Posted by: Clayton Makepeace
June 26, 2009
Originally Posted On: January 22, 2007

The Single Greatest Success Secret
(And how it can make you rich
beyond your wildest dreams)

Dear Business-Builder,

I was born cocky.

When I was 17 years old, running a Baumfolder in a printing plant for $1.60 an hour ($64 a week; $3,328 a year – before taxes!) – I was absolutely convinced I could write more compelling copy than I saw in the direct mail packages they had me working on …

At 23, as I slaved over a hot IBM Selectric at an L.A. agency for $15,000 a year, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my sales copy was by far the strongest stuff in the mail – probably the hottest copy anybody had ever written in the entire history of the direct response industry, period …

And when I was 30, earning $300,000 plus overrides each year creating promotions for a $250-million-a-year financial newsletter and rare coin retailer – I was just too cool for school.

Sure – I had heroes; the stuff I saw Gary Bencivenga, Jim Rutz and Bill Bonner cranking out never failed to blow my mind. But with those exceptions, I was always the smartest guy in every room.

According to me.

And so, when a client offered me a bit of constructive criticism, I’d just smile and politely ignore him. And when I received invitations to attend seminars or conferences on copywriting or direct marketing, I just smirked, rolled my eyes and tossed them into the nearest “round file.”

After all – I was THE guy. I knew it all. Nobody could tell me anything about how to create blockbuster products or premiums or world-beating promotions. Nobody’s ideas were as good as mine were.

I was, as they say, a legend in my own mind.

Pretty dumb, huh?

Of course when I think about it, that youthful cockiness got me a long way.

It gave me the nerve to call total strangers, tell them their promotions were stinking up the room and offer to save them from their dismal mediocrity for a reasonable fee.

And it gave me the backbone to survive failures and to keep pluggin’ when a sane person would have just quit.

But more recently – in the last decade or so – I’ve noticed a subtle but significant change in my attitude. And that change has led me to many of the biggest winners and the biggest money of my entire career …

I Mellowed.

Maybe it’s the combined effect of the lessons I’ve learned from getting my butt whupped in the mail a few times a year over 35 years. Maybe it’s being married to a redhead who’s always right.

Or maybe, it’s because after seeing 55-plus summers, I am now officially older than dirt, and this “mellow” thing just comes with age. Like inflatable prostates, insomnia and the rheumatiz.

 … But over the last decade or so, I’ve learned something astonishing: Other people have ideas, too!

In fact, LOTS of people have ideas. And believe it or not, some of them are actually good … a few are really great … and every once-in-a-while, one of them is truly spectacular.

Not only that: Other people are willing to share their ideas with me. All I have to do is maintain a modicum of humility … keep an open mind … listen carefully … think a while … write a while … and VOILA’! Some of those ideas turn into money.

Sometimes, huge money.

Did you know any of this? I mean – how long has this been going on?

I can afford a lot of things;
Arrogance is NOT one of them!

I only mention this because lately, I’ve noticed that some folks don’t seem to have learned this lesson.

You see them all over the ‘Net. Some are self-appointed gurus with huge egos, abrasive attitudes and an insulting way of addressing you.

Others are just poseurs who haunt the forums and blogs like so many vultures, yearning for the opportunity to inflate their own egos by talking down to you or ridiculing your ideas.

You know the guys I’m talking about: They’re arrogant, obnoxious, churlish, a real pain in the patootie. And the last thing they’ll ever do is admit that they don’t know it all, or that there’s anything they can learn from anybody.

Like dogs trying establish who’s leader of the pack, they go around humping everything that moves.

Problem is, some poor, naive folks mistake their arrogance for authority – or worse, for knowledge or actual experience.

And that’s a shame. Because the true experts in this industry are some of the sweetest, most unassuming guys and gals on the planet.

Spend a few minutes with Gary Bencivenga, Arthur Johnson, Parris Lampropoulos, Kent Komae, Carline Anglade-Cole, Kim Krausse, David Deutsch, John Carlton – or any other of the real-deal copywriting champs out there and you’ll see what I mean.

Every one of them is a prince or a princess – and for good reason: Month after month, they hang it all on the line to challenge a client’s control: Their reputations, their egos, their future income, the whole shebang.

The ones they win keep them going. The ones they lose keep them humble.

The phonies haven’t learned humility because they don’t, won’t or can’t compete at these levels. And so they just promote themselves – and in a transparent attempt to mask their own incompetence, they strut and cackle like so many banty roosters.

My advice? The next time you see a promotion, or an article, or a forum or blog posting from an arrogant or insulting fool, do yourself a favor: Shine him on. Maybe if we all ignore them, they’ll just go away.

Now, that advice alone is probably worth about a billion times what you paid to subscribe to The Total Package.

But that’s not why I’m writing this. My real point – and I do have one – is …

A good idea is still the most powerful
thing on Earth.

This direct response selling thing of ours – this “Cosa Vendere Nostra” – is fueled by ideas.

Product ideas. Premium ideas. Theme ideas. Headline ideas. Copy ideas. Offer ideas. Marketing strategy ideas. Media selection ideas.

In fact, the formula for direct response success can easily be boiled down to two, simple equations:

Good Ideas = Money.

Great Ideas = Beaucoup Money.

OK – so it’s not exactly “E=MC2” and I’m definitely no Einstein – but it’s true, nonetheless: The more good and great ideas you have, the more money you can make.

So how do you collect these ideas?

Well, staying humble, keeping an open mind and rejoicing in every opportunity to learn (e.g. the times when your promotion executes a flawless face-plant) is a great first step.

The second step is to get close to people like you who eat, sleep and breathe direct marketing, copywriting and design … who slug it out in the trenches day after day … and who have amassed an impressive record of amazing successes.

These are the guys and gals you need to get on a first-name basis with … to listen to … and to learn from.

Meet my Marketing Masterminds …

Over the years, I’ve surrounded myself with a handful of people I trust to bring me big response-boosting and money-making ideas: People I respect as being the very best at what they do.

These are the folks I call on when I need a fresh set of eyes on my copy … a breakthrough idea … or to solve a problem. And over the years, they’ve made me a bundle.

I’m talking about geniuses like Boardroom’s Brian Kurtz – the marketing brains behind the most successful soft-offer publisher in America and without a doubt, the best product developer I know.

And there’s on- and off-line marketing whiz MaryEllen Tribby – who created the most effective marketing division I’ve ever seen at Weiss and who’s now the boss lady at AgoraLearning’s superstar Web company Early to Rise …

Then, there’s best-selling author and copywriting superstar Bob Bly – who helps me create kick-butt winners in the health market and also helps me help you.

And there’s former copy cub and current copywriting superstar Kent Komae with whom I’ve created many a promotion for major clients – and whose interview in these pages drew rave reviews.

For graphics help, I lean heavily on my friend Rob Davis – hands-down, the most gifted, successful and sought–after direct mail designer in the business.

And although you may know Daniel Levis through The Total Package, what you don’t know is that he earned his place here only after earning his stripes in the direct marketing trenches.

And veteran “A” level copywriter David Deutsch, who may also be the single most creative guy I know.

And of course, Troy White – the international management and marketing coach whose knack for transforming small businesses into big ones impressed me so much, I invited him to join my team.

Each one of these experts is creating hugely profitable promotions on the Web and in print – and exploding clients’ sales – right now. Each is hard-wired into the strategies and tactics that are working best for our clients right now.

And if you get to know them, they can do the same for you.

Of all the questions I get asked by Total Package readers, one of the most popular ones goes something like this:

“They say you’re the highest-paid copywriter in America.

“How can I make the big bucks, too?”

My answer: “Surround yourself with experts who are best at doing the things you can’t do.”

I know – easier said than done.

Why not make it a point this week to begin building your marketing mastermind alliance? Make a list of the people you can call for advice … to brainstorm new product and promotion ideas … to critique your sales copy – whatever would accelerate your success.

Be available to help them if they’ll agree to help you.

Sure – to do that, you’ll first have to admit that you don’t know it all … that you’ll reach your goals more quickly with a little help from your friends.

But that’s a good thing.

Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,

Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these.

Looking for more of Clayton's articles? Check these out.

Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives.

---

19 Comments »

1. Comment by Dr. Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase — June 26, 2009 @ 10:51 am

   Thanks, Clayton.

   The lesson is straight-forward.
   And I’ve taken it to heart.

   Dr. Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase
   Founder,
   Successful Entrepreneurs’ Club
   http://www.secnig.com

2. Comment by Jeremy Reeves — June 26, 2009 @ 10:53 am

   Well said Clayton!

   That’s one thing I’m learning to do now - build up my mastermind group.

   I just got the opportunity to do a job for Robert Allen & Mark Victor Hansen kind of “through the grapevine” and will be in contact with some MAJOR Internet Marketing stars because of it.

   And, of course, I get to say I worked for them

   But the guy who is letting me write for them and I share tons of common interests and when we talked for the first time, both felt like we’d known each other for years - so I think we’ll be starting a mastermind.

   Then we’ll just have to look towards another 2, maybe 3 copywriters/marketers to join us and we’ll have 1 great team!

   Anyway…you hit it right on the head big guy!

   Jeremy Reeves

3. Comment by Emre Yuce — June 26, 2009 @ 11:38 am

   That’s exactly what Andrew Carnegie did when building the mighty U.S. Steel, and being the richest man on Earth (before spending more than 90% of it for charitable purposes).

   He surrounded himself with the best people for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing steel.

   Thanks for sharing your story and making me see once again that all business (indeed life) successes share a common foundation.

   Best,

   Emre

4. Comment by Phyllis Schwartz — June 26, 2009 @ 11:38 am

   Once again, Clayton, you have shared the kind of wisdom that can only be described as Golden. I’ve been a copywriter for three decades, and can’t think of anything that has humbled me more (outside of being a parent!).

   We disagree on politics but, when it comes to copywriting, there is no daily (business)email that I value more. So much greatness to study, so little time.

   Just one bone to pick with you on this — having recently turned 59, reading these words is a big, fat ouch: “Or maybe, it’s because after seeing 55-plus summers, I am now officially older than dirt.”

   Okay, I will now hobble off to the senior center, and leave you in peace to enjoy a great weekend. Thanks for sharing your greatness, Clayton. And thanks, too, for not ending your emails with “talk later.”

   Phyllis Schwartz

5. Comment by ADAM — June 26, 2009 @ 12:20 pm

   AWESOME, Clayton. Life-changing advice from the BOSS MAN of the direct marketing copywriting biz.

6. Comment by Femi John — June 26, 2009 @ 3:21 pm

   Thanks Clayton,

   This is wisdom from the Real Guru.

   It is well taking and will safe me the trouble of repeated failures.

   I am your Humble mentee

   femiJohn

7. Comment by Ekene — June 26, 2009 @ 7:02 pm

   No praises here, I take it as an advice and it will always sink. I read that a man is in trouble when he is not aware that he doesn’t know certain things.

   So great is he that sit among those he/she can learn from and really open up to learning and then acknowledge those lessons.

   Thank you for your open mind.

8. Comment by George — June 26, 2009 @ 9:44 pm

   Hello Clayton,

   Great ideas are like good tonic to keep the system purring smoothly. And you can find them only when you make it a habit to think constructively. To structure a direct response copy is to build it step by step and enjoy the final result. It is definitely an Eureka moment.

   Some people surround themselves with self-help books and magazines. I see many internet gurus advocating such a method to keep their creative energies topped up. It was refreshing to see the kind of people who have inspired you and continue to do so. Your posts give me a similar boost.

   Speaking of energy, it can be sapped pretty quickly. Not only is there an information overload on the net, but the kind of other reading we do from newspapers to books need a lot of application and soundness of mind to understand and master the techniques provided. In this context I am glad you have a newsletter on alternative health practices. It will have good advice that we need in these times.

   More for HIGHER ENERGY and greater results.

   Bye now,

   George

9. Comment by Susan Connors — June 27, 2009 @ 12:00 am

   Hi Clayton - thank you

   Walking around my home region yesterday talking to some business people, I was surprised.

   Most of them have no idea of this internet thing, how it works and so on - so far as their business is concerned. Some have limited computer skills and this is not uncommon.

   On a day off, mean’t to be spent shopping I spent talking to people about what their
   “constraints” were and finding ideas to help them get past it.

   Finding and identifying the constraints or their stumbling block/s, was not hard. Listening and asking questions, its surprising what you find.

   Being mellow helps keep the human aspect real. Thats one of the things I like and admire about the people here.

   So from a day wandering around town, shopping, and chatting, I now have several more clients to help.

   People don’t like to admit at times they have problems, as their are too many crocodiles out in the world who would take them for a ride. Take the money and run so to speak.

   Keeping yourself mellow, not appearing rude or a know-it-all manner - being yourself is what matters. People pick up on phonies and wannabes.

   Thank you for all the suggestions and advice throughout the Total Package.

   Living in rural Australia, I don’t get out to go to the seminars and so on in major cities. So I don’t personally know a lot of people working in our area of work.

   I find myself constantly visiting sites such as this and get insights, ideas etc which is invaluable in my day to day business and life.

   I have met a couple of people through here and it is working out well. Ideas to bounce off, critiques etc.

   All the best

   Susan Connors
   Australia

10. Comment by Dale — June 27, 2009 @ 1:34 am

    Great article Clayton! “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Ok, as a member of the older than dirt club (61) I can’t remember who said it. Was it Mark Twain, alias Samuel Clemens?

11. Pingback by ‘The Single Greatest Success Secret’ - ‘The Total Package’ — June 27, 2009 @ 6:22 am

    [...] The Single Greatest Success Secret (And How It Can Make You Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams)… [...]

12. Comment by Michelle Kapty — June 28, 2009 @ 1:35 am

    Thanks Clayton for the usual words of wisdom! I haven’t actually be able to read TTP in the last few months, been too busy expanding my 3 companies, but I thought that I would open your last issue and boy did I pick a good one to take a moment to read.
    You are so right and it is something I’ve been learning over the course of the last year or so…to keep myself open to other peoples thoughts and ideas, and it truly has made differences in my successes!
    Knowledge is irreplacable and even though we think we already know everything about everything, there is always someone who proves us wrong and makes us see how much more they know and can add to our own and enhance our skills to the fullest.
    I now have 3 people in my group…always searching for another one or two…and it’s the best thing I could have done!
    Keep passing along your knowledge and making the difference that you do in everyones lives!

    Thanks
    Michelle

13. Comment by loi — June 28, 2009 @ 7:19 am

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Your article reminds me of the saying,”to stay smart, surround yourself with people smarter than you are.”

    More power!

14. Comment by Bernie — June 28, 2009 @ 10:07 am

    Clayton, solid read for a Sunday morning.

    Humility is paramount to success. When you are willing to put your all out on the line, guess what, reality can slap you hard. Very hard.

    You realize (as all marketers should) it is never about you, it is always about your prospect and their needs.

    Its all very zen when you get down to it. Meet the needs of others and they will help you meet your own needs…, even to the tune of a million dollars a year.

    Cheers!

    Bernie Malonson

15. Comment by Kevin — June 28, 2009 @ 11:09 am

    Tell it like it is Clayton.

    Most of these internet “gurus” are just all talk.

    I only listen to the proven marketers such as John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Ted Nicholas and your good self. The rest are just pretenders.

    P.S. You aren’t getting old - you’re maturing like a fine wine

16. Comment by Steve Newdell — June 28, 2009 @ 4:50 pm

    I’ve been ranting about this a while…these boys with a goatee, and an ear ring leaning against a yellow Lamborgucci Pushtush telling you they have all the answers. Then we see their video and they can barely speak proper English or remember what to do with soap and water.

    Musicians, artists, and writers have the good sense to study the great masters, emulate them until you know all the rules. THEN, you can experiment with new concepts.

    I am not ready to consult for anyone. I’m looking forward to more study with Clayton and his Associates who have been so kind as to divulge their understandings to those of us who hope to make a small impact on at least a local market.

    Thank you friends for what you teach.

    StepheN

17. Comment by Jennie Heckel — June 29, 2009 @ 12:15 pm

    Dear Clayton,

    A sad story for you…

    I found out what a “runner” was. In the United States we think it is a person that, well they ‘run’. But in Australia ‘a runner’ is someone that takes your money and literally runs!

    I am working with a lady instructor at a prestigious school in Australia, building a sales letter for a series of seminar sessions for counseling teens and their parents.

    She was working with her ‘big guru business building coach’ and the guru (a she) skipped town after 3 weeks! The instructor lady only received 3 weekly phone calls and she was supposed to have phone and in person coaching for a full year and help with building her sales letters, website, auto responder setup and JV partnerships.

    Saddest fact is the instructor lady had paid her guru coach for a years worth of coaching, and get this… ( at a special discount price if you sign up for a year! ) to the tune of $7,000!

    Well, in a flash, you guessed it…the instructor lady lost all her money…

    The whole $7,000!

    The police can’t help since it is not a crime to do this…apparently there are no laws against this type of behavior so the only way the instructor lady can try to get any money back and prosecute is if she finds her guru runner and can get her into court!

    Then trying to get her to pay would be very difficult too!

    How do they garnish wages when the guru doesn’t have any job? Not one they can garnish anyway…

    She also was bilked with her hosting account, $300 for a Joolma setup which does not work and hosting for her website for one year. Now if you are savvy you know Joolma is FREEWARE, doesn’t cost a dime and she can’t use it since she has to pay for training on the Joolma, her ‘web guru’ set up for her before she can use it. Oh and Joolma is supposed to do everything for her…yeah right.

    I get horror stories like these each week, where nice people get scammed.

    Just makes me want to cry…then get mad.

    I delivered the completed sales letter with graphics that her ‘web guru’ was supposed to publish to her domain name, and setup her auto responder and add the PayPal code and get the site online.

    Well, the ‘web guru’ bowed out, he said he did not want to double charge her, since it would be cheaper if I finished it. The deal was I did the sales letter and graphics and he was supposed to add the PayPal code, publish her sales letter and do the auto responder work with Aweber.

    Again, long story short, I was up until 2 a.m. getting this done for her since her ‘web guru’ would not do it, (I don’t think he knew how) So, here is Jennie, setting up the lady’s Aweber auto responder and getting the email templates done, setting up the email database and importing her list, etc, etc, while letting my other clients I have patiently waiting to have their work done.

    So please everybody, when you work with someone, or hear of a friend wanting to get into the Internet biz, start an online business, etc, please tell them to check the ‘gurus’ they are working with out.

    The sad fact is, this lady now has little money to promote her business after this mess and all the money lost. I feel bad taking $450 to write the sales letter and get the darn thing all working for her. I am going to charge her for the time doing the Aweber stuff, but feel sad doing it and it is not MY fault. BTW I am charging her half what I normally would.

    I hope she has a full class of students and her first class is in less than 10 days, she waited until it was too late to contact me on elance to do this. And so you know, she found me via a referral from elance from another client of mine.

    So recommend people go to elance for their ‘gurus’ and check their rating, their feedback and their number of completed projects. Take the guess work out of finding a good person to help you with your new Internet business. Ask for referrals from previous work they have done if they don’t provide it, RUN!

    (That is run the other way in a good way.)

    On a good note, I know I will get more work from this lady, she says she has many friends that want an honest person to help them with their business online. I learned there are a lot of really decent people left in this world, and she is a really nice lady. So if you know anyone that is a parent and has a teen in trouble or wants teen achievement training in Australia, please contact me and I will forward you to her sales letter.

    Let’s all work together to prevent this type of scamming. It kept me up the night, I could not sleep, the day I found out she lost $7,000 and the website that they were working on never got finished before the ‘guru’ ran. Could use lose $7,000 in this way? I doubt it, even I could not.

    Final note, the sales letter is up and the optiin is working and her business is now online.

    Clayton, your letters always make me stop and think about how good I have it in this world, and how very lucky we are to have a support website as fine and honest as yours.

    Get well soon!

    Regards,

    Jennie Heckel
    Wisconsin Copy Cub
    SaleCopySecrets
    jennieheckel@aol.com

18. Comment by Kammy Thurman — July 1, 2009 @ 11:47 pm

    Jennie,

    Makes we wonder if we should handle these fake “gurus” the way casinos in my neck o’ the woods handle people who write bad checks — they advertise their names LOUD AND CLEAR in street signs. Maybe some “gurus” names need to be publicized LOUD AND CLEAR?

19. Comment by Alex K — July 7, 2009 @ 10:39 am

    Another winner Clayton. Your website became my morning coffee ritual.