I highly recommend everybody watching this episode read this book and consider its application to your business and direct  marketing.  I found it quite eye-opening and took several pages of notes.

The logic behind the price strategies discussed in this book could help every single business owner, entrepreneur, and especially anyone who is doing direct marketing.  Dan Kennedy and Jason Marrs share their secrets for setting prices for the greatest gain and they tell you how to compete with FREE which is becoming so prevalent in today’s marketplace.  I highly recommend this book.

Want a fun, attention-grabber for your next direct marketing mail campaign?  Check out the million dollar bills you can print from EasyMillions.com (non-affiliate link).

While these are not new, two different direct marketing campaigns crossed my desk recently using them and both caught my eye.  I think they’re a fun, eye-grabbing way to grab attention, which is the critical first step to any marketing campaign.

The company that makes these also makes a unique million dollar thank you card, so check out EasyMillions.com.

My last tip is for anybody who wants a free set of never-before-released CopyDoodles (these are exclusive and will never even be available in the CopyDoodles Access club)!

We’re going to give you this set if you help us spread the word about the power of CopyDoodles by telling your business-owner friends about the power of CopyDoodles.

You’ll be helping us out (which I greatly appreciate) and you’ll be able to grab two different sets of brand new CopyDoodles as a way of thanking you for your support.

Check out www.copydoodles.com/x/free-copydoodles-friend to grab these CopyDoodles and thanks in advance! {NOTE: Free Offer Ended 9/1/11}

I hope you enjoyed these 3 direct  marketing resources and tips which I have shared with you today and if you have any comments, please leave them below!

Hopefully you know who Dan Kennedy is and if you don’t, and you’re an entrepreneur of any sort, you’re missing on his extraordinary wisdom and business insights.  I suggest you seek out a few of his books on amazon.com.

If you’re familiar with Dan and his genius, you already know about the positive influence he’s had on thousands of business owners around the world over the past several decades.

Given Dan’s current consulting day rate is $18,800, you’ll immediately recognize this is no small decision and I one I prepared for days prior to our meeting.

To say the day was amazingly powerful, would be an understatement and while I cannot go over everything I received that day, I thought I would share three important takeaways that are applicable to all entrepreneurs.

Takeaway #1

I went to Cleveland focused on the business of CopyDoodles®, and Dan made it abundantly clear to grow my business, the passport (as he called it) is not about the thing (in my case CopyDoodles), but instead about me, my years of experience in helping entrepreneurs and the relationship I have with my CopyDoodles members.

As a matter of fact Dan said and I quote, “Your growth will have less to do with your talent, your skill, your expertise or your deliverables than it will your ability and willingness to create and exploit your own status.”

To some that may sound offensive, but if you truly understand what Dan is saying, it’s a truth to amazing income breakthroughs.

Takeaway #2

The second gem Dan Kennedy helped me see was the need for a price strategy that consistently yields a high-quality “who.”

You see one of my questions was about creating a low-priced front end offer for CopyDoodles membership and Dan made it crystal clear why he thought this would be a mistake for my business.

I realize for many folks, in the current economic environment, it’s a natural reaction to lower the barrier of entry to do business with you, but if you consider the potential ramifications (like I did), you’ll see there are better ways to grow your business.

On a side note, I would recommend reading Dan’s recent book he co-authored with Jason Marrs on pricing strategy.

Takeaway #3

The final kick in the pants I want to share is important for any entrepreneur who relies on email and the web as a primary media for their marketing.

Dan was insistent for me to figure out a way to start using offline marketing for both new business and keeping current members longer.

Yes, email and online marketing is cheap and easy, but if you talk to anybody who does a lot of online marketing you will see that it’s becoming very challenging get people to open and read their emails.

I am going to start using direct mail immediately and current CopyDoodles Access Club members are in for a big treat in the coming months so stay tuned!

Bottom line, make sure you’re doing offline marketing!

So there you have it… a brief glimpse into a consulting day with one of the living legends of direct response marketing.  With over 15 pages of jam-packed notes, the investment in a consulting day with Dan Kennedy is going to pay off for years to come!

If you’re like me and enjoy food, you naturally understand the value and importance of enhancing the taste of your food with various spices, accents and flavorings. Personally, I am a huge fan of hot and spicy food and I have a new-found passion for the Bhut Jolokia pepper or ghost chili as it’s sometimes known.

For my two daughters, it’s not ice cream if it’s not covered in chocolate syrup and rainbow jimmies.

My point is, when applied correctly, spices and flavorings make something that is good, taste even better. Add too much salt, hot pepper, or even chocolate syrup for that matter and you can ruin a perfectly good dish.

The reason the smart marketer and copywriter uses CopyDoodles (and other copy cosmetic techniques) is to take something that is good and make it better by knowing when and where to add these powerful copy enhancements.

Keeping with the food analogy (remember, I’m Italian) CopyDoodles add S.P.I.C.E. to your marketing or “Super Personal Instant Copy Enhancements.”

The KEY to unlocking the power of CopyDoodles is in knowing which “spice” to add, where to add it and how much to add.

Unfortunately, this is where a lot of marketers make fundamental, but preventable mistakes.

When I am working with private clients or mastermind members, I constantly start with three basic questions:

• Who’s your “who?”

• What’s the context of your relationship with your “who?”

• What’s the one thing you want your “who” to do?

The beauty of CopyDoodles is how fast and simple they are to use, but before I even consider adding a single CopyDoodle to any marketing piece, I give careful consideration to the three questions above.

The answers to these questions tell me what spice to add, where to add it and how much I can add.

Over the years, I’ve seen sales letters that looked like a wall of graffiti. I’ve seen advertisements where CopyDoodles were haphazardly thrown on. And I’ve seen newsletters, emails and other marketing materials where CopyDoodles were incorrectly used, resized, or looked terrible when printed because the person using them didn’t understand the fundamental concepts, techniques and psychology behind the proper use of CopyDoodles.

Truly, there is an art and science behind using CopyDoodles and copy cosmetics in general, which is why for the first time in 3.5 years, I am hosting a four-part, six hour CopyDoodles Best Practices Webinar Series for individuals interested in understanding the best ways to maximize the use of CopyDoodles.

Never before have I covered the A to Z theories, strategies, technical tips and short-cuts in such a concise, easy-to-attend and easy-to-understand way as with this series of webinars that you can attend from the comfort of your home or office.

This will be the most complete, advanced, with “insider secrets” training I have ever done on the power and use of CopyDoodles in both offline and online marketing. Even if you’re an experience CopyDoodles user, you will learn new ways to improve the look and response of your marketing.

The fee to attend the live webinars (and get access to the video replays) is downright cheap. I hate to use that word, but it’s a fact. For the level of training and insights I am going to deliver on these webinars, you’ll be kicking yourself for missing it. Just one, simple idea or strategy taken from the six hours of training could provide a phenomenal return on your investment.

Check out http://www.copydoodles.com/training for all the details, including my risk-free guarantee.

Smart entrepreneurs know knowledge is power and speed is critical in order to run a highly-profitable business.  Equally important is associating yourself with other high-level performers, which is the essence of the mastermind experience.

Study any notable entrepreneur in the past or present and you’ll soon discover that many, if not all, have been a part of a mastermind group and owe a large part of their success to the principle of the mastermind.

Whether it’s my Elite Experience Mastermind Group (http://www.elitemmg.com)
or another top-level group, here are my top five reasons you must be a part of a mastermind group in 2011 if you’re hungry for new growth and income.

1. Brains Are Like Batteries…

… the more you have around you, the greater the power.

A mastermind group lets you add one plus one and get a sum greater than two because it’s a forum for synergy and multiplied brain power.

Very simply, “two heads are better than one” and a room full of “smart heads” is priceless!  The combination of brain power in a mastermind is a powerful force, and you can harness that force to grow rich. In order to succeed, you need to hang out with smart people. A well-run mastermind group, like the one’s I have run for years, is your opportunity to do that.

2. Shared Resources, Strategies & Shortcuts

Mastermind groups provide you the opportunity to ‘borrow’ winning practices that you can adapt to use in your own business. By discovering best practices in your mastermind group, you can apply them to solve similar problems rather than searching for solutions from scratch over and over.

Members of my mastermind groups have never left a meeting without a number of resources and profitable shortcuts for their business.  You should be spending your precious time growing your business rather than solving problems that have already been solved.

3. Form Profitable Strategic Relationships

A mastermind group is ripe for discovering joint venture partners and strategic business relationships.  I cannot count the number of times I have seen my mastermind members create new products together, use each other’s services and products and create lasting friendships.

It’s imperative to align yourself with smart entrepreneurs who are also striving for success. You’ll easily find the right partners in a mastermind group that has been put together correctly.

4. Friendly Competition & Tough Love

I’m certain you hold your team members and employees accountable. But who holds you accountable? No matter how self-disciplined you may be, there’s always room for improvement. The cooperative nature of a mastermind group generates a greater sense of accountability to the group which, in turn, gets things done.

Your mastermind peers are the least likely ones to “let you off the hook” and you need to be open to suggestions and input that may be a bit uncomfortable, but if acted upon, will help you grow in new and profitable ways.

By their very nature, masterminds create a friendly competitiveness among members. No one wants to show up to the group without having done the homework and without some success to show.

Athletes tend to play to the level of their competition. If you’ve ever played golf or tennis against someone who’s more skilled than you, win or lose, you probably played a better game yourself. The same is true in business. Mastermind groups accelerate success because of steep, but very beneficial, competition. In the mastermind experience, no one loses.

5. Create Memorable Experiences

While being part of a mastermind is one of the most sure-fire ways to grow your business and your wealth, there are plenty of intangible benefits as well. To start, it’s just plain fun to be around people who can expand your thinking and your horizons. It’s exciting and invigorating to enjoy a nice dinner after spending the day brainstorming each others’ businesses. Show me an entrepreneur who doesn’t need some outside inspiration on a regular business, and I’ll show you one who’s headed for failure.

Specific to my Elite Experience Mastermind Group, this group combines the power of the mastermind with unique business experiences.  In 2010, my members had behind-the-scene tours at Disney World, direct-response TV giant, QVC and the super-successful Zappos.com.  The lessons learned were priceless!

My Invitation to You

While mastermind groups clearly benefit each member individually, they also provide the unique opportunity to be a part of something much larger than simply advancing your own efforts and enterprise. Truly effective masterminds work to pay it forward and make farther-reaching improvements in their industries and communities. No matter what the topic of discussion or problem to be solved, there’s an ongoing spirit of adventure and discovery in a mastermind group.

In 2010, many of my members have experienced a tremendous year of growth and prosperity and I intend on keeping the track record going in 2011.  I invite you to learn more about my Elite Experience Mastermind Group on November 4, 2010 by registering for my live webinar at: http://www.elitemmg.com

Remember, even the most profound business genius cannot succeed alone. When you surround yourself with others who are striving for success, you put yourself on the right path to be successful and grow rich.

So I was pleasantly surprised while having dinner the other day with my business partner at a local restaurant. This restaurant is owned by an entrepreneur who “get’s it.”

I know for the fact the owner is a consummate marketer and his success is evident at the large number of restaurants he owns.  As a matter of fact, he just published his first book, which was available for purchase as we entered the restaurant.

But this is not the smart strategy I am referring to.  The smart strategy, and one you can steal for your business, is what happened at the conclusion of our dinner.

When the waitress appeared with our check, she also handed both of us, two pieces of paper (notice she didn’t give us just one set, but two – one for each of us).

The first was a “business card” giving us a 20% discount at a future visit.  This is an extremely smart strategy to study for several reasons.

•    First, it was presented as a “thank you gift” for visiting that evening.  Who doesn’t want to be thanked and acknowledged for their patronage?

•    Second, the discount was substantial enough to get my attention.  Had it been a 5% discount – the card wouldn’t have mattered.  But a 20% discount is worth holding onto.

•    Third, the owner understands that consumers are funny and while they may enjoy dinner at his restaurant, it doesn’t mean they’re coming back.  By offering a substantial future discount, he tapped into human nature knowing that few of us can pass up saving money while enjoying a nice meal.

The only improvement I would suggest to him is putting a deadline on the card so that it forces me to use it by a certain date.  It could be a generic “Must Use Within 30 Days” or he could leave room for the waitress to stamp a date based on my visit date.

The other piece of paper was an invitation to join his VIP Club.  Again this example is worthy of study for several reasons.

•    First and foremost, he’s making a serious effort to get my attention and contact information.  I am sure he has an impressive marketing follow-up strategy by both email and direct mail.  I wonder what I will receive on my birthday and anniversary?

•    Second, he’s giving me several reasons to give him my contact information, including lunch at a 50% discount, giveaways, event specials, etc.

•    Finally, he’s reassuring me that my information is safe.

If you’re a bricks and mortar business owner – how can you use these two strategies in your business?

If you’re allowing people to visit your location and not giving them a BIG reason to want to return and be contacted by you in the future, you’re leaving large amounts of money on the table.  Study the Doc Magrogan example and use it in your business to improve your marketing!

I normally don’t watch a lot of TV, but one show I’ve really come to enjoy and suggest all entrepreneurs watch is Shark Tank on ABC.

Each episode is a valuable lesson for all entrepreneurs.  During the show, five ultra-successful entrepreneurs and multi-millionaires (a.k.a. the sharks) listen as business owners and entrepreneurs from all over the country pitch their business ideas to them with the hope of having one of the sharks invest in them.

The sharks, all hard-core Type-A personalities pummel the entrepreneurs with probing questions.  And these aren’t softball questions…

Depending on the answers, the deep-pocketed sharks either invest in the idea or send them off without money, but a valuable experience none-the-less.

After watching my first episode, I immediately went to

http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/

and watched a number of previous episodes.  There’s a ton of marketing and business lesions in each and I highly suggest you check them out.

In particular, pay attention to the questions the sharks ask and how each entrepreneur answers them.  They will definitely give you new insights into your business.