Graham McGregor: Five useful marketing resources

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There is a famous quote that goes like this:

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton

In other words, a simple way to make great progress is to get the help of other people. Particularly people who are experts. (Giants in their field if you like.)

With that in mind, here are five of my favourite marketing resources.

There are two e-zines, two books and one website from five of the smartest marketing people I know.

I use all five of these resources on a regular basis and they are literally 'worth their weight in gold'.

Let me share them with you...

Resource 1
The Direct Response Letter by Bob Bly

I have been a subscriber to Bob's e-zine for many years now and it's still one of the very few that I open and read as soon as it hits my in box. Bob sends out 2-3 very short messages each week. Each message has easy to use pearls of wisdom that I can apply quickly to improve my results. Bob is one of the most successful copywriters, authors and internet marketers in the world and the amount of useful information he shares (at no cost) is breath taking.

This is easily my number one marketing resource.

You can check it out for yourself here.

Resource 2
The Levison Letter

This is also very short and comes out once a month. Ivan Levison is one of the smartest copywriters I know and each e-zine is usually crammed full of helpful hints on one topic. A recent Levison Letter explained how to get appointments with prospects. Ivan explained what should be in a letter, how to send it and even gave an actual example of a letter that he had written for a client that worked amazingly well to get an appointment. All his Levison Letters are archived on his website and they are excellent.

You can sign up for the Levison Letter here.
(What I really like about Bob and Ivan is that every time I have emailed them with a question or comment they have responded politely and promptly. I appreciate this.)

Resource 3
'The Ultimate Sales Machine' by Chet Holmes

Chet Holmes is one of the greatest teachers of marketing, sales, and business success in the world. Sadly he passed away a short time ago. However his book The Ultimate Sales Machine explains some proven strategies that any business can use to increase sales. Chet has tested his methods with hundreds of different businesses and has achieved wonderful results with his simple ideas.

Resource 4
'The Sticking Point Solution' by Jay Abraham

Jay Abraham is rightly known as the best marketing expert in the world. His track record of amazing increases in profits with more than 10,000 businesses in over 400 different industries is downright amazing. In this latest book he covers how to thrive in a much tougher economy with very simple sales and marketing strategies.

You can get both Chet's and Jay's books through your favourite book supplier.

Resource 5

The last resource is a website that is part of the legacy left by someone who has been called 'The World's Greatest Living Copywriter'. His name is Garry Bencivenga and this site contains what he calls his Marketing Bullets. These Bullets are some of the most useful lessons I've ever read on sales and marketing and they are all available at no charge. Garry is now retired however his marketing brilliance lives on.

You can access all 29 of his marketing bullets at this link.

'Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.' - John C. Crosby

Action Exercise:
Let me know what you think about any of these resources and tell me about some of your own favourites as well. You can reach me via the email link at the end of the column.