Category: Direct Response Marketing

I read lots of books. Old books, new books, marketing books, fiction books — I even read books about books, oddly enough. Back in 1957, John Caples wrote a book called Making Ads Pay. This book, although not as popular as his “Tested Advertising Methods,” is an excellent read nonetheless, although sometimes hard to find.…

A few weeks ago I mentioned I’d be speaking here in the Tampa Bay area soon, and that’s now been set up. I’ll be hosting a fre.e workshop at the Centre Club on March 6th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, called “Double Your Business And Triple Your Prof-its In 90 Days” and you can register…

This one’s gonna be a good one, for sure. On Thursday night, February 28th, join me as my client and good friend Jim Canale (one hell of a success story in his own right), grills me and lets you in on the real story behind how I got the ONE BIG BREAK that allowed me…

So I’m talking to a woman I know yesterday. Very sharp personal trainer. She’s also very knowledgeable. Most personal trainers aren’t really trainers, they’re more like personal “encouragers.” They are employees of their club, and the only thing they know about personal training is what their bosses tell them during their weekly group meetings. You…

On Tuesday’s Coaching call we’re going to talk about one of my favorite subjects, and one I’ve worked very hard at excelling at — building trust with your clients and prospects. Selling in print (whether online or offline), is far more difficult than selling in person, or even over the phone. This is simply because…

Today’s missive is only for those people who gravitate towards common sense. Everyone else will be offended, and call me an insensitive card. But there again, read the first sentence of this paragraph. Ready… O.K., let’s go: Over the last few years, I’ve received a number of questions sent in to our offices via e-mail.…

Yesterday was the day my Mastermind group members had their private half-hour calls with me. I always find these calls interesting, because as an observer of human nature, it’s interesting to note who’s doing what, and how fast. One of the members of the group has been making incredibly rapid progress, adding new staff, boosting…

It’s come to my attention that up until yesterday, the price of my Lead Generation Explosion system was listed on the website, at $997. This is INCORRECT. The only Lead Generation Explosion system that is $997, is the one that is customized for accountants. The correct amount of this system is only $747 (which you…

The last several years have seen huge increases in the admission prices for philanthropic events. For instance, it’s now common to ask for $100K per table admission from hedge fund managers, to attend black-tie affairs in New York City. The Juilliard School, a private school that specializes in the arts, also in new York City,…

I have some sort of a game plan in my head that when I turn 50 I’m going to semi-retire. That’s like another 6 more years. I realize though, if I keep my good health and my energy level the way it is now, I need to have some game-plan for what I’m going to…

As last year was winding down and still early on into this year, we’ve received a lot of e-mails like this: “Craig, I am going to order your products this year, but I don’t know which ones to invest in.” Or… “Craig, I want everything in your arsenal — what do you suggest?” So, like…

It always amazes me how the most profound and unconventional ideas, are often just simple ideas reversed. So for instance, a very common career path for people to enter is to take the skills they have — perhaps they were working for someone else, let’s say — and then to do the thing they are…

I suppose I should be discussing the ads from the Super Bowl on Sunday, and I will, briefly, but I’d rather discuss the hero of the game, and his close parallel to oftentimes, good marketing. As usual, many of the ads were entertaining, most were crap, and few — if any, would give anyone any…

A while ago I was interviewed by an online Sales and Success newsletter. I didn’t realize that they information the asked was so personal, but in reading it, I sure spilled the beans about lots of stuff. The interview has been posted now, so if you want to check it out, and discover some more…

This is HUGE! Probably THE very best example of what advertising should be. I know nothing about the company that created this video but it is a stroke of genius! (No pun on the word “stroke” — you’ll see what I mean in a moment.). Here, have a look at this: See, the biggest problem…

Today’s the last day you can take your free test-drive of this month’s offline issue of Seductive Selling, and if you don’t get your hands on it, here’s what you’re missing: TWELVE pages of real-live marketing examples, including a long-form sales letter and display ad for a famous classic marketing book! The best “personality” to…

Yesterday I had a very interesting conversation with a couple of hard-working marketers who sometimes write copy for their clients. They were telling me about a campaign they put together they were very sure would work, but for some reason, didn’t. I asked them about the details of their campaign and they what they said…

This is a bit of an advanced topic, but… if you can remember to always make your weakness, or your perceived weakness, your strength — your result will usually cripple your competition. For instance, no matter what you’re doing, there is nothing that gives your actions more energy than finding a bunch of other people…

I cannot tell you how wonderful my Mastermind group meeting went yesterday. Most of the people in the room are continuing to make dramatic financial improvements, and they are also making “chasing the demons away” breakthroughs as well. This is when life starts getting good. Believe me, I’ve been on both sides of this coin…

Today and tomorrow I’m going to be sequestered away with the members of my Mastermind group who come down here to Tampa three times a year to work on their businesses and do a massive brain dump, which generally gets their heads fairly well sorted out. I’ve got people from as far away as England…