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Have you ever felt the white-hot heat of being roasted in front of 100 colleagues?

Recently, I had the privilege of having 100 very smart and successful people collectively "criticize" then brainstorm one of our toughest marketing problems. I was in Orlando for the "Patches of Light" seminar hosted by legendary marketing expert Gary Halbert.

Here was the entire agenda:

"Who has a marketing problem?"

If you volunteered, the only condition for roasting was that you really wanted to solve your marketing problem. Don’t laugh; many people have big problems, but have no intention of listening to suggestions (even from experts) or doing what’s necessary to solve them.

The two men at the front of the room leading the roast have had more marketing success over the past 30 years than most of the top ad agencies. Between them, Gary Halbert and John Carlton are responsible for a billion dollars of products and services sold and are considered two of the finest copywriters and marketing minds in the world.

They attacked our marketing problem with double-barrel buckshot, and enjoyed every minute of blasting holes in our theory, approach, strategy and tactics. They sliced, diced and skewered every word I uttered. They roasted, toasted and barbecued until I was singed, then seared then scorched. My butt is still on fire.

When it was over, I got warm applause for standing in the fire. I suffered the slings and arrows to get to the breakthrough answers we needed. And we got answers.

It was a breakthrough experience. I heartily recommend you do a "hot seat" experience IF you really want to break down barriers, bust through the BS and break out to bigger and better possibilities. No real growth can occur unless and until we let go of existing thinking and the comfort zone of the status quo.

Here are 21 Pearls of Wisdom I Dug Up Last Weekend!

1. Don’t worry about improving your image. Improve your substance. The world is starved for substance. Most people are working on image. Few work to improve substance. Those who do will stand head and shoulders above the rest.

2. Fail fast. Drop losing projects immediately. After trying to find a solution to a marketing problem that simply didn’t exist, Gary Halbert wrote three words on the white board that most of us were thinking in our heads: DROP THIS PROJECT! It’s not easy to let go of things we’re emotionally attached to, but it’s necessary to move on.

3. Most people are self-absorbed. Appeal to their selfish side. Forget your point of view. It doesn’t matter. If you want to sell Johnny Jones what Johnny Jones buys you MUST see Johnny Jones through Johnny Jones' eyes. What does he want more than anything?

4. If I found the cure for AIDS, everyone would get it. How much money I make would not be an issue. When you discover something important enough, the goal is to make sure everyone who wants or needs it can get it. Shift attention from how much can you make to how many people can you help. The money will come.

5. NOTHING is risk-free. LIFE is not risk-free. You’re a heartbeat away from a Christopher Reeve moment. If you can’t accept risk, you're living on the wrong planet. What risk can you take that might alter the quality of life as you know it?

6. Hire experts. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Especially when it comes to the most important parts, including copyrighting and crafting your sales message. Don’t spend a fortune on the unimportant things, then economize on the pivotal items. Know when to bring in the experts.

7. Outspend the other guys. Shoestringing and bootstrapping are successful strategies when money is tight. When money is there, spend it. A business campaign can rise or fall based on the money behind it. Don’t hesitate to invest money, especially on the important things.

8. You don’t want to sell just one million books (widgets, etc.). You want anyone who wants what you have to be able to buy it. Don’t set arbitrary limits. Find a way for everyone who wants what you have to get it. It will enrich you in the process.

9. Don’t become a student of products. Become a student of markets. Know your markets better than you know your products. If there isn’t a market, reconsider or drop the product. Use the SRDS, the Standard Rates and Data Service directory to find your buyers (http://successnet.org/articles/www.srds.com). It’s not a cheap resource, but it’s vital if you plan to reach a pool of hungry fish.

10. Don’t do LMS… "lesser mortal stuff" (a Halbertism). Delegate everything except your highest value work. If you run out of highest value work, do the next most valuable work. Don’t do $10/hour work or you won’t ever reach your highest and best value.

11. Two things will get a person’s attention and interest: showmanship and the reason why. To get the attention of the person you’re after, a little theatre will go a long way. Be creative. If you’ve got 20 centers of influence, don’t send a letter. Send a courier. Gain their interest is with a powerful reason why. Why would they, why SHOULD they give you their time and attention? If you don’t know, ask your buyers.

12. Understand the Triangle of Marketing . . . #3 is the copy, #2 is the message and #1 is the audience. Make sure you have the right/best/hungriest/rabid audience, or your message and copy won’t ever get seen, heard or read. A mediocre message to a great audience will always do better than a great message to a mediocre audience. Know your audience, hone your message, and don’t scrimp on copy.

13. Don’t care about what ANYONE thinks. How often do we hesitate and delay because of what others might think? We thwart our success and happiness worrying about what other people think. We don’t regret the shots we do take, even when they don’t work out. We regret most of the shots we don’t take. Do what your heart desires.

14. Tell your story. A powerful story creates an emotional link. I call this the E-Link. John Carlton, one of the world’s highest paid copywriters, says personality is missing in most marketing messages. He suggests we "pinch them in the butt" and tap the passionate sweet spot. Tell a story. Connect it to what the person can DO (results, accomplishments), and how the person will FEEL (the strongest E-Link).

15. Greedy people lead lives that suck. Enough said.

16. Gun-to-the-head thinking can get you out of a jam or tough time. If someone had a gun to your head, and to save your life you had to craft the best message you could, what would you say?

17. There’s too much bad news. They seek the patches of light. How can you be a source of light?

18. Speak… "from down below." If you want your credibility to soar, don’t speak from your mouth; speak from your pelvis. Imagine your entire chest cavity as one big voice box. Speak "from down below"… and you will create a stronger, more powerful presence. (Thank you, Burt Dubin, for this little known sage advice used by opera singers to get the most from their precious instrument).

19. You’re NOT in the marketing business. You’re in the ARITHMETIC business. If your arithmetic doesn’t add up, you won’t have a business for very long. Start counting.

20. You want to sell your products and services to "addicts" - profound, irrational, passionate, rabid, insane people who buy frequently and spend a lot. That’s your IDEAL buyer. Where are they? How can you reach them? What will you say to them?

21. 10,000 hours . . .  that’s how long it takes to become really good at something. That’s 2,000 hours per year for five years. It can take doctors and other professionals twice that long (10 years), and most self- made millionaires take four times that long (that’s right, 20 years is the average time it takes for self-made millionaires to achieve "overnight" success). You can’t invest a few hours in something and expect to become an expert. What’s your expertise? Hone it, refine it and continuously improve it.

If we seek out and embrace critics, we will learn things we could not know otherwise. It’s courageous to listen to the truth, especially when it’s unpleasant. Seek the truth and embrace it.

I hope in sharing these Pearls of Wisdom they make as much a difference in your quality of life and quantity of prosperity as I know they will for me.

Mitchell Axelrod is founder of Axelrod & Associates, a West Orange, New Jersey sales and marketing consulting firm, and Axelrod Learning, a publisher of entrepreneurial and life skills training, workshops and materials. Sign up for his newsletter and check out his products at http://axelrodlearning.com/

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