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 todays 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 apparant 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 excercises 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 subconcious.

Throughout the excercises 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 abrassive at times, and maybe you did rub me the wrong wayon occasions, but I'm glad that I've witnessesed a side of you that makes
me feel good about being your friend.

Take care pal.

Jason Moffatt



PS: If you are a copywriter and Harlan decides to release that seminar,
it's an absolute MUST HAVE! No, Harlan didn't hypnotize me to say that.
I honestly know it can make the difference between whether or not
you are a 6 figure copywriter, or someone who writes salesletters for $1000.

Jason,
Thanks for the post.

Although I haven't met Harlan personally, I've been on a few of his teleseminars and I too have the same opinion about Harlan.

Having served as a Military Intelligence interrogator, I am a good judge of character and I'll tell ya that Harlan is one of the most caring mentors anyone can have.

Many who know me personally know that I've always been a rebel when it comes to "gurus" and teachers, but I can assure you that Harlan has made a great impression on me as a person...

In South Texas we have a name for folks like that fit Harlan's profile...

They are referred to as "good people"

Harlan is definitely "good people"!

Cool post Jason, from Harlan's posts I've always thought of him like you did before you went to his conference. Looks like I've been wrong all along.

The teleseminar Harlan did with Lorrie Ferrero was nothing short of phenomenal! What transpired from the call was much more than I had ever expect. He generously spilt valuable secrets on employing psychological "widgets" into your copy that will literally light fire under your reader's "you-know-what"

The Blatant truth is that his call is even more valuable than the previous series of calls Lorrie did with John Carlton & Dan Kennedy

PS: If you would like to have a MP3 recording of Harlan's teleseminar, drop me a note at taymastery@gmail.com

PPS: If I were Lorrie, I would definitely package this call and sell for $197

PPPS: Dayhem... no less than 20 people have emailed me for the link...

I disagree. Gary Halbert is an original. There is no "next" Gary Halbert.

What's wrong with being the first Harlan Kilstein?

I hear that's pretty damn good!

Dale King

Nice post Jason,

Not to kick the dead horse anymore but...

... Harlan and I have butted heads a little as well
(probably not the best career move on
my part ), butI have a friend who I
know signed up for one of Harlan's seminars,
and due to some personal matters couldn't make it --
and from what my friend has been telling me
Harlan has been nothing but a totally "stand up
guy" by working through the challenges that
arose when my friend couldn't make the
seminar.

Bravo to Harlan!

LAter
Caleb

Oh boy,

We're eulogizing Harlan! What fun.

Here was the result of my first contact (on another forum) with the good Dr.
(I thought he needed some help with his grammar.)

Don't know if he's forgotten about it, but he's been a hell of a resource nonetheless.

Every interaction I've had with Harlan has taught me something.

A.

Hey Jason,

I've heard John Reeese say similar things about Gary Halbert as well.

I think we need to allow copywriters to have a marketing persona. I've had
clients who had one personality in their emails and the total opposite on the
phone.

And most people who are tough in WORDS are soft in HEART!

But ... I still think you ARE hypnotized ... time will tell after the 'spell'
wears off.

-Ray L.,

Jason, thank you for sharing this with us.

I have to confess that I got the same vision about DOC in the begining, but One Day in one post he show me the real meaning of HELP , it was so much instantanious and impulssif that it make me in admiration, and I wanted just to thank him.

again Thank you Doc.

Hey wordsmith, for future reference:

Red Hot Copy Lady = Lorrie-Morgan Ferrero