Home Products The Modern Marketing System (Part 1/4) Modern Marketing Manifesto (M³)

(Part 1/4) Modern Marketing Manifesto (M³)

This four-part Modern Marketing Manifesto (M³) series was sent to our email list. Below is a complete archive. We hope you find the series valuable.

If this resonates with you, our Modern Marketing System (MMS) is our flagship training that teaches what this Manifesto lays out. And if you're not already on our email list, you can add yourself here.

Hey, it's André and Shawn…

One of the hardest things to do is admit when we're wrong.

It's much easier to make excuses, ‘reframe' perspectives and take a few liberties with the truth.

We see that every day with the six-figures-in-sixty-seconds-while-you-sleep magic method BS that litters our inboxes and newsfeeds.

So let's get this out of the way right up front — (deep breath): we were wrong about something that's very important.

And over this four-part series, we're going to set the record straight.

That's the least we can do to help you kick off 2022 right.

But, before any of that will make sense, we need to tell you about where we are, how we got here, and a few lessons we learned along the way.

If you take this adventure seriously…

… and pay very close attention to what we say (and what you can read between the lines on your own), you'll understand what it took the two of us a combined forty-three years to figure out.

Let's get started…

We have a lot to accomplish in this series, and it'll help if we give you a map of the territory we need to cover.

In broad strokes, we will make three promises to you.

The first promise is that we'll tell you the truths that no one else is talking about, so you know the written — and unwritten — rules of the modern marketing game.

Not partial truths that are just enough to get you in trouble (and then think it's your fault for doing something wrong when something goes sideways).

The whole truth.

Our second promise is all about the skills you need to be an effective modern marketer.

Everyone building a happy customer-producing business needs to master four non-negotiable skills. We'll unpack each one and explain how they work together to (dramatically) improve your results.

Our third promise may be our favorite…

We're going to reveal the ‘secret sauce' that makes our marketing so engaging and effective.

We like the expression that “success leaves clues,” and we're going to reverse-engineer what we do so you know why it works so well (and what it takes to do it yourself).

Delivering on any one of these promises is enough to improve your marketing results (a lot). Put 'em together, and you'll be unstoppable.

Trust us, we're doctors.

(We're not doctors.)

However, we'd be lying if we told you that everything we're going to share works for everyone all the time.

We don't want to waste anyone's time, so we'll tell you right now how to know if what we're going to share will work for you.

If you're drinking the ‘get-rich-quick-while-you-sleep' Kool-Aid, want to add a couple of ‘hacks' to your marketing toolbox, and you're looking for the intersection of Easy and Profit Streets, we're definitely going to disappoint you.

We love fairies and unicorns as much as anyone else, but that's not what we're selling.

(Fairies & Unicorns Secrets! … yours today for only $1999, but wait, there's more…)

Or, if you're more interested in looking for new bright and shiny things rather than doing things that work, take a hard pass on this series.

No judgment — seriously. We're all friends here, and we want to respect your time and attention.

If you're still with us, let's talk about who the Modern Marketing Manifesto is for.

Think of this as a checklist that represents who you are right now — or who you're willing to become with some focused effort.

Yes, effort.

Aka work.

Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, brain engaged effort.

We think you'll get the most out of this series if you are a creative professional — meaning you create value for others from your experience and expertise (including digital marketing expertise if you're a service provider).

Of course, you want to profit from the value you share with your audience, but you recognize that profit is a reflection of the value you create for others.

That's just how the world works. Create value to receive value. That's as real as gravity in business.

OK, that's who you are — now let's talk about what you want.

From our perspective, informed by a LOT of feedback from our customers, modern marketers like us want three things more than anything else.

And when we say want, we don't mean nice to have…

We mean must-have, can't live without it, the essence of life type stuff.

Why?

Because nice to have won't get your butt in the chair to do the work day after day. Must-have will.

It's as simple as that.

First up is control over your life — knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that tomorrow will be better than today, next month will be better than last month, and this year will be better than last year.

A critical part of that control is knowing you're in the driver's seat, making your dreams happen.

Next up is pride in your results — for you and the people you care about.

Pride means different things to everyone, but, at the end of the day, it's that internal knowing, deep in your bones, that what you're doing matters.

Looking in the mirror every day knowing you're making the world a better place for you and the people you care about most — there's no substitute for how that feels.

Nothing is ever the same again when you've felt that.

Pride gets a bad rap…

But, in the service of a meaningful life, pride can be rocket fuel.

Third on the list is a lifestyle that reflects your deepest values.

There's no correct answer to this question — there's only your correct answer.

Staring out your window at the Mediterranean (like André) may be your thing. Or living among the hills seven generations of your family have cared for (like Shawn) may light you up.

Only you can identify the lifestyle that matters to you. Believe us when we say it's well worth your time to think about it.

Because — and this is the most important thing we'll tell you in this entire series — everything you want most is possible.

They're all on the other side of doing the right work the right way.

We've heard countless stories of people just like you who have done it.

In the rest of this series, we'll show you how.

All we ask is that you pay close attention because we're going to leave it all on the table for you to see.

Including that mistake, we mentioned earlier. (Hint: it points the way to what you're looking for.)

More about that tomorrow

—Shawn & André
P.S.

Earlier in this email, we threw some stones at the ‘get-rich-quick' crowd.

But in all fairness, let's give the devil his due and take a closer look at this idea and see what we find.

After all, some smart people believe (and sell) many different flavors of ‘get-rich-quick.'

Maybe we shouldn't be so dismissive?

It sure seems exciting…

Who doesn't want to get rich as fast as possible?

(Oops…we may have given something away in that last sentence.)

An old fable by Aesop — The Tortoise and the Hare — offers some clues.

Rule #1 is “know your audience” so let's start with a question for YOU.

What's so attractive about ‘get-rich-quick' promises?

Not the fairytale of doing nothing (or clicking buttons like a monkey) and for money to almost magically appear.

Reply to this email and tell us — in your own words — the 1-3 MOST exciting benefits from getting rich quickly that really light you up?

Be honest — no judgment from us. (We're not opposed to getting rich quick either!)

Then, over the arc of this series, we'll figure this out together…

More tomorrow.