Doing the opposite of everyone else
Years ago, I sent a struggling event organizer an overview of my marquee service. At the time, the organization ran a million-dollar-plus annual event and was almost bankrupt. To say that the future looked bleak was an understatement.
Here's an excerpt of marketing copy that evidently irritated my future client ...
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START OF MARKETING COPY EXCERPT
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Now I'm going to be candid with you. The "scammers" out there who promise people insane results annoy me to no end! The proven system you're about to learn IS NOT a magic pill. You WON'T become a millionaire overnight or sell out your event in 10 seconds. If you're looking for a last-minute miracle for your event - please look elsewhere.
Sorry to disappoint you ... but it's the truth. In short, you can get some extraordinary results, but you're going to have to work at it. But please remember, I'm here to help you each step of the way!
The system is specifically designed event organizers who want to be proactive and maximize their advance ticket sales, plus supercharge the effectiveness of their advertising campaign. What do I mean by pro-active?
In short, people who take the information they LEARN and put it into ACTION.
Again - Let me be VERY DIRECT here - if you or your team are NOT good at implementation and really good at second-guessing, this training IS NOT for you!
If you have a vendor, Board member, or team member who's going to second guess the recommendations and results of over $11,000,000 of event tickets sales, this program is NOT for your show. Some people would classify that as egotistical and I'm ok with that.
To be brutally honest, I have ZERO TOLERANCE for people with lots of opinions and ZERO experience or quantifiable results. That said, I'm happy to learn from people who have produced similar results.
Also, this isn't a magic bullet or some B.S. "get rich quick" scheme. What you will learn takes time and dedication. You'll need to stick with the course outline and take action steps. The good news is that I'm here to guide you on each step of the journey.
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END OF MARKETING COPY EXCERPT
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After reading through my materials and a few telephone calls, some people within the organization classified me as an "egotistical lecturous a-hole who talks too much." (At least one part of the previous description is spot on!)
I'm not sure if it was an act of desperation or reluctance, but the organization signed on as a client.
It is with great elation to report that the client has turned their fortunes around! They now have a robust six-figure reserve in their bank account. Yes, there is still work to be done and it's not all peaches and cream.
If there is one powerful (seemingly over simplistic) quote to sum up the client's journey, it is this:
"Watch what everyone else does – do the opposite. The majority is always wrong." -Earl Nightingale
To the client's credit, they embarked on a journey that involved radically changing the pricing, marketing, and advertising of their event. All things they were extremely reluctant to do when they were broke.
When faced with financial desperation, dare to be different! When it comes to marketing and advertising your event, look at what other event organizers are doing and "do the opposite!"