Hi Rick,

> Another interesting coincidence. One of the
> things Gordon and I do during our meetings
> is show each other what direct mail pieces
> we've received and sometimes products we've
> bought. We do this so we can learn what
> techniques other successful marketers are
> using and how we can employ those same
> techniques. Like them or hate them, (and I
> see even Dan Kennedy sells at least one
> product with them now), one of the best at
> this game is Nightingale-Conant. They have
> me right where they want me. With their
> hands in my wallet.

Heheh. :)

I've recently started to get myself on some catalog lists (as Gordon has recommended), so I'm hoping to get some more direct mail pieces too.... :)

> Well, last night during
> one of our meetings, I showed Gordon a
> direct mail piece that I had recently
> received from NC. The piece had to do with
> an audio series by Harry S. Dent. It was
> called the "Roaring 2000s". Gordon
> asked me what I thought of the title and we
> agreed that the title and the concept were
> probably wrong.

> You're saying "not so fast." Harry
> might have it right. Hmmm. I might give this
> product more serious consideration. Thanks
> Dien.

Actually, I agree with you. Harry S. Dent isn't a marketer.... Instead, he's a specialist in forecasting the effects that age-related trends has on the economy (and in various industries)....

So his marketing techniques could be terrible, but I think his techniques for predicting the future are on the money. :)

I don't have "The Roaring 2000s" by the way, that's a follow up book to "The Great Boom Ahead" (TGBA) which he published in 1993.

I first learned about TGBA in 1994, when I saw it at a friend's house. My friend told me all about it, and I was kind of skeptical of the whole thing. Dent predicted a booming stock market, and a big Japanese recession -- and I thought he had it all wrong.

What struck me was when these things happened!

His timing for the Japanese recession was out by a couple years, but the guts of what he said was right!

- Dien