Dateline: July 31, 2009 San Francisco, CA.
The Players: 19 of the world’s most successful online marketers and one sleeping dog, seated along a horseshoe conference table left-to-right were…
Harlan Kilstein of Master NLP copywriter and founder of Tactic 7.
Brian Johnson of Strategic Profits. Rich Schefren’s right arm. Overseer of several multimillion dollar marketing companies (including a recent acquirement so famous I’m sworn to secrecy.)
Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero & John Ferrero of Red Hot Copy and the outrageously successful “She Factor.”
John Carlton, marketing and copywriting legend.
Million Dollar Mike Morgan of the sold out Direct Response Marketing 2.0
Tina Lorenz, her husband Ron and Rusty “The Wonder Dog.” Under Tina’s direction a recent campaign sparked a list of 80,000 and converted at a ridiculous 30+%.
Jim Curley top copywriter who took over John’s famous golf and self defense accounts at TRS.
Kevin Rogers (me), #1 ClickBank copywriter and Head Writer in John Carlton’s new “Stable of Copywriters.”
Mark Landstrom, lead copywriter at Marketing Rebel for over 12 years.
Robert Gibson, copywriter extraordinaire and Simple Writing System instructor.
David Deutsch, world-class copywriter with 5 controls at Boardroom and creator of the popular Copy Quick Start series.
Bond and Kevin Halbert, sons of legendary Gary C. Halbert and executors of the famous “Halbert Letters.”
Stacey Morgenstern, leading expert in marketing wellness and nutrition online who after graduating the Simple Writing System quadrupled sales at her Five Point Wellness site.
Tony Flores, master copywriter working with top online marketers former editor of Clayton Makepeace’s “Easy Writer” newsletter.
Joshua Boswell, successful copywriter and Content Director for Perry Marshall.
“Big Jason” Henderson of Big Marketing Online, email marketing wizard and landing page optimization expert.
Stan Dahl, Carlton’s biz partner and legendary consultant to Fortune 500s.
The room was walled with glass so you could see anyone approaching from 50 yards on either side. No cameras. No recorders.
“There’s only one rule here today…” said John Carlton to begin the summit, “…we are focusing today on what can be done. That means no one plays devil’s advocate.”
To drive the point home, John invoked the number one rule of improv comedy: Never negate, only say “yes, and…” Then he reminded the room that hoarding secrets has never been a proven path to greater success…
“Sharing the good stuff always leads to better business.”
Brian Johnson got the ball rolling by offering (and receiving back) innovative ideas for motivating JV launch partners. The juicy takeaway I can share from the topic is that “membership has it’s privileges” and affiliates of all rank are being watched more closely than they think.
The smartest (and biggest) marketers are looking help you reach the next level and they’re always on the lookout for JV partnerships worth nurturing.
So keep this thought handy: Establishing your character as a marketer will guide you to the top ranks much faster than scoring numbers at any cost.
There was also a lot of talk about email deliverability. Needless to say, many of the attendees are rabid testers. Jason Henderson keeps his finger squarely on the pulse of email marketing..
Big lesson: Most marketers miss the boat by obsessing about deliverability instead of focusing on conversion. And if you’re testing like you should, the results of html over text deliverability probably surprised you.
Next, a passionate discussion over the best ways for freelance copywriters to deal with unruly clients. It was refreshing to see this issue from both sides of the negotiation. Brian Johnson offered insights from the perspective of the client negotiating with freelancers.
Two big takeaways here that, despite reading it here, most freelancers will still have to learn on their own…
1. Establish very clear expectations up front. If you don’t like contracts, at least create a less formal agreement that clearly outlines all deliverables (due from the client as well as the writer). Trust me, this will save a lot of headaches and false assumptions that can quickly eat up the value of a job and sour what could have been a prosperous relationship.
2. Set a price and stick to it. Doing so keeps you enthusiastic about the job and the client more confident in your ability to deliver. And if you have to take only half up front, make sure it’s an amount your content with for the work involved. Always consider the second payment gravy.
Towards the end of the 4-hour session we went deep on a subject close to everyone’s heart: The Gary Halbert Letter.
Gary’s sons, Bond and Kevin, are sharp marketers in their own right. But being so close to the Halbert Letters, they were eager to get some outside views of different ways to freshen up the archive and make the mass of marketing gold in those letters a little more user-friendly.
Fans of Gary can take comfort that the Halbert brothers are fully aware of the significance of the letters, and place Gary’s wishes for them as a public resource above all else. I wouldn’t feel right revealing too much of what was discussed regarding the future of the letters, except to say Kevin and Bond have a lot of options to weigh and a great responsibility to their dad’s legacy. I can tell you that I’m very confident after meeting those guys that Gary Halbert’s voice will never fade from those letters.
And be on the lookout for cool new interpretations of some of the letters starring top marketers and copywriters. Because one thing is for certain, the Gary Halbert letters remain as relevant a resource for proven selling techniques as anything being produced today.
True, there have been a lot of tech developments since Gary passed 3 1/2 years ago — and his sons actively use them all in their own businesses. So expect the future of the Halbert Letters to reflect a melding of what’s best about both worlds.
Alright, that’s it for now.
Of course there was a ton of revelry after hours and the hotel was a story in itself. Tales are sure to emerge. Maybe I’ll post a second report on all the stuff you’re really not supposed to hear in a few days. If I don’t it means someone threatened to take my thumbs.
Until then… keep on keeping on.
Kevin
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, Kevin — great synopsis of the goings-on.
You forgot about the hotel, though. The haunted Overlook from “The Shining” combined with David Lynch’s best absurdist da-da incarnation of hotels from hell.
Of course, it’s the company that makes the stories zing — and we had an embarrassment of riches with the folks hanging out with us all weekend long. Biz can get soooo boring when you deal with people who are light on having real lives…
… and this gathering proved that wit, energy and an honest excitement about life still thrives in the current marketing environment.
If you missed this gathering, I can only hope you get hip to the scene Kevin’s in soon enough to catch the next one.
You da man, Kevin.
Hi Kevin,
Wow! You really got a lot of the meeting.
Did you sneak in a team of stenographers
when we weren’t looking?
Your stories at dinner were awesome.
John nailed it -without the right people, it’s just work.
When you have friends that look out for you,
mountains can be moved.
“No matter what your accomplishment,
somebody helped you.”
Wilma Rudolph
Love that quote.
Til next time my friend,
Robert
It was great meeting you, Robert. You’re as sharp as they come. Looking forward to the next one. See you on campus.
Kevin
Thanks, John. You always put on a great show. The hotel only added to the mayhem. You said it Friday, “Luxury is for bitches.” or something along those lines.
What a wealth of knowledge in one building.
Kevin and Bond are great. Could you imagine growing up in the Halbert house hold. A copywrting education worth millions.
Best,
Bill Jeffels
Ya, no kidding, Bill. It’s interesting how they each have distinctively different personalities, but work very well together. I believe they’re going to be a force of their own very soon. And their dad’s legacy will be done proud for sure.
Thanks for your comments.
Kevin