adopt a user-centric approach to platform development: Design tools based on real marketer needs, avoiding feature bloat to keep them user-friendly and effective.
Invest in reliable customer support: Offer responsive, helpful service to users, tackling the common issue of inadequate support in tech platforms.
Leverage personalization and targeted messaging: Tailor email content to your audience’s needs and interests to boost engagement and conversion rates.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz: 00:16

Troy Broussard: 02:30

Indeed indeed. How are you?

Brian Kurtz: 02:33

Hey, Troy, how are you doing? Long time.

Troy Broussard: 02:35

Yeah, it’s been a long time. You got some more hair going on.

Brian Kurtz: 02:39

I wanted to be like you. You didn’t know that?

Troy Broussard: 02:39

I know, but, see, I got more gray. So you got to work on it.

Brian Kurtz: 02:42

Yeah. And I had mine longer, and my wife and daughter said, get that. You got to shorten it. So.

Troy Broussard: 02:46

Well, I just about fell out of my chair because I saw that Ben was actually on the call visually, he was on video. I mean, you guys don’t understand. Like I go months and I still wonder if Ben is just a voice in my head because I rarely see him on video.

Brian Kurtz: 03:06

I assumed he was just a hologram.

Troy Broussard: 03:07

Yeah, yeah, you just never know.

Ben Settle: 03:10

How do you know this isn’t a hologram?

Brian Kurtz: 03:12

Oh, there he is. Look at that. And clean shaven too.

Ben Settle: 03:17

Yeah. I don’t know what these, you guys act like you’re seeing Bigfoot here or something.

Brian Kurtz: 03:24

So those of you who don’t know Ben and Troy, they are, well, I mean, I’ve known Troy less time than I’ve known Ben, but I feel like I know him well just because of who he is and what he’s done in the industry. And Ben and I are, you know, sometimes I think we’re two peas from different pods or something, but definitely brothers from another mother. But I’ve always just admired everything that Ben does. We’ve done some fun stuff. We did a video on Quentin Tarantino and Frank Capra on movies, and we’ve done all sorts of stuff just because we wanted to do it. And then also, he has been someone who actually I, as I recall, you did travel to my mastermind, right?

The post Going Berserk Over Email appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Don’t Fence Me In

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Chris Seminatore is the Managing Partner at GetGeofencing, a company that specializes in geofence marketing solutions, providing businesses with targeted location-based advertising strategies. With a background in military intelligence and data analytics, he applies cutting-edge technology to help businesses target high-intent customers with precision. Chris is passionate about leveraging AI-driven marketing solutions to optimize ad campaigns and improve audience engagement. As a leader in the field, he educates businesses on innovative ways to reach consumers beyond traditional advertising channels.

Jim Hale is the Director of Marketing and Business Development at GetGeofencing, where he assists clients in creating targeted digital campaigns that drive foot traffic and increase brand awareness. His expertise lies in crafting innovative marketing plans tailored to each business’s unique needs, ensuring effective engagement with potential customers in specific geographic areas. Through his work at GetGeofencing, Jim helps companies harness the power of location-based advertising to achieve their marketing goals and grow their customer base.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[3:52] Why geofencing is a game-changing tool for marketers
[8:57] How geofencing provides a “third way” outside of Google and Facebook ads
[11:41] The role of Simpli.fi in precision-targeted advertising
[18:17] Using location data to understand consumer behavior and buying intent
[22:49] How addressable geofencing enhances direct mail campaigns
[23:54] The power of event geofencing for targeted brand awareness
[26:25] Search-based geofencing and its effectiveness in audience targeting
[27:35] Retargeting strategies to optimize conversions and ROI

In this episode…

Many businesses struggle to break through the noise of digital advertising. With rising costs on major platforms and consumers tuning out traditional methods, how can marketers reach their ideal audience in a more direct and effective way?

Digital marketing expert and location-based advertising specialists Jim Hale and Chris Seminatore offer a powerful solution: geofencing. They explain how businesses can use geofencing to target high-intent customers based on their real-world movements. Jim and Chris also emphasize strategies like event geofencing to reach attendees at live gatherings, addressable geofencing to enhance direct mail campaigns, and search targeting to serve ads based on user behavior. By leveraging these advanced techniques, businesses can increase brand awareness, drive engagement, and track conversions with pinpoint accuracy.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz features Chris Seminatore, Managing Partner at GetGeofencing, and Jim Hale, Director of Marketing And Business Development at GetGeofencing, to discuss how marketers can harness location-based targeting to improve ad performance. Chris shares insights on the power of event-based marketing, Jim discusses the role of AI in audience tracking, and both dive into how geofencing works outside of traditional search and social media channels.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mentions:

Quotable moments:

“In marketing, you have to tell stories. That’s our job. That’s what we do.”
“Where people go is the strongest indicator of their buying intent.”
”Geofencing exists outside Google and Facebook, giving marketers a powerful third way to reach highly targeted audiences without algorithm constraints.”
“The places that people go identify their needs, tastes, living proximity, and a host of other variables.”
“Event geo fencing captures audiences at key moments, allowing brands to stay top-of-mind long after the event ends.”

Action steps:

Leverage geofencing technology: Geofencing identifies customer needs through location data, enabling marketers to reach targeted audiences beyond traditional social media.
Enhance brand awareness through event geofencing: Use live event campaigns to engage audiences with shared interests, then follow up with targeted ads to boost brand visibility and connection.
Apply addressable geofencing for direct mail campaigns: Integrate digital and physical marketing by targeting specific addresses with tailored ads, merging direct mail tactics with digital precision to boost response rates.
Implement search-based geofencing: Target individuals in specific areas based on relevant keyword searches, leveraging user intent for higher ad engagement and better performance.
Utilize retargeting for conversion optimization: Capture and re-engage website visitors with retargeting ads, boosting conversions by bringing potential customers back to complete their actions.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz: 00:16

David Foley: 02:55

Yes. I’m here.

Brian Kurtz: 02:57

David Foley. Do you want to just talk about Chris and Jim? Like, you know, you and David Baer were enamored, I would say, with what they do, what they teach, what their business does. More from a direct mail standpoint, but I think it’s wider than that. Can you just like, do a quick like, why, basically why you thought they, and I know the answer. It’s a softball question. But why do you think this will be useful for the Xcelerators and the boot campers to hear?

David Foley: 03:32

Okay. I’ll try. I have actually not met Chris. I’ve only met Jim, whom I met through David Baer’s agency book club offering, which unfortunately is no longer alive because it was a great little meeting. But Jim specializes in something called geofencing, which I have heard from my clients from time to time all about, but he really explains it properly. And what it is, in my opinion, is it’s a way of building a list of either customers or prospects based on where they live, so that you can communicate with them using a variety of media from, I’ll let Jim go through all of that, that is not an email, that is not a direct mail piece, that is not an act. And that’s the magic of geofencing. So if anyone wants to avoid excessive emails, excessive direct mail, excessive advertising on Facebook, or else this is something they should consider. And that’s all I’ll say.

Brian Kurtz: 05:04

Okay. David Baer so I just want you to do a, you know, continue with an introduction and then we’ll you know, why you felt that Chris and Jim would be good speakers of and actionable for people in Xcelerator. And also, you know, basically how you met them through the book club and all of that, if there’s anything useful there.

David Baer: 05:26

Yeah. Well, I wanted to hear them speak because I don’t know what Chris sounds like, but Jim has this awesome, hypnotic eastern Tennessee drawl that I think we’ll all just, you know, get lulled by. David sort of hinted at the fact that this is a bunch of media placement opportunities that really we don’t see in the mainstream. And I think Jim has spoken to that. When I’ve heard him speak on this before, that, you know, in the space that I play in, marketing agencies are focused on social platforms and search platforms for the most part. And there’s this whole world of opportunity that’s data based outside of those environments that gives us, as marketers and advertisers, access to, directly connect with and speak to an audience in a way that we don’t get to through other platforms. There’s also some, you know, we’re all marketers, and you know that there’s some creepy stuff that happens in the world of digital based marketing these days, especially all the data that’s out there. Well, we can either be concerned about that and run away from it, or we can leverage it. And this is a place that I think we can leverage it. And maybe you guys will talk a little bit about the company behind the company you work with. And you know, that I think was really insightful when you revealed that in the last presentation. So that’s all I’ll say. I want to hear from them.

Brian Kurtz: 07:07

Okay. Thank you. David and David and Jim and Chris, the Xcelerator are all yours.

Jim Hale: 07:15

I’ll just open it up here and introduce Chris. First of all, Brian, I want to thank you. We’ve talked twice. You have been nothing but gracious to me each time. And I thank you. I thank you for that. To my friends David and David, thank you for everything you’ve done. And David Baer, yes, I am your stalker. I’m going to say that I am your stalker. And the reason for that is, is that every time I interact with David, I always learn something. He is a brilliant mind and a very satirical wit, which I enjoy tremendously. And so I always enjoy everything he says. And so, yes, I do stalk you, David. So I guess, just get used to it. That’s all I can say. Just get used to it. So I’d like to introduce the managing partner and owner of GetGeofencing.com, Chris Seminatore. Chris and I’ve been working together for a few years now. When you get to age 67, you don’t want to count those years, you just want to say, it’s been a few years. And I and Chris’ office is based in Los Angeles. As you might tell by my accent, I’m not a Los Angeles person. I was born and raised in eastern Tennessee, in the mountains. And I’m coming to you, though my background doesn’t show it. I’m coming to you from an old country farmhouse that has been in my wife’s family for over 100 years, and there’s not a square floor or a level floor or a square corner in the whole place, but we love it. We just love it. So I think as far as geofencing goes, what attracted me to it, I learned about the technology about 7 or 8 years ago, and one of the things that attracted me about it is the sheer logic of it. It’s just a way of connecting to people. And I think one of the bright spots of it is that it exists outside the Google and Facebook world. And I think marketers need that third way. And so geofencing allows that. Google can change any kind of algorithm it wants to, whatever, that doesn’t directly affect us at all. And to give you an idea of what geofencing is in my mind is it’s a search engine, basically that looks for one thing and one thing only. And that thing it looks for is the GPS locator codes in phones. Each of our phones has a unique GPS locator code because our phones are mobile. And so you’ve got to know where the phone is if you’re AT&T or the you know, those people, you know, you got to know, you know how many phones are in your cell tower ranges. You got to know where the phones are. And so that’s a code that the technology we use, and we use a company called Simpli.fi. They are headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Please check them out. Their website is simpli.fi. They are owned by the venture capital firm Blackrock. And they are simply an amazing company. Oftentimes you hear the term big data. In my view, Simpli.fi laughs at that. They are the supermassive hole of data. We can construct campaigns looking for precisely people you need to be connected with and precise locations. It is amazing. But I think having a marketing opportunity and a platform that exists outside the traditional Google and social media world is very valuable. And so it’s technology that I think, you know, every marketer needs to at least be conversationally acquainted with because it is very much AI-driven and being more so every day. And so I think it’s a very valuable thing. So I’m going to turn the floor over to my managing partner and friend, Chris. And so Chris, say hello to the crowd and I’ll let you take it. Take it forward.

The post Don’t Fence Me In appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

If You Die Your Marketing Will Suffer…

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Richard Rossi is the Founder of The daVinci50 Mastermind®, an alliance of leading medical professionals, scientists, and businesspeople exploring cutting-edge advancements in health, life extension, and age reversal. Through daVinci50, Richard aims to accelerate the development of innovative treatments to combat aging and revolutionize the human lifespan, focusing on areas such as stem cell research and gene therapy. He previously co-founded EnvisionEMI, which became the world’s largest provider of live educational enrichment programs for high-achieving students, impacting over 50,000 students annually. After selling the company in 2011, Richard launched the daVinci Alliance, which continues to inspire high school students interested in medicine and science.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[09:14] Why Richard Rossi founded The daVinci50 Mastermind® and the mission behind life extension and age reversal
[12:45] The impact of life extension on personal health and societal contributions
[22:58] Understanding the pathology of aging and risks associated with growing older
[24:46] Key factors in optimizing health and extending lifespan through early detection
[25:49] How biomarker tracking, wearables, and proactive medical testing support longevity
[28:43] The importance of balancing exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management
[31:02] Why building a strong team of advisors is essential for comprehensive health support

In this episode…

Aging is the single greatest risk factor for major diseases, yet traditional medicine focuses on treating illness rather than preventing it. As life extension research advances, individuals now have the opportunity to extend both their lifespan and health span. How can people take control of their longevity and ensure they stay ahead of medical breakthroughs?

According to longevity expert Richard Rossi, proactive health management is the key to living a longer, healthier life. Richard founded The daVinci50 Mastermind®, an exclusive alliance dedicated to cutting-edge age reversal research, after realizing that science is making it possible to slow or even reverse aging. He emphasizes a structured approach that includes early disease detection, biomarker tracking, optimized exercise, and stress management. By integrating advanced diagnostics like full-body MRIs and cancer detection blood tests, individuals can catch health issues before they progress and make data-driven decisions about their well-being.

In this week’s episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Richard Rossi, Founder of The daVinci50 Mastermind®, to explore the future of life extension and health optimization. Richard shares insights on the rapid advancements in longevity science, the importance of becoming the CEO of your own health, and how a proactive mindset can help individuals live longer, more vibrant lives.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable moments:

“Imagine the impact of millions of vibrant, older people living 20 or 30 years longer and contributing their wisdom to humanity.”
“Traditional medicine has gotten to the point where if you catch it at stage zero or one, the chance of a cure is enormous.”
“Our mantra is to be the CEO of your own health; almost no one will do that in totality.”
“The physicality of death destroys us, but the idea of death saves us.”
“There is no higher risk factor to health than aging; even a two-pack-a-day habit doesn’t come close.”

Action Steps:

Surround yourself with the best minds in your field: Build a network of experts and advisors who can guide and support your growth in health and wellness, keeping you ahead with cutting-edge insights.
Utilize wearables for health monitoring: Invest in technology like the Oura Ring or a smartwatch to track vital signs, providing real-time data for informed decisions and early health intervention.
Prioritize early detection: Commit to annual checkups with advanced tests like full-body MRIs or specialized blood work to enable early detection and prevent disease progression.
Maintain physical fitness: Maintain a balanced routine of aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance exercises to preserve muscle mass, prevent injuries, and support longevity.
Manage stress and ensure quality sleep: Practice meditation or breathing exercises and prioritize restorative sleep to reduce stress, enhance mental clarity, and support overall health.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Epispode Transcript

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz: 00:16

Richard Rossi I think you’re there.

Richard Rossi: 02:31

I am here.

Brian Kurtz: 02:32

Hello my rabbi. How are you?

Richard Rossi: 02:35

To the best of my knowledge, I’m well.

Brian Kurtz: 02:37

You look well.

The post If You Die Your Marketing Will Suffer… appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

The Wizard of Connections

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Tommy Schaff, CMCT, is the Managing Partner of Major League Sales, a sales strategy consulting and training firm based in St. Louis. Mentored by Dr. Robert Cialdini, Tommy is one of only six Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in North America and is at the forefront of revolutionizing sales through ethical persuasion and influence. A passionate baseball enthusiast, he has integrated his love for the sport into his business, developing programs such as the Five-Tool Sales School and the Nine Innings Sales System. Beyond his professional endeavors, Tommy is an investor and board member of the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa and boasts a collection of over 5,000 baseball bobbleheads.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[7:44] Cialdini’s principles of influence and why they are essential for marketers
[12:02] Importance of ethics when applying influence techniques
[15:25] Why we are persuaded by people who are similar to us and want to help us
[18:39] The role of commitment and consistency in driving behavior
[23:48] Reciprocal concessions and the impact of a well-timed second offer after rejection
[26:13] Leveraging exclusivity and limited access to increase desire
[28:21] The power of reciprocity and how giving triggers the need to give back
[31:25] The science behind gift giving and why unexpected, meaningful, and personalized gifts are the most effective

In this episode…

Influence and persuasion are essential skills for marketers, sales professionals, and leaders, yet many people rely on outdated techniques that focus more on closing deals than building trust. Influence, based on behavioral science, allows professionals to guide decisions using proven strategies. How can marketers apply these influence principles to drive results and improve their communication?

According to persuasion expert Tommy Schaff, there are six principles of influence outlined by Dr. Robert Cialdini’s original work: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. Tommy emphasizes that these principles are universal across cultures, scientifically validated, and teachable. By applying them ethically — such as giving personalized, unexpected gifts or framing offers to highlight what’s at stake if customers don’t act — marketers can build lasting relationships and improve conversion rates.

In this week’s episode of The Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz features a presentation from Tommy Schaff, a Cialdini Method Certified Trainer and Managing Partner of Major League Sales. Tommy shares how studying Cialdini’s work transformed his career, why ethical influence is essential in today’s trust-driven world, and how marketers can apply these principles to enhance their messaging, offers, and client relationships.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mentions:

Quotable moments:

“Selling isn’t a debate. It’s not about proving you’re right; it’s about understanding the judges you’re trying to persuade.”
“We like people that are similar to us, complement us, and want to help us.”
“People will always do more to protect what they already have than to gain something new.”
“Scarcity doesn’t improve the experience of the product — it just makes you want it more urgently.”
“Unexpected, personalized, and meaningful gifts are pure magic because they open doors, repair relationships, and create lasting loyalty.”

Action steps:

Practice ethical influence: Focus on using persuasion techniques ethically, ensuring that your influence is beneficial and not manipulative.
Incorporate the power of commitment into your sales process: Ask prospects to make small, public commitments early on to increase follow-through and long-term buy-in.
Use reciprocity strategically in client relationships: Offer unexpected, personalized value upfront to create a sense of obligation and strengthen future collaboration.
Frame offers using both gain and loss: Highlight not only what your product provides, but also what prospects risk losing if they don’t act now.
Create genuine scarcity to drive urgency: Emphasize limited availability or time-sensitive benefits to encourage faster decision-making without compromising trust.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz: 00:17

Tommy Schaff: 02:35

I was going to say it was two hours and 11 minutes, but we could put it on Mighty Networks, and it’ll be. Too early? Too early.

Brian Kurtz: 02:44

Yeah. Too early. Right. So, you know, he’s going to do a presentation that he and I talked about. We just got together and shot the shit for, I don’t know, 45 minutes or it might have been an hour. It went fast because Tommy is someone who you can talk to about almost anything and find something in common with him, which is I love people like that. And so we became fast friends when he joined. I got to know him a little bit more and I didn’t ask him, I basically said, you must do a Titan spotlight on something in your world. And we got to talking about Cialdini and Influence and Pre-suasion. And obviously Cialdini is someone who I’ve studied for my whole career. He’s someone who many copywriters, if they don’t point to Breakthrough Advertising as their ultimate source for copywriting and and and marketing, they point to Cialdini’s Influence. And it’s not even a marketing book. But we know that everything in marketing is about influence. Tommy is a student of Cialdini, but he’s a student of a lot more too. He’s a student of giftology. He’s a student of baseball. He’s a student of so many things. He’ll give you a quick background on himself, hopefully. And why you should listen to him. And then I’m going to leave it up to Tommy to develop his thesis on, you know why Cialdini and his and his ethical principles of influence matter so much to all of us all the time, whether we’re marketers, copywriters, or just human beings. And then we’ll get into a discussion in Q&A on what he presents. So, Tommy, so pleased that you agreed, although I didn’t have to twist your arm, but I needed to get you to say yes. And you said yes. And I’m so pleased. And the Xcelerator are yours.

Tommy Schaff: 05:06

Thanks. My classmates in high school would be just stunned that I’m talking to a bunch of marketing experts about influence. I ran for class president four times and was beaten by our class drug dealer four times in a row. So to be an expert on anything is really stunning to them. But we’ll give it a go.

Brian Kurtz: 05:29

I had a similar experience. I was the biggest, I was the most highly ranked pothead in my high school class. So.

The post The Wizard of Connections appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Writing Your Masterpiece

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Allison (Ally) Fallon is the Founder of Find Your Voice, a company dedicated to helping individuals unlock their stories and transform their lives through writing. An award-winning author, speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach, Ally has guided thousands of writers to successfully outline, write, and publish their work across various literary genres. With 14 books to her name, including Write Your Story, she has established herself as a transformative figure in the literary world, empowering authors to craft impactful narratives. Ally’s work not only elevates the writing process but also fosters personal growth and self-discovery, making her a sought-after mentor and speaker for those ready to share their stories with the world.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[06:47] Why every business leader should consider writing a book
[10:30] Ally Fallon’s journey from teaching to becoming a published author
[12:35] How storytelling helps process personal challenges and heal from trauma
[18:01] Ally’s eight-part framework for crafting a compelling story
[18:48] The “controlling idea” as the golden thread that drives every story
[22:01] How to craft a strong “hook” that keeps your audience engaged
[24:51] Why it’s important to see yourself as the “hero” in your own story
[25:57] How personal transformation drives a story forward

In this episode…

Storytelling is a powerful tool that helps individuals find clarity, create meaning, and inspire change. Too often, business leaders overlook the impact of sharing their personal stories, focusing instead on data and results. How can entrepreneurs harness storytelling to drive both personal and professional growth?

According to author and publishing expert Ally Fallon, writing your story — whether in a book, a speech, or a private journal — can unlock new levels of self-awareness and clarity. Ally explains that viewing yourself as the hero of your own story helps you recognize patterns, navigate challenges, and take ownership of your life’s direction. She introduces an eight-part storytelling framework, including key elements like a controlling idea, a compelling hook, and personal transformation, which can guide anyone through this process.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Ally Fallon, Founder of Find Your Voice, to explore how storytelling can transform both businesses and lives. Ally shares her journey from teacher to author, her experience helping others write their books, and how writing helped her heal from personal trauma. She emphasizes that every leader has a story worth telling — and sharing it can create lasting impact.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mentions:

Quotable moments:

“Sharing of stories is an essential human need, vital for both the storyteller and the listener.”
“Writing your story can unfold a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life.”
“Seeing my story through the lens of storytelling helped me create a profound shift in my life.”
“Every story needs a hero, and in your life story, that hero is you.”
“Our life stories can’t truly change until we, as the heroes, are willing to transform.”

Action steps:

Explore storytelling techniques: Apply narrative elements to your experiences to uncover hidden patterns, gain deeper insights, and foster personal growth.
Share your story with intention: Find the right medium — writing, speaking, or casual conversations — to express your journey. Sharing fosters self-awareness, connection, and a sense of purpose.
Recognize your story’s controlling idea: Identify the recurring theme or golden thread in your life story to clarify your purpose, align your actions, and enhance your decision-making and growth.
Define your story’s hook: Clearly determine the essential question your life story is asking. Answering this question can close mental loops, allowing for greater focus and mental clarity.
Embrace your role as the hero: See yourself as the protagonist who drives your life story forward. This empowers you to take action and create meaningful change instead of remaining passive.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:03

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz 00:17

Hey, it’s Brian Kurtz here host of the Timeless Marketing Podcast. Today’s episode is a clip from one of the two-hour calls inside Titans Xcelerator, my private mentorship program for direct response marketers. Before we get to that, I have one question for you. Do you have a marketing insurance policy? If you don’t, you need one. And that’s why I created Titans Xcelerator, which is one of the most giving communities and serves as the de facto board of advisors and marketing insurance policy for over 250 of the best and brightest direct response marketers, copywriters, media buyers, marketing agencies, senior executives, anyone in direct response marketing, who is committed to growing and scaling their business. The bottom line, you don’t have to grow your business alone. And you don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars either. Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind. I know because I hosted a group that was over $20,000 a year. If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help. That’s B-R-I-A-N-K-U-R-T-Z.net/help. And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed. As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one. Again, if you want to see if Titans Xcelerator is a fit for you with no obligation, go to BrianKurtz.net/help. That’s B-R-I-A-N-K-U-R-T-Z.net/help. And feel free to email me directly. I respond to every email with questions about this episode or just to say hi, at Brian@BrianKurtz.net. Now onto today’s episode. Ally came to me through Bill Cates. When Bill Cates says to me, you need to meet Ali Fallon, I meet Ally Fallon because Bill knows his shit. He was a member of Titans Mastermind. He’s become a great friend. And, I mean, Ally was in. She thought I was screening her to speak, but I was not. I was just wanting to get to know her a little bit, because she’s got an amazing process for writing books. But the reason why I matched her up with Marcella is that Marcella came to me recently, like with a what’s next for Marcella kind of call. I’m not going to get into the details, it was personal. But we got into it and I said, man, you got to get on this call with Ally Fallon and then I said, oh, I want you to do the quit versus grit. So I just kind of did a mashup of everything. Of course, you know, our timing isn’t so good right now, but you go as long as you need to, Ally. But I think that Marcella has written a book. She helped me write my book because she connected me to Laura Gayle, who became my developmental editor. And then I realized, Ally, that’s a lot of what you do, but you are able to get under the surface of story, of how people share their wisdom, their journey. And so this just seemed like the perfect match of speakers. And so I hope this works. I know it’s going to work because Ally is tremendous and Marcella has already proven that she’s tremendous. So Ally, welcome to Titans Xcelerator. I’m so happy you agreed to speak to this group. And we’ve had other people talk about writing a book and developing a book. I thought your angle on it is unique. I thought that as I said, there are no shoulds. But probably everybody should write a book. But it’s not a should, but everybody should write. If not, write a book. You always have to write to yourself, whether journaling or writing good emails or whatever. But I really believe your message here today will tie in nicely to Marcella’s story and what she’s doing, but also what you’re doing, and for entrepreneurs and people who want to tell their story. So welcome Ally. The Titans Xcelerators are yours.

The post Writing Your Masterpiece appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

The Non-Extinct Dinosaur

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Justin B. Miller, MBA, is the President of Profit 911, a leading direct mail marketing company that helps businesses grow through high-impact, results-driven campaigns. With over two decades of experience in marketing and entrepreneurship, Justin is known for his expertise in blending direct response strategies with personalized mail solutions. He is the author of Jurassic Marketing and is widely respected for his innovative approach to using traditional marketing methods to achieve modern success. Justin and his team at Profit 911 print and mail millions of pieces annually, helping clients drive measurable results.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[6:16] How Justin Miller’s early entrepreneurial journey led to his expertise in direct mail
[8:16]F’s endorsement of Justin as a top direct mail expert
[9:25] Overcoming the common belief that direct mail is dead and why it still works
[10:20] Justin’s football versus soccer analogy for different direct mail approaches
[12:00] The challenges of working with small direct mail sample sizes
[13:48] Testing limitations and the need to occasionally change multiple variables at once
[16:42] Why it’s important to use gut instinct and past experience when data is limited
[19:55] When to abandon traditional split testing in small direct mail campaigns

In this episode…

Direct mail is often dismissed as an outdated marketing channel, with many businesses favoring digital strategies. This misconception leads companies to overlook the potential of direct mail to cut through the noise and reach high-value prospects. How can marketers effectively leverage direct mail, even when working with small audiences and limited data?

According to direct mail expert Justin Miller, the key is adapting your strategy based on your audience size. Many businesses operate in niche markets where split testing and large-scale campaigns aren’t feasible. In these cases, Justin recommends focusing on high-value, low-quantity mailings. He suggests using intuition, past experience, and client feedback to guide decisions — while accepting that some results may lack statistical significance. This approach can still yield powerful outcomes when executed thoughtfully.

In this week’s episode of The Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Justin B. Miller, MBA, President of Profit 911 and author of Jurassic Marketing, to discuss the enduring power of direct mail. Justin shares his journey from digital marketing to building a thriving direct mail business, his techniques for succeeding with small-batch mailings, and how recognizing the value of “non-extinct dinosaurs” in marketing can unlock new growth opportunities.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mentions:

Quotable moments:

“We’ve chosen to go backwards in time as far as what we provide and what we do, and our results continue to get better.”
“Direct mail isn’t dead — it’s just waiting for the right marketer to unlock its power in today’s digital age.”
“If you analyze the numbers too deep, you come to incorrect conclusions.”
“When data is scarce or unclear, trust your gut and experience — they often reveal what the numbers can’t.”
“Sometimes you have to be okay with just knowing something works and not why it works.”

Action steps:

Understand the limitations of small sample sizes: Recognizing that testing results may lack statistical significance helps manage expectations and ensure focus on valuable prospects in small target audiences.
Embrace gut and experience in decision-making: When numbers are ambiguous, leveraging intuition and experience helps businesses with limited data make informed marketing decisions.
Adapt to the market environment: Shifting your approach based on the market’s perception, such as viewing direct mail as viable despite its seeming obsolescence, helps capture untapped opportunities and leverage underused marketing channels.
Iterate and innovate continuously: Even without statistically significant results, continuously testing, iterating, and making bold changes can drive breakthroughs and optimize marketing in a fast-changing environment.
Accept that successful strategies may remain a mystery: Sometimes strategies deliver results without clear explanations; it’s important to keep using them while embracing ambiguity and seeking to understand customer behavior.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:03

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz 00:17

Justin Miller 03:00

I do not, no.

Brian Kurtz 03:01

Yeah. So here’s a direct mail savant, Justin Miller, and I just told him about the best direct mail designer of all time. I got one up on you just on that. So but that’s the only thing I know.

Justin Miller 03:12

That fits nicely to the topic today actually.

Brian Kurtz 00:16

Good, good, good. And then Justin wrote a book recently called Jurassic Marketing. I wrote in my preview of his presentation that Justin and I have a lot in common. We’re both non-extinct dinosaurs who believe that direct mail is not dead, who believe that, and in fact, the second speaker, Caleb O’Dowd, is going to talk about like magazine space advertising and newspaper space advertising. Nothing is dead. Sometimes it lies in wait for the right person to bring it forward. And Justin is that person who brings it forward all the time, just like David Foley does, just like Craig Simpson does. But Justin is just a, and he’s a wonderful guy. I’ve really gotten to know him a little bit more over the last few years, and I respect him. I love what he does and this group because I’m your leader. You will have to bear with me all the time. When someone is an expert on direct mail and wants to speak because we need to continue the legacy of direct mail. And there’s all kinds of direct mail as Justin is going to talk about today. But he’s going to deliver some great content today. So Justin, welcome to Titans Xcelerator. I’m so glad we were able to set this up. And Justin you’re on.

Justin Miller 04:43

Thanks, Brian. Appreciate being in front of the group. I see a lot of familiar faces. So this is awesome. And that’s also going to prove a point for me pretty soon here. All right. Cool. With any luck, you’re seeing the proper slide. It looks like you are. And I will ask you to forgive me on some polish on the presentation today because Brian said, hey, Justin, you can’t do your typical thing, people already know about direct mail. So we’re going to go a little deeper than I normally would. To give you some good insights of what’s typically behind what I present.

Brian Kurtz 05:16

So I positioned you as an advanced group, so don’t don’t disappoint me.

Justin Miller 05:22

That assumption is built in here, so we’re stuck. You know, we can go back to the 101 level one, but we’re going to talk about what to do if your numbers lie, which is awesome. So I could tell by the questions and the chatter here at the beginning that, you know, everyone in this group, at least that spoke up, seems to know numbers and care about numbers and go to a depth that most business owners don’t. And by the way, if you’re wondering what the heck’s with the dinosaurs? It was kind of an accidental theme for our company a couple years ago, and people loved it. And we have just run with it. And if you come visit now, the whole office is decked out like Jurassic Park. So.

Brian Kurtz 05:58

I mean, I think when I wrote the foreword, I talked about the non extinct dinosaurs, which I think is a really good way to position it.

The post The Non-Extinct Dinosaur appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

A prophet creating windows into your soul

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Michael Roderick is the CEO of Small Pond Enterprises, a consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals and organizations enhance their professional relationships and brand presence. Through his expertise in networking and messaging, Michael empowers clients to become thought leaders and build referable brands. He also hosts the Access to Anyone podcast, where he shares insights on effective relationship-building strategies.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[4:24] Minimum Viable Insight (MVI) and its role in expanding perspectives
[7:02] Michael Roderick discusses “windows thinking” and how it applies to marketing strategy
[09:27] Difference between “doorway thinking” (logical) and “windows thinking” (lateral)
[12:02] The three components of “windows thinking”: constant, variable, and visual
[13:27] What is an “actions audit” and how does it reveal hidden patterns?
[17:40] Positioning as a currency and its impact on opportunities
[18:43] How ignoring, embracing, or avoiding actions affects business growth

In this episode…

In today’s competitive landscape, many professionals pursue the same opportunities using conventional methods, making it challenging to stand out. How can you discover new perspectives when most follow predetermined paths?

Networking expert Michael Roderick advocates for “windows thinking” as a solution to the challenges of conformity and the limitations of “doorway thinking.” Unlike traditional thinking which relies on familiar paths, “windows thinking” encourages lateral approaches that involve shifting perspectives to uncover opportunities often overlooked by others. By visualizing problems through the “windows three” framework — constant, variable, and visual — you can generate innovative solutions

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Michael Roderick, CEO of Small Pond Enterprises, to discuss exploring new perspectives and possibilities beyond conventional thinking. Michael shares actionable strategies for leveraging “windows thinking,” highlights the power of active learning and Minimum Viable Insight (MVI) in innovation, and explores the six business currencies, emphasizing the power of positioning.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable moments:

“It’s often the unpolished that ends up being the most useful and gives us so much to follow and sort of think about.”
“Actions, in essence, are an infinite resource, because we can constantly come up with a new way to do an action.”
“The only difference between whether or not we see our reflection in a window or we see what’s outside of the window, is our perception.”
“If you stare at one tree, you’ll never know you’re in a forest.”
“An idea is a different approach to a problem — it’s a different way of looking at things.”

Action steps:

Practice active learning: Engage with content by noting your minimum viable insights in real time. This approach encourages immediate reflection and sharing, fostering a collective learning environment where diverse perspectives are acknowledged and appreciated.
Explore “windows thinking”: Diversify your approach by identifying unexplored angles and opportunities. This method challenges conventional “doorway thinking”, opening up innovative pathways and reducing competition by venturing into less crowded spaces.
Conduct an actions audit: Regularly evaluate actions you are avoiding, embracing, or ignoring. By doing so, you can identify gaps in your strategy and capitalize on underutilized resources, ensuring a more balanced and effective approach to your goals.
Prioritize mindset, approach, and positioning as currencies: Recognize these often overlooked assets as valuable resources. Leveraging them can enhance problem-solving capabilities and improve how others perceive you, strengthening your influence and reach.
Use visual aids to enhance understanding: Create visual representations to process complex ideas and uncover new perspectives. Visuals help break down information, making it easier to identify opportunities and devise more comprehensive strategies.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:05

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz 00:17

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed. As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one. Again, if you want to see if Titans Xcelerator is a fit for you with no obligation, go to BrianKurtz.net/help. That’s B-R-I-A-N-K-U-R-T-Z.net/help. And feel free to email me directly. I respond to every email with questions about this episode or just to say hi, at Brian@BrianKurtz.net. Now onto today’s episode.

Okay. So we still have a speaker, and a wonderful speaker. Michael Roderick, I’m sure everything we’ve talked about has stolen your thunder. And we’ve talked about everything that you’re going to talk about. No, I’m just kidding. Those of you who’ve been in this group for any length of time know that Michael is one of the most thoughtful, I mean, we’re all thoughtful accelerators. I don’t want to single anybody out. But Michael, always, when he shares, he always has gems. He’s always out for, you know, what’s in it for them kind of mentality. He always wants to be helpful, especially, I’ve always noticed there are hot seats. There are certain people in this group and Michael’s one of them who always just is there for the person on the hot seat. And I really appreciate that about you, among other things, Michael. And so I think we were on a hot seat. Michael shared some of his thinking inside the box framing that he’s been working on and I said, you know, let’s do that as a spotlight. And now, you know, here’s your 30-40 minutes of fame, Michael, to show off a little bit, but also to share your genius. So I bring you the Titans Xcelerator prophet Michael Roderick.

Michael Roderick 3:53

Thank you so much Brian for the kind words. And it’s always so fun to sort of dig into these particular concepts. And interestingly enough, as I’ve listened to what everybody has been sharing and sort of talking about, it actually is a very good illustration of what I’m going to be talking about today with windows thinking, and I’m going to be breaking down this concept a little bit more. But one of the things that I am going to also be doing in the education world, when I used to teach high school, one of the things that we learned about was the idea of indirect instruction, where in essence, what you’d be doing is you’d be teaching one lesson, but the students would be doing something and actually learning something in addition. So I will basically give you a way to start to think about the content that I’m about to share.

And it will basically start to get your brain kind of working on this whole sort of windows thinking kind of concept. So the very first idea that I want to share with you is the concept of, you’re all familiar with the concept of active listening, where basically we’re really paying very close attention and sort of looking, you know, listening to what somebody is saying. But one of the things that I find can be very, very useful when there are presentations is the idea of active learning. And I originally sort of landed on this because I was doing two presentations back to back, and one of the things that I found was that in some cases with the first one, there weren’t a lot of moments where people were sort of asking questions or sort of sharing, you know, thoughts. So in the second one, I came up with this concept, and I encourage you to have some fun with it as the presentation goes along. Feel free to use the chat for this, and I refer to it as MVI, and that is a minimum viable insight. Most of the time what tends to happen is when we’re learning something, when something is being presented to us, we try to sort of come up with like, what’s going to be the coolest thing that I’m going to say to, you know, respond to this and, you know, et cetera. And often it’s the unpolished that ends up being kind of the most useful. Right. And gives us so much to follow and sort of think about.

So what I would encourage you to do is, as we’re going through this process, if you have a minimum viable insight, the second something hits for you, just type it in the chat. And what that’s going to do is it’s going to provide two things. One is it’s going to give you the opportunity to get it out there, but it’s going to actually expand the learning for everybody, because everybody’s going to start seeing different perspectives from all the different windows of this room. Right? Every single one of you has a different way to look at this.

And then the final layer I’m going to lay on to this is I’m going to share three examples of windows thinking with you and three tools using windows thinking. And I encourage you to decide for yourself whether you’d like to look at those through the ego system or the ecosystem. So if you’re looking at it through the ego system, you’re really paying attention to this from the standpoint of what am I trying to learn about myself from this? And really, the only difference between whether or not we see our reflection in a window or we see what’s outside of the window, is our perception, right? And what’s actually, you know, what’s actually in front of us. So if you’re looking at it through the lens of the ego system, you’re really using these tools as a way to reflect on yourself. And if you’re looking at it through the ecosystem, you’re asking yourself, how can I use these ideas and these concepts for my content? How can I take these ideas and these things and use them for headlines, for products, for services and things of that nature.

So windows thinking, the subtitle that I gave for this, the kind of fun, kitschy, you know, one is how to find hundreds of new angles for your ads, offers, and even your mindset by thinking inside the box. And I’m going to really kind of break down this, this particular idea.

But the very first thing and I do this all the time when I used to teach high school, this was one of the biggest, really, really important sort of avenues was having an agenda. So you kind of know what we’re going to talk about. So first off we’re going to talk about doorway thinking versus windows thinking. Then we’re going to talk about the idea of creating windows and the things that you need to create them. Then I’m going to take you through three versions of windows thinking using a visual. And that’s going to be the actions audit. We’re going to talk about a currency allocation, and we’re going to talk about a concept of a talent triple threat. And then finally I will break down sort of the windows style fun offer for all of you to kind of play around with. And then whatever time we got left, we can sort of go into more of that Q & A sort of side of things.

So I’ll start with this doorway thinking is when you think logically and windows thinking is when you think laterally. So when we are using doorway thinking, we’re processing in the sort of straightforward model manner that we normally process. We’re thinking, this is the journey, this is the way that something should be, this is the way that everybody else has done it, this is the easiest way, the easiest concept a lot of the time.

And the challenge with doorway thinking is if you imagine it visually and you think about something as simple as basically, I take the example of when I was in the theater world, most actors would basically tell you I am looking to get an agent. And that was how they were planning on sort of making their career work, right? If I find an agent, the agent will get me opportunities and then it will work out. But if you imagine this visually, all of these actors are trying to cram themselves through the same door. So naturally it’s going to be challenging. Naturally, there’s going to be a lot of issues. Whereas there are all these different windows. And what I used to recommend a lot of the time for musical theater people, I’d get a lot of musical theater actors. They wanted to be on Broadway, and they’d say, I need to find an agent. And I’d say, no, you need to find a writer. You need to find a musical theater writer who is on the ground floor of creating something amazing and you need to develop a relationship with them. You need to do a show or a project or a reading with those people, spend your time getting to know those people, and the agents will come because that’s what they’re looking for. That gives them something to do.

So that’s an example of sort of how windows thinking starts to come in. So when you’re using windows thinking, you start to ask yourself, what are all of the different angles that I am not exploring? What are the ways that I am currently not thinking when it comes to this? And the thing is, we all have these doorways, right? Like, we all have these things where we sort of learned what was best practice and we basically said, okay, this is the model, this is the process that I’m going to, you know, that I’m going to go through. And we tie ourselves to that. And windows thinking challenges us to look differently at it.

So how do we create windows? Well, an easy way to remember this is the windows three or C.V.V And that is the constant. So any time you’re dealing with creating a window, you have to ask yourself the constant, which is what is something that is a constant, what is something that’s that we see kind of all the time that sort of is, is, is not going to change in the scenario. And then you need a variable. What could be? What are the things that maybe you’re not thinking about, the directions that you’re not thinking about, the options that you’re not thinking about. And then finally you need a visual, because most of the time we process by seeing everything sort of out in front of us, it’s very hard to basically identify where the opportunities are if we’re really just kind of narrowing everything down and only staring sort of at one thing, right? If you stare at one tree, you’ll never know you’re in a forest, right? It’s that kind of concept.

So a lot of the time when we visually represent something, when we create a visual, it encourages our brains to start working towards all of the different sorts of permutations of a particular idea. So what I’m going to start with is this question, and I’m going to show you a tool to start to think about this particular question and this is, which actions am I avoiding ignoring and which do I embrace? So thinking for yourself, let’s say there’s something you’re trying to accomplish or there’s something you’re trying to do, what are the actions that you’re avoiding? What are the actions that you’re ignoring that you’ve never really kind of done, you know, done before? And then which do I embrace? Now, here’s the very first sort of version of how this is going to manifest itself.

So what I’m going to do is I’m going to share with you this. And this is an actions audit. Now, most of the time, kind of the most common way of us looking at our time and sort of how we handle things is through the lens of a time audit. And many of us have basically gotten the advice to sit down and say, how much time did I spend on this task? How much time did I spend on this task, and break that down from a productivity standpoint. But really, when we start to really dig in, what’s actually causing the results that we’re seeking, it’s not really the time. It’s what we’re doing with the time. So it’s the actions. And the thing that I think is so fascinating about actions is that actions, in essence, are an infinite resource, because we can constantly come up with a new way to do an action depending on which lens we’re taking and sort of what we’re looking at.

So just to give you an example of this idea, you look at this chart, you look at this graph and imagine sort of each of these things as windows. And if you look at those windows you can start to explore for yourself. If you’re in the ego system, you can explore for yourself what might be going on with each of those. Now, what you’ll notice is I’ve got avoiding, embracing and ignoring down the side, and then across the top I’ve got six different currencies. And we’re going to talk more about the currencies in the next section when we really kind of dig into that. But basically the currencies that we have that are most common that most of us recognize our time, connection, and money. We have our time. We have our ability to connect with others and the relationships that we have. And we have our money. But what a lot of us forget about is that we have three other very, very powerful currencies that we very, very rarely ever use or address or sort of talk about. One of those currencies is our mindset, our beliefs, the way that we perceive things, the way that the things that are easy for us to believe are not necessarily easy for others to believe. So there are a lot of people who see mindset as a currency. If I can get you to believe something different from what you were believing before, that could be considered as very, very valuable and sort of helpful for you. But another currency that, again, is often forgotten about and in the tech world is kind of thrown to the side is approach because you’ll often hear in sort of tech conversations, the idea is worthless. It is the execution. But the fact of the matter is an idea is a different approach to a problem. It’s a different way of looking at things. And if you are the type of person who has lots of different approaches and angles for something, and you think in this way, then you are a very valuable problem solver and your ideas can actually be considered and seen by others as a currency, as a very, very powerful thing. And then finally, the last currency is positioning. And positioning is how you are perceived by others, how others are seeing you. And that is a currency.

When I worked in Broadway, I had very strong positioning as a currency as a Broadway producer. I could go and see shows for free. I could get invited to readings that most people would not be able to go to because of that fact. So now what you can do with the actions audit for yourself, and you can just choose any window that you want, you can ask yourself a question like what action am I avoiding in terms of my positioning right now? How I want to be positioned or what actions am I embracing? What are the things that I’m currently doing that are really working? And then finally, what am I ignoring? What are the gaps and the silences?

When I was in undergrad, one of the things that we learned, I was an English major. I was a double major in theater and secondary in English. And one of the things that we learned about was Marxist literary criticism. And the thing that was really fascinating about Marxist literary criticism was what you did was you would read pieces and you didn’t read them for the content. You read them specifically for what is missing, what are the gaps and the silences? So you would read a story and then you’d ask yourself, why are there no women in this story? Or why are they in this location versus this location? And what that would do when you kind of went down that rabbit hole was it would tell you a lot about the history of what was actually going on in that time. So as a writer, then you had all these different angles. So again, when you start to think about this from just your own actions and your own sort of journey, when you start to ask yourself what you’re ignoring, there may be something that you haven’t tried yet that you haven’t looked at.

And again, this is just a tiny smattering of sort of what you do in that regard. And again, if you’re looking at this from the ecosystem standpoint, your clients, they also care about these currencies. And they also avoid, embrace, and ignore. So if you are taking the time to sort of help them understand that and breaking that down and coming up with all those different angles, then you’re going to find that you’re going to create really interesting headlines, really interesting content, really interesting products and services, because you’re basically showing them in some cases, you’re using the window as a mirror and you’re showing them who they are. And in some cases, you’re using the window as a lens and you’re showing them what could be, and you’re sort of helping them see kind of those different angles and, and that particular and that particular side of things. So that’s one piece of sort of how to think about this from the actions standpoint.

Outro 21:01

Thanks for listening to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Visit BrianKurtz.net and click Podcast at the top of the page for a full transcript and show notes. If you are interested in working with Brian personally inside of Titans Xcelerator, go to briankurtz.net/help to see how Titans can help you grow and scale your business. That’s B-R-I-A-N-K-U-R-T-Z [dot] net [forward slash] help.

The post A prophet creating windows into your soul appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Getting Out of Jail Free

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Andre Norman is the Founder of Second Chance University, a community dedicated to empowering prisoners and formerly incarcerated individuals through education, skills, and mentorship for successful reintegration. A passionate prison reform advocate and sought-after speaker, he draws inspiration from his own remarkable transformation — from a prison gang leader to a Harvard Fellow. Known to many as “The Ambassador of Hope,” Andre has dedicated his life to helping others turn their situations around, serving as a catalyst for positive change both inside and outside prison walls. He mentors through networks such as Genius Network and Genius Recovery, emphasizing the power of education and personal growth.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[09:00] Andre Norman’s past struggles and the pivotal moment that sparked his mission to reshape his future
[11:24] How Andre went from having a hundred-year sentence to becoming a Harvard Fellow
[12:31] The importance of having a clear vision and taking action to turn dreams into reality
[14:58] Andre’s approach to connect with and support individuals from varied backgrounds
[16:59] The power of deep listening in truly understanding the pain of others
[23:10] Impactful ways to combat pain, addiction, and emotional issues
[26:08] The significance of prioritizing support within one’s own family and community

In this episode…

Have you ever heard a story that makes you question the power of personal transformation? Can someone rise from maximum security imprisonment to become a source of inspiration for countless others? What does it take to make such a profound pivot in life?

Andre Norman reveals how enduring the toughest environments and making conscious choices to change led him to a life beyond prison — a life where he could influence positive change in others. Andre shares his powerful journey from gang member to Harvard fellow and explains how he applies the lessons of his storied past to help both entrepreneurs and at-risk individuals. He delves into the concepts of active listening, identifying root causes of trauma, and the importance of community-based assistance. Andre emphasizes that regardless of your starting point, transformation is possible through dedication and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, host Brian Kurtz welcomes Andre Norman, Founder of Second Chance University, to discuss transforming personal adversity into advocacy and growth. Andre highlights the possibilities that arise from harnessing resilience and the willingness to change one’s course in life. He talks about the transformative power of having a vision and the steps one can take to create lasting improvement in both personal and professional arenas.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mention:

Artists for Addicts

Quotable moments:

“I’m the king of nowhere. What’s the point of being rich if you can’t go anywhere?”
“I made it to Harvard. They hired me and gave me a fellowship, and it was one of the greatest days of my life, because everyone told me I couldn’t.”
“Everything you say will come through the lens of what you’re feeling.”
“Your community comes first. Never jump over your own to go save somebody else.”
“If you believe and do the work, transformation is possible.”

Action steps:

Recognize the power of vision: Clearly define your long-term goals and believe in them, even if others doubt you. A strong vision can serve as a guiding force to overcome obstacles and stay committed to success.
Leverage life experiences for impact: Transform past challenges into valuable lessons that can help others. Your personal journey, no matter how difficult, can inspire and educate those who are struggling with similar situations.
Master the art of effective communication: Listen beyond what is being said and identify the underlying emotions and motivations. Understanding different perspectives enables you to connect deeply with people and offer meaningful solutions.
Build a support network: Surround yourself with people who challenge and uplift you. Whether in business or personal growth, having a strong network provides accountability, guidance, and opportunities to learn from others.
Give back by starting close to home: Make an impact by first helping those in your immediate circle before reaching out to a wider community. Addressing local issues creates meaningful change and equips you with the experience to expand your efforts effectively.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

Listen to the Timeless Marketing Podcast to unlock proven marketing insights and elevate your business thinking with every episode.

Powered by Rise25, the #1 B2B podcasting company that helps businesses turn conversations into clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcast production.

Tune in to the powerful interview that featured Brian Kurtz on InspiredInsider. He shared timeless lessons from his direct response journey.

Episode Transcript

Intro 00:05

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz 00:19

Andre Norman 02:48

I’m on.

Brian Kurtz 02:49

Hey, how you doing, buddy?

Andre Norman 02:51

I’m doing okay. Yourself?

Brian Kurtz: 02:57

Yeah, Andre is out of prison right now. Not as a prisoner, although he was once a prisoner in a prison, but he is working with prisoners on getting their life straight. Both, you know, in the prison and when they get out. And I met Andre through Genius Network, through Joe Polish as we all meet everybody through Joe Polish and Andre is a, I don’t want to say he’s a freak of nature because he’s not a freak, but he is just one of the most powerful and inspiring people I’ve met in my life and I’ve met a lot of powerful and inspiring people. So that’s saying a lot, Andre. And, you know, when I was at Genius Network last month and I was talking to him and Joe was there and Joe said, you should have Andre speak to your mastermind. I said, of course I should. Again, not just, you know, because I eat my own dog food and Joe’s a member, but because he’s such an obvious person to have on. He’s in the room with the most amazing entrepreneurs in the world on a monthly basis, and he is there as a life coach, as an inspiration to everybody in the room. So I wanted to have him on, like share his story a little bit. I think the connection might not be great because he’s in a prison yard. But let’s watch this video. I think it’s about two minutes, right, Andre?

Andre Norman 04:23

Yeah, yeah.

Brian Kurtz 04:24

Let’s watch that. Give him a good introduction to Andre.

Video plays

Andre Norman: 04:28

I got up every day and didn’t care about dying. In my mind, I was already dead.

Male 1 04:33

Even the toughest guys who went through there were affected in ways they would not want to talk about.

Andre Norman: 04:38

I was a prison gang boss. I wanted you to know that I would kill him. That pen on your table. I’ll kill you for it.

Male 1 04:45

The whole project life is based around survival. No one ever teaches you how to live. You’re automatically taught how to survive.

Male 2 04:54

When I was 15. I was an animal running through these streets.

Male 3 04:58

End a life. One bullet. It ended my life.

Andre Norman: 05:03

Home is trauma. Home is dysfunction. Home is just pain. I’ve been doing jail time since the seventh grade.

Male 1 05:08

You know, Andre had up to 100 years. That’s like life.

Female 1 05:12

If young men don’t see a way out, they choose drugs and violence.

Female 2 05:17

Because they don’t have money. Because they don’t have education, they can’t get a job.

Male 1 05:23

This is a war zone. Hurt people tend to hurt people.

Andre Norman: 05:26

I’m locked in a cell. Hold on to philosophy. It’s not working for me.

Male 4 05:30

How do I make that decision that I’m leaving this place?

Andre Norman 05:34

One of the things that inspired me about Malcolm X is he sat in a cell and he made it. Nelson Mandela sat in a cell and he made it. Mike Tyson came on a jury, sat in a cell, and he made it. Those are stories that touch me for the first time in six years of being locked up. I said, I want to go home. And the entire time I’ve been in jail, not one time did I think it or say it.

Female 2 05:56

He made the decision to be a better man.

Andre Norman: 05:59

And for the next eight years, I went to programs every single day, every chance I got. 90 minutes after I walked out of prison, I walked into a youth center and I talked to him one on one. You right now have a choice to make. You can focus on what doesn’t work, and you will come away with what doesn’t work. You don’t have to learn lessons in a penitentiary.

Male 5 06:20

When we’re born, we’re all innocent. Little kids with that little twinkle in our eyes.

Andre Norman: 06:23

The next rapist, murderer, gang member is sitting. He’s sitting in a kindergarten, hungry, wanting a sandwich, a sandwich, and a hug. You don’t give him the sandwich and a hug. Now you’re trying to catch him at 16.

Male 5 06:33

We never had somebody to come back to help, inspire, bring us up.

Male 6 06:38

No one has ever said, What can I do for you? He came in here and he showed that love, that respect, the attitude of gratitude.

Andre Norman: 06:46

Prison is where people end up. It’s not where they start.

Female 3 06:49

I can call him for anything. And he’s never left my life.

Female 4 06:53

He made me realize things about myself that I probably didn’t know, and I probably would have never been told.

Andre Norman 06:59

People say you can’t help. People don’t want to be helped. And that’s a lie and it’s wrong. There’s just a step before that. It’s getting them ready to want help.

Male 7 07:06

Treat us like humans and we act like humans.

Male 8 07:09

I’ve never stepped back into a prison. I can’t do it. He’s going to let it get him out.

Andre Norman 07:15

In 1991, I said, I want to go to Harvard. No matter what they said. I kept knowing I was going to get there, and I got there. Prison reform starts in kindergarten. We can stop them from coming if we want to fix our country. Go educate people. Educated people make educated decisions.

Female 7 07:33

People like Andre going into the prisons, and they’re reimagining how we can produce healing.

Male 9 07:40

Andre Norman created the blueprint to show the world that it can work.

Video ends

Brian Kurtz 07:45

I’ve watched it. I’ve watched it three times. That was the fourth time and it’s still so powerful, Andre. And you actually epitomize what we talked about on this call already when I said Jay Abraham’s thing about if you did it, you have an obligation to teach it. Unfortunately, what you did was not like, you know, marketing stuff. You did some bad stuff to get into jail. But the fact that you’re teaching the lessons from that is even more valuable than anything that we talk about in this group. So I just want to thank you for being here, and I’ll ask you questions, but I just like you to share a little bit more about why you do what you do now and how you got involved with Genius Network with like, billionaire entrepreneurs who are not necessarily well, if they go to jail, they’ll go to a white collar prison, of course. But give us some background of how you got into working with Joe, how what you do with prisoners and some of the people that you’ve worked with over the years and how you work with people like us, entrepreneurs and high achieving people and all of that because it’s all related. We’re all humans, so just share.

Andre Norman: 09:00

Well, I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, went through a traumatic childhood, parental fights. We call it domestic violence, poverty, bad schools, all the regular stuff. But people growing up in the hood and I went through it and I was affected by it because if I watched my mom be beat, in my mind anybody can be hit if my mom can be hit. And I was left to fend for myself. So if I got to fend for myself, I’m thinking like a five year old, an eight year old. My thinking is juvenile as a little kid, and I’m coming up with kid ways of doing things. I never got away from that. When I got older, I just learned not to believe in myself and I had to fight all the time. I just kept doing that over and as I got older and older, it became. It used to be cute when I was like six years old and I wanted to fight all the little kids fighting. I had to be 14 and 15 and became a criminal. And I started this being in the streets, trying to take care of myself the wrong way. And I ended up going to prison. When I got to prison, maximum security, I got a ton of time and it was like sink or swim. It was sink or swim. It was eat or get eaten. And I had to become somebody new. I had to become this big warlord guy to stay safe. I don’t want to get raped. I don’t want to get stabbed. I don’t wanna get extorted. I don’t wanna get beat. All the things that happen to people every single day in prison. I didn’t want it to happen to me. So I had to become, like, the toughest guy here. And I just took on the persona of the tough guy, cause I was never a tough guy. I was a trumpet player and we was at home doing the Zoom, you would see trumpets on my wall saying, I was a little nerdy kid, but when I got to prison, nobody cares who you were, it’s who are you now? And to survive in this place, you had to become a hyena. That’s it. If you ain’t tough, you’re going to be lunch. So I came in, I joined a gang, I got a knife, and I just started playing the role of Denzel Washington. But it was in real life, I’m saying. And I ran around this place like I was Denzel, just acting a fool. Eight attempted murder charges, two and a half years in solitary confinement, I’ve been shipped to nine different states, riots. I mean, all the craziness. And I finally woke up and said one day, and I realized something. I’m the king of nowhere. I control drugs, contraband, wine, extortion, gambling, all of this stuff. But I’m the king of nowhere. I’m sitting around this prison like I’m sitting right now with all my stuff. I go nowhere. What’s the point of being rich if you can’t go away? What’s the point of being an entrepreneur if you never take a vacation? You’re not an entrepreneur. You’re a slave. So I realized I didn’t want to be here. So I found a way to come out. I said, I’m going to go home and go to Harvard University and be successful. And people told me I couldn’t go to Harvard because I’m black. I’m a gang member, I can’t read, I’m from a poor family. I didn’t believe them. I don’t care what people say. I know what I want. So I went into a room. I said, am I willing to do the work to make what I want happen? And I told myself yes. I went back to school, got my GED, went to a management program. I started doing every program that wasn’t nailed down, taught myself the law, overturned my case on appeal. And when I came home, I came home with a dream and a purpose. And I just kept working every single day. And in 2016, I made it to Harvard. They hired me and gave me a fellowship, and it was one of the greatest days of my life because everyone told me I couldn’t. And the first thing I did when I got there, when people called me, I said, hey, I made it. What do you want to be? Because all the guys in prison and the ladies in prison and some people with some jobs think they can’t be great. They think they can’t, this is my lot in life. I’m going to be the assistant. I’m going to be the CFO. I’m going to be the somebody, but not the boss. I said, you can be that. And I started teaching people how to have vision because they said, how did you sit in prison in a hole and think about going to Harvard? How did you have that dream and how did you actually do it? How did you stay disciplined for 25 years? How did you stay focused for eight years in prison? And how did you negotiate your way through all these hurdles? What I saw as a goal, they saw as a business lesson. So I had a guy from London Business School who said, if you can help prostitutes, gang members and psychopaths, what can you do with business people? They flew me to London and they threw me in a room with Deutsche Bank. They said, just go do what you do. No training, no set up. And I went in and standing ovation. They brought me back in the room with Prudential Insurance. Standing ovation. They just kept bringing me back and we never had a system. They said this going in, do your thing. And growing up in prison, you learn how to read. People learn how to gauge people. You learn how to influence people. You know how to learn how to listen. And all the skills I learned from walking these prison yards were applicable and they worked in the business setting. Who knew? And I used to negotiate between all the gangs. Now I negotiate between CEOs. I used to extort people and pressure people for stuff. Now I go to business meetings and I sell stuff. So it’s the same skill set, different space. But I didn’t know entrepreneurship existed. I didn’t know billionaires existed beyond the Forbes list. I didn’t know any of this stuff, but I just wanted the reason I do this work. For 25 years I’ve been doing this work. I wanted it done for me. That’s it. I wanted someone to come see me as a 13, 14 year old kid and say, you’re one of the smartest kids we’ve ever seen. This is what you can do. Here’s another world for you. There’s a place for you outside of prison. I thought I was supposed to go to prison. I thought I was supposed to be poor, I thought I was supposed to be illiterate, I thought I was supposed to be all this stuff, because nobody ever showed me that there were people who were successful that would work with me. Yesterday, I’m in DC and I went to the Pentagon. I was in the Pentagon yesterday talking to the secretary of the Army around suicide prevention for veterans. I went from maximum security prison to walking into the Pentagon. It’s like, forget all of it. Harvard’s done. I got a new speech from prison to the Pentagon. It’s like I’m in the Pentagon. I’m like, this is crazy, but it’s not crazy. If you believe and you do the work.

Brian Kurtz 14:53

This is maybe a trick. Maybe not a good question, but I’ll ask it anyway.

Andre Norman 14:57

Ask it.

Brian Kurtz 14:58

Is it easier, I’ll say easier with a homicidal maniac criminal? Or is it easier with a 15 year old spoiled kid from Scottsdale?

Andre Norman: 15:11

It’s a toss up. Sometimes these kids, the younger they are, the harder it is because they haven’t figured themselves out. The 30 year old homicidal maniac understands where he is and what he is. He might not agree with or like it, but this 15 year old kid is figuring out puberty. Does he like girls? Does he like boys? He’s still dealing with being on punishment. He got homework. There’s so many conflicting things in a 15 year old that’s not in a 30 year old. So I gotta weed through homework. And the girl broke up with him and he lost a FIFA game online and or and they put a post about me and said I got big feet. That doesn’t bother a 30 year old, but those things dramatically impact. It can be something really basic that we would think is nothing that would send a 15 year old over the edge want to commit suicide. It would never. Hey, you tell me. I got a big head and ugly shoes. It means nothing to me but to a 14 year old kid in high school who’s a freshman that could cause them suicidal thoughts. They don’t like me, and they start spinning. So it’s harder with a kid irregardless, cocktail or not, than with an adult. And the thing that helps me with the kids from Scottsdale or Helena, Montana, or wherever it is Orange County, when I walk in, I’m a black guy with a hoodie on and Timbs, and I talk like I’m from where I’m from. They’re like, do you even know my parents? What are my parents? Do they know you? Because they’re expecting the psychiatrist with the white hair and the glasses and a coat and a polo shirt to walk in. And they can’t trust that man. They think anything I say to them is the same as saying it to my parents, and they’re part of the reason I’m running. So when I walk in, I’m so disconnected from the parent being a black guy from prison that they feel so comfortable talking to me.

Brian Kurtz 16:54

That’s wild. It makes sense though, it makes sense.

Andre Norman 16:57

It opens them right up.

Brian Kurtz 16:59

And there’s a through line to what Lisa Marie talked about in terms of getting to the root cause of everything. It sounds like you’ve got, I mean, I think there’s something that you’ve got, you know, you obviously have a magic touch whether you want to call it that or not. But how you go deep, and it just sounds like you do a lot of listening. You do a lot of probing with a lot of listening to get to the root cause as opposed to because, you know, I mean, what I learned from what you just said is that, you know, the prisoners are wearing it on their sleeve. So you know exactly where they are right now. And you have to go deep with them. Whereas the 15 year old kid is also maybe not wearing it on his sleeve, but it’s out there and you have to go deep with him as well. So how do you go, are there some questions that you ask to to really go deep to get to the foundational place where you can really reach them?

Andre Norman 18:01

I mean, I’m a therapist and a psychologist, but nobody gives me thought. They don’t think that when I walk in the room. They think gang member speaker. So the last thing you think is, I am what I am. So if you walk into a room and you’re talking to Chris Voss, the negotiator, and you’re trying to tell him what you’re going to do, you would n’t think that everything you’re saying Chris is going to use against you. You’re saying because that’s what he does, he’s the guy that’s going to negotiate against you. So you’re having a casual conversation with Chris. But in truth, there is no casual conversation with Chris. Everything’s data points. Everything’s stacking information. So I can talk to you about tennis. I can talk to you about high school. I can talk to you about homework. I can talk to you about relationships. And I’m getting information. I don’t need to talk to you about your pain to hear about your pain. If somebody told me, man, I ain’t been skiing in a while, okay? You’re too busy. You’re overworked, you’re injured, you’re distracted. So I hear what you’re not saying. Not just what you’re saying. So it’s a communication style as a therapist and a negotiator and prison boss, I need to hear what’s not being said. And what does that mean? Because everything means something. And in prison, when somebody says something, if you misunderstand it, you die.

Brian Kurtz 19:18

Yes.

Andre Norman 19:18

It’s called get it right or die. So if somebody says, oh, man, Johnny just came on the yard. And if you don’t understand, Johnny’s connected to the blood and his cousin is a Crip, and they’re going to team up, and that is gang. He’s got twice the size, and they’re going to try to take me out because I run the yard and you have, everything means something. So I’m data stacking every conversation. I just have a conversation that means nothing to the trauma. So the kid thing. But the whole time, if you’re in pain, you’re only talking about your trauma. Everything you say is going to come through the lens of what you’re feeling. So if you want $1 million from megabucks, everything you’re saying is going to be through that lens. If you’re hurt because you’re molested as a child, everything you do is through that lens. So whatever your situation is, it’s through that lens. If your identity is your company, you will speak through that lens. You will not let me make you a person. You have to be the CEO. You have to be the whatever. Everything. I’m a basketball player. I’m not. I’m not a person. I’m an NBA star. I’m an all star. Everything is through that lens. So I just have to learn to listen to the lens that you speak through. And we can have any conversation. But you’re really talking about basketball. You’re really talking about your business. You’re really talking about your relationship. What lens are you looking through? So if I can get the right glasses on you and I know everything that you’re saying. So it’s communication one on one.

Brian Kurtz 20:41

Yeah. Yeah it is. But there is a way to get there. And I know you. I know you get there because you’ve had results, obviously.

Andre Norman: 20:48

Oh, definitely. We have it again today, when we pulled up we were not supposed to get in this prison. But they said to get the rules in a policy, we have somebody who can get through to our staff, let them in. They overrode policy. The entire prison is locked down. The state TAC team and Swat teams run all over this place. They said let them in because our staff needs them. And so it’s like you get in the space of being helpful. So the people on this call and they’re on this Zoom, there’s a reason. People come to Genius for a reason. It’s not always business. Sometimes it’s insulation, sometimes they need a place and they need an escape. Sometimes they want to be heard. So I’m going to come here and hope somebody hears my pain. I want somebody to see me, but they can’t see me if I’m at home. I’m going to join this group and hope somebody sees the real me and calls me out, or calls me to the side and gives me the chance to share. So there’s people on this call who, if there’s 30 people on this call, somebody on this call has a struggling relative. Some in this call has a stressful relationship. I mean, this call is going through a lot of stuff at work. This call has a big deal coming up. And you don’t have to go through it alone. And you don’t want to go through it alone. But how do I ask for help is the biggest thing I run into with entrepreneurs?

Brian Kurtz 22:07

Yeah, absolutely. And I know that almost every Genius Network meeting, Joe brings you up front or introduces you to the group. There are always new members there, and he always says, you know Andre, and you always say different things each time but you always end with, you got a problem? Call me. Which you already said on this call, and you know that getting into it, you’ll be able to help.

Andre Norman 22:30

So they raised their hand. This is something I would do. If you’re on this call and you can hear my voice, if you’ve lost a loved one, a parent or a child or a sibling, please just don’t say who. Just hit the raise your hand button on here.

Can they raise their hand on this thing?

Brian Kurtz 22:51

Yes they can.

Andre Norman 22:53

Can they do a thumbs up? Yeah. Have them. If you’ve lost a loved one. Doesn’t matter how long ago, if you lost somebody near to your heart, I would put mine. I just lost my mom. I would hit, if I could find the damn thing, I’d hit it.

Brian Kurtz 23:09

Yeah. People raising their hands. They’re raising their hands.

Andre Norman 23:10

I would take, I would take. See, all those people are walking around with that pain but there’s no outlet for that. So what I would do is take that group of people and say, hey, we’re going to have a group together, and we’re just going to talk about dealing with the loss of loved ones and we would have that first group. I put someone in charge of the group and the next question would be, please don’t do it this time. Do not hit the like button this time. I don’t want to know. I won’t put you out. If you have a problem with addiction, hit it up. Then I would get them in a group. Then we just. We would just go through and find the people where they are. The business is easy. Who needs marketing help? Everybody who needs advertising, who needs copywriting. But I want to find out how your day is going forward. Unresolved trauma from losing a loved one, unresolved trauma from hurting somebody, or just dealing with addiction and feeling alone. I got a friend I was with yesterday. She has a gambling addiction. She lives by herself. She works at the Pentagon and she goes to the casino every day. She goes to the casino every day and she blows her winnings money. And I have to. I didn’t realize it yesterday, so I’m trying to figure out getting her into a, What can I do to offset her gambling habit? So the first thing I did was invite her. Hey, come to Atlanta to hang out for a weekend. So she’s going to come to Atlanta, hang out for a weekend. She thinks she’s coming to hang out, but I’m trying to work on her gambling addiction, and I’m going to do it without talking about it.

Brian Kurtz 24:45

Right. You’re going to get her in a comfort zone.

Andre Norman 24:47

Comfort zone. I’m going to get her a new routine. See? That’s her go to. She’s not really a gambler. She’s doing that because she’s bored and she has nothing to fill the void. So I’m going to get her home to my house for the weekend, and I’m going to find her something new to do. It might be copyright. It might be writing a book. I might get her to write a book, or get her to do a project that will take up her time. She needs a time consuming project that she can do. That’s not at random times. And I’m going to find out what is the void there and why do you feel it this way? And let me fill it with something else.

Brian Kurtz 25:23

Excellent. Those of you who know Joe Polish, he, you know, Genius Network is his not only a mastermind, but it is a entrepreneur, you know, group of high achieving entrepreneurs. But he has another company, a nonprofit called Genius Recovery, which is a lot of the work that Andre does is under the it’s under Genius Network umbrella, but a lot of it is under Genius Recovery as well, which is, you know, the areas of addiction, the areas of, you know, emotional issues. And it really is not just for members. I mean, Joe has a lot of projects, you know, art for addicts, and he’s got a lot of projects that he works on. Because Joe’s ultimate mission in life is to rid the world of addiction. So what can you tell this group, Andre, about the work you do under Genius Recovery? And how can I get involved? Because I’m in Genius Network. If people aren’t in Genius Network, how can they get involved in the cause in a way?

Andre Norman 26:27

Everybody on this call lives in the community. Everybody wants to see people be better in some capacity. The first thing I’m going to tell you before you go try to help the poor kids in the South Side of Chicago or the kids in rural Iowa. Help the people in your family. Help the people in your neighborhood. I don’t care if you live in Beverly Hills. There’s somebody in Beverly Hills with a drug problem, believe that. I don’t care if you live in Miami Beach. Somebody just had their house flooded out. Your community first. Andre, you’re a poor black guy from the hood. Why would you say rich white kids first? So why would you say rich people first? Your people first. Never jump over your own and go save somebody else’s. If you think I’m going to jump over my son to come save your kid, you’re dead wrong. Call me what you want. If my son is ailing and your kid is ailing, my kid is first. Your kid is second. That’s just how human nature works. If you do it the other way around, there’s something wrong with you. You have identity issues and imposter syndrome. You’re trying to please people, help your community first. That means in your house, in your church, who’s in your neighborhood. Let’s stop there. And once we stop there, then you can find comfort and understanding on how the system works, where you’re comfortable. And then we can help the kids in the South Side of Chicago, or the kids in Bangladesh, or the kids wherever else.

Outro 27:45

The post Getting Out of Jail Free appeared first on Brian Kurtz.

Zen and the Art of Spontaneous Copywriting

Brian Kurtz — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Matt Furey is the President of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the self-improvement methodology developed by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. A renowned expert in personal development and direct response marketing, he achieved significant success with his bestselling fitness book Combat Conditioning. Known as the “Zen Master of the Internet,” Matt has mentored top industry professionals like Ben Settle and is celebrated for his unique marketing approach, which masterfully combines spontaneity with compelling storytelling.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[06:56] Matt Furey’s transition from fitness guru to direct response marketing mentor
[11:39] How spontaneity can improve your email and sales copywriting significantly
[12:55] The power of story and contrast in creating a “pull” effect with copy
[16:17] How trusting your internal dialogue can lead to genuine, engaging copywriting
[18:48] Why brevity and spontaneity can outperform lengthy planning in writing
[22:15] Matt’s strategy for tackling the challenging process of writing Psycho-Cybernetics 365
[25:26] Utilizing momentum in your writing process to produce more in less time
[25:55] Why thinking small in your creative process can yield extraordinary results in writing

In this episode…

What if the key to creating compelling marketing content wasn’t in meticulous planning, but rather in embracing spontaneity? Picture crafting emails, sales letters, or even an entire book without the crutch of a detailed checklist, relying instead on the natural flow of ideas. Could this unconventional approach actually enhance authenticity and boost sales in the competitive world of direct response marketing?

Matt Furey, a renowned figure in direct response marketing, reveals how he broke free from traditional constraints by championing spontaneous copywriting techniques. Rather than adhering to rigid guidelines, Matt emphasizes the importance of forming genuine connections with customers through authentic storytelling and contrast. His method encourages diving headfirst into writing with whatever comes to mind, echoing the principles of Psycho-Cybernetics. This approach not only resonated with his audience but also caught the attention of marketing legends like Dan Kennedy.

In this episode of the Timeless Marketing Podcast, Brian Kurtz hosts Matt Furey, President of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation, to discuss the power of spontaneous copywriting. Matt delves into the art of crafting authentic marketing messages that truly resonate and explains how his approach can transform the writing process. By focusing on contrast and the authenticity of one’s inner voice, Matt offers a fresh perspective on marketing that encourages marketers to let their creativity flow naturally.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special mentions:

Quotable moments:

“The key is to trust the mechanism: begin with an idea, write immediately, and don’t judge until later.”
“Power lies in thinking small — just write the first sentence, and momentum will carry you forward.”
“Contrast is the king and the queen of great copywriting; it pulls the reader into an alternate universe.”
“In spontaneous copywriting, you don’t filter; you just write what you hear in your head.”
“Building a relationship with your audience means talking to them spontaneously about anything — not just selling.”

Action steps:

Embrace spontaneity in writing: Start writing spontaneously by jotting down the first sentence that comes to mind without overthinking it. This technique helps overcome writer’s block and fosters creativity, as it allows your natural voice and ideas to flow freely without self-criticism or hesitation.
Build authentic connections with your audience: Write emails or content as if you’re having a genuine conversation with a friend, focusing on building a relationship rather than just making sales. This approach can increase engagement and trust, as it resonates with readers on a personal level and makes your communications more relatable and compelling.
Use contrast in storytelling: Incorporate contrast in your writing to create a narrative that captures attention and keeps readers engaged. By introducing opposing ideas or vivid imagery, you can draw readers into an “alternate universe,” effectively maintaining their interest throughout your content.
Shorten the creative process: Reduce the time spent on outlining and checking off items on a list by trusting your instincts and letting your ideas guide you. This streamlined approach can enhance productivity and efficiency, allowing you to produce high-quality content more quickly and effectively.
Think small for big results: Focus on small, manageable goals like writing the first sentence to build momentum and avoid feeling overwhelmed. This technique can lead to greater achievements by breaking down large tasks into achievable steps, ultimately fostering a consistent creative output.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Titans Xcelerator.

Titans Xcelerator is a private mentorship program for direct response marketers.

And you don’t need to spend 10s of 1000s of dollars either.

Titans Xcelerator is 1/10 of the price of most groups of its kind.

And with a private membership, you’ll receive access to the full presentation from today’s episode, along with the Q&A and discussion that followed.

As an added bonus, you’ll receive access to a vault filled with many more private calls just like this one.

The bottom line: you don’t have to grow your business alone.

If you want to see how Titans Xcelerator can help you grow and scale your specific business, go to BrianKurtz.net/help

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Episode Transcript

Intro 00:03

Welcome to the Timeless Marketing Podcast with Brian Kurtz. Your connection to insights from some of the top direct response marketing minds on the planet.

Brian Kurtz 00:16

Okay, so I hope people enjoyed that, I certainly did. And now we’re going to switch gears, but maybe not because everything is a through line through everything. And I want to introduce Matt Furey. Matt I think you’re on, correct?

Matt Furey 02:41

I am on.

Brian Kurtz 02:42

How are you, buddy?

Matt Furey 02:44

Doing awesome. I’ve been on for five minutes and I’m all jacked up, man. A lot of positive energy in here. And, Stu, I just heard the tail end here, but I did some cartoons with my advertising way back in the early 2000s and I can tell you that putting them in a sales letter or in a print ad really made a difference. So yeah.

Brian Kurtz 03:16

Yeah, it was a great presentation. If you want a copy of the presentation, Carla can send you a link to it after the break.

Matt Furey 03:22

That’d be great. I want to hear it all.

Brian Kurtz 03:25

Yeah. So anyway, Matt, thank you so much for being with us. Those of you who don’t know, Matt, you’re going to be wowed by him. He is someone I followed for most of my career. Unbeknownst to him, I guess I was more of a stalker. We didn’t connect too much over the years, but I think we might have at some point connected a little bit. I’ve learned a lot about him through the fitness business, like when I was dealing with Ryan Lee who is a good friend of mine, and I know Matt’s one of his heroes. Ben Settle, who’s, you know, the email copywriting guru, talks to Matt Furey as his mentor and teacher.

So, Matt. Matt, what I’m saying is Matt’s old like me, but he’s a true OG. He really is. And I love when people call me an OG. It makes me feel good. I hope it makes you feel good too, because you are an original. But you’re still, you know, you’re still out there doing stuff and making a difference in the marketing community. They called him early on the Zen Master of the Internet. He still is, in my opinion. He’s written a bunch of books. He has Combat Conditioning, which I think might have been your first, but that was on, you know.

Matt Furey 04:44

That was my first home run or grand slam, as some people might say.

Brian Kurtz 04:49

Right, right. And that was your fitness opus, basically.

Matt Furey 04:54

And then that’s how I. Yeah. Go ahead.

The post Zen and the Art of Spontaneous Copywriting appeared first on Brian Kurtz.