I screwed up a “perfect storm” opportunity in the 90s.
One that could have made enough money to retire on my own private island.
In 3 years or less.
And sadly for me, that’s not an exaggeration.
Interestingly enough, I see almost all marketers making that same mistake these days. Even many of the experienced ones who should know better.
But lucky, lucky you. I’m gonna reveal everything to you today.
Under one condition:
Since I screwed up my “private island” opportunity… when you’re so rich that China owes YOU money… please… don’t forget me, OK?
Send me a “Magnum red” Ferrari. Or a Larry Carlton signature Gibson 335 guitar. Or at the very least, hire me to write some copy for you. OK? Promise?
Goodie, goodie gumdrops. Allow me to pro-ceeeeeeed. (“Proceed” spoken with my best Adam Sandler as Billy Madison voice.)
Oh, one last thang:
I really mean it, ya know. If you listen to me, this could make you soooooooo darn flush with cashola… you can buy your own private island, hire Oprah as your personal chef… and Trump as your gardener.
OK, now that (in my poor attempt at humor) actually is an exaggeration. (Not the part about your own island. The part about Oprah and Trump. Because in a few months, weeks or possibly even days, both will be embedded in their own heavily fortified bug-out compounds, therefore not available.)
Anyhoo… here’s the big mistake:
In the mid 90s I ran some test ads in newspapers offering a nutritional supplement. One that the timing was perfect for. (Mostly because it jibed with the popularity of a bestselling book by a doctor that everybody was hearing about at the time.)
When all the numbers came in, it looked to me as a failure. I canceled all the ads and never rolled it out.
Why?
Because the numbers revealed that when I spent $1 on media buys… I got back $1 in sales.
In other words… to use marketer speak… the ads were at “break-even.”
Now, in my eyes at that time, that meant they were a failure.
Why?
Because I was also running ads in all the bodybuilding magazines at that time. And in the worst performing magazines my ads were bringing in 3-to-1 return on investment on ad spend. And in the best performing magazines, 6-to-1 return on investment on ad spend.
And since I was still a rookie back then, I thought that was normal.
That is not normal. It was highly unlikely and super-duper difficult to get results like that with a front-end campaign in those days. Nowadays, virtually impossible. In ALL media. Online and offline.
Which is why I thought my newspaper ads at a 1-to-1 ROI were a failure.
Something else to consider:
Bodybuilding is a subculture. A niche. Much, much, much smaller than the health market, which is a mass market. Which means that your pool of potential customers is substantially larger than the bodybuilding market.
It also means that it was highly unlikely and super-duper difficult to get better than a 1-to-1 ROI with a front-end campaign in those days. Nowadays, virtually impossible. In ALL media. Online and offline.
Having said all that, let me try to simplify this:
My “failed” ads were actually this:
A marketing asset that could have brought me thousands and possibly millions of customers at zero cost to me.
And that means this:
Since the health market (again, a mass market) is sooooooooo darn huge… I could have gotten crazy amounts of customers in a very short period of time… for free.
“But Dan, since you were only breaking even, you still wouldn’t have made any money.”
[Shaking head]
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
My dear, dear, clueless rookie.
Drum roll, please…
THAT was the mistake!
The one that cost me a life of wealth and ease living on my own private island… with my own private jet.
And yacht.
And since I was still a heathen back then, a plethora of endless carnal pleasures that might have killed me and/or cemented a special place for me in hell.
You still don’t get it?
My goodness, greenhorn. This is direct response 101 here! You should know this.
You don’t make your money on the front-end. And even though it’s almost impossible to do it nowadays… even if you could, only a “bovine, clod pated, citified moron” would.
Why?
Because it slows the growth of your business to a snail’s pace and it steals ALL of your profits.
Why?
Because a smart marketer knows this:
- The ONLY purpose of your front-end is to bring you new customers, not to make money. Because…
- You make your money on the back end!
Sit up straight, turn off your mind-numbing, IQ-lowering heroin (your smart phone), take a big deep breath and pay attention as if your life depended on it. (Because in many cases, it does.)
Do a little “lectio divina” on those two points I just shared. And keep doing that until it sinks into deep into your crusty, calcified and concrete-thick cranium.
Because what I just shared with you is understood by very, very, virtually infinitesimal few marketers.
But it’s the master key to you getting as moneyed as you choose to be.
And yes, it IS that simple.
Listen, even the best of the best marketers in the world… with the deepest pockets in the world… yes, even those folks can’t make money on the front end these days.
In ANY media.
In fact, most of those marketers lose money on the front-end. And they’re thrilled about it.
Why?
Again, rookie… “lectio divina” those two points above.
Listen, this is knowledge that I’ve sweated blood and invested decades to learn. And has literally cost me millions of dollars.
Millions of my own dollars I’ve invested… and millions lost because I was a stupid rookie who didn’t understand it.
And you just got it free. (Which is probably another big mistake on my part. Because nobody values stuff given away free.)
[pregnant pause for effect]
I have just given you the keys to the kingdom. Use it and prosper.
All the best,
Doberman Dan
P.S. Speaking of getting new customers for free…
In only a few days I’m releasing a brilliant, tried and true plan to get thousands of customers for free using what I call the “social media synergy system.”
And when I say “free” I don’t mean like in my previous example where you run paid ads and get customers at break-even.
I mean “free” as in you don’t need to invest one single, solitary red cent!
The ONLY thing you need to invest is a little “sweat equity” doing a few activities that a lot of people find fun and rewarding.
This is sooooooo darn efficient… and sooooooo darn effective… very soon I will be using it as the ONLY front-end marketing for my own business.
Listen… if you need new customers but have a limited marketing budget… or like many “bootstrap entrepreneurs,” NO budget… you simply MUST get your hands on this new “social media synergy system.”
How do you get your greedy lil’ hands on it?
The only people who will get it are the blessed, beloved and brilliant knights in my Marketing Camelot. (“Brilliant” because they are “the light of the world”… the “salt of the earth.”)
So if you want in on this new customer-getting system, you gotta claim your knighthood right away.
This link will give you all the details about knighthood. Would you please take a few minutes to check that out and consider getting knighted today?
Thank you.
Pax vobiscum.
