Do You Believe?
The Redhead says I need to do a little housekeeping this week — and what The Redhead wants, The Redhead gets …
First, If you haven’t yet watched The Secret of The Golden Ladder video — and discovered the strategy I used to multiply a client’s sales revenues 43 times over in a single year — you’re almost out of time. It’s going offline in just over 48 hours — on April 30. It’s only about eight minutes long, so why not watch it now?
Second, as I’ve mentioned here before, we’ve spent the last year building a great little direct response marketing agency here in Western North Carolina.
ResponseInk™ now boasts a top-notch product development manager, five excellent copywriters, four web designers, a world-class art director, two affiliate/new business managers, a crackerjack fulfillment/customer service department, an excellent traffic cop whose job it is to make sure every project moves through our pipeline quickly and efficiently, and other great support people.
We’re pretty much doing it all for our existing clients — product development, overall marketing strategy, copywriting, online and offline design, PPC, SEO, media selection — the whole shootin’ match. It’s a turn-key deal, all masterminded and directed by yours truly. Kind of like strapping a super-charger onto your marketing department.
And the great news is, we ARE finally — finally — ready to accept one new client or joint venture partner.
We are not accepting one-shot freelance assignments and our exclusive arrangement with Weiss Research means we cannot work with other investment newsletter publishers. Other than that if you’re willing to pay us a portion of the sales we generate for you, the sky’s the limit.
So if you’d like to explore the possibility of partnering with us, just click here and use the handy form to tell us about yourself and your company or product idea.
Or, if you prefer, click here to send us an e-mail.
Or, if you just want to check out the ResponseInk™ site and learn more about our agency, click here.
We can only accept ONE new client in 2008 and we hope to begin discussions with our new prospective client 14 days from today — on Monday, May 12th.
So if the thought of having my team and I working full-time to explode your business is appealing to you, I’d strongly suggest that you let us hear from you soon.
Third, I need a vacation. So Wednesday night, The Redhead and I are boarding a flight bound for Vegas — where, for seven glorious days, I vow to purge all thoughts about marketing and copywriting from my fevered brain.
As you can imagine, my head really isn’t in the whole “How to write a world-beating control” place today. In fact, pretty much all I can think about is climbing on that plane Wednesday night and having The Redhead’s undivided attention for a whole week.
But I do have a couple of insights I think could make you a bundle (while I lose one), so here goes …
“The Triumph of Hope Over Experience”
Without it, there would be no second marriages … no cheering crowds behind Hillary, Obama or John on the six o’clock news … and of course, no Las Vegas.
The fact is, no matter how cynical, negative or worldly-wise each of us wants the world to think we are, all of us want to believe. Desperately.
And the simple fact is, hundreds of billions of dollars are earned each year by marketers who do little else but:
- Identify a deep-seated desire that is resident in a particular market niche,
- Create a promo that suspends their prospects’ disbelief and
- Step back and allow the prospect’s desire to believe to do the rest.
Take Vegas, for instance. We all know it’s the world’s greatest fleecing machine. We know that there are no games of chance there — that the odds are heavily weighted in favor of the casinos.
And yet even those of us who never expect to beat the house happily fork over thousands for travel, lodging and food — and then blissfully lose thousands more at the tables, knowing from experience that we’re being played for suckers.
Now I ask you: Is this anything a sentient, self-respecting, intelligent creature would do?
No. And that’s the whole point.
We are NOT sentient, self-respecting intelligent creatures. We only tell ourselves that we are. The truth is, we are driven by emotion. We only use our thinking brain to rationalize those emotional decisions after they’re made.
Think that’s an overstatement?
Don’t tell me, tell Deanna Blanchard — one of my crackerjack copywriters. She’s working with me on my bookstore book, The Emotional Sale. Last week, Deanna found a medical study you should consider …
Seems some people who suffer minimal brain damage retain their cognitive ability — their ability to reason — but lose their ability to feel any emotion. And when a major medical institution studied these poor souls, they found something fascinating …
When deprived of their ability to feel emotion, these still-intelligent, rational, thinking people were incapable of making ANY decision. They couldn’t even decide which shirt to wear … what to order in a restaurant … or how to manage their money!
I’m thrilled Deanna found that study. Because it proves beyond the shadow of a doubt something I’ve been talking and writing about for years:
If we made our spending decisions on the basis of logic, nobody would buy a new car — suffering the massive depreciation that slams you when you drive it off the lot. Heck: We wouldn’t buy any kind of car — new OR used — for that matter. We’d all be riding the Metro. Or the bus. Or a bicycle.
The same is true about designer clothing … makeup … expensive watches … high-calorie food with low nutritional value.
And who in his right mind would spend more than a few hundred bucks a month on a place to live — especially in these days of plunging home values?
Frankly, I’d be hard-pressed to think of much that we spend money on that makes any logical sense at all. We buy them simply because we want to believe.
We want to believe — so desperately — that these things will make us feel more confident … more successful … more secure … more fulfilled … happier … that we spend our entire lives mindlessly pursuing them.
Just get up early tomorrow morning and turn on CNBC — or just about any cable channel that runs infomercials at night — and you’ll see what I mean.
Put on your thinking cap, now …
If I told you there was a non-prescription pill — made entirely of vitamins and minerals — that will grow hair on a cue ball. Would you believe me?
Preposterous — right? After all: If vitamins and minerals reversed male pattern baldness, only anorexics and bulimics would lose their hair.
How about “the size of a certain part of a man’s body?” Would you believe that a few vitamins and minerals will magically transform a water spout into a fire hose?
Wouldn’t obese guys be the most “blessed” of all?
What? You don’t believe this stuff? You know what? Nobody does!
But you know what else? There’s an infomercial on TV that’s generating millions and millions in sales for an all-natural hair-regrowth product and another that’s making some scam artist rich selling vitamins that make your thingy bigger.
Why would anyone with an IQ larger than his shoe size buy such an obviously stupid product?
Because we desperately want to believe. We want to believe so much that a few simple testimonials and/or a floozy batting her false eyelashes at us causes us to suspend all disbelief and crack open our wallets.
You don’t have to prove your case beyond the shadow of a doubt. But you do have to give your prospect an excuse he can give his spouse for spending the money. A reason why — although he’s surely a sentient, intelligent person, it was logical to suspend his disbelief — just this once.
Hope this helps — I’m going to spend some time brushing up on my basic Blackjack strategy now …
Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,
Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
P.S. From my inbox: "We in Denmark cannot figure out why you are even bothering to hold an election.
"On one side, you have a witch who is a lawyer, married to a lawyer, and a lawyer who is married to a witch who is a lawyer.
"On the other side, you have a true war hero married to a woman with a huge chest who owns a beer distributorship.
"Is there a contest here?"
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26 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Richard Armstrong — April 28, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
Hey, Clayton, forget about blackjack. That’s a girlie game. You should play craps! Let me send you a copy of my novel, "God Doesn’t Shoot Craps." Not only is it the first novel ever written about a direct-mail copywriter, but it also contains a foolproof system for beating the game of craps based on the mathematical theory known as "Parrondo’s Paradox." (No kidding.) Give me the word and I’ll FedEx it to you. You can read it on the airplane and come home rich. (Or richer than you are.)
You’re admiring colleague,
Richard Armstrong
Comment by John Gilger — April 28, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
It’s great that you are coming out to Vegas! I hope y’all have a good time. This is a good time of year – the tail end of heaven (we only have two seasons, heaven and hell, and hell only lasts about two months)
BTW, the odds aren’t stacked "heavily" against you unless you like the sucker bets. Take "true odds" on the dice and the house edge is only 0.52%. Count cards and you can actually have an edge in Black Jack – that’s why they toss you out if you’re caught.
Have fun – this is the city of fantasy, so enjoy
Comment by Sarah Clachar, natural health copywriter — April 28, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
In fact, an interesting note from one neuroscientist who referred to the same study Clayton mentions notes that it’s not necessarily the current emotions that allow us to make decisions but the emotional memories from previous experiences that equip us to make decisions.
This underscores the need to build a relationship with your customers that has all kinds of good feelings involved. Even if you write compelling copy the first time, if you don’t deliver, you’ll only be creating a negative association that’s pretty strong. And follow up with good customer service, good follow-up communications.
Nick Usborne put it quite clearly when discussing email click open rates that the major predictor in how well your email will do is the relationship you’ve already established with your prospects in previous communications.
Also, it’s some of the logical stuff (scientific data, etc.) that taps into key emotions for conversion to a sale. People want to trust the person they’re purchasing from; they want answers and someone they can trust to give them a solution. They fear getting swindled, made a fool of . . . Any credibility booster - data, testimonials, experts -reach into the prospect’s emotional state and makes them feel that this is a safe place to be - and a safe transaction to make.
Sarah Clachar, health copywriter
Comment by Linda Byam — April 28, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Clayton and Wendy: Hope you have a swell time in Vegas! If you like Italian, there’s an as-I-remember-it wonderful restaurant called Batista’s Hole in the Wall. Used to be around the corner from the MGM. Great food. Charming people. Good prices. Do enjoy yourselves. Best wishes, Linda
Comment by David Grebow — April 28, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Clayton: Hopefully, what happens in Vegas will find it’s way back to this blog as more great insights into marketing and emotion. I look forward to your book The Emotional Sale. It’s not a well-kept secret. I have a friend who is a "super salesperson" and she’s successfully used it for years now. The difference is, she does not believe it can be done unless you are face-to-face. The Internet medium is too hard to ’see’ what people are feeling as you sell into their "emotional states". She used to tell me that the Earth was our Emotions and the Moon our Logic, just to put them into perspective. Logic can exert a pull over emotions but it’s minor compared to the fact that we live on the Earth - i.e. we ARE emotional creatures driven by emotion. I’m working on an idea called "Advantage-Driven Marketing" that uses storytelling and powerful images to create an emotional state for the reader - stories do that all the time. Love stories. Hate stories. Horror stories. Hope stories.. Benefit-driven marketing asks the reader to use their brain and look at the benefits. Studies I’ve read tell me that after that happens, the EMOTIONS take over and actually use the benefits as buttresses for the decision. So if you get your online reader into a story, into an emotional state, you have the advantage of selling to their emotions not their logic. Then there are those feelings that get lumped in with emotions though I’m not sure they’re the same - hunger, thirst, sex, flight, fight … they’re so basic they give rise to some of the biggest cliches in marketing and advertising - like "Sex sells". Okay, what does that mean? Does ‘fight’ sell people on going to war? Is ‘flight’ used when a bank red lines a location in a town? Anyway it’s a major topic for non-f2f sales and I hope that you hit a few ‘jackpot insights’ when you’re not trying to think about marketing in "Lost Wages". Hope you and Wendy have a great week!
Comment by Jennifer — April 28, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
As someone who is very much experienced in the neurological side of things, and can identify with any study, provide firsthand evidence, and is also married to a casino risk manager, email me for some hard core facts on both!
P.S. Have a good time in Vegas!
Comment by David — April 28, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
Here’s some Vegas nuggets and a story about Clayton …
How does a national award winning creative director end up in spending 25 years in the gambling biz on the Vegas strip? … since no one cares, did you know that Clayton is a "Super George?" When you play the tables or slots in Vegas, the dealers and cocktail waitresses have an efficient way of sizing you up … with 2 words - "Stiff or George." When their relief shows up, one word is all that’s needed and they will know how to treat you.
A Stiff is someone who doesn’t show any appreciation for service. They’ll win - order drinks - while the dealers and cocktail waitresses get nothing. A George is the opposite - a giving person who takes take of the help and a Super George is someone who really comes across. Back in the 90’s we had a guy that tipped the dealers about $2 Million a day at BJ when he came in and the cocktail waitresses got $10,000 for every beer - one got a check for the balance of her mortgage.
There are Stiffs and Georges in internet marketing too and most are the former. Clayton gives away more free valuable content than anyone I’ve seen.
Here’s some tips for Richard and Parrondo’s Paradox players. We know these games better than you do. Do you think we would rather hammer a clock every day and operate and protect these games from every diabolical scam on the planet … or become retired rich by beating the games? If you can beat a bank crap game, you’ll be the first one in history that’s done it … and you are smarter than Albert Einstein. Mathematically impossible means just what it says. System players serve as a great example of Clayton’s point: "People are willing to suspend all disbelief!" Einstein couldn’t beat the wheel or crap table, but no one can tell them that they can’t! But experience always gives them the truth.
Hey Clayton - don’t forget to hit 12 vs the dealer’s 2 or 3. And as a note, the stars are aligned for good people like you - it seems they generally win while we do our best to put the Stiffs on the chopping block.
David
Comment by Richard Armstrong — April 28, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
Thanks, David, now here’s some advice for you, courtesy of Shakespeare: There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Comment by Clayton Makepeace — April 28, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
Thanks, Richard – you already sent me the book. Great stuff! As a guy whose other passion in quantum physics, the Einstein-quoting title caught my attention right off the bat.
Hi, John – yeh, I know. In theory, at least. But is there a theory that explains dealers who turn every six into a 21? Or the times when you follow basic strategy to the letter for hours and can’t win a hand and even push on every 21 or Blackjack?
BTW: Have you seen "21?" Tragic mistelling of the M.I.T. Blackjack team story, but fun nonetheless. Thanks for the good wishes!
Great point, Sarah! That kind of ties in with Maslow, doesn’t it? Needs remain salient even when they’ve been fulfilled if you have the memory of past deprivation.
Thanks for the tip, Linda! We’ll look for it. BTW: Speaking of holes in the wall, if you’re ever in Pheonix, try The Hole in The Wall at the Camelback Pointe Resort. All-you-can-eat mesquite-smoked prime ribs. Amazing!
David, if you think about it, we all learned to leverage other people’s emotions when we were kids. How else can a six-year-old child "persuade" an adult to give him some power in the relationship? Everything you need to know about direct response copywriting, you learned before kindergarden
I know for a fact that your friend is dead wrong about the "doesn’t work except face to face" thing, though – and I’ve got the brokerage account balance to prove it.
Direct response is a game of numbers. You give up the power of directly observing your prospect’s reactions in return for talking to millions of prospects at once.
Face to face, you’re shooting for a 100% response rate. You want to close every prospect. In fact, because of the cost of face-to-face, you need an extremely high closing rate. In direct response, you’ll be a hero if you hit 1%, 2% or 4% on your promotions.
So when you acknowledge and activate and offer to fulfill the resident emotions the majority of your prospects have about companies like yours … products like yours … the benefits your product delivers and the current lack of those benefits in his life, you’re going to have a powerful impact on a large percentage of your prospects.
I do love the Earth/moon metaphor though – think I’ll steal it and tell everyone I made it up
Thanks, Linda – I’d love any info on casinos you think might help. The stuff about being married to a casino risk manager, not so much …
Hi, David #2 (I think) … thanks for the complement. I guess I’m a "George." I calculate tips for the bar girls on a mathematical formula based on inches of visible cleavage. Each inch of cleavage is good for $5 for each drink served.
Not really. I tip the heck out of everybody. My theory is that a workman (or woman) is worth of his (or her) hire.
Heck. If I had to wear a pair of four-inch heels and a push-up bra and deal with drunks all day, I’d sure as hell want more than a polite "thank-you!"
(I … said that out loud, didn’t I.)
Anyway, thanks for the good wishes, everyone, great thread – keep the comments, observations coming!
– Clayton
Comment by David — April 28, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
Richard, thanks for continuing to make the point that people are willing to suspend all disbelief. Keep digging, you’ll find a lot of quotes that you can use to portray an understanding beyond mortals. But here’s a famous quote and a gambling nugget that ‘if understood’ could save you a lot of money. "The dice have no memory."
Comment by Richard Armstrong — April 29, 2008 @ 8:04 am
David, if you’ve noticed that the casinos have a mathematical edge over the players, then you have a firm grasp of the obvious and you deserve credit for that. You’re also familiar with the "Gambler’s Fallacy," and I applaud you for that, too. But my dear boy, we live in a world where scientists have photographs of the same subatomic particle existing in two different places at the same time. There’s a lot out there we don’t understand. Galileo said "Mathematics is the language of the universe." (You wanted another quotation, you got it.) But the poetry of the universe is something else again. And there’s more to craps than just the math. Literal-minded people like yourself are indeed better off playing blackjack, a game that appeals to tax accountants and bookkeepers.
Comment by David Grebow — April 29, 2008 @ 10:01 am
Clayton:RE: "I do love the Earth/moon metaphor though – think I’ll steal it and tell everyone I made it up " No need … Checked with my "super salesperson" friend Steph and and she said the original quote came from a guy named "Clayton Make … something or another … oh yeah, peace. So it’s yours! That what you get for sharing so much of your brilliant thoughts … can’t even remember what you said! Enjoy … David G
KnowledgeStar
Comment by Clayton Makepeace — April 29, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
Now, Richard, be nice. "Accountant" and "bookkeeper" are four-letter words on this forum and calling one of our beloved readers such a thing could get your post vaporized …
Besides – I happen to be an inveterate blackjack player and I sure as heck ain’t no you-know-what!
So David, what do you say? Do we nuke Richard’s last post or what? I’ll leave it completely up to you …
Cheers!
Clayton
Comment by Cathy S — April 29, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
I’m guessing that you and The Redhead have been to Vegas before. Nevertheless, since I’ve lived here for 30 years–of course, moved here when I was very young–and the fact that I drive a cab, I can certainly give you some tips…
First of all, Battista’s is right around the corner from the Flamingo, not the MGM, like next to Bally’s. This place, darn, I think I ate there in 1979 or thereabouts. There are plenty of restaurants, all types, probably every possible ethnic group in the world. The hotel restaurants will soak you, if you care. (Us locals don’t eat at the hotels…LOL.) You’ll find us at Terrible’s, Ellis Island, Palace Station (off the Strip hotels are kinder and gentler). Since I rarely go out to eat, I’ll move on to shows.
OK. One of the best shows is Jersey Boys playing at the Palozzo. Just saw it last week. It’s a home run. Also like Platters, Coasters, and Marvelettes at the Sahara. Barry Manilow at the Hilton (if he is here when you are). Menopause at the Hilton (both men and women love it–I’ve seen it four times).
The Folies Bergere at the Tropicana is a good ole Vegas show, dancing, singing and showgirls. The oldest running show on the Strip. If you go there, make sure it’s not the covered show. Unless you don’t want to see any boobs. I’m going tonight.
Oh, how could I forget? George Wallace is one of the funniest guys going. He’s at the Flamingo, 10 p.m. show. I hear Bobby Slayton (Hooters) is good too and kinda raw. Magicians–don’t like Lance Burton, Steve Wyrick is good, going to see Dirk Arthur tomorrow. He uses tigers in his act so will probably like since I love big cats.
Don’t know much about Bette Midler, have not seen her. Do not like the Cirque De Soleil shows (sp.)…except for Mystere. Walked out of Ka a couple years ago. Heck, you might like that stuff…I don’t.
Shoot, I could go on and on…but have to get back to working on my assignment with AWAI. Yes, I’m new but plan on learning a thing or two from you (with some of your programs).
Would love to pick you up in the cab. I could use a good tipper…so many of them don’t have a clue. Have fun!
Comment by Cathy Sutter — April 29, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
On second thought…you might be taking limos… if not, watch those darn cabbies. They will long haul you every chance they get.
Or you could rent yourself a Harley at the Harley store on Eastern and Sahara and take a nice ride out to Red Rock Canyon.
– Cathy
Comment by Richard Armstrong — April 29, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
It could’ve been worse, Clayton, I could’ve said he was as "literal-minded as a client" … lol … but it’s cool. We’re communicating via email and we’re the best of friends now! Please don’t vaporize me. At my age, it takes forever to re-assemble your molecules.
Comment by Jennifer — April 29, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
Name is Jennifer, not Linda, but it is nice to know you are reading our posts! Actually, I only have one tip that would help, and I am not sure I should share it!
Risk Management only deals with liability, workers’ compensation, property, etc. Not gambling per se. Don’t worry about that one!
Comment by David — April 29, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
Thanks Clayton, no need to vaporize Richard’s post but just for the record, we are not exchanging emails. The more he writes, the more he illustrates the power behind your marketing lesson on suspending all disbelief. It’s not the first time a superior understanding of the universe has been used against the casinos - or to claim the intellectual highroad in an argument.
Clayton, I’ve read your article several times - printed it - and it’s sitting sheet protected in my binder entitled: "Best Marketing Insights." I never thought I could write an effective sales letter but a light came on! It’s subjective, but I think this edition of The Total Package is the most valuable to date. And it’s one of many examples of you being a "Super George" to your readers.
Come to think of it, I have friends who have whipped out their credit cards when those infomercials came on - for both products - hair miracle pills and born again stud solutions. They know better but bought anyway. What’s really mind boggling is the sheer volume of ongoing sales!
There are only 3 "beatable" gambling games - 21 - poker and sports betting. But, for the majority of people, the chances of beating any one of them (long run) are slim, none and slim left town. So what keeps the roulette and dice system players coming out here year after year? - and all "hell bent" that they know something we don’t. This has to be the same resident emotion that bought the infomercial goods - the power of wanting or "needing" to believe. Dreams are conjured like magic through great copy and the lure of Vegas alike.
Clayton, if you enjoy Asian food and an "eye feast" with dinner, try Tao at the Venetian. It’s a gorgeous restaurant - I’ve heard that they spent over $25 million on the decor. I don’t know how "comp savvy" you are but if you are playing blacks at the BJ tables, have your hotel casino host get off his duff and make you comped reservations.
Comment by Cathy Sutter — April 30, 2008 @ 12:57 am
Just wanted to add…forget about the Folies Bergere show. Just came home from seeing it– just wasn’t as good as it used to be. The only good thing was the comedian. Glad I didn’t pay for this one.
Comment by Clayton Makepeace — April 30, 2008 @ 2:22 am
You guys are great! Thanks for all the tips!
Yeah, I’ve been to Vegas a time or two before. Probably twenty or more times. Heck: I’m so old, I stayed at Circus Circus when it was just four years old (1972)!
When I got my pilot’s license back in the late 1970s, my first solo cross-country flight was from LA to Vegas. Wendy and I met for the first time at a Money Show at The Rivera. Few years back, we spent ten days at Bellagio in a $5,000 a night suite (they comped us).
I’ve also stayed at the old Stardust, Mirage, Ceasar’s, the MGM and several condos off the strip. Are the slots at Bally’s still the loosest on the strip? The Redhead loves "Wheel of Fortune" – actually wins at it every trip!
My favorite thing to do, though is Fremont Street. That’s classic Vegas at its best – and last time I was down there, there was even a Harley dealer at the end of the street (still there?).
I’m not so big on glitzy shows, but Wendy was able to drag me out to see Three Dog Night, the Beach Boys (we sat next to Jan and Dean!) and Bob Newhart in Vegas.
I’ve got a bajillion e-mails to write for a client today. Then, I gotta pick up a new cell phone before we head out at 3:00 PM (spilled a drink on the old one). Then a quick drive to Atlanta, overnight in a hotel, First-Class non-stop to Vegas in the morning (4 1/2 hours. Yuk).
Here’s a true story for you: Last time we flew out there, I had a few drinks on the flight and after a few hours – and in a state of severe nicotein withdrawal – decided that the no-smoking rule was probably negotiable. So I went into the bathroom and (to Wendy’s horror) lit up.
When I returned to my seat, the stewardess politely tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Sir, there’s a $500 fine for smoking in the lavatory."
I smiled, handed her $500 and said, "I’ll be spending the rest of the flight in the head. Would you bring me an Absolut on the rocks?"
She was not amused. Started talking jail time. Try that today and you’ll probably wind up dancing with an Air Marshall and spending the rest of the flight in restraints.
From Atlanta, the plan is simple: Limo to the hotel, check in, pull up a chair in front of a friendly dealer, order a drink and don’t move for a week.
… Or not. Actually, we’ll probably get out of the casino a lot. My lifelong buddy Denny Koska (You know: The guy who produces all those great infomercials for Script to Screen?) is driving over from LA for the weekend. And I’m seriously thinking about renting a car and hot-footing it over to Tahoe for a night.
The big thing, though, is purging all thoughts of marketing and copywriting from my burnt-out brain for a whole week.
When I get back, I want to hear lots of stories about how you guys just created the signature success of your entire careers … how it’s going to pay you six or even seven figures between now and Christmas … and how you’re going to tip ME 10% of that for helping you do it!
Cheers, y’all!
– Clayton
Comment by Cathy Sutter — April 30, 2008 @ 9:29 am
Uh, don’t know about a Harley dealer at the end of Fremont Street…You definitely don’t want to walk east past the Cortez. I won’t even pick up down there in the cab. There is a bar off of Ogden on Third (I think it’s Third–duh) called Hogs and Heifers…a biker bar and pretty much fun. Closest Harley dealer from Fremont is 2605 Eastern (Eastern and Sahara).
If you see any show here, Jersey Boys is the one. Don’t know about Bally’s having loosest slots…had not heard that before. I know someone won on Megabucks there about four years ago–$22 million. I think Fremont Street slots might be better. Don’t know, I don’t gamble much (rarely).
Comment by John Scola — April 30, 2008 @ 10:34 am
"I’ll be spending the rest of the flight in the head."
Couldn’t you open up the window or something?
And if you hear screaming… ignore it. People are just so hysterical these days…
John
Comment by Karen Gifford — April 30, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Good Luck in Vegas! Last time I went I won $2,000 on a slot machine at MGM. Our last night there (spent a weekend), a couple I went with actually went to bed early…right after dinner around 11pm of all things!! Anyway, I set out on my own to gamble the night away. I found a row of slots that kept paying…$50, $80, $20, $250! I was psyched! Then around 2am I hit a double jackpot…$2,000! That’s a LOT of money for me, and no one was around for me to tell!!! I called my friend’s hotel room and woke them up woohooing!!!
I’m a fellow Harley Rider (Sportster 1200 Custom…hoping to upgrade to a nice comfy ride as soon as my career gets underway). I’m just starting out as a writer…I’ve been paid for articles etc…and I’m hoping to learn as much as I can about copywriting and how to get clients etc… Right now I’m finishing up some courses for my degree (47 years old and finally finishing school!). I also signed up for that AWAI copywriting course…I hope it’s worth it!). Any advice or help you can offer would be so very much appreciated! I’m basically unemployed now and my savings account is dwindling fast!!!
If you’re ever attending any bike events let me know and maybe I can plan a trip and introduce myself! I currently live in upstate NY (Rome) after living almost 20 years in Orlando, Florida…Much colder riding weather up here!!! AND THE SEASON IS JUST TOO SHORT!!!
Comment by caleb osborne — April 30, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
OHMYGOD!
ROTFLMAO!
Seriously Clayton, this…
Was the FUNNIEST thing I’ve read in WEEKS!With Love,
Caleb
Comment by Sharon B. — April 30, 2008 @ 5:53 pm
Karen–AWAI is DEFINITELY worth it. You won’t find a program of that caliber anywhere else. I am doing it myself and can vouch for the quality wholeheartedly. It is the best thing I ever invested in.
Clayton–have a great time in Vegas! I hope you and the Redhead both win big.
Comment by Jacob Bear — April 30, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
"When I returned to my seat, the stewardess politely tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Sir, there’s a $500 fine for smoking in the lavatory." I smiled, handed her $500 and said, "I’ll be spending the rest of the flight in the head. Would you bring me an Absolut on the rocks?""
LOL! Great one Clayton! Even as an anti-smoking nazi crusader (I write copy for the health/nutraceuticals market) I have to cheer you on for that one, for being unapologetically you.