Three years ago, I wrote a prescient email that started out so:
“Today, I want to share with you a marketing technique so powerful, so daring, so all-around incredible that I wish I had the circumstances and the courage to implement it myself right now.”
This powerful, daring, and all-around incredible marketing technique is something I found in a book about P.T. Barnum. Lemme tell you about it.
Barnum once promoted a Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind, on her first tour of the U.S. He ran ads in newspapers to promote Lind, but not just that.
Barnum also — get ready for this — ran an auction for the very first Lind ticket to be sold.
But again, not just that.
Barnum went in private to see a certain hat maker, Genin, and told Genin to bid as much as needed to win.
Barnum then went to a Dr. Brandreth, a maker of patent medicines, and also told the good doctor to bid as much as needed.
“The higher the price,” Barnum told both men separately, “the greater renown it will give you all over the country within twenty-four hours.”
Genin listened. He kept bidding and ended up putting up the winning $225 bid for the first Lind ticket, about $8,662 in today’s money.
Within 24 hours, the name “Genin the hat maker” was known all over the country.
Ragged and beat up “real Genin hats” started being sold at a 46,000% markup.
Genin started selling 10,000 extra hats a year on the back of that initial $225 investment — and became a very rich man.
Dr. Brandreth, on the other hand, didn’t listen to Barnum’s advice.
Brandeth decided to cap his bidding at $200, and he lost the opportunity to win the first Lind ticket. He later said:
“I had better have paid $5,000 [over $192,000 in today’s money] than to have missed securing the first Jenny Lind ticket. Such a splendid chance for notoriety will never offer itself again.”
Three years ago, as I said, I didn’t have the courage or circumstances to implement Barnum’s powerful, daring, and all-around incredible auction idea.
Today I have the circumstances — my Daily Email House group, where I can run the auction. And as for courage, I have gathered that too, and will run my own first auction soon.
Ultimately, this auction is your opportunity to build a name for yourself, gain notoriety, and achieve status, all while building up your email list.
If you win the auction, I will use my own good name, standing, and authority with my list to hold you up like baby Simba and say “Behold!” while all the gazelles and zebras stare up in wonder and applaud.
But even before that happens, you will already have gotten your name into people’s minds.
“Who is this Genin the hat maker?” they will ask, except with your name except Genin’s.
Some people are sure to look you up and sign up for your list right away.
If you have a flair for showmanship and self-promotion, you will be able to capitalize immediately by making a big deal out of being the winning bidder.
But even if not, your name will simply become more familiar to people — including the many influential marketers and business owners who read these emails — so they become more responsive to you the next time hear of you.
Now lean in. Close. I wanna whisper something important to you:
If you’re looking to build a name for yourself, I advise you, in secret, one-to-one, just you and me here inside this email, to bid as much as it takes to win.
It will be a splendid chance to win renown for yourself that will never offer itself again.
You’re likely to profit many times over what you will bid to win. Of course, I’m even guaranteeing that you will make all your money back before I’m done promoting you.
More details on my auction soon.
Meanwhile, if you wanna secure your spot inside Daily Email House, where the auction will be happening:
https://bejakovic.com/house
