subject: Dan Kennedy Marketing Secrets - The Importance of Asking Again and Again [print this page] Dan Kennedy Marketing Secrets - The Importance of Asking Again and Again
Interviewer: Okay one super interesting idea or concept you talked about is a second stage ask and you talk about that already in another videos. So, I know you've got another example of that, can you describe that or share that?
Dan: Sure, well I got it in my head from Disney and there's actually a number of Disney stories about it and the idea is everybody has something they want, right? And so rather than directly asking for what you want or if you are told no, then the real question is, "well, why do you want?" I mean that's there. So, I had a job once in my entire life as sales rep for a book company, so I lasted almost a year before sales manager and I mutually determining that you know I'm an employable and not be an entrepreneurial. And that's been 35 years and he's still mad, so that tells you how well this went, right? And I'm not kidding, he still pissed off.
So, Price Stern Sloan, so I worked for him. They're best known for product called Mad Libs. It's a game people play in Pods.
Interviewer: Loved it growing up.
Interviewer: So yeah exactly, so they have all kinds of humor and novelty bookstore. So and mostly, we placed a rack, a spinner rack of all these books. So, I'm in his carwash and it's one of his high end, expensive and you get out and you stand behind the glass and watch your car go through. And there's big area between the glass and cash register with like nothing in it. And so, I said we could put the rack here, well, then people standing here, they have nothing to do. The books are impulse buys, this will be a great rack location, right? So I get to the guy that " he was like either this. And I say I want to put my racks in the carwash and here's the economic deal and you know and he saw a lot of racks on my carwash. You know and he's pretty stubborn about not wanting our racks in his carwash.
So I'm like leaving and it occurred to me to say, "Well, what you want?" He says what do you mean? I know everybody want something," I said so what do you want that if you got it, you would let me put the racks in the carwash on 90-day trial. He said, the only thing that would persuade me to do that is says I hang out at the strip club, but he names the club, right? If I can get a date with Bubbles, you could stick your racks any place you want because she won't go out with me. So, I show up down to the strip club and I find Bubbles and I say"
Interviewer: Were she bubblelicious?
Dan: Very bubblelicious.
Interviewer: Alright.
Dan: And I say, you know here's what I do when I get these racks I want to put the racks on the carwashes and the only way I can get the racks in the carwashes is if you'll go on a date with big Ed, who you know because he comes in here all the time and he buys-[Voice Overlap] dances from you, right?
Interviewer: Yeah, exactly.
Dan: Well, see you're making this or you know [Voice Overlap]. I was keeping the whole thing PG"
Interviewer: Alright.
Dan: You're going to ruin it, right?
Interviewer: Just PG-13.
Dan: So, she says he's dirty and grimy, and smelly and fat and old. And certainly, there's nothing that would"I don't want to go out on a date with big Ed.
Interviewer: So, you [Voice Overlap]
Dan: Well, no, first I said are you aware he doesn't work at the carwash, he owns the 8 carwash. Now that immediately was a little attitude and that shifted Bubbles, right?
Interviewer: Yeah.
Dan: But so yeah I said look"
Interviewer: Then push her over the edge though?
Dan: No. So, I said look, what"there's going to be something, what would get you to go"she's the only way I go on a date with Ed is if the date was in Vegas. So I said okay. Now, we're getting somewhere, right? So happen I gambled a fair amount of that time. I knew a casino host, so I am now on a phone arranging for the trip to Vegas, because actually from Vegas standpoint, this is a new whale. Big Ed got some dough, he own 8 carwashes, this is about all you've got to tell him, right?
Interviewer: Yeah.
Dan: So, now I go back to big Ed and I said good news, right, Bubbles is going with you.
Interviewer: You probably couldn't got a back end deal out of Vegas in this thing.
Dan: Yeah, I probably got a royalty, now the punch line of the story. So the punch line of the store is big Ed and Bubbles going to Vegas. Big Ed and Bubbles get married in Vegas. Bid Ed and Bubbles live happily ever after.
Interviewer: Really?
Dan: No.
Interviewer: Okay. [Laughs]
Dan: See, if you believe that punch line, you're an incredibly gullible fellow, no, no.
Interviewer: I was just going to say he must've have a lot of money.
Dan: Would you like the real punch line?
Interviewer: Absolutely, what happened?
Dan: Big Ed and Bubbles go to Vegas.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Dan: Big and Bubbles get married in Vegas, not too long afterwards, big Ed and Bubbles get divorce in Cleveland. And that's how they came to be a chain of carwashes named Bubbles.
Interviewer: That's a great story.
Dan: Yeah, but it is a great second ask.
Interviewer: Oh yeah.
Dan: And actually a third ask.
Interviewer: Yeah and strategically being able put that together but I think that really - you know characteristic of any great entrepreneur because at the end of the day, entrepreneur's make deals.
Dan: Well, that's right, that's right. You know a big issue I think in business is what stops you? How big of a pebble on the road does it"how many knows why yo u're here before you stop trying to figure out a way to get a yes out of that situation, you know, what stops you? And most people are stopped by a stiff breeze, you know, it really doesn't take much.
Interviewer: Right.
Dan: Whereas, you know, extraordinarily successful people are not easily dissuaded from what it is that they have set out, you know what to do.
