We thought it would be just another book club meeting.
It turned out to be one of those events we will remember forever.
Last month, I was cleaning my office and picked up The Boron Letters book by Gary Halbert.
This is a collection of letters Gary wrote to his son, Bond, while he was in prison.
I sent an email to Bond to see if he was interested in being our guest speaker.
"Hell YES!" he replied.
I knew John Carlton was very close to Gary, so I asked him if he wanted to join us and share some Gary stories.
"Hell YES!" he replied.
I asked Brian Kurtz if he wanted to join us.
"Hell YES!" he replied.
Tom Ruwitch and I are still buzzing this morning (that's not fake marketing hype!)
Here's the email Tom sent to his list today.
I wouldn't have said it better.
I sat in the Zoom room yesterday and thought, “Wow! I’m lucky to be alive. And I’m even luckier to be in the room with these people, hearing these stories.”
Keep reading because — lucky you! — we recorded the meeting…
…and if you’re a serious student of marketing (meaning you’re serious about discovering ways to attract prospects, land more clients, and grow profits)…
…and if you like laugh-out-load stories…
…you’ll want to read on and get the video.
I was in the room where it happened, and I can’t wait to watch the replay.
This was yesterday’s Mastermind Book Club Meeting where we discussed “The Boron Letters” by Gary Halbert.
Halbert was the greatest copywriter of his day (perhaps the greatest ever). He wrote the letters to his son Bond while serving time in the Boron Federal Prison Camp in 1984.
Top marketers consider “The Boron Letters” a sacred text. And the best edition of the book is the one Bond created — with commentaries he wrote following each chapter.
Bond was our special guest.
He told lots of stories and shared more lessons than I could count.
John Carlton — perhaps the galaxy’s greatest living copywriter — joined the party.
He told the story of how he quit working for some of the top publishing houses in the world, began “hounding” Gary Halbert to hire him, and ended up first as Gary’s disciple, and then as Gary’s partner.
He dished some great details/lessons about Gary that you’ll never read in some book.
Brian Kurtz was in the room. He has worked with and managed some of the greatest copywriters of the past 50 years.
He told the story of negotiating — or should I say trying to negotiate? — a deal to have Gary write a package for his company.
That didn’t go so well, and therin lies some lessons.
Look, I can’t do this justice. I’m trying, but this is one of those “You just had to be there things…”
…Or one of those, "you’ll just have to watch the replay" things.
Here’s how to do that:
Join the Mastermind Book Club. Log in to the Club House. Click the “Play” button on the meeting replay video. Take notes. Rinse. Repeat.
Ted Prodromou and I founded the Club as a place for business leaders to gather and discuss great books.
Every month, Ted and I choose a great business book for members to read. On the fourth Thursday, we meet on Zoom to discuss the book.
Occasionally, the author, publisher, and/or a small flock of marketing legends drop in to join us.
The Club is free to join.
Go to MastermindBook.club to do it.
Thanks for reading. ~ Tom
This book club meeting contains marketing nuggets that are not available in books or other videos.
This is some of the very best marketers of all time sharing what they learned from Gary Halbert, considered to be the greatest marketer of all time.
See you in the book club.
Ted
