So we're all BDSM professionals now?

 

A while ago, during lunch, a pal suggested that Dr Wealth's marketing approach was very neutral and bland and may thus lack the ability to provoke clients to take action.  He's describing how these internet personal physical training marketing materials do it. 

" Disappear for a month. Come back as the most dangerous person in the room !"

The marketing message proposed by my friend left a bad taste in my mouth because it reminded me of how the crypto bros talked in 2021 before the Terra blockchain implosion. I explained that marketing messages like this can attract a lot of incels and folks who take the red pill, and because it proposes a quick way to allow young men a change in status, the message may serve its purpose. The last kind of student I want are the folks who say," Don't talk cock, just tell me what to buy !" because there are many trainers who cater to that demographic at less than $500 per course.

Still, I have a slower community-building business model and prefer a smaller group of software engineers, CFA candidates, and even finance professors in my community. Over six years, I've built a 600+ community so unique that Maybank Kim Eng brokers will tell me they can identify my students from the carefully balanced margin accounts never seen elsewhere. 

But what my friend said bothered me, as I'm still a businessman, and sales numbers are a matter of pride and somewhat a measurement of my manhood, which has been flagging lately. 

So what can I do? I usurped the role from Dr Wealth and did my own marketing copy:

"Disappear for five days, and get a plan to get the most significant raise among your peers when you return to the office!"

Initially, I was happy to have 175 preview attendees, 75% more than usual, but eventually, I became disappointed, as social media only accounted for about 10% of preview attendees. Sales were decent but did not come from my copy - sales were decent because local markets are great again.

But I can't conclude anything about the performance of one rookie attempt. I need to build up marketing muscle and experiment with different messages. 

So, I spent the past few days creating a more substantial LinkedIn presence and taking some nascent steps to build my "personal brand." I've created a draft of my next marketing copy using LinkedIn's newsletter feature. 

There are so many questions I have for myself as I turn myself into a marketer:

• Do those marketing scripts work? "Give me 5 minutes..."
• Should I continue this blog or migrate to LinkedIn newsletters? Does Gen Z even use RSS feeds?
• Does my tone offend LinkedIn connections because they are so sterile and buttoned down? "I am humbled to receive...."

In an era when the latest version of ChatGPT can render entire professions obsolete, the ability to hustle, build marketing funnels, and seek ways to survive is more important than ever.

We are all into BDSM now.

BDSM = Business Development Sales and Marketing.

I thank my mastermind group of young hustlers and collaborators for convincing me that my personal obsession with the psychology of personality would make me a reasonably competent marketer.