The folly of blindly depending on tracking, testing, & other marketing metrics

Behold a quote from director Martin Scorsese: (about acting legend Kirk Douglas) “Some actually believe that these qualities [commitment and dedication to the art form] that I’m talking about can be replaced by algorithms and formulas and business calculations, but please remember it’s all an illusion...” Maybe this isn’t directly related to marketing & business. But, it is related enough to serve as a reminder of the dangers of being enslaved to, 100% dependent upon, and making all your decisions based on “metrics” and formulas — and how doing so may make you a million, but can also prevent you from making hundreds of millions or even possibly a billion+. Example: The late Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. The publisher Martin Goodman in the 50's and early 60’s was a slave to metrics and sales stats and trends. His whole business model was “see what kind of comicbooks are selling, flood the market with similar titles until it is no longer popular, rinse and repeat.” And he became a very “rich” man doing that. But, it wasn’t until Stan Lee went completely against all that when Martin Goodman became a truly wealthy man when, in one last act of defiance in working for a soul-less company dependent on metrics, stats, and trends… Stan Lee wrote the Fantastic Four, followed by Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, etc. Today Marvel’s brands above are individually each worth multiple billions of dollars. George Lucas did the same with Star Wars. At the time Sci-fi was not "in" when he made the first movie. And nearly zero Hollywood metrics thought it would be all that fruitful. Main reason he was able to make it at all is because American Graffiti did so well, and Fox had agreed to let him make his “Flash Gordon” movie he has been wanting to make, but that they had no intention of investing a lot of money in. A more down-to-earth example: I’ve never had my biggest breakthroughs due to metrics or testing. Not one single blessed time. It’s always been by having a dialogue (via daily emails) with my list & audience, and interpreting what they want to buy — without them having to tell me, or me ever looking at a spreadsheet — by being in consistent & persistent contact with them, observing what they say & do & buy, discerning the market’s mood & desires, and combining all that with my own interests, brand, positioning, and personal intellectual & creative pursuits. Here are offers I’d never have created if I cared at-all about metrics: * The Email Players newsletter * Copy Troll * Copy Slacker * Brand Barbarian * Infotainment Jackpot * All 3 of my “Villains” Books * Email Client Horde * Breakneck Content * Email Players List Swell * Affiliate Launch Copynomicon * Social Lair * Markauteur * Copy Salesliloquies: Vol 1 * BizWorld * NOfluence * Email Players Annual #1: Swipeocalypse * The upcoming Email Players Annual #2 * The next round of books I’m publishing next year In other words: Every single book & newsletter issue I publish. Not to mention my 10-Minute Workday program AWAI sells. In fact, about the only offer that is based on metrics I have anything to do with is Learnistic — and the ridiculously high adoption rate with mobile phones and digital content around the world. Plus don’t even get me started on my “elBenbo Press” book on sale this week no test or metric told me to write & publish. When it launched t was the single most profitable book launch I’d ever done to my list. Yet nobody except maybe 1 or 2 people I can think of outright asked for something like it. Nor was there anything exactly like it being sold anywhere as precedent. Because there is no other “me” anywhere. That said: I will type the following very slow for any reply guys mewling about this email. I am not saying metrics aren’t important. And I am not saying to ignore metrics and not to test. Nor am I saying you shouldn’t bother with life time value, sales figures, RFM, stick rates, and other metrics, assuming you have the traffic/numbers & technological tracking & logistical mechanisms in place to make any real use of them. These are totally separate functions I am speaking of. And if your business relies on that intel, you'd be a fool to not keep gathering & using it. Point of all this is: There are forces at work just as important than metrics you can’t control or direct via tech & spreadsheets & analytics alone. I am referring to a “sensitivity” to your list & audience... combined with your unique brand, marketplace positioning, attributes, appeal, strengths, and other peculiarities you can only effectively use by having constant — and, I would argue, daily — contact with your market, your audience, and your list. Something email lets you play like a fiddle. It’s also the essence of my elBenbo Press publishing model. Including the psychology behind it. The logistics behind it. And the strategy, long-game, and even endgame behind it. However, a caveat: “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 one of my most expensive books yet, too. But, during the sale this weekend I am offering it at a thick $200.00 discount off the price listed on the sales page until tonight, Sunday 9/17 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 © 2023 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