Selling Tips from Joe Karbo: Direct Marketing Genius

Joe Karbo was a multimillionaire who earned his money by publishing his own book, The Lazy Man's Way to Riches. Karbo was an innovator in the area of direct marketing (selling directly to customers) because his books never appeared in stores until near the very end of his life.

Karbo sold his book via mail order through advertising in popular magazines. He placed tiny ads that used compelling text he had written himself (books on copywriting still list Karbo's advertisements as perfect examples to emulate, and state that his ads were among the greatest ever written). Over time Karbo gradually placed bigger ads in more prestigious magazines until he eventually sold over four million copies of his book. Today he is a legend among entrepreneurs and considered a genius in the area of direct marketing.

But what does his book, The Lazy Man's Way to Riches, actually contain that allowed it to sell so many copies? In it Karbo begins by laying out his own hard luck story, which many people could identify with, then he proceeds to give detailed psychological advice along with positive thinking methods (since he had a thorough understanding of human nature), and eventually he provides a few sound business ideas that anyone can use to start a successful business based on their own innate talents.

Some of the advice Karbo gives in his book, along with his actual accomplishments, reminds me of a tip in Donald Trump's book, How to Get Rich, where he says, "The possibilities are always there. If you're thinking too small, you might miss them." Joe Karbo understood this lesson. He thought big and realized his dreams by self-publishing his book and making millions of dollars, which leads me to two of Karbo's little-known selling tips.