Every Friday morning, I sit down at my keyboard and channel the great Gary Halbert:
“I don’t exactly know what I am going to write about today so what I’m going to do is just keep putting words down on paper until I start to get some direction.”
I also channel the great Gene Schwartz by sipping coffee out of this mug:
And…next to the mug…is this egg timer:
Armed with this three-pronged “strategy” I am ready to write.
Like I am right now. 😊
- From Halbert: I am putting words on paper (and today my first words are Gary’s quote above) and inspired by being on a call yesterday with a “Mastermind Book Club” (hosted by two Titans Xcelerator members) where the book discussed was The Boron Letters…written by Gary Halbert…and the hosts interviewed Bond Halbert, Gary’s son, who was the recipient of those letters.
If you haven’t read the book, it’s a must read.
It’s a series of letters Gary wrote to Bond from prison teaching him life lessons…and I am arranging for Bond to go deep on the subject with my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind soon.
Today, it simply got me to begin to put some words on paper.
- From Schwartz: The mug reminds me how blessed I am to be able to call Gene Schwartz a mentor, friend and business partner…which led to me having the exclusive rights to his classic, Breakthrough Advertising (with his wife Barbara as my current business partner).
Those of you who don’t know who I am talking about, Eugene “Gene” Schwartz was one of the most successful and prolific direct response copywriters who ever lived.
He must be special to have his own “Homeboy mug,” don’t you think? 😊
I consider it an honor to be the shepherd of his work…and frankly, many people in the marketing world today wouldn’t know who I am without being honored with this privilege.
Thanks for that, Gene and Barbara.
But more importantly, thank you Gene and Barbara for allowing me to share this masterpiece globally…to date, 15,000 books sold in over 75 countries…and being able to add on to it with additional books, interviews, swipe files, coaching…and even a mini-course which I call The Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp (which is happening soon as outlined in the P.S….and you should join us).
Most importantly, having Gene’s “mug on a mug” staring at me every Friday morning means I better start writing…and with Gary’s quote in my head, I better get some direction too.
I’m starting to get some right now. 🙂
- From the egg timer: Why an egg timer to round out my writing sanctuary?
I use it to keep me on track based on how Gene used it, as a “33 minute/33 second process” based on The Pomodoro Technique:
- Choose one (bigger) task you want to work on that requires focus and concentration.
- Turn off all notifications and anything that could distract you (and that was Gene’s directive before we had “distractions on steroids”). That is, Gene used a typewriter and a landline phone. No laptop, smartphone, or social media. How peaceful life was back then. Sigh.
- Set a timer for 33 minutes and 33 seconds (Gene used an old-fashioned egg timer for this task, similar to the one above…but I give you permission to use your smartphone as long as you use it as a timer and not as a screen sucking monster).
- Don’t stop and don’t do anything else until your timer goes off. Even if you haven’t written anything. In the words of bestselling author Steven Pressfield, who owns the word “resistance” (and how to combat it), “Put your ass where your heart wants to be.”
- When the timer goes off, take a break for 5-10 minutes.
- Reset the timer for another 33 minutes and 33 seconds and repeat.
I was sold on this when Gene simply said, “This is what works for me.”
And sold on it enough to create the egg timer above as a renewal bonus for 6-year Titans Xcelerators.
It’s for the more advanced members. 🙂
Productivity and success leaves clues…especially when one of the most productive and successful copywriters of all time doesn’t leave you guessing how he became so productive and successful.
I’ve got so many powerful lessons I learned from Gene…which I share freely when I speak with copywriters and marketers (of all ages and experience levels), during Titans Xcelerator calls…and especially during the Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamps.
I want to share a big one with you today.
I call it “it’s not always about the money” …which means even more when it’s coming from a self-made, multi-millionaire such as Gene.
And there’s more about the next Bootcamp, which begins on May 6th , in the P.S.
During the 1980’s, Gene wrote many of the most successful promotions for Boardroom Inc, the company I helped build with the founder (who is also my mentor), Marty Edelston.
In addition, Gene wrote some of the biggest winners for Rodale Books (publishers of more health books than anyone at that time…and the largest mailer in the industry).
And here’s the kicker:
Boardroom and Rodale never paid him a dime for any of those landmark packages.
And he easily could have charged us $30,000 or more for each one.
Here’s how that came to pass…
Gene had his own company called Instant Improvement which published health books on esoteric and eclectic topics…which were sold with some of the most famous direct mail packages ever written…all written by Gene himself, of course.
[Side note and a bonus lesson I learned from Gene: He taught me the concept that we don’t choose our mentors…they choose you…and Gene chose me as a mentee based on what I talk about in this 9-minute video…regarding how I helped him grow Instant Improvement…check it out if you are interested]
Classic headlines that Gene wrote for his books included “How to Rub Your Stomach Away” and “The Tao of Sexology.”
Instant Improvement was a small but mighty company…and Gene got mightier because he understood that without being able to mail the best lists of other health book buyers, he didn’t have a business.
His house list of existing buyers was quite small–while Boardroom and Rodale had the most responsive and largest lists in the category of health book buyers.
Since Boardroom and Rodale needed world class copy and Instant Improvement needed world class lists, these three direct marketing leaders comprised the most powerful group of allies since World War II… (excuse the hyperbole…but it was a huge alliance).
Gene exchanged copy for names…even though he could have commanded the highest fees of any copywriter at that time as stated earlier.
This amazing relationship led to millions of books being sold and a much more efficient way to get the best health information distributed to as many people as possible.
Boardroom and Rodale were able to mail millions of names using Gene Schwartz controls for years…even after his death…and Gene was able to mail millions of Boardroom and Rodale names “on exchange” (i.e. his “fee” for a full promotion was 750,000 names) ….at a huge return on investment for his much smaller books.
But there was nothing “small” about Gene Schwartz…I never met a man who played larger.
He traded his talent for the asset he needed most at the time…and money was a strategic by-product, not the starting point.
I won’t do the math here on why 750,000 names were “worth” much more than any fee Boardroom or Rodale could have paid him…it should be obvious given what we know about direct marketing…and the residual effects of building a bigger list of buyers being the highest priority…so you can create more buyers (assuming you have multiple products and renewals).
The bottom line:
He made a lot more money this way. 😊
And that brings me to a quote from the guy who wrote the Bible on influence…the book is even titled Influence…Dr. Robert Cialdini…and this is the first of his Principles of Ethical Influence for good reason:
“Reciprocation is about you, then me, then you, then me…and be the first to give service, information, concessions”
Couple that with Cialdini’s third Principle of Ethical Influence, “Authority,” and you have the key to understanding how to be a true partner with those you work, leading to exponential growth and true business building:
Authority—Showing Knowing. Establish position through:
- Professionalism
- Industry knowledge
- Your credentials
- Admitting weaknesses first (e.g. Gene admitted that list procurement was a weakness; Boardroom and Rodale admitted that finding the best copy and messaging was theirs)
Start with reciprocity…add authority on both sides…and the money will take care of itself…which beats a series of isolated “revenue events” by a wide margin.
When I say that I was a close friend of Gene Schwartz, it makes me proud; when I say I was his partner to help build three multi-million dollar businesses, businesses that had as their mission to disseminate the most useful and life-saving health information to consumers, I know I made a real difference in the world too.
And not to get caught up in hyperbole, or ever becoming the next Mother Teresa, I wrote a somewhat satirical post titled, “Direct Marketers Saving Lives”…and you can read that here.
The analogy is almost as extreme as comparing the Schwartz-Boardroom-Rodale alliance to Roosevelt-Churchill-Stalin…but please allow me some poetic license to help justify my 40+ years as a lowly marketer. ☹
Regardless, creating direction while I write—under the watchful eyes of Gary Halbert, Gene Schwartz and an egg timer– usually results in some lessons worth sharing.
I hope you agree.
At least occasionally.
Maybe even today?
And part of writing from experience—when you have a lot of experience—is just another way of saying that we’re (I’m) old.
But there is hope.
As Marty liked to say,
“I love getting old because I get so smart.”
Thank you for that, Marty.
And thank you Gene, for being one of the wisest entrepreneurs I ever met which made me smarter in the process.
And for writing the ultimate book about human behavior…and always practicing what you preach.
While adding some lessons (i.e. bedrock principles) about copywriting and marketing along the way too. 😊
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. The 8th Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp is upon us, where bedrock principles rule. 🙂
And if I titillated you even a little with today’s post—and how Gene saw the world—there’s a lot more of Gene’s wisdom inside the Bootcamp.
And how it applies to YOU.
The Bootcamp is six, 90-minute calls, over two weeks, to analyze the concepts from Breakthrough Advertising (the book is profound!) … and then apply those concepts to your business with actionable, positive results as the deliverable.
Whether your business is direct to consumer or business-to-business, products or services, digital or brick-and-mortar, the fundamentals from this book apply to every business model.
You can read about it here and register.
Seats are limited…so please check it out today.
Can’t wait to see you on the “inside” on May 6th.
Note: There is an offer on the page to buy Breakthrough Advertising at a 20% discount when you register for the Bootcamp.
And…read about the “7th call” which grants you access to my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind for one, amazing bonus call exclusively for Bootcamp participants.
On that call we will have two “O.G./Original Gangster” speakers who have been in copywriting for over 30 years; and two “N.G./New Gangster” speakers on cutting edge A.I. applications for direct response marketers and copywriters.
You’ll need to take a look at the page where I name names to know who they are. 🙂