House of Cards Marketing Lesson #1: Claire Underwood…

August 31, 2014 by

There’s a famous Zig Ziglar quote you’ve probably heard:

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

Now.

There are a lot of ways we can attack that one.

But in this context, we’re going to talk about how it relates to House of Cards (heretofore “HOC”) and more specifically, Claire Underwood…

The “Lady Macbeth” -like character played by the actress Robin Wright…

But before we get to the “big HOC marketing lesson” for today…

Let’s set the stage:

So, last week I mentioned how obsessed I’ve been with HOC…

And how I binged through 2 seasons in 10 nights…

And in that email, on a whim…

I threw out a random idea:

Want me to talk about some of the marketing lessons I’ve picked up watching the show in a few emails?

Well…

I got about 50-odd “Hell yeah!” responses…

Plus a handful of “hell f*cking yeah and here’s 2 pages why” emails…

So what can I say?

The votes have been whipped.

And the tally is in.

So I figure…

Each day this week (starting today), let’s pick a character from the show and take ONE big marketing lesson learned from each one…

And today’s lesson is this:

(WARNING: There are some HOC spoilers in here. You’ve been warned.)

Alright. Let’s get started:

To conquer what Claire and Frank achieved….

Claire had to make ENORMOUS sacrifices.

Constantly put her OWN dreams, wishes, and desires on the back burner in the name of the Master Plan…

And as ruthless as she is…

As VICIOUS as she is…

For her ability to pass the marshmallow test with flying colors?

(Marshmallow Test: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment)

I admire her for that.

A wicked lot (as we would say in New Hampshire).

Because sometimes?

It ain’t easy.

Now, in our world…

That translates to putting your customers’ needs ahead of yours…

And THIS is where the Zig quote comes in:

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

Now, in MY world?

I’ve literally made 5 people (and counting) into millionaires in the last 18 months alone…

Funnels I built and (currently) manage for clients – that have generated over $1M in net profit.

(A few WELL over $1M…)

Now, am I cool with that?

Absolutely.

Why?

Because I get 5% gross profit on each of those deals.

Pennies to any one client…

But pennies that add up.

And I’m smart enough to know that while I’m DAMN good at what I do…

Lethal at MY piece…

i.e. making the cash register ring, and the bank account sing with my lean, mean, evergreen funnel machines…

All the other stuff?

I suck at (and hate dealing with).

I’m talking about dealing with traffic, product creation, supply chain management, managing a large team, etc.

I’m like the brain-surgeon who comes in, does his one piece, saves the guy’s life, and then moves on to the next one.

There are maybe 3 people in the world who could do it…

And I’m one of them.

So…

The big lesson is this:

In marketing?

Do what Claire would do.

Put the Master Plan ahead of your own immediate goals.

Put your customer needs ahead of yours.

Pick the right partner.

Be strategic about it.

And the money will follow.

But as the Marshmallow Test shows…

Most people?

Don’t have what it takes.

That’s why smart people know what their limitations are…

And bring the brain surgeon in to do the ONE THING he does better than anyone else in the world 😉

Peace out!

Ryan :-)

P.S. People were asking me last week:

What tool did you use to show those video analytics stats?

Well, it’s a high-end video platform called BrightCove, and chances are?

You can’t afford it.

But here’s the link if you’re curious:

http://www.brightcove.com/en/

P.P.S. Cheaper alternative I recommend for video analytics?

I like Wistia. Same sorta engagement stats at a fraction of the price.

Here’s the link:

http://www.wistia.com

*Note: Not affiliate links on either one. I’m just shooting straight, and telling you what I use – not trying to make a quick buck.

Right now, I’m only interested in big deals with 7, 8, and 9 figure companies…

(Money to be made in bringing those deals to the table, if you’re interested…)

And a new product I’m about to launch – that teaches the funnel formula I use in market after market…

(I’ve NEVER revealed this publicly before… And I don’t know how long I’m gonna make the product available for… So if that’s something you’re interested in, get on this priority notification list here:

http://forms.aweber.com/form/37/633023137.htm

P.P.P.S. Yep. I dropped a bomb outta nowhere in a second PS. Do like I do and reward your most devoted readers – and treat them well. They’ll dig you for it 😉

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