Roy H. Williams

Fear v. glory

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This past weekend I finally broke down and listened to an interview with Dr. Andrew Huberman.

Even though I’ve never listened to Dr. Andrew speak before, I’ve written about him in this newsletter.

That’s because the man is a phenomenon.

He’s been the fastest-rising podcaster of the past year or so. An international celebrity. I’ve heard talk of him from a half dozen entirely unrelated people, living in as many separate countries.

Anyways, among the many novel recommendations Dr. Andrew has for your health, one is:

Several times a day, practice panoramic vision.

Find a place that allows you to look off into the distance, so the immediate details around you melt away.

It’s a physical equivalent of mentally seeing the bigger picture. And like with so many other things, the physical and mental equivalents are linked, or so Dr. Andrew says. According to the research in his lab at Stanford University, “panoramic vision practice” lowers stress hormones yadda yadda.

All right, and now for marketing:

Yesterday, the “Wizard of Ads,” Roy H. Williams (not a doctor), wrote a very interesting email.

Even though I’ve never listened to Roy H. speak before, I’ve written about him in this newsletter.

That’s because the man is a phenomenon.

He’s written several books about advertising that have sold well. He appears to head an international advertising agency. Plus he has a weekly email newsletter.

Anyways, among the many novel recommendations Roy H. has for your marketing, one is:

Reframe pain v. gain as fear v. glory.

People are very reluctant to experience pain, says Roy. But they are only modestly motivated by gain. Pleasure is not much more motivating.

Instead, what you want is for your prospect to look off into the distance, so the immediate details around him melt away.

It’s a mental equivalent of panoramic vision practice. And like so many other things, the physical and mental equivalents are linked, or so Roy H. says. According to the research in his kitchen somewhere in Texas, reframing pain as fear and gain as glory lowers your prospect’s buying resistance yadda yadda.

All right, and now for sales, our last topic for today:

Ever since I started selling my Most Valuable Email training, one of the claims I’ve made is that you can get through this course in an hour and start applying the MVE trick right after.

And it’s true, but it’s also marketing hype. As Spanish A-list copywriter Rafa Casas wrote me:

“Thanks for the course. It’s true that it can be read in an hour, but it needs more resting time and practice to get the full potential out of it. Which is a lot.”

You know, and I know, that if you do go through this training, quick and brief though it is, that’s when the real work starts.

In order to get any real-world benefit out of my Most Valuable Email, you will need to apply the MVE trick yourself dozens or maybe hundreds of times, over the course of months or maybe years.

Maybe that amount of work scares you. Maybe you’re afraid of the commitment, or maybe you’re simply afraid to set your mind to it and then fail.

Those are serious things to worry about. I won’t lie to you and say that they’re not.

On the other hand, imagine the acclaim, praise, and yes, even pride you can win if you do manage to get the full potential out of this course. Imagine:

Readers writing to you regularly to say you’ve blown their minds…

Industry heavy-hitters sending you endorsements and treating you like an equal…

And most important of all, the knowledge inside that you’ve accomplished something in spite of your own fears, that you’ve got a valuable skill that nobody can take away from you, that you can feel good about yourself for doing something that few other people were willing to do.

The choice is yours. If you’re willing to act:

http://bejakovic.com/mve/

Once upon a time

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It was a dark and stormy morning, and the anti-hero of our story, Bond Jebakovic, was sitting in a dimly-lit coffee shop — one of the few dimly-lit coffee shops in this otherwise-sunny Catalan town, for Barcelona is where our story takes place — sipping a latte, his bloodshot eyes glued to the door.

Bond was on a top-secret mission, and he was desperate for intel.

Suddenly, a woman walked in.

​​She was wearing a raincoat and sunglasses, though, as mentioned, it was a dark and stormy morning, and sunglasses were really not required. ​​Maybe it was for effect? Or maybe she had something to hide?

The woman looked around. The coffee shop was empty except for Bond, who was sitting on an uncomfortable bench in the corner.

The stranger walked to the counter and ordered. “Double espresso,” she said, “and one of those little pistachio cookies.”

While the barista busied himself with the order, the woman ambled around the coffee shop. ​​She approached and examined the large monstera plant in the corner. She walked to the large window and looked out to the gray street outside. Finally, she took a few steps towards Bond. ​​Without a sound, she dropped an envelope on the bench next to him.

​​Bond grabbed the envelope. ​On the face of it was a typewrittten title: Monday Morning Memo. Bond tore it open and started to read:

From: Research Dept. Head Roy H. Williams
21 Nov 2022, 7:11AM CET

Bond —

I was most pleased to hear you are still alive. Unfortunately, we can’t allow you any rest. You must deliver the following message immediately to AK. it’s a matter of life and death.

Start of Message:

Most stories should be told as fiction, even when they are true. When confronted with facts we are always on our guard. But the words, “Once Upon a Time” dispel doubt, open the imagination, and create a willing suspension of disbelief.

Case study from Agent William Lederer:

“I was a journalist and none of my books had sold very well, so I showed Jim the manuscript for my newest book. He told me to go back and fictionalize the name of the country, the characters, everything. Jim said to me, ‘The public is more willing to believe fiction than non-fiction.’”

Outcome:

* The resulting book, The Ugly American, stayed on the New York Times list for 78 weeks

* It was directly responsible for the creation of the Peace Corps

* Then-President John F. Kennedy bought a copy of the book for every member of Congress

* Historians speculate The Ugly American did more to change American Foreign Policy than any document since the Declaration of Independence

Bond rushed out of the coffee shop and started running down the street. AK’s apartment was just a block away, but as headquarters wrote, it was a matter of life and death.

Would AK be at home? Would Bond deliver the message in time? And what about those little pistachio cookies — were they any good?

All that, and more, on tomorrow’s installment of Bond Jebakovic Action Adventures. For a free trial subscription to this pulp daily email newsletter, click here and fill out the free trial subscription form.