Last month, The esteemed Redheaded libertarian tweeted this beauty:
Encouraged by their mutual friend Dr. Benjamin Rush, John Adams broke an 11-year silence by sending a warm letter to Thomas Jefferson. This gesture not only rekindled their once-close friendship but also ignited one of the most remarkable correspondences in American history.
Over the next 14 years, the two former presidents exchanged 158 letters, offering profound insights into politics, philosophy, religion, aging, and personal reflections. These Adams-Jefferson letters remain a treasured window into the minds of two Founding Fathers who shaped the United States.
The full collection is available in modern editions, such as The Adams-Jefferson Letters, edited by Lester J. Cappon. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Revolutionary era.
And, I would add, anyone in business interested in making lots of sales.
Not just from the “marketing” side, but the relationship building and, even, relationship salvaging side.
In fact, here’s a true story:
About 20-years ago, I wrote some copy for the “founding father” of online marketing as we know it (Google and Facebook’s entire multi-billion dollar biz models are based on his early discoveries, though they’ve never sent him a thank you card…)
And, we had a bit of a falling out over it.
I don’t recall all the details.
But I do recall realizing whatever it was, was petty on my part, and not worth ruining a perfectly good business relationship over, even if we never used my sales copy for his offer. And so, I decided not to write him an EMAIL… but a snail mail letter apologizing for my part in the rift.
From what I remember, I was being petty and immature about whatever it was.
And so I wrote that letter, by hand I think, apologizing.
And, I sincerely was grateful just to work with the guy.
I learned much about my own “inner editor” from him.
Anyway, not long after:
He wrote me a letter (snail mail, in his own handwriting) back. And he said he was not the world’s greatest project manager, either, etc. And so all was good. We got to back-and-forthing some more, and I said something like, “I think your course is one of the best out there, and I’d like to sell it as an affiliate using the copy I wrote. Are you good with that?”
And so I did.
And make good money from that affiliate offer I did.
And, after that, use the sales letter he did.
And, some 14 years later, I even offered to re-write it, for free, because I’d learned so much more in that time, and out of sheer pride I wanted to re-do it, on my own time, to do the course even more justice, plus sell it again that month as an affiliate.
Since then?
Ken and I have become friends, and have helped each other in various ways.
And, a big part of that was using direct mail to re-connect with no agenda or sneaky stuff, just a genuine letter, showing my admiration, making an apology, and being sincere about that.
Direct mail is powerful stuff.
Even in the realm of romance (since Valentines Day approaches):
Nobody writes “love emails” they write love letters.
From the heart, no holding back, out of sincerity.
At least, they should.
And if you think this doesn’t apply to your business you’re out of your mind.
One big lesson I learned from Ken ironically, was when he said:
(paraphrased)
“Ever notice how with the big, blockbuster direct mail controls… they don’t sound like advertising or marketing? They are just sincere letters, written to people who share a passionate interest, showing respect, offering something they want, and creating an actual relationship, which then leads to the sale.”
Yes.
I’ve been using direct mail for 15-years to Email Players subscribers, for example.
The newsletter itself is direct mail, as are the offers that “ride along” with it.
And in Low Stress Trading we are now aggressively going “all in” on direct mail – first with a quarterly print newsletter (with ride-along offers – one of the easiest ways to use direct mail, used by decades by the billion dollar catalog industry), and with postcards, and even bringing on one of the last remaining true direct mail geniuses left to write and manage these campaigns.
Direct mail is also technology that does not change.
The “technology” of a stamp on envelope does not change.
Meanwhile, the algorithms, rules, gatekeeping of email, social media, YouTube, TikTok, whatever is constantly changing, evolving, being bent towards some and way from others… and PPC is becoming nothing but a shyt show of click fraud by bots and stupid rules.
Not saying not to use the above.
I am simply saying to start using direct mail.
As for email?
You can learn more about the paid Email Players newsletter here:
Ben Settle
