Let me tell you a little tale.
Once upon a time, a man named Frank wanted to start a car manufacturing company.
But alas, Frank had a severe dearth of knowledge on the matter.
So, our little hero jumped online and headed to Amazon.com. He typed in “how to start a car company” into the search box, and sure as shooting, hundreds of books on the topic appeared.
Frank went straight to the best-seller list and bought 5 books that had great reviews.
But unbeknownst to Frank, those 5 books were written by people who have never set foot in a car manufacturing company, let alone started one.
Well anyway, before Frank clicked away from Amazon, he decided to do one more quick search through all the related books.
And by golly, he did find more books on his topic.
Frank looked at the following books: My Life And Work By Henry Ford, Henry Ford Today And Tomorrow, The Amazing Story of Henry Ford.
But they are all very old books with old-fashioned covers and writing. Some of them were even written over 90 years ago. Plus, they weren’t in the bestseller section.
So, Frank quickly dismissed the books and settled with his 5 books which were “new” and had made it to the “bestseller” list.
Frank devoured those 5 books but sadly, after reading them, he now had more questions than answers.
Frank lived cluelessly ever after.
The End.
Now listen, although that was a fictional story, what it illustrates is the pitiful mindset that is endemic in the online marketing industry.
You see, Frank could have learned from a man (Henry Ford) who not only started his own car company, but also revolutionized the entire automobile industry, but instead, Frank got seduced by the new bestsellers.
Listen, if you think a book is worth reading just because it’s “new”, and it made its way to bestseller, then I want to introduce you to a Nigerian Prince I know.
You know, most marketing and sales books on Amazon (due to self-publishing) are written by wannabe exp-hurts. These books do more harm than good. The marketing and sales principles taught in these books are more watered-down than the wine at a Baptist church communion ceremony.
Sadly, there are many Franks (a misguided and misinformed person) in the online marketing industry who decide which book to buy based on what’s new, instead of what’s a proven classic.
The best books on marketing (the classics) I’ve read are not even on Amazon.com.
Now, tell me, would you want to learn direct marketing from someone who has a rinky-dink online business, or would you want to learn it from a man who pretty much invented it?
Well, you CAN learn direct marketing from the man who invented it. I speaketh of a man mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
His name is Claude Hopkins.
If you have been marketing online for a year or more, and you don’t know who Claude Hopkins is, shame on you.
Many of the marketing strategies done online today come straight out of Hopkins’s playbook.
Look, if you aren’t familiar with Claude Hopkins, here’s what you should do:
Go to Amazon and buy his two books. Scientific Advertising, and My Life In Advertising.
Don’t expect to see them in the bestseller section, and don’t expect them to read like a modern book – they were written almost one hundred years ago. But lemme tell you, if these were the only two books you ever read on marketing, you’d still be light years ahead of most marketers who have gorged themselves silly (literally) on all those new, dumb-ass marketing books.
Well anyway, I was recently rereading Claude’s book titled My Life In Advertising and a paragraph I’ve read numerous times jumped off the page at me.
Here is that paragraph:
…aw, nuts.
This message is getting too long.
Tell you what, I’ll finish up here and tell you about that profound paragraph from Hopkins’s book tomorrow.
I promise.
Peace.
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
P.S. Do you have the sneaking suspicion that email marketing no longer works? Well, let me tell you something: It still works like crazy if you know how to work it! If you’re a serious marketer who’s open to a new way of marketing your business with email, proceed here: The Maverick’s Playbook
P.S.S. I’m not saying ALL the new sales and marketing books on Amazon are hopeless. For example, I’m about to buy (after I finish this ‘ere email) a new book called Work Less, Make More. The author is a fellow Aussie named James Schramko. James is a plenty sharp dude and one helluva a business coach. If you have an online business, you’d be a real dumb bunny not to buy his book.
P.S.S.S. I was just thinking; this may be the most valuable email I’ve ever written. How so? Well, for those who are smart enough to purchase both my product and James’s eBook (and both of Claude Hopkins’s books – I nearly forgot) and implement everything we teach, your world will change so much (for the good) you won’t even recognize yourself!
