Hi Friends,
I’m just back from San Diego where I took part in John Carlton‘s first Action Seminar. It was a 2 day event — much more marketing “workshop” than speaker parade — where John, his biz partner, Stan Dahl, and a cadre of A-list marketing talent gang-tackled the biz-building issues most relevant to attendees.
Surveys sent to those who signed up for the event a week earlier garnered a whopping 85% response rate and expert panels were formed to address the most pressing concerns as voted on by attendees. There was no doubt those at the event would be getting advice on exactly what they needed.
Further, there were no formal product pitches by the experts on the room. Instead, marketing superstars were giving away free access to some of their best material. Like when Joe Polish decided to supply the room with access to 10 of his Genius Network interviews most relevant to the topics being discussed at the event.
The energy surrounding the event was palpable. Attendees and “Big Dogs” (John’s title for the experts on hand) alike were inspired to share their best tricks for making big bucks online. In true Carlton fashion, nothing was held back and noticeably absent were the pretenses of your typical marketing seminar.
Carlton and Kilstein (with Deutsch holding mic)
I was privileged to join several panels discussing topics like how to get the most of copywriter/client relationships with John Carlton David Deutsch, Harlan Kilstein, MaryEllen Tribby and Joe Polish (I recap my best advice for freelancers negotiating higher fees in the audio interviews below)…
… and I hosted a panel of top copywriters including Deutsch, Kilstein, Jim Curley, Robert Gibson, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero and Mark Landstrom where we did “flash critiques” of sales letters submitted by attendees. (My apologies once again for any recurring nightmares this may have inspired.)
If you were fortunate (read: wise) enough to attend this event, I’d love to hear your impressions in the comment section. And for those of you who sat on your hands, or just couldn’t make it out… I’ve recorded two interviews with copywriters who attended the event that will provide you an insider’s perspective on the event.
Copywriter Ben Johnson taking in the action.
The first is with a talented newcomer to the freelance copywriting scene. His name is Ben Johnson and the very first letter he wrote for a client reached #1 on CickBank in the Forex niche. I’ve been mentoring Ben for just a few months and he’s an amazing talent.
Next I interviewed one of the hottest freelance copywriters in the marketing world right now, David Raybould, who has spent half of his short career dominating ClickBank’s #1 spot for Marketing and Ads. David flew from the UK just to attend this event (and ditch the gloomy London skyline for sunny San Diego).
I asked both Ben and David for their 5 biggest takeaways from the event. In these info-packed interviews you’ll learn…
- The one easy social tactic introverts can use to instantly melt-away the awkwardness of meeting strangers and have people dying to get in contact with you after the event. (And how to avoid looking like a total idiot like I did to Yanik Silver at my first event years ago.)
- James Schramko’s tip on where to get cheap “heatmapping” software that allows you to pinpoint exactly where visitors are drawn on your website (This tip alone could raise boost conversion with a few simple tweaks)…
- How to quickly establish yourself as an expert (and NOT a vendor) in the eyes of your prospects. (This works wonders for freelancers looking to raise their fees!)
- How Mike Koenigs is about to completely change the game in regards to customer access by tapping into over a billion smart phone users (Imagine hosting a membership site straight from a phone app)…
- Why writing killer copy is not enough. the 3 things you’ve got to do to “crossover” into the big leagues of marketing.
And a whole lot more.
But the interviews don’t focus only on the Action Seminar, you’ll learn valuable tips and tricks for…
- Taking your writing to the next level…
- Increasing traffic to your website and
- Positioning yourself as the “go to” expert in your market.
Listen to the interviews here:
Ben Johnson Interview:
David Raybould interview:
(May take a minute to download, be patient.)
Or you download the zip audio files here:
You’re really going to like these interviews. And after you’ve given them a listen, please leave a comment here to let me know your thoughts. I’m also happy to answer all of your questions.
Talk soon,
Kevin
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Great post, Kevin. Got some more takeaways already from your conversation with David about handling clients. Definitely going to be ordering that book on negotiation tactics you mentioned — people tend to focus on knowing the right answers, but sometimes it’s all about knowing the right questions and letting the answers take care of themselves.
Thanks, Ben.
FYI: The full title of the book I mentioned is… “You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar” by David Sandler.
Good book. Enjoy.
Thanks Kevin – but these files are way too big to download. It’s taking like 30 minutes per file.
Perhaps you could convert them to mp3 or zip them?
Hi Max,
Sure thing. Zips loading now. I’ll add links to the post.
(Still hunting for the best podcasting software. Let me know if the zips work better.)
Thanks for asking,
Kevin
Hey Kevin,
Thanks for the audios. Good to listen to other folks’ perspectives of the seminar.
Good to meet you there.
Colin
P.S. And as for my copy critique I’m still having flashbacks. I’m thinking of suing for mental distress!
Colin, it was really great to meet you in person. And thanks again for The Macallan 12! Lent a distinct smoothness to the proceedings.
As for the critique, you took it like a champ. And as I recall, your copy had as many strong points as weak spots.
Keep at it, Colin. You’re a good man.
Kevin
Dude… there’s truly insider giveaways in David’s interview, and Ben’s astute observations expose him as a frightfully sharp fella. Bravo to both for heading San Diego way.
As raised in the podcasts, one of the best book investments you can make is Sandler’s selling take, a game changer for mental mindset in client back and forth.
And your expert “justification” of high fees is about to become my go-to objection stomper when money quibbles arise.
High caliber content as always. Hope to shake your hand myself at an event one of these days.
Take care,
Ross
The person who asks questions controls the negotiation. Brilliant.
Thanks for sharing, Kevin & David. It was a pleasure meeting both of you in the flesh.
Great meeting you, too, Colin. Glad you made it. We’ll be seeing you more I hope.
Kevin
Thanks, Ross. You’re a talented writer. No doubt we’ll be meeting soon.
Kevin
When you mentioned the awkwardness the first time with Yanik, I can totally identify…
But – how on earth did you manage to go from ‘socially awkward writer’ to doing stand up comedy in front of crowds? And appearing on flashpoint?
Hi Max,
Good question. Answering it got so good to me, I made a whole new post http://thecopywritersedge.com/?p=228.
Thanks for asking.
Kevin
Hey Kevin
You, a dork? I find that hard to believe. You live in that porn town! That at least makes you Daddy Cool with a funky suit and long mustache.
I was one of those very keen people who came all the way from Australia for the event. It was worth every deep vein thrombosis symptom from the flight. Having drinks with John Carlton, Stan, David Deutsch and you was the highlight. Thank you for your openness, hospitality and making me feel right at home.
I missed catching a bite to eat with David Raybould, but that interview makes up for it! Thanks for sharing it with us. I had no idea he was such a hot shot!
I guess the biggest take away from the event for me was the networking. And the confidence to actually talk to people. I was pretty shy going in there by myself… Didn’t know what I was going to say, how people would respond to little ‘ol me…
John prepped us right from the start. He told us to take advantage of all the knowledge in the room and rip our ego to shreds. Thank god I listened to his advice. Best thing I did all weekend.
I’m glad our paths crossed. Thanks for everything.
Lina
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, but the post you linked to is empty
That was weird. Luckily it had saved a draft. Thanks for the heads up, Max.
It was great meeting you, Lina. I love how you’re getting the most out of the freelance lifestyle. Keep in touch with your globetrotting adventures.
Kevin
On a gradescale you are %100. The best. And the only one I follow now days. And that’s it. I follow you on flashpoint, too.
The most genuine marketing whole of the marketing sum.
What a great post!
Thanks for all the information.
Maybe someday I’ll be back on the seminar circuit again, but I don’t see those prospects in the near future.
Okay — now where, exactly, do I go to get the expert justification of higher fees that Ross mentions?
I don’t wanna miss out here…