Why I couldn't care less about “what’s working now!" in marketing

Back in June 2019 I had my first official: “Eat-a-fan contest” The unsung hero & would-be happy sacrificial lamb who asked the #1 best question for a podcast I was thinking of launching (that ended up just becoming my mobile app) would not only be featured by name (and with a speaking role!) in the novel I was writing at the time… but would have the honor & the privilege to be killed & eaten by one of the monsters in it, too. The winner of that contest? Long-time reader of my email ravings & rantings Diane Hochman. The question she asked was: “For as long as i have known you I have never seen you give a flipping fork about what anyone else is doing. How did you avoid falling into the reactionary mindset that most marketers go into trying to keep up with the Johnsons and ‘do what works’?” I considered this question the best for a multitude of reasons. Most people asked purely tactical questions. Or, even worse, wanted “hacks” they can apply to their copy or whatever. But Diane’s came from a place of deeper thinking. The big win & result isn't in the tricks & hacks. It’s in the big ideas. It’s also in the world-building. And in the culture-creating. And, yes, in the mission-pursuing. It’s also in the creating, leading, and vision-generating. Not in the copying, duplicating, or mimicking of what others are doing. Which bring me to answering her question: It simply does not occur to me to even look at — much less care one iota about — what supposedly “works” for others. And this is especially true knowing so much of what people beating their chests at masterminds and on social media say works demonstrably and reliably doesn’t work over the long haul in a lot of cases. And even if it does, it often only works for them, with their business' (or, more likely, their clients' - if it's a freelancer crowing about such things) unique attributes/offers/situations, and not necessarily anyone else's. Thus, there is nothing for me to react to. Doing so would be not just counter productive but utterly futile. If anything, I am likely to react in doing the opposite of what others do. Because at the end of the day: I have never, ever been steered wrong by stubbornly adhering to the late Earl Nightingale’s admonition of: “Whatever the majority of people is doing, under any given circumstances, if you do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” That is the short answer to Diane’s question. It is also essentially what my “elBenbo Press” book is about. It’s a theme embedded between the lines from start to finish. I cannot say for sure. But I suspect there is a good chance that much of my publishing model probably runs completely contrary to what you are hearing from your favorite guru(s) on the subject: from the marketing & offer-creation, to the pricing & packaging, to the psychology & selling of books, newsletters, and other offers. All right, that’s enough for now. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty about the book. “elBenbo Press” is very much a “Ben Settle 400-level” training. That means it is not at-all newbie-friendly. And while I’m not saying you have to have all my other books or be an Email Players subscriber to use it… I will say the longer you’ve been reading my emails, the more of my books you’ve read, and the more of “me” you are familiar with, the more suited you are for this information. It’s also my most expensive book yet, too. But, this week I am offering it at a thick $200.00 discount off the price listed on the sales page until Friday 11/19 at midnight EST. Here is the link: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com/press]( Use code SIZZLE at the checkout. And make sure you see the price change before entering any info. Ben Settle P.S. If you are interested in buying this book, read the sales letter very carefully before pulling the trigger. Don’t be a fool and purchase on blind impulse. This book is not only expensive, but the information inside requires substantial amounts of effort, ambition, patience, time, and discipline to learn, master, and profit from. Don’t say you weren’t warned. This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2021 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