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!

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I love books!

Ever since I was a young child I’ve been a voracious reader. Probably came from my grandmother who had a huge library of her own and was constantly recommending and giving me books as a child.

Over the years I’ve developed quite a library of books and as ebooks and Kindle-like things grow in popularity, I remain steadfast and love the heft and feel of a “real book.” I’ve tried my wife’s Kindle and other than a few quick attempts at using it, I remain a traditionalist when it comes to books.

As a matter of fact just this week, I learned that the 4th edition of Dan Kennedy’s The Ultimate Sales Letter hit the book shelves. I immediately jumped online and rather than download the e-version, I bought the real thing and drove several miles to a local bookstore to pick it up. Here's a non-affiliate link to Amazon.com:

One of the reasons I simply had to have this 4th edition (I currently own the first and third editions) was due to the fact I am one of only two guest contributors in Dan’s book.

Last summer, Dan asked me to rewrite the chapter on adding graphic enhancements to improve the readability and response of copywriting. The result is a completely updated and enhanced look at “copy cosmetics” and how you can use them to improve your copy. I wrote from pages 133 – 148, so grab a copy of The Ultimate Sales Letter 4th Edition and check it out!

My passion for books was further illustrated on a recent episode of Mike Capuzzi's 3 in 3 where I shared a few contemporary books I believe entrepreneurs should all read and based on the number of comments left, it appears most success-oriented entrepreneurs share my love of books. If you haven’t checked it out, visit http://www.mikecapuzzi.tv/must-read-books.

However as much as I love modern books, my real passion is searching for and collecting rare and first edition business-oriented books; the same books that have paved the way for so many of today’s successful entrepreneurs and business owners. Authors like Napoleon Hill, John Caples, David Ogilvy are a few that immediately come to mind.

Recently, I bought a book about famous copywriter, John Caples and it was signed by the author and Caples. Having never had the opportunity to meet John Caples while he was alive, the book is something I will treasure.

I believe every entrepreneur should have his or her own success library. In case you are looking for new additions, or need a reminder of what you may already own, I want to share a list of 70 books that have my personal recommendation for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to learn from the very best.

You’ll notice this list leans towards many of the classic books that you’ve may have already read, which is further evidence that “success leaves tracks”. The most successful entrepreneurs I know all have read the classic books listed below.

In the event you have not read these classics, I suggest you seek them out immediately.

You’ll also see I’ve listed certain authors multiple times and other authors only once (even though there may be other books from them I would recommend). Again this only comes from necessity to keep this list manageable and relatively short.

I hope this list generates some new, must-read books for you or reminds you of a few dusty books sitting on your shelves you may want to pull off and re-read. I would also love to hear your comments and additions to this list, so leave a comment below!

1. Jay Abraham  -  Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got

2. Richard Bayan - More Words That Sell

3. Richard Bayan -  Words That Sell

4. Harry Beckwith -  Selling the Invisible

5. Harry Beckwith -  The Invisible Touch

6. Harry Beckwith -  What Clients Love

7. Richard Benson -  Secrets of Successful Direct Mail (Classic)

8. Drayton Bird -   Common Sense Direct Marketing

9. Robert Bly  -  Business to Business Direct Marketing

10. Robert Bly -  Copywriters Handbook

11. Bob Burg -  The Go Giver

12. John Caples -  How to Make Your Advertising Make Money (Classic)

13. John Caples  -  Tested Advertising Methods (4th Edition) (Classic)

14. Robert Cialdini  -   Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

15. Robert Cialdini  -  Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

16. Robert Collier  -  The Robert Collier Letter Book (Classic)

17. Jim Collins -  Good to Great

18. T. Harv Eker  -  Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

19. Michael Gerber  -   The E-Myth Revisited

20. Jeffrey Gitomer  -  Little Red Book of Selling

21. Jeffrey Gitomer  -  The Sales Bible

22. Malcolm Gladwell   -  Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

23. Malcolm Gladwell  -  The Tipping Point

24. Bill Glazer  -  Outrageous Advertsing That’s Outrageously Successful

25. Rene Gnam  - Direct Mail Workshop

26. Seth Godin -  All Marketers Are Liars

27. Seth Godin  -  Permission Marketing

28. Seth Godin  -  Purple Cow

29. Herschell Gordon Lewis -  Sales Letters That Sizzle

30. E. Haldeman-Julius -  The First Hundred Million (Classic)

31. Denny Hatch -   2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success

32. Denny Hatch -   Method Marketing

33. Denny Hatch  -   Million Dollar Mailings

34. Napoleon Hill -   Grow Rich With Peace of Mind

35. Napoleon Hill -   The Laws of Success (Classic)

36. Napoleon Hill -  Think and Grow Rich (Classic)

37. Richard Hodgson -   The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of All Time

38. Claude Hopkins -   Scientific Advertising (Classic)

39. Joe Karbo   -   The Lazy Man's Way to Riches (Classic)

40. Dan Kennedy  -   No B.S. Guide to Business Success

41. Dan Kennedy  -   No B.S. Guide to Sales Success

42. Dan Kennedy  -  No B.S. Guide to Time Management

43. Dan Kennedy  -  The Ultimate Marketing Plan

44. Dan Kennedy -  The Ultimate Sales Letter, 4^th Edition

45. Robert Kiyosaki -  Rich Dad, Poor Dad

46. Julian Lewis Watkins  - The 100 Greatest Ads (Classic)

47. Michael Masterson -  Ready, Fire, Aim

48. Geoffrey Moore  - Crossing the Chasm

49. Ted Nicholas  - Billion Dollar Marketing Secrets

50. Ted Nicholas -  How to Turn Words Into Money

51. Ted Nicholas -  Magic Words That Bring You Riches

52. David Ogilvy  - Confessions of an Advertising Man (Classic)

53. David Ogilvy - Ogilvy on Advertising (Classic)

54. Raleigh Pinskey -  101 Ways to Promote Yourself

55. Steven Pressfield -  The War of Art

56. Nido Qubein -   Stairway to Success

57. Rosser Reeves  -   Reality in Advertising (Classic)

58. Robert Ringer -  Action!: Nothing Happens Until Something Moves

59. Robert Ringer  - Winning Through Intimidation

60. Jim Rohn - The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn

61. Maxwell Sackheim -   Billion Dollar Marketing (Classic)

62. Maxwell Sackheim -  My First Sixty Years in Advertising (Classic)

63. Victor Schwab -   How to Write a Good Advertisement (Classic)

64. Eugene Schwartz -   Breakthrough Advertising (Classic)

65. Steven K. Scott  -  Mentored By a Millionaire

66. Bob Stone  -  Successful Direct Marketing Methods (Classic)

67. Joe Sugerman  -  Advertising Secrets of the Written Word

68. Joe Sugerman -  Triggers

69. Donald Trump -  Think Like a Champion

70. Zig Ziglar  -   Secrets of Closing the Sale

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These days few things stand out on many business web sites and it's as if many sites come from the same cookie-cutter mold.  Business owners and entrepreneurs are missing out on relationship-building and income-producing opportunities, simply because their web sites fail to grab the attention of viewers.

Smart marketers use a collection of proven response-boosting web strategies to grab the attention of these potentially valuable eyeballs and while there is no one, single "killer" strategy, adding the uniqueness of handwriting and hand drawn doodles to your web site is a proven response booster.

I suppose it's the jolt of seeing something so personal and hand-made on something that is computer-generated that shocks the eyes and brain to take a pause and try to register what in fact you're seeing.  Regardless it works and done right, can yield big bumps in response.

As a matter of fact, copywriter Mike Humphreys constantly split-tests elements on his various web sites and found that by adding a single CopyDoodle next to an optin box, he received a 297% bump in the number of people who opted in versus without the CopyDoodle.  Click here to read Mike's own article on his split test results.

Unfortunately, unless you were an HTML guru, adding CopyDoodles to web sites was limited to placing them around and next to things and being able to "write on top" of your web pages was next to impossible.

UNTIL NOW!

With the release of my CopyDoodles® Access Club, members will be able to quickly and easily "drag and drop" CopyDoodles, CopyFlash and CopyStamps ON TOP of their web pages to create a super realistic effect of literally handwriting on your site.

Check out videos where I show you how simple we've made this under "Demos" on the site:

http://www.copydoodles.com

Now just about anybody who can drag and drop and cut and paste code can add these proven response-boosting CopyDoodles and more to their web pages.  One beta tester called it a "game changer."

See for yourself and watch my CopyDoodles Access Club demo videos at:

http://www.copydoodles.com

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My fax back was short and to the point… HELL YEAH!!!

I own the very first edition (1990) of The Ultimate Sales Letter and it was the book that introduced me to Dan Kennedy and his powerful marketing strategies.  To be asked personally by Dan to contribute to the 2011 edition of this book is an honor and shows how important Dan considers the topic of “copy cosmetics.”

As a matter of fact, back in May, I was the guest of Dan at his Business of Copywriting Academy where I discussed the topic of copy cosmetics and the critical relationship between HOW your copy looks and the response it gets.

Over the past few years, I’ve immersed myself in the study of copy cosmetic techniques and strategies.  One of these techniques includes the use of handwritten margin notes and doodles, which triggered the idea for CopyDoodles® first for my own client work and most recently for thousands of business owners around the world.

Copy cosmetics are an often overlooked, but critically important topic for any direct response marketer or copywriter.  Their proper use allows you to create attention-grabbing marketing that is easy (and fun) to read and makes an emotional connection with the reader.  Plus they set you apart from the 97% of marketers who don’t use them.

Plain Vanilla Letter

Letter Using Several Copy Cosmetic Strategies!

I’ve already started working on the chapter outline and I’ve identified 27 unique copy cosmetic strategies everybody should be using when crafting their copy (online or offline – it doesn’t matter).

Just today I was interviewed by restaurant marketing expert Rory Fatt, on how independent restaurant owners can use these techniques (if you would like a copy of this interview along with a cheat sheet of 27 techniques I will be writing about in the next edition of The Ultimate Sales Letter, simply share your copy cosmetic thoughts below and I will make sure we email it to you when it’s ready).

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Yanik Silver And Mike Capuzzi

Good Saturday morning!

My wife is gonna kill me because I am "working" on a Saturday morning, but I just had to send this mail to you.

For the past 8 months, Yanik Silver and I have been working on a special type of mastermind group.  While its taken a bit longer than we expected, the results were worth the wait.

It's called Maverick MasterMind™ and it's really something special.

As a matter of fact, we are doing a LIVE webinar this Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 9:00 PM EDT to describe this unique opportunity.

Join us by saving your seat at:

http://www.MaverickBusinessAdventures.com/mastermind

All the best,

Mike Capuzzi

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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!

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I did a double-take to see if this was one of my CopyDoodles (it wasn’t, but it sure looked close).  But it was gratifying to see a major magazine use this ultra-effective copywriting design technique to grab attention.  For the last 18 months, I have been teaching people how to use this technique to create instant "eye magnets" that literally force your reader to engage with your piece.

Lately, I have been seeing the use of simulated handwriting more and more.  It’s in the Sunday paper, it’s on television and in magazine ads.  As a matter of fact I have seen a number of book covers that use this technique to stand out, including this one.

In my marketing consulting company, I have done a number of split tests and across the boards the materials that contain handwritten notes and doodles always perform better than those without them.  Of course you have to know how and when to use them appropriately (just slapping a bunch of CopyDoodles on your materials without proper thought can be counter-productive).

The use of simulated handwriting goes back a long way in advertising and I have a theory as to why I think simulated handwriting is being used so effectively today.   The use of computers, word processing and laser printers has created “homogenized marketing.”  95% of everything looks the same.

And when you introduce a handwritten or hand-drawn element to the mix, it becomes very different in a simple, human kind of way.  The effectiveness of a simple red handwritten note and doodle can be huge.  Look at the book cover above.  Its power is in its simplicity and human appeal.

I believe the use of simulated handwriting is one of the easiest and fastest ways you can grab attention in your marketing.   My CopyDoodles makes this fast and easy and you don’t need a graphic designer to do it for you.  Check them out!

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Anyway, after tossing and turning for 30 minutes, I got out of bed.  Since the thought of working out at 4:30 AM wasn’t too appealing, I went down to my home office.  Typically, I would have jumped into the daily routine of checking emails and working on my to-do list.  However this morning, I promised myself I would do something different.

Staring at me, from across my office, was a training product I purchased five months ago.  The set of rather large binders and DVD cases looked quite impressive sitting on my bookshelf, still in their original shrink-wrap.

Has this ever happened to you?  You invested in a course, book, whatever, with the best of intentions, but then allowed life to get in the way of taking action to absorb the knowledge contained within it?

If I was a betting man, I would guess you’re probably nodding your head right now.

It reminds me of how I “met” Dan Kennedy.  Several years ago, I bought Dan’s “Ultimate Sales Letter” book.  Rather than reading it right away, I put it on my bookshelf.  There is sat… for years, until for whatever reason, I finally pulled it off my shelf, read it and used the strategies he outlined.

The rest is history.  In the few short years since reading Dan’s book, my life and business have been completely transformed (with the keyword being “completely”).  As a matter of fact, it was just four weeks ago when Dan flew by private jet to spend a few hours with me and more than 300 local entrepreneurs here in the Philadelphia area.  He did this to acknowledge the success of my local GKIC Chapter.

This all happened because I finally took action and read that first book.

But, I digress.  Back to what happened today.

I promised myself this morning would be different and I pulled the training product off the shelf, unwrapped it, put the first CD into my computer and sat back with pen in hand.

90 minutes later, I had the blueprint to generate at least a quarter million dollars in NEW revenues during the rest of 2009.  The funny thing is that I had the genesis of the idea floating around my cranium for the last several months, but it wasn’t until I heard the words of the guru that the idea and how to implement it finally CLICKED (the spontaneous “Hallelujah” almost woke my daughters up!).

And this all happened before 7:00 AM!

I’ve now made a new promise with myself to complete the entire course by this Sunday and more importantly begin implementing immediately.  I will update my progress this blog.

My point with all of this is we all have untapped resources and opportunities literally staring at us each and every day.  Whether it’s an info-product, book, CD course or relationship, chances are you have untapped sources of prosperity all around you.

Do you see them?  And more importantly what are you going to do about them?

Promise yourself to seek out and take advantage of an untapped source of opportunity that’s staring at you this very moment.

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