Dear subscriber,
I can’t tell you how many quotes I’ve shared with my subscribers over the years.
It’s a bunch.
I’ve probably shared more quotes than Kim Kardashian has shared selfies.
Well, I have many favorite quotes, for example, er… well, nothing comes to mind now, but I’ll tell you this: I came across a cracker of a quote last week that may just be my favorite quote of all.
What makes this quote so damn good?
No need for that type of language, Freckles. I was just about to tell you anyway.
The reason said quote is my new favorite is threefold:
(1) It rolls off the tongue nicely (2) it’s easy to remember (even my most dim-witted subscribers will be able to recite it verbatim), and (3) its wisdom is undeniable. It’s just flat-out true. It’s one of those quotes that if you truly embrace it and adopt it as your life philosophy, you can’t help but win in life.
Geez, I can hype something up, can’t I? It’s a gift, I guess. But it has a downside: sometimes you can sell something so well that there can be a letdown. But I suspect anyone who is let down by this quote is lacking in the grey matter department.
Enough with the build-up.
Here’s the quote:
“Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise” ~ Ted Turner
I heard this quote while watching the new Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary on Netflix. Arnie said he has lived that quote.
But let’s focus on the last word of the quote – advertising.
In this doco, film director James Cameron gave some insight into Arnold’s winning mindset.
He said this:
“When I made a film with Arnold, I had him speak to the cast. Actors usually try to share a little truth about the acting process or something like that. Arnold says, ‘Forget all dat. We gotta promote dis thing!’ He saw half the job was performing the film and half the job was promoting the film.”
***
Thanks, Jim.
Now, not many people know this, but before Arnold was famous, he was a direct response marketer. Yup, he had a direct mail business selling information products on bodybuilding. I believe this ingrained the importance of marketing and salesmanship in the great man.
Plus, being an immigrant, Arnold never felt entitled. He never felt too important or too good to advertise. Remember his movie Commando? That’s right, that 80s action flick where Arnie’s character (a pissed-off special forces soldier) killed more people than Philip Morris.
Well, Arnie worked his gluteus maximus off to promote that movie. For the movie True Lies, he traveled tirelessly around the globe and did a trillion (maybe more) interviews and talk show appearances to promote the movie. Arnold had a promotional tour schedule that Led Zeppelin in their prime would’ve thought was over-the-top.
What else? Oh, yeah, remember Total Recall?
Well, during the promotional period leading up to its release, this movie was flying under the radar like a stealth fighter jet. Nobody was talking about it. No buzz. No excitement. Nothing!
The suits over at the studio began to worry that they had a real stinker on their hands and an expensive one at that (it cost $65 million, and that’s in 1990) They could practically hear the sound of their cash getting flushed down the toilet.
Well anyhow, as the premiere date loomed, Arnold overheard the suits bitching about the lackluster promotion the movie was getting from the media.
Enter Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold took it upon himself to promote the hell outta it and save the day.
So, he starts throwing himself at the media like a gold digger at a Hollywood VIP party. As a result, Arnold got more exposure than Janet Jackson’s nipple in 2004. You couldn’t turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing his big head and charismatic smile. Like Burt Reynolds in the early 80’s – he was everywhere! By the time Total Recall hit the silver screen, people couldn’t shut up about the movie.
The net result?
This:
It became wildly successful, grossing over 261 million dollars at the box office.
Alright, I’m gonna let Arnold finish this email.
The following transcript is Arnold talking about advertising and promotion.
Take it away, Arnie.
“Ya have to be involved yourself. You have to go in there and just say, this is why you should go and see this movie. It doesn’t matter if the other stars say no because they’re spoiled brats. I’m a star, I don’t sell movies. You (the director/producers) have to sell the movie. I’m an artist.
BOOLSHHEET!!
You have to sell everything! No matter what you do in life, you have to sell it.
***
Amen.
Of course, it’s all easier said than done.
It really does come down to your ability to grab attention, keep it, and then turn it into that sweet, sweet do-re-mi!
If you’d like a few clever and proven ways (I’ve got 24 of them!) to do just that, boogie on over here: https://kelvindorsey.com/24-laws-sales-page-2/
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
