1:31pm
East of the Mississippi
When I first picked up Brian Kurtz’ book, Overdeliver, I was pretty new to the game of direct response marketing.
At the time, I didn’t know who Brian was. I didn’t know much about Boardroom Reports. I had no idea the influence Brian has had over the last 4+ decades.
But I can still see his sales video in my head, Brian standing in a white room, and even then I knew he had a lot to share.
Brian’s lessons within Overdeliver changed how I understood marketing. It should be required reading for all marketers today.
After I attended Chris Mason’s and Brian’s Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp, I asked Brian to join me for a Persuasion Play Podcast conversation.
True to his book title, Brian overdelivered in this episode, sharing so many ideas he learned from those who came before him, including Eugene Schwartz, Marty Edelston, Dan Kennedy, and others.
Get all of Brian’s insights in Episode 19 of the Persuasion Play Podcast: Maximum Impact.
And make sure you join Brian’s online family — a.k.a. his mailing list — at BrianKurtz.net.
Thank you Brian for your time and energy, and thank you for joining me for another episode of the Persuasion Play Podcast!
• Intro (0:00)
• How Brian fell into the direct response industry at Boardroom Inc. with Marty Edelston in 1981 (2:45)
• The inside department Boardroom had that most brands don’t have… even today (4:53)
• 2 marketing elements you must nail before you write a lick of sales copy (8:30)
• The job title Brian suggests you avoid: “People assume you’re unemployed!” (10:50)
• The danger marketers face today that didn’t exist before the mid-1990s (13:00)
• The powerful “Contact Strategy” method Boardroom used to make additional offers to new customers — the visuals Brian describes are often overlooked today (17:38)
• Lessons from Boardroom’s 32-page sales magalogs (19:00)
• 3 traits Brian notices in every great copywriter —— characteristics that you, too, can develop (21:41)
• “It’s not voodoo, but it is magic” —— why good copywriters avoid templates and instead apply principles (28:30)
• Eugene Schwartz wrote incredibly high-converting sales copy for Boardroom —— and was never paid! Here’s why (35:50)
• The karmic engine that helps you find a world-class mentor (40:40)
• How Brian got the rights to Breakthrough Advertising and Brilliance Breakthrough, Eugene Schwartz’ two books that are more popular today than when they were released (42:05)
• The world-changing message within Brian’s book, Overdeliver —— and why big name copywriters advised Brian against using that title (45:21)
• What keeps Brian awake at night? (52:31)
• Do your business meetings suck? Listen to Peter Drucker’s advice (57:12)
• Should you balance targeted, direct response marketing with general “awareness” advertising? (1:01:38)
• Why to grab Brian’s book Overdeliver from his website OverdeliverBook.com instead of anywhere else (1:17:40)