Dan Kennedy’s First Girlfriend and 8 Top Coaching Lessons from The Legend that is, Dan Kennedy

“Every great disaster, disappointment and tragedy in my life has directly led to a greater opportunity or benefit.

Every single time.

But you can only find what you look for – see what you expect to see. 

You must take prompt, decisive, constructive action. Stopping is the absolute worst thing that you can do.”

~ Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy

I sure hope this rings true with DK’s current health condition. The GKIC universe will likely unite and become stronger as a result, but ideally, his irreversible condition magically becomes reversible.

He created Magnetic Marketing and lived by its principles and his ‘No BS’ Philosophy. 

Dan has never been the “fat doctor.”

I’m not much of a fanboy, never been to a Dan Kennedy event and never met the legend. Events just aren’t my thing, and frankly, I’d rather be working.

But from afar, he positively impacted my life. In many ways, he is responsible for what some refer to as some pretty impressive marketing skills, and an online business that prides itself on IMPACT, does multiple 7 figures and operates in 24 countries with over 700 coaches paying monthly fees (many Dan Kennedy Hall of Famers are my clients).

I think Dan would refer to that as an impressive herd LOL. I’m forever grateful.

I’m a natural marketer, but the moment I heard DK’s voice and recognized his ‘in your face’ hardnosed approach, BACKED UP by impressive systemization, I knew this was the guy that could guide me to the next level. 

His teachings remain some of my greatest assets. I’ve read every book and email he’s ever put out. Multiple times.

My copy of his “Coaching and Consulting Bootcamp” has been listened to so many times the CD’s no longer play.

I literally slept with my ear phones listening to him badger on. 

I suppose I click with him because we’re similar, and my style in many ways was shaped by his grumbly approach.

But I do it my own way and with my own cheeky sense of humor. Like so many, I learned a lot about storytelling and copywriting from Dan.

Here’s a story of how I picture Dan meeting his first girlfriend and using Social Proof to seal the deal as a young man.

I hope he’d approve! 

Dan meeting his first girlfriend 

DK was an 18-year-old boy looking for a super-hot date. Rumor has it he found that and a little more. 

His pimples didn’t matter. DK knew a thing or two about finding his ideal audience… he figured it made sense for pretty girls to work in cafes so he went searching.

Into the first café he went looking for his cutie patootie. No luck.

Second café, he hits pay dirt and there she is. Blonde hair, blue eyes and drop dead gorgeous.

She has a tip jar at the register. Like almost all tip jars it’s colored (can’t see into it, like a coffee cup) and almost empty.

Her strategy is to empty it multiple times per day to ensure patrons think she’s broke and needs the money.

Her goal was obvious, to maximize tips (profits).

She doesn’t know it but her strategy sucks and was costing her more tips than she was getting.

Young Handsome DK: “Hey this is going to sound crazy but firstly, you have got the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen…. Secondly do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Pretty girl: Blushes…. “Why, thank you and ya, sure.”

Young Handsome DK: “If I can double your tips in 7 days will you agree to go to the movies with me next Sunday at 7pm?”

Pretty girl: “Ummm… are you serious about the double tip thing – and how are you going to do that?”

Young Handsome DK: Yes, I’m dead serious. Do we have a deal on the movie if I can double your tips?

I’m not a stalker I’m just really good at business and you’re beautiful and I’d be honored if you’d accompany me to a movie. In fact, I’ll give it to you anyway but I’d really like to spoil you next Sunday.”

Pretty girl: “Do tell Mr. Handsome business guy.”

Young Handsome DK: INSERT MOJO ”Do this. Make that tip jar see through, as in a glass and make it a decent size, like a pint glass.

In the morning when you get here fill it 75% to the top and make sure there are a couple five-dollar bills showing in the middle. Keep skimming it throughout the day to remain 75% – 90% full.

Your tips will double in 7 days.

No need to report back whether it doubled your tips, cause I know it will. I’ll pick you up outside here at 6pm on Sunday.

You won’t regret it.

BTW my name is Dan.”

The end.

Anyhoo….

Here I’m going to share what I perceive to be Dan Kennedy’s Top 7 Coaching Lessons.

To ensure I didn’t mess it up, or at least I can share the blame with someone if I do, I’ve done this in conjunction with one of my dear friends, longtime client, Dan Kennedy Hall of Famer and all-round rock star marketer… Becky Auer. 

It’s also worth noting before I start that DK is on record MANY times saying how much he LOVED the coaching and consulting business model. 

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a coach / consultant and therefore this will have real value.

The primary reasons he gave:

You can pretty much be a “lone ranger.”  No employees to parent, no overhead, no product to make, and no inventory to house. 

All you need is a brain, a mouth and some unbridled enthusiasm… just add water.   

You can work anywhere and live anywhere. DK took his positioning up a number of notches when he transitioned from going to them 80% of the time to making them come to him.

Plus, his prices increased exponentially (so did the value he delivered).

You can farm out the work.  Many consultants are “rainmakers” and like so many other great sales people / influencers suck at attention to detail and follow through.

Coaches with this skill set can therefore bring in the clients and turn over the grunt work to other coaches / consultants / freelancers. 

Limitless compensation options.  You can create monthly retainers, take 25%, 50% or even 100% for project work, create royalty deals, sell other people’s products / services, etc…   Your only limitation is your own imagination. 

Which is limitless when you follow DK.

Without further ado… here are my 8 Magic Dan Kennedy takeaways. 

You must ALWAYS be marketing.

When you want to attract a new prospect to your business for the first time, there is one question you must answer:

“Why should I choose your (business/product/service) versus any and every other option available to me, including doing nothing at all?” 

It’s a tough question, but once you have the answer, your positioning will be such that your prospects will line up at your door begging to do business with you.

Price Elasticity

Dan Kennedy repeatedly talks about how one of the worst mistakes is to ASSUME that people buy based solely on price. 

You should NEVER compete on price and you don’t need to.

And like so many others, don’t strive to be the low-cost provider.  Someone will simply go head to head with you for your customers and it’ll be a race to the bottom.

Rather than offer an apples to apples value proposition, make your product or service unique so that it becomes ‘apples to oranges’ and subsequently your offering can never be compared. 

Then, and only then, will you stop competing on price. 

In reality, only 10% of consumers make their buying decisions based solely on price. 

If price was the only issue, wouldn’t everyone be staying at Motel 6 while the Ritz was empty? And everyone driving Hyundai’s?    

It’s also a lot easier to build a successful business when your unit of sale is not $7, $27 or $47.    

It’s takes the same amount of talent and effort to sell at $497 (or significantly above) and the quality of that client is better. 

Price higher than you feel comfortable and add more value to your offer and to your ideal clients. 

Otherwise you’re unnecessarily leaving money on the table.

There’s a right way and wrong way to deliver your message. 

Your ideal client has five mental steps to take between first contact and handing you their credit card.

– What is their primary need or desire
– Picking ‘the thing’ that will satisfy that specific need or desire
– Picking the source for ‘the thing’
– Accepting the price/value argument
– Finding reasons to act immediately

He also states ‘Who you don’t serve is every bit as important as who you do serve.’

It is always good to know your target market and to ‘build your herd.’ 

Let’s say you’re planning to open a burger restaurant. What’s most important to a successful opening day?

• A well-trained staff?
• Plenty of parking?
• An-over-the top menu?
• Reasonable prices?
• Delicious burgers?

The answer is, none of the above.

The most important, by a long shot, is a starving, hungry crowd who wants a burger!   

Therefore, find YOUR ‘starving crowd’ and align your offer to the wants and desires of that group of people.

There is no easier way to successfully market and grow your business.

Successful business is successful MATH.

How much you spend marketing for a new client must be measured and tracked and based only on RESULTS.   

Period. 

If you can outspend your competition to acquire a new client, you’ll ALWAYS win.

Lifetime Value and more MATH.

The lifetime value of your customer is a monster asset and MATH you need to be intimately familiar with to be successful. 

Never mind being ‘intimately familiar’, most business owners wouldn’t have a clue what their client’s lifetime value is.

The cost to acquire a new client is immeasurably higher than keeping an existing one happy.  Yet, most business owners are totally fixated on acquiring new clients.

You must APPRECIATE your clients, give them value at every turn and work to allow the relationship to grow over time.

One is the loneliest number in business. 

You should never rely on just ONE source of traffic. Or ONE promotion.  Or ONE anything.

ALWAYS have more than ONE media channel or outlet running at a time.  And, the more the better.   If one shuts down, you have others working for you, and your bottom line is hardly affected.   

Start with the end in mind. 

Build a salable asset, not just a business.  It’s of critical importance that you build an asset that has equity and income.

A good example of this is to not name your business after yourself but to build a generic name that can be sold.

You must also build a list. If you must… find them on social media, etc. but get them off your “FB Group,” a platform you don’t own, and onto your list that YOU DO CONTROL. 

Leadership.

Leadership, Dan Kennedy style, is not about working long and hard. It’s about working SMART.

Business owners must work on tasks that produce income like sales, marketing, lead generation and client acquisition.

Everything else should be delegated to employees or independent contractors. 

Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest leaders of all time, and I am forever indebted for his life’s work and forever grateful. 

*Epilogue taken straight from ‘The Ultimate Success Secret’ which seems the perfect way to end this.

By now, you should have “locked in” on the Ultimate Success Secret presented to you a number of times throughout this book.

The people who are LIVING this Secret are the most respected and admired, influential and powerful, successful and happy individuals on the planet.

I would like to add a very brief discussion about just one application of this Secret – and to quickly note that, like all advice, it’s easier said than done; that, like “the fat doctor”, I could stand to take my own medicine more frequently; but that does not diminish the importance of the ideas.

On the long, often dangerously boring drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas, there are signs posted frequently, at sites of deadly accidents, warning drivers not to drive if they’ve been drinking,

not to drive if fatigued.

The signs say:

There Is A LAST Time For Everything.

Tell your wife (or husband) you love her (or him) more often. And especially tell her (or him) today, because they might be gone tomorrow. There is a last time for everything.

Stop and have a friendly conversation with your Mom, Dad, a friend, the guy at the newsstand on the corner.

Take just a few minutes for this more often than you do. And, especially today. They might be gone tomorrow. There is a last time for everything.

I called to talk to a friend the other day, another entrepreneur as busy, as obsessed as I; she wasn’t in; when she called back, she said, almost apologetically, and wryly, “I was out having a Life.”

She had gone out to lunch with someone 100% unrelated to her business. Whatever it is that you really, really enjoy doing, really, really, really enjoy it the next time you do it. There is a last time for everything.

When you go to your job or place of business today, be thankful you’ve got one, and give it the very best you’ve got. Tomorrow, thousands will lose their jobs – and then, maybe, wish they’d done things there differently.

Tomorrow, a thousand entrepreneurs will close business’ doors — and then, maybe, wonder what might have happened if they’d advertised more creatively, sold more aggressively.

There is a last time for everything.

Whatever you’re going to do today, give it your best, and take from it the best you can.

There is a last time for everything.

THERE IS A

LAST TIME

FOR

EVERYTHING

I’ll forever regret not getting the chance to meet Dan Kennedy and to say, Thank You.

Thank you for the successful mentorship you didn’t know you were providing.

It was amazing.

Karl Bryan

Chairman

Focused.com

PS. I pray you make a miraculously reversal of your irreversible condition.

PPS. If anyone can do it, you can. We still need you and your magnetic marketing.