Everything You Ever Wanted
To Know About
"Gun to the Head" Marketing,
But Were Afraid to Ask!
In this issue:
- Two powerful motivational tools… how and when to use them …
- Why only 1% of people really think …
- How an old dog learns new tricks …
- What we’re all searching for …
- And more!
Dear Web Business Builder,
Last week, in John Newtson’s excellent article, he asked you what motivated YOU to become a highly paid, world-class copywriting rock star. And he referenced a post on THE TOTAL PACKAGE forum where Caleb O’Dowd spoke of something the late great Gary Halbert (bless his soul) referred to as, “Gun to the Head” marketing. John wrote:
A bigger motivator than having a dream
'It wasn’t until after my wedding and honeymoon (two weeks lazing about in the Tuscan hills of Chianti) that a more immediate need to finally DO something took hold of me.
'The great motivator? A big, fat nasty, behemoth of a monthly mortgage payment nestling down on my shoulders. The result of buying a house in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country – Washington D.C./Northern Virginia…
'…At near the height of the market (you’re supposed to buy high and sell low, right?)
'And that taught me the lesson Caleb O’Dowd, protégé to the late Gary Halbert, so eloquently posted on our forum recently:
‘I usually find a lot of inspiration from the threat of rapidly approaching poverty.
‘There’s nothing like the fear of not having enough money to feed myself, or pay for next months rent, to get the flames of inspiration burning "brightly" in my mind.
‘Gary Halbert once told me he is at his best when his head is barely above the financial water line. I happen to see the logic in that.’
'Amen! Dreams are great but nothing kicks you into high-gear like not having any other options. And once you start moving, low-and-behold, your dreams start to become realities!'
The point being, “survival” can be a great motivator. You better believe it. That’s how I learned to swim. My old man just threw me off the dock, and that was my training. But …
Can “Gun to the Head” Copywriting
Make You Rich?
I can’t think of a better way to fast track any career change. If you really want to be a professional copywriter, the best way bar none, is to just quit your F’ing day job right now. I mean that sincerely. If you’ve got the balls to do that, you WILL succeed. If you’re a wannabe copywriter, then “gun to the head” copywriting is for you.
But here’s the problem for all you pros out there … “Gun to the Head” copywriting, or “Gun to the Head” marketing, or “Gun to the Head” anything for that matter — as romantic as it sounds — is a lousy long-term motivational strategy. You will never get rich this way.
As soon as the fat starts to accumulate around your belly, you’ll begin to slide, until the gun is back at your head. Many people run this treadmill their entire lives. I know I’ve been around a couple of times myself.
True and lasting wealth can only come from finding your deepest motivation in the service of those beyond your immediate kith and kin: People who do not depend on you for their “survival”, and therefore have no power to hold a figurative gun to your head.
Though I realized this was true, for years, I was addicted to “gun to the head” heroism, and the terminal roller coaster ride it entails. Many people, I believe, struggle with this addiction.
Like any conditioned response it requires mindfulness to transcend…
I’ll always remember part of a presentation that one of my early mentors used to give, where he would say: “Only 1% of people really think. Another 10% of people think they think. And the remainder would rather DIE than think.”
18 years ago, when I heard this, it resonated with me in a weird sort of way. But I had no idea how absolutely true it really is. With each passing day I gain an increasing appreciation for its offbeat wisdom …
Even science is now discovering that by the time most people reach adulthood, they stop thinking new thoughts. This has profound implications to web marketing, to copywriting, to motivation, and just about everything else you can imagine.
How An Old Dog
Learns New Tricks …
Dr. Joe Dispenza, in his new book, “Evolve Your Brain” describes human mental development as the establishment of “neural networks” within the brain. As children, we build highways between the billions of neurons housed within our melons as we learn to tie our shoes, ride our bikes, read a book, and literally thousands of other tasks we must master to survive in the world.
Our prefrontal cortexes (our rational brains) are extremely active while we’re doing this. And with each new piece of learning, a flood of chemicals is released into our blood streams. These chemicals create feelings that result in a corresponding emotional imprint.
In adulthood, true learning virtually stops. And we begin to unquestioningly relate what we perceive through our existing filters of belief.
Rarely, and only through concentrated effort, do we apply our rational brains to anything more significant than simply directing what we perceive through one of our already established neural networks. Rarely do we create new ones. We just run the same old subroutines over and over again.
And each time we do, the original imprinted chemical signature is rereleased, resulting in the emotion originally associated with the creation of that neural network. Obviously this is much more complex than it sounds. Emotions are actually like colors, where the primary ones mix to form a potential kaleidoscope of shades and subtleties.
The end result of all this is that we fool ourselves into thinking we’re thinking, when in fact we are feeling. We do this constantly and unconsciously. Your prospects do this too.
What’s even more interesting about Dispenza’s work is the fact that he’s discovered we actually get physically addicted to these patterns. The cells within our bodies begin to crave the specific chemical cocktails that are released when we keep triggering the same old conditioned responses, regardless of the given stimuli. This in turn creates a biofeedback loop that further reinforces the existing neural networks that exist.
Over time, these addictions become inexorably intertwined with our very sense of identity, and therefore the mere act of creating new neural networks becomes uncomfortable. True rational thought actually throws our chemical soup out of balance, and we don’t feel like ourselves.
This kind of discomfort is extremely good for you and your business. It means you’re thinking and growing. And opening up new avenues of creativity and opportunity.
Even more importantly, it allows you to see your addiction to a motivational strategy that may no longer serve you (or any other limiting belief for that matter) for what it is, freeing you to begin boldly replacing it with one that does.
That could mean finding the courage to embrace “Gun to the Head” marketing… or transcending it, depending on where you are in your career.
Guess What Else
You Can Do With This …
On the flip side of the same coin, feeding the emotional addictions of others through the power of suggestion is what super profitable marketing is all about. This is dominant emotion selling at its pinnacle of effectiveness.
When your copy aligns with your prospect’s existing sub-programs, as he sub-vocalizes your words, a potent chemical elixir is released into his bloodstream that he is almost powerless to defend against.
The feelings he is already addicted to begin to light up in his nerve endings. You give him a little fix, and before long he’s drooling for more. Like Pavlov’s dog, all he needs is the correct stimulus.
This is in fact the exact dynamic that exists in any highly lucrative market. How else do you explain the serial purchasing behavior that makes direct marketing so profitable?
Your best prospects are junkies who are emotionally addicted to the appeals of your product. They’ll buy the same product wrapped in slightly different garb over and over and over and over again.
I leave you with this…
We’re all searching for TRUTH.
Truth is incredibly important to us. We are driven to discover it.
But what is truth? I’ll tell you …
Truth is the revelation of what we already believe to be true, but have never before heard in words, or confronted. TRUTH is what we accept as true, not because it is based on FACT, but because it fits in with our pre-existing beliefs, be they foolish or profound.
Until next time, Good Selling!
Daniel Levis
Editor, The Web Marketing Advisor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
P.S. For a limited time, you can now cram your hard drive full of control busting copy at a $100 savings with the Steal These Secrets Swipefile. Stop racking your brain needlessly for creative ideas when you can have a treasure trove of proven winning concepts at your fingertips – guaranteed to open the profit floodgates – or your money back! Check it out!
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Comment by Mark Myhre — April 25, 2007 @ 11:39 am
My experience has been that when I motivate out of franticness I end up with a somewhat-frantic result.
I recently sat down and thought about what motivation I would *like* to have when writing, and came up with the following reasons:
1. to live my dream
2. to honestly help people
3. to do good honest work
4. to have fun!
5. to challenge myself
6. to engage my world in a positive way
7. to express myself
Now, when I write (especially before I start) I sit down and imagine all seven of those reasons are contained within a ball of energy right in front of me.
That ball of energy represents my consciousness.
I focus on that ball and even imagine I\’m reaching out and touching it.
It made a difference in my bottom line AND I feel a lot better about writing.
It also ended any procrastination.
Something to think about….
Comment by Jamie — April 25, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
Isn\’t that akin to Tai-Chi?
Chi, meaning breath, energy, life. When one focuses that energy into a ball of creativity which they can \”feel\” and manipulate, in their third eye, it makes perfect sense that you\’d be able to pull things out much easier and \”feel\” better about writing.
In a way, you\’re addicting yourself to those same \”chemical cocktails\” and pathways that Daniel was talking about up top. You\’ve now engaged your frontal lobe into creating a network that serves the purpose of writing.
In other words, I think this is a great insight into how to avoid the issues of procrastination, laziness, repression of writing flow etc. I don\’t know if that made sense.
In any case, that was a really good article. Highly insightful. Thank you.
Comment by Mark Myhre — April 25, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
Oh, I\’m addicted alright!
Since you mentioned the chi -
I see that as being my *total* energy, while the ball I was referring to is the thinking-feeling-aware part of me. Certainly the frontal lobes come into play there.
My \’conscious\’ consciousness (as opposed to, say, my subconscious or my unconscious)
That ball I visualize is the \”I\” - while the chi is the total \”me\”
Not to get too far into outer space, but I \’put\’ the chi energy (that\’s located two inches below the navel) into that ball of consciousness that
I visualize in front of me.
That\’s where the addiction comes in. Talk about a rush.
I better shut up now before this gets too out of hand!
Comment by Kim — April 25, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
Was not familiar w/the phrase.
Would have liked you to have delved in more specifically on: a. Ourselves: how we can tell we\’re building connections vs. emotionally connecting?
Just feeling uncomfortable could be a bad burrito…
b. Our Prospects: got any tips for uncovering their emotional addictions?
Anyway, enjoyed your topic.
Comment by Jamie — April 25, 2007 @ 11:59 pm
Ha! :grin
Mark,
That\’s great chi-t right there maynard… LOL… But seriously, thanks, I\’m going to begin that exercise myself, and see if it works for my writing and focus on the overall effectiveness of my copy writing.
I honestly believe that there are many things that could help, which are not normal pathways for people to achieve their goals in writing or any other endeavors…
Further, that many of them can be drawn from martial and metaphysical, as well as raw scientific principles, which Daniel\’s article was explaining.
And yes, Chi collects and expands from 2\” below the navel as it\’s drawn in from the lungs and the other extremities of the body, and then pushed out through your fingertips, and into grounding through your feet. Well, through anyones, actually.
This is done unconsciously, mostly, much as our \”normal\” behaviors. But harnessing this energy, in that same ball of consciousness as you\’ve spoken about is the key here.
I\’m wondering if this can\’t apply to stepping out of a persons comfort zone, so that they can create a whole new neural net, every time they do something or encounter something new.
Utilizing the focus of Chi, of course, was my point. It really is a powerful force.
Peace.