Value Based Copywriting – Harlan Kilstein

Last week I attended Dr. Harlan Kilstein’s “Value Based Copywriting” seminar

in Las Vegas. What transpired from that event was much more then I had ever anticipated.

I actually had decided to not attend the event because I was in the middle of

a product launch and also had another deadline for a different project.

So I emailed Harlan and told him thanks for the invite, but I was too slammed

with work to attend the event.

He replied with a brief email… You Suck !

After giving it some thought, I quickly realized that missing this event would be a mistake. Between the networking that would take place, and the

chance to learn some more valuable copywriting info, it was obvious I should

jump into the van and make the trek across the desert.

I’m going to be blatantly honest here.

I’ve never really been a big Kilstein fan.

Something about his style never seemed to resonate with me very much. A few

times we had butted heads in forums, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal.

We are both big boys, and the two of us have been known to be a bit controversial at times. Our personality types inevitably attract a bit of backlash on the net with our blunt and to-the-point style.

No biggie. We verbally squabbled in print, then hung out like normal dudes.

Even though I wasn’t a rabid Harlan fan, I did respect his business ability

and knew that he had some good info to teach. I just had no idea it was this

good.

Because I had always had a slight negative bias towards the man, I had never really paid too much attention to what he said.

Hey, I told you I was going to be blatantly honest. You know me!

It wasn’t until I heard him talking on the 2nd set of Tactic 7 calls that

my ears really shot up and took notice. The info inside of that call was

worth pure gold and Harlan was knocking the ball out of the park when

discussing bringing proven offline buyers into your online marketing funnel.

The Tactic 7 calls were probably the biggest driving factor that lead me to

jump inside the Ford and dart over to sin city. Anyone who listened to those

calls instantly realized that these guys were taking business to a whole

different level. I knew I could learn some great stuff by attending.

What I soaked up at the event was far beyond any of my expectations.

First of all, his Value Based Copywriting methods are OUT OF THIS WORLD!

I’m not kidding one bit. If you are a copywriter and want to get out of the routine of writing sales letters on the cheap, this is the man you need to talk to. Harlan can show you how to earn what you are truly worth, and the clients will be happy to pay hefty fees for your service.

I’m not sure if Harlan is going to sell his VBC Course to the general

public, but if he ever does, BUY IT AT ANY COST!

Personally, I felt the seminar he held was worth at least $10,000. This is

no exaggeration either. However, each person will get a different value out

of it. People like myself will take those nuggets and run with them all

the way to the bank. Others will probably just let the material collect dust.

It was blatantly obvious that there were some people with a mind state that

had success imbedded into their core, while others were just wishfully dreaming that they could one day charge huge fees for their copy.

I believe Harlan invited me because he knows I’m the type that will actually

take action. And he’s right!

So I learned some absolutely brilliant stuff from Dr. Kilstein in Vegas, but

this is really not what this post is all about.

Beyond just learning about Harlan’s business mindset and ability to attract

high paying clients, I discovered something much deeper about the man that

I think many people are not aware of.

Harlan is actually a very sincere man. It’s a bit tough to notice on the periphery sometimes, but trust me, this guy has a passion for helping people unlike many others.

During the seminar I noticed things in Harlan that had previously escaped

my vision. This guy was truly concerned about his students. He wanted to

make a difference in their lives for the better, not just take their money

for his seminar.

There is a big difference between a true teacher and someone who just

passes on information for cash. In today’s jaded world of internet marketing

it’s hard to tell who’s just out there for a quick buck.

Harlan understands that the success of his students directly reflects upon

his legacy as a teacher. I’m positive that he takes teaching very seriously

and it elates him to see students make positive changes in their businesses.

But what I saw this weekend extended beyond just business.

It was apparent that Harlan really cared about his students. Okay, I know

what some of you are thinking. “What kind of hypnotic trance did Harlan put

you in Jason”?

Trust me, I’m a very good judge of character. As a private investigator and

reformed habitual con-man, I know a shady cat when I see them.

I’ll admit that I had my guard up a bit knowing that Harlan was involved

in hypnosis. However, since I used to do a bit of self hypnosis about

a decade ago, I wasn’t too worried. I did the exercises with an open

mind.

It was harmless stuff anyways, and nothing to be worried about. Harlan

was cementing a positive mind set into us while using some really cool

tools. I’m not sure you can get more of a positive mind set then what I’ve

already got, but I was open to anchoring it further into my subconscious.

Throughout the exercises and the 2 days I was present in Vegas I saw

a side to Dr. Kilstein that I would have never guessed existed. I actually

grew fond of the man and now appreciate him as a person much more then

I had previous to the seminar.

The admiration stemmed from witnessing his sincerity as a teacher and

his willingness to help others. My impression of him had little to do

with marketing skills or salesmanship (I already knew that existed), but had

much more to do with his persona.

Don’t get me wrong, the marketing stuff blew me away. However the personal glimpse inside of who Harlan Kilstein was meant a bit more.

I was glad to find out that Harlan is not the rude and obnoxious man that

I had previously labeled him. In fact, he was quite the opposite.

He is a driven, focused, and caring guy who really enjoys helping people

out.

His gracious gesture to invite me to his class will not be forgotten. It’s

going to make me a ton of cash, and it also helped me to see a different

picture then the one I had painted in my mind.

Thanks Harlan.

It was great to see you having a good time with Brian Keith Voiles and

the rest of the group. It was great energy, and allowed me to see a sincere

side of you that I did not know existed.

Your style has been abrasive at times, and maybe you did rub me the wrong way on occasions, but I’m glad that I’ve witnessed a side of you that makes

me feel good about being your friend.

Take care pal.

Jason Moffatt