Category: Direct Response Marketing

  • The most powerful boost your business can get — doesn’t cost a thing.

    There is something electric about what happens when certain people enter into a room. It’s the same “buzz” that small children often create, although admittedly, sometimes what they bring is more chaotic and less charismatic than what an adult will bring. What I’m talking about, of course, is “energy.” In a romantic relationship, that energy…

  • Are you getting medieval on me? No Marcellus, no.

    In Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 Academy Award-winning film Pulp Fiction, there’s a scene in it towards the end where Ving Rhames (Did you know “Ving” is actually short for “Irving”?) says, in a moment of retribution, one of the more memorable lines in a movie that’s simply filled with them. He says, “You hear me talkin’,…

  • Hot Tuna. Curious?

    I have NO idea why you opened this blog post. Perhaps it’s just a habit of yours… perhaps I was just next in line and you got lucky… or perhaps it was something about the subject line. Now if it was the first two, then you’re in luck, because you might just learn something today…

  • When The Devil Is — And Isn’t — In The Details

    Last week I showed you the advanced way to use specifics in your sales copy — meaning, how to specifically stimulate and push your prospects by triggering specific sensory emotions. This, of course, is how you get people involved. However, there is another part of this equation — and that is to make sure you’re…

  • 98.6% Ain’t Gonna Get You Anywhere

    We all know that speaking in specific terms — especially when you’re trying to sell something — gives you more credibility, but most people don’t understand why. See, amateurs think I’m referring to being specific as in saying “98.6%” as opposed to saying 98%… or by saying something like “Did you know most people spend…

  • Scratch And Dent Sale!

    If you have had your eye on my Seductive Selling System, but have been waiting for just the right moment to buy it, then this is the most exciting and important message you will ever read! NOW is that moment, and here’s why: Over the last 18 months, during the fulfillment and production of the…

  • Be Careful With Questions. Very Careful.

    Lots of people send me copy to review with questions in the headlines or sub-headlines, and frankly this is a very dangerous thing to do. For starters, in social settings and in courtrooms, questions are often used to “trap” someone into saying something or putting themselves in a position they really didn’t mean to. By…

  • Have you got junk in your trunk?

    What is junk mail? Well, the definition of junk mail is similar to the definition of “weeds.” A weed is any plant you don’t want, right? And most people feel the same way about junk mail. If you get a piece of mail you don’t want, you pretty much consider it junk. There are a…

  • Clearly, in life… nothing is impossible.

    Have you ever had something so unbelievably incredible happen to you, it was almost too good to be true? Have you ever experienced something so strange it actually felt surreal? That the results of your efforts went SOOOO far beyond what you expected it seemed impossible? Well, I have had the good fortune of experiencing…

  • Another Reason Why The ‘Convincing’ Business Sucks

    If you own any of my products that come with Audio CD Interviews, or if you’ve ever heard me being interviewed live, then you’ve probably heard me make the comment that “being in the convincing business sucks.” What I mean by this, is that you’re FAR better off spending your time finding people who are…

  • A Happy Birthday Wish For Nick, And A Lesson For Us All

    Donny Deutsch is the captivating host of “The Big Idea” — an interview show with provocative guests that’s on television nightly, here in the states. Before he landed this television show, Donny was the CEO of Deutsch, Inc. — a small advertising firm Donny took over from his father, and grew it into a multi-billion…

  • Role Models: Oprah versus The Donald versus Martha. Guess who wins?

    Well I’m back here in the good old US and A, after my trip to the UK and Portugal. I learned quite a bit while overseas and I’ll be discussing it in next month’s offline newsletter. I also got caught up on some new reading, but there again… nowhere near the amount I would have…

  • Black, White, Yellow? It’s all Greek to me.

    So I spent the past 4 days in England — sick with a cold from not sleeping on the plane flight over — but enjoying myself none the less, and on my road to recovery. England is a huge melting pot, culturally — as much as New York City, for sure. And while it’s not…

  • The Right Way… And The Wrong Way… To Structure An Offer

    By the time you read this, I will be well on my way to London’s Gatwick airport for a little r & r. Today is Friday the 13th, and many folks consider this an unlucky day. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, which comes from the Greek words that mean fear, Friday,…

  • Who said: oderint dum metuant

    Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was assassinated on January 24th, 41. Not 1941, but 41. You see, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus — also known as Caligula, the third Roman Emperor, was also one of the most hated and despised men to ever walk the face of the earth. Caligula had a saying — it…

  • Sometimes You Deserve To Get Swindled — Maybe

    A quote falsely attributed to P.T. Barnum (founder of the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus), but actually coined by famous con-man Joseph (“Paper Collar Joe”) Bessimer, said “There’s a sucker born every minute… and two to take ‘em.” Here’s a blatant example of this: Recently, here in Tampa actually, the FTC nailed a business for…

  • How To Fix Irish Catholic Guilt

    Look, once a month I meet with a few very sharp, very aggressiveentrepreneurs on a monthly coaching call. The members of thisteam are all part of my Mavericks Coaching Group. These people are incredibly successful, AND incrediblymotivated. And they are also willing to ask themselvesquestions most people are afraid of. No, not things like, “Whatis…

  • When Deception Works Effectively In Your Marketing

    I get stuff like this a lot, “Craig, why can’t I just run an ad with a headline that says “Free Sex” and then try and sell them life insurance. Here’s why this doesn’t work, and frankly, why deception doesn’t work in general. I will give you an example that I think will make things…

  • Happy 4th Of July: RAPID-FIRE DAY SALE.

    Here in America, today is Independence Day. Bluntly, I’m pretty ignorant about the past, but I do know today’s the day we celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. This isn’t a political rant, because as you know, England’s been VERY good to me. My…

  • Kowabunga: Spice Girl Get Spicy!

    Wow, it’s July already. I let the end of the last month slip right out from under me. I took Anne out of town for a nice long weekend as a well-deserved surprise and now I’m feeling pretty well rested. I got a chance to watch some television over the past few days, and is…