Why tacticians get spanked by strategists
Published: Fri, 04/16/21
Once upon a time, the late, great copywriting genius Gary Halbert and a copywriter named Chase Revel both sold basically the same kind of product, to the same market.
Specifically, a fake diamond offer.
So first, Gary wrote his typical brilliant ad.
If you’ve never read his Beverly Hills Diamond ad, it’s easily found on Google.
And, according to the great marketing strategist Jay Abraham — who I heard tell this story — Gary Halbert, the superior copywriter & tactician, spent some $30k to run his brilliantly written ad. It then brought in something like $42k after refunds and costs, and he made his profit (worth a lot more in today’s money, for any shallow thinking goo-roo fanboys reading this) and walked off with a respectable profit for the time spent.
Then Chase did his promo.
Chase, the strategist, also wrote a good ad, but was not even in Gary’s league.
But that’s okay, because what he did — as a strategist vs what Gary did as a tactician — is, he spent the same $30k to run his promo. But he didn’t just create an offer. He created a business with a back end offer, which didn’t even make enough to get his ad costs back on the front end, but with a story behind it and a strategy to get repeat sales, and the implementation of a well thought out and executed marketing plan.
His result with his "inferior" copy/tactics?
$25 million in sales on the back end.
As Jay put it:
“That’s the difference between being strategic and tactical.”
Thus the subject line of this email:
The strategist not only beats the tactician in a fight, but puts the tactician in the hospital, in a full body cast, drinking out of a straw, with a nurse changing his bedpan.
Do with this info what ye will.
But I think it adequately explains the power of being a strategist.
Before I wrap this up, one more thing to think about:
Tacticians can do extremely well when they want to.
(i.e., the Gary Halberts of the world)
But the intellectually honest ones will admit that, compared to strategists, they make peanuts. Like Gary Halbert did about the great Dan Kennedy (one of those rare people who I believe is both a great strategist AND a great tactician) in his newsletter titled:
“How Plastic Surgery Helped Me Become A World-Class Copywriter”
Specifically, when he said…
===
I'd rather have [Dan Kennedy] taking care of my marketing affairs than I would me. He'd be out there getting the job done while I was "bottle-necking" (hey, I think I just invented a new word!) and agonizing over something already 99% perfect.
===
Last word on tactics vs strategy:
They both have their place, both are needed, and neither is "better" than the other at everything.
Don't win wars with just generals and no soldiers, or no generals and all soldiers.
And when it comes to email, it’s good to be as much as both as possible.
Something I believe the “Email Players” newsletter can help with each month.
Here’s the link:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com
Ben Settle