Making Them Believe: How One of America's Legendary Rogues Marketed ''The Goat Testicles Solution'' and Made Millions

Classic Dan Kennedy lessons and approach in more of a case study format. Joint authored with Chip Kessler, this is an interesting read both from a marketing and a historical perspective. Great lessons in psychology and tactics to implement. A must have book for business owners and marketers.

If you're a charlatan, making your case in today's skeptical world is more difficult than ever and if you really want to make big bucks, there are some insider secrets in this book you'll want to tattoo on your arm.But, if you're an honest, ethical entrepreneur (or would-be) with something great to offer your market, making your case in today's skeptical world is more difficult than ever and if you really want to make a positive difference (and profit from your effort as you deserve), there are some insider secrets... you get the point.Dr. J.R. Brinkley was a master at making the *in-credible* believable. I guarantee you that whatever it is YOU have to offer is no where NEAR as difficult as selling men GOAT TESTICLES(!) to solve their sexual deficiencies. (Just think - FIRST you've got to sell them on letting you take a scalpel down there!)But, some days - and particularly during tough economic times - you may feel that way; that it is THAT difficult. It may drive you nuts (pardon the pun) that others can't see enough of the value in what you offer to part with their *hard-earned* money. Shouldn't that make you just a little more curious as to what allowed a man to sell goat testicles and make millions in the *Great Depression?*Thanks to an open mind, a strong sense of self, and faith in my moral compass, I was able to freely dive into this book and gain much from it. I've already begun putting to work some of the concepts I've learned from Dan and Chip in this book and am poised to profit greatly from it.

That is ONE killer book. Each chapter, a seminar in and of itself. It's like a comprehensive education in marketing, positioning, and so much more.I read it from cover-to-cover, non-stop, annoying all in my home. Why? I couldn't put it down. Although contents are literally a blue-print for business success, it reads like a Grisham novel.WARNING: After consuming, if you fail to get a marketing erection (idea) within 23 seconds, or, if your erection lasts longer than 3-½ decades, discontinue use immediately, change professions and see a therapist. This success blueprint is that effective.Jerry A. Jones[...]The #1 Dental Practice Marketer in America

I wouldn't say this is a book on Marketing "Don'ts" but it definitely has some real "No Nos."I liked this book and found it very helpful. Instead of taking the normal marketing or business book approach  Making Them Believe: How One of America's Legendary Rogues Marketed "The Goat Testicles Solution" and Made Millions  made bold marketing and self promotion concepts very tangible and easy to translate into "ethical" practices today.True, the good doctor schlepping his goat testicle cure was not exactly ethical, but he did help people and he was a brilliant marketer. He invented many techniques that had never been conceived before and capitalized on bad press like a politician. Amazing in his approach.Bouncing back and forth between the two authors was actually like participating in a round table discussion and analysis of the 21 marketing techniques they identify in the book. I found this helpful too due to the slightly different tack each would take with the subject and then build on the idea in the next chapter. Personally I always find a discussion more helpful for generating ideas that a monologue or a sermon.The pseudo Doctor J.R. Brinkley was an unapologetic, somewhat arrogant, marketing genius with phony credentials and a willingness to do what ever it took. This is a business/marketing book that reads like pulp fiction and it was very entertaining. It's certainly no text book on marketing but if you're not careful you make actually learn more than in a graduate level class.There is another book on Dr. Brinkley that is far more detailed and examines his workings in a less favorable light  Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam  by Pop Brock. I recommend both books because they go into one of the most interesting self-promotion experts next to PT Barnum  There's a Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum's Amazing 10"Rings of Power" for Creating Fame, Fortune, and a Business Empire TodayGuaranteed! .

I was skeptical of this book at first, but I'm glad I gave it a try. It turned out to be one of the most interesting books on marketing and persuasion I've ever read. The book reviews Dr. Brinkly's marketing strategies from a somewhat neutral position regarding the ethics behind the man and his practice. The authors acknowledge that Brinkly committed fraud, but instead of dwelling on that, they analyze his marketing and explain how the reader can apply these successful techniques to an ethical business.This book was very interesting and probably one of the more highlighted books I've read in a long time. It is very similar to Robert Calidin's book "Persuasion," except instead of multiple case studies, this focuses on one. This book is also more entertaining and there are more examples that you can immediately adapt and implement in your own business. Calidini's book is a bit more theoretical than this one is.I noticed that one reviewer was very critical of this book because Brinkly was dishonest, but that is not a review of the book, it is a review of the person discussed in the book. Read this book with an open mind and you will get a ton out of it. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Ho letto tantissimi libri dello stesso autore e il risultato era sempre e solo uno: un'eruzione di idee ad ogni pagina.Cosa che non avviene in questo libro. Noioso, ho fatto addirittura fatica a finirlo. Sono illustrate sempre le solite tecniche di marketing (diventa un'autorità, comunica da uno a molti, metti scadenze temporali, ecc.), ma in maniera estremamente superficiale.Sconsigliato. Se dovete prendere un altro libro di DK, sceglietene un altro: non rimarrete delusi.

Great read - full of amazing lessons

Dies ist das Buch über den "Arzt" Dr. Brinkley, wie er seine Wundermittel gegen Impotenz verkaufte und verdammt reich wurde.Dies ist jedoch kein einfaches Geschichtsbuch, sondern eine Analyse seiner Techniken und wie man sie selbst nutzen kann.Dr. Brinkley war ein Marketing Genie, der mit Hilfe von Büchern (über sich als auch über seine Methoden), Radiosendungen (die er selbst hielt) und Seminaren/Vorträgen seine "Heilung" verkaufte.Dan Kennedy zeigt auf, wie man sich selbst als Experte darstellt und wie es andere taten. Er zeigt unter anderem auch Martha Steward und andere Persönlichkeiten auf und wie sie sich selbst positionierten.Ein interessantes und teilweise lustiges Buch, dass dem Leser das Self-Branding oder Authority-Branding näher erläutert. Absolut lesenswert!

This book is not only highly entertaining but also presents clear ideas on how the same marketing methods used by J.R. Brinkley are being used today.**Please note: this does not mean the authors (or myself) advocate being a charlatan.**As Dan Kennedy puts it... "there's gold in the old," and that's what you'll find in this book. I'll definitely be reading this one again.

Habe von diesem Buch auf einem Dan Kennedy Pitch Event erfahren und war sehr begeistert es zu kaufen.Die Idee des Buches ist es die Prinzipien von Scharlatanen zu nutzen, die Mist verkaufen, und diese auf ein sinnvolles Produkt anzuwenden.Habe viele Ideen aus dem Buch ziehen können. Aber auch das Prinzip das Marketing immer ehrlich und ethisch sein sollte. Man will ja nachts ruhig schlafen.Definitive Kaufempfehlung!