Crazy direct marketers who gleefully look forward to withering depressions
Published: Tue, 03/31/20
But back in 2008-2009, during the last economic crash, I had a client who hired me to write some 11 or 12 (give or take) full length sales letters for his line of info products and health supplement offers.
While the majority of clients were playing not to lose, he was playing to win.
And he was aggressive about getting as many of his offers out there as fast as possible.
When I talked to him on the phone early in the process, and we started talking about the economy he said:
(paraphrased)
“Direct response marketers who know what they are doing, do great during recessions, this is when we make all the money.”
Yes, hardcore direct marketers (and clients) don’t spend less during bad times, they spend more.
They don’t hold back on learning how to get more sales, they splurge on more of said info.
And, instead of being afraid and frozen in the headlights every time a talking head on the news says something horrifying, they triple down on trying to take advantage of the situation and gain as much market share as quickly as possible, while their timid competitors are holding back, investing in themselves and their businesses less, and being reactive instead of proactive.
Another story:
I remember around that same time a well-known info marketer and copywriter wrote an email or something (don’t recall where he published it exactly) about certain internet marketing guru-types he knew at a fancy restaurant, smiling, laughing, and toasting the recession that had just started that many people were already starting to suffer from.
Again, I don’t exactly remember where I read it.
But I do remember a lot of sob sisters and mush cookies getting extremely offended.
Right or wrong, I do not doubt that story about those guys was true, though.
And this is all potentially GOOD news for freelancers, coaches, and other service businesses.
Why?
Because there may not be a lot of them, but there are clients out there not only hiring, but will very likely be tripling down on hiring the best talent they can to take as much advantage of the current situation as they possibly can.
It’s so interesting being in this business.
I hear from the timid and the bold alike.
And the only thing that really separates them is attitude.
If you look for opportunity, you will find it.
It’s not unlike when the great Gary Bencivenga told a story about how if you were asked to look out a window at traffic and then look away, and if you were asked to name how many red cars you saw, you wouldn’t remember. You weren’t looking for them. But if you did it again, you’d be able to count how many there were because you were looking for them.
This is an extremely powerful principle of success at work.
And it’s something anyone can utilize.
Which brings me to the April “Email Players” issue.
It ain’t about how to find these clients.
But it does show you how to build a business around freelancing, coaching, and services, where you can be well-positioned to have these types of super clients potentially seeking you out, wanting to hire you, and even profit from certain would-be clients that don’t hire you. It’s my info-publishing model adapted to non-info-publishing. Thus, info-publishers can still — with a bit of thought and work — use a lot of the info inside. Especially if you want to add freelancing or coaching or other services to your roster of offers now or in the future to cash in on the demand for such.
I was originally going to publish this issue in May.
But, due to current circumstances, there was no way I wasn’t going to publish it ASAP.
It is simply too timely.
Thus, today's deadline to get in on time.
After I send it to the printer in a bit, it’ll simply be too late to get it.
Here’s the link:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com
Ben Settle