Probably the most valuable marketing lesson I ever done heard

And you can find it free, online, if you look hard enough. I am talking about the great Dan Kennedy’s “Al The Plumber” story. This was a story I think he probably told over 1,000 times since it was part of his pitch to sell his Magnetic Marketing kits when he was doing the Peter Lowe speaking tours. The very first Dan Kennedy audio I ever listened to was that exact pitch back in 2002. And I remember being mesmerized by the story as it taught and sold simultaneously in a way that made me want to keep learning and keep buying from him. Anyway, he teaches lots of interesting stuff in that pitch. But the Al the Plumber story is tops. I don’t know if it was true or embellished, nor do I care. Basically Dan got a direct mail piece in the mail from a speaking colleague he barely knew and, if anything, only saw at airports. But it was in a real envelope, with a first class stamp, and the letter was not about speaking or anything like that — it was about the plumber the guy hired who showed up after a pipe in his den under the bar began to spew water everywhere. It created a horrible mess and he had to find a plumber who would come out on a Friday night at nine o'clock. He made calls out of the phone book, and finally found this guy, Al the plumber. Al rushed out and (as the letter put it): “gooped this, tightened that, didn't have to sell him any parts, had the whole mess cleaned up in under 20 minutes, and only charged him a small amount of money.” Thus the point of the letter: The speaking colleague was so grateful he decided to send that letter to all his speaking colleagues in the same town (Phoenix as it were). But, of course, Dan didn’t need a plumber. So what was the point? Well, if Al had stopped at letter #1 there would have been no other point. And the rest of the story goes into the multi-step direct mail campaign and, especially, what Al offered that got Dan to call the guy even though he didn’t have any plumbing problems. The offer? “free home plumbing problem prevention audit” The pitch goes into excruciating detail (i.e., uses Vision) about what can happen to those who have just one of the problems the audit can uncover. You heard this story and you almost want to call a plumber just reading it, hearing drips in the night you don't remember hearing before... To which Dan finally relents. And Al arrives as his house in, and he doesn’t look like a plumber at all. As Dan described it Al shows up in: === A three-piece beige suit, white shirt, brown and white tie, gold collar bar, gold cufflinks. He's carrying a brown eel skin attach case. The only resemblance between Al and a plumber is on the breast pocket of his suit coat, where there's a cloth patch that says “Al." He comes into my house, he opens up his eel skin attach case, and takes out a matching clipboard and says: "Mr. Kennedy, as you can see, this is the form I’m going to use to check the 100 possible plumbing problems. It takes me about 20 minutes to that. While I do that, do you have a VCR?” === Then hands Dan a video tape to watch while Al does the audit. The tape describes how people are slipping and dying, being paralyzed in bathtubs and showers and an invisible glob that replaces bath mats (something like that). And after 19 minutes, right when it ends, Al is standing there. As Dan says: “I say to myself, ‘He’s done this before.’” Believe me, I’m not even scratching the surface of this story. It’s brilliant from top to bottom. And I highly suggest finding it (Google is your friend). What’s important is the process Al used: Almost all pure Vision. Everything from the letters Dan got, to how he showed up, to the audit, to the upsell tape, and everything in between. Dan does not mention this aspect of the process at all (that is not what the teaching is about — it’s about a marketing system). But Vision is there, throughout, connected to every pipe in the process along the way. The training itself is even a use of Vision to buy Dan’s kit. It’s all there. In full “HD” color. Ripe for anyone to read, analyze, extract… If you understand Vision. Without that understanding you’ll only see “marketing system.” But look at it through the eyes of a marketer who is a student of using, wielding, mastering the art & craft (there is no science, fake or otherwise, to it — sorry goo-roo fanboys) of creating Vision in those you wish to persuade and influence and sell to I think it will be like when Neo could see the Matrix in code… a whole new level of perception and sales opportunity. Which brings me to the rub: The June Email Players issue. It’s ALL about Vision. Specifically, examples of how others have done it. None are even “marketing” examples. But they don’t need to be — the best examples, in my opinion, are not always in marketing. There is no “how to” with it though — you have to think, problem solve, apply to your specific situation, market, emails, sales copy, situations, strengths, experiences, and the list goes on. A lot of people subscribe to Email Players thinking it’s some nonsensical goo-roo thing where I am just going to hand them turn key solutions to problems that sound good from the idiot prancing around the stage at an IM seminar, but that don’t really work for anyone else but that person — if it even works for him. No. This is a principle and a concept. You have to learn it, figure it out, apply it. I can’t do it for you, nor can anyone else. That’s who I cater to in Email Players — not TikTok brainers. You’ve been warned. If you still want in after hearing that, then the deadline to get in on time is tonight. You can read more about what’s inside in the P.S. below. Including what’s in the bonus I’m sending with the issue. Here’s the link: []( Ben Settle P.S. Here are some of the tips I teach inside the June issue: * The persuasion secret used by Gary Halbert to turn a man who tried to bully him in the army into being his collector when he became a bookie (and who also later became the best man at his wedding). * The controversial (but totally ethical to use if you want, don’t worry…) tactic Earl Nightingale used in one of his videos to influence probably millions of people to get off the couch, become successful, and make lots of money. * Why Hollywood screenwriters are some of the most persuasive “copywriters” on the planet… and real life examples (word-for-word) you can study to apply to your emails, sales copy, and other selling endeavors. * Why I believe it’s the height of stupidity to put your kids’ pictures anywhere online (even just for friends and family to see) — and the sales trick I pull out out of my self-righteous sleeve to prove this to even the most narcissistic and solipsistic attention-seeking parents who live and die by Facebook & Instagram likes. * A cunning secret used by the world famous evangelist Billy Graham (arguably one of the single most persuasive & influential men who ever lived) to “sell” a hostile mechanic who wanted to bludgeon him with a tire iron to not only back off but also do business with him. * The sales & persuasion method Doberman Dan Gallapoo used “on” me many years ago when he saw me stubbornly sabotaging my own business that has saved me from a lot of pain, misery, and despair. * The “can’t lose” persuasion secret I will use on Willis when he comes of age to make absolutely sure he stays far, far away from dating and/or marrying a woman of low character or who has a body count bigger than ‘nam. * Why your email readers’ imaginations and the images you put in their minds with your words are far more persuasive than pictures from your computer you insert in your emails. * The totally shameless and admittedly creepy “sales job” I will run on Willis if he wants to run away from home when he’s a teenager that will give him almost no choice but to sit down, shut the hell up, and thank God for me and Stefania. (Yes, the info inside the June issue goes way beyond just making you better at selling in business — it can apply to nearly any other aspect of your life, too, as you’ll see.) * A trick I learned from reading Reddit to know if something you write or say when selling/marketing/pitching hits a nerve (i.e., is persuasive) or not. * The 4 sales letters/ads I consider to be amongst the most influential & persuasive ever written. (This issue does not have any advertising examples — as the principle it teaches transcends just advertising — but I do name them and have been studying each for over 20 years now… always pulling something new out I can use in my own advertising every single time.) * The secret to selling (online or offline) without giving someone anything to object to and that can work even if you lack great selling skills, credibility, proof, writing talent, personality, or anything else. * An example of how I insert lots of sales, copywriting, and persuasion methods/teaching into my fictional books. (If you’re a fiction writer this is something I believe you should be doing whenever it makes sense — as it can only strengthen & hone your copywriting skills.) But that ain’t all. I am also including a bonus training I did for a private mastermind called: “Snob-Friendly Writing Secrets of a Mentally Disturbed Pulp Novelist! I taught it to Email Players subscriber Kevin Johns’ private mastermind members about fiction writing, publishing, & marketing. And I am including a copy of the transcript of this training with the June Email Players issue. Here’s a lil’ taste of what’s inside this bonus: * An almost laughably simple to “leap frog” over the 700 other books on someone’s kindle so they read your book first. * Ways for fiction authors to get their books bought and read, with a rapidly growing fanbase. * An old writing trick (that literally goes back thousands of years) for structuring a story for maximum engagement, impact, and reader experience. * A trick I learned from the story “A Clockwork Orange” to help make my fiction an easier, faster, more pleasant and engaging read. * The World-Building secret I use to “get away with” constantly shilling my fiction (directly and also totally on the sneak) in my emails, on Twitter, and other places on the internet to help create demand and momentum. * How to write fiction (and anything else, for that matter) where it’s not a slog or chore… and something you eagerly look forward to each and every day. (There is no way I could have written 9 novels not to mention a word count of non-fiction books & newsletters that dwarfs Tolkien, CS Lewis, and JK Rowling combined… if it was a slog or chore.) * The Beauty and the Beast secret used by Disney to create a near-fanatical wing of his customers that will probably never leave nor forsake the company no matter how hard the try to butcher even their most beloved brands. (Star Wars, Marvel… nobody destroys brands like Disney — but it won’t matter to the fanatics, and what they did with Beauty and the Beast is a great “template” any fiction writer can use to create their own wing of fanatics amongst the readership.) * The biggest — total pain in the ass — writing mistake I made when writing fiction early on that is still creating nothing but misery, complications, and frustration for me, my publisher, my editor, and even my audio book guy to this day. * Why I totally rewrote my entire first novel from scratch the last week of December last year… even though the book has a rabid (albeit small) fanbase and it’s been consistently selling for years. * Shameless advice to fiction writers (I learned from observing Tolkien, George Lucas, and David Morrell the author of “First Blood” that the Rambo movies are based on) who struggle with being perfectionists, wanting everything to be perfect, and who maybe even psychologically can’t let something see the light of day if it’s not perfect. * The purely business reason why I wrote a screenplay based on my first novel… even though I have zero illusions it will ever get made into a movie or that Hollywood wouldn’t mutilate it beyond recognition by filling it full of pronouns, gays, and awkward race-swapping even if did. * Why one of the best guys to study for writing fiction wasn’t even a writer (much less novelist or creative writer) but a technology investor & inventor who created almost his own religion for his products amongst his fans & customers. * Tips on approaching the writing of a fictional series of books… and how to plan it and write it and promote it. (My 9-part Enoch Wars novels ain’t exactly New York Times best-sellers, so I can only share what I’ve been slowly implementing — but so far it’s been working as planned over the last few years, and I think nearly any fiction writer can do the same.) * The single best writing trick I know and have used (regardless of what kind of writing you do — fiction or otherwise) for creating books people look forward to buying, reading, & consuming. * The marketing technique I have been using for years to help write fiction that does not bore, create apathy, or put people to sleep. (That’s not to say everyone who reads them likes them… just the opposite… but there is rarely lukewarm response, usually it’s love or hate, and it’s because of this marketing secret I use in every sentence.) * The #1 purely mercenary capitalist reason why fiction writers should avoid using fapGPT or any other AI tools to write even a single word of their stories or books. (Broke broccoli heads & money Twitter dorks who think fapGPT is the Second Coming won’t want to hear any of this, but nobody cares what those schlubs think anyway.) * At the same time, I also reveal one totally legitimate use for fapGPT to create commercial writing (especially fiction) that I would absolutely use if I cared enough to subscribe to it. * Why writers are he ones who make civilization work and will have to save civilization from this awful mess we’re in now. * A little talked about documentary (you can find on Amazon Prime) that I believe should be mandatory for anyone who is easily seduced by AI like fapGPT to watch before doing anything kind of writing (or do any kind of art). * The difference between using AI and a swipe file to help write your sales copy. * The brilliant thing Marvel (and other comicbook movies like Joker 2) do with their advertising that works so well people are almost more excited to watch the trailers (advertising) than the movies themselves! * The pros and cons of getting your fiction in with a big established publisher. (Personally, I don’t bother — not only because my politics would get me canceled and all the “offensive” stuff probably edited out like they are doing to established authors… but there are other reasons too.) * My (probably biased — but no less true) reason why authors should all have their own mobile apps. Here’s the link to subscribe: []( This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2024 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA