Since you’ve been here for a while, then it should be no surprise to you that I think Ben Settle is not only my GOAT (greatest of all time), but also objectively the GOAT of email marketing.
Now, some people may disagree with the latter half. Ben himself being one of them. But once upon a testimonial, another young and hungry writer also left me this glowing testimonial:
“Thanks man, really appreciate it. This stuff (the critique + the business advice) is legit the best thing that's happened to my copywriting career. Like Ben Settle's newsletter is alright, but it's pretty expensive and I'm not getting any of the value like I am here.”
Now, here’s the truth about this testimonial:
Much like Ben would say that Matt Furey is his GOAT of email, Ben Settle is mine. Even when other folks try to say that I’m better or offer more relatable advice.
But there’s a powerful lesson embedded in this testimonial that can skyrocket your positioning, make you seem better than the literal living legends in your niche, and, as a result, unlock an avalanche of sales for your business.
Ready?
The *real* reason I received this glowing testimonial is not because I’m better than Ben Settle at the email game.
In fact, it’s more like the exact opposite: I received this email because I’m not yet even close to matching Ben’s pen game.
Here’s what I mean:
Since I’m closer to the dude’s career trajectory who sent me this testimonial, I’m a more apt teacher for him than Ben can be.
Ben hasn’t done client work in over a decade.
Me?
I’m coming up on 4 years of doing almost nothing except client work.
Since I’m closer to where this guy was when he sent in this testimonial, my advice is more relevant to him, and thus, more useful.
Because my advice is both more relevant and useful, it appears to be better than what Ben teaches (even though it isn’t close).
As for the lesson for you?
You only need to be one step ahead of your clients and customers to become a literal living legend to them, the same way Ben is to mayhap hundreds of thousands of email marketers today, even when you’re not anywhere close to literal living legend status.
This is why there are some 20-year-old life coaches who actually produce results for their clients: They’re one step ahead, and thus, their advice hits (even if they have a fraction of the experience of a 40-year-old life coach).
Moral of the story?
You can do this with your emails, your products and services, and your brand too.
Need help implementing this, realizing that you already are one step ahead for most of the people you serve, or kicking your imposter syndrome to the curb?
John
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