I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Giovanni Marsico—better known simply as "Gio"—for a game-changing conversation about marketing, events, and creating remarkable experiences that sell themselves. If you're not familiar with Gio, he's the mastermind behind Archangel Mastermind and the wildly successful Destiny events in Austin, Toronto, and more cities soon to come.

As a Reminder, Our Goal with this Newsletter is to Give You the Highest Level of Value Possible. That's my Promise to you & I intend to Over-Deliver!

Here's a Sneak Peek at What's Inside This Email:

• Why the REAL marketing happens AFTER someone pays you (and how this flips traditional marketing on its head)

• The "Impossible Goal" framework Gio uses to achieve things others think are impossible

• How to create experiences so remarkable that your customers can't help but tell others

• The simple email strategy Gio used to get Seth Godin to speak at his event (with zero prior connection)

Alright, let's Dive In...

Marketing Happens AFTER Someone Pays You

Most marketers have it backward. They think marketing is what happens to get someone to buy.

Gio dropped a truth bomb that challenged everything I thought I knew about marketing: "Marketing is what happens AFTER someone pays you."

This isn't just a catchy phrase. It's a complete paradigm shift.

Here's what this means practically: When you deliver an experience that transforms your customers—when they feel their minds have been blown and they've been forever changed—they become your most powerful marketing channel.

I witnessed this firsthand at Gio's Toronto event last September, where 1,500 people packed the house. At the end, Gio simply said, "Our next event is a year from now, next September 13th. You can get your tickets now."

That's it. No hard sell. No manipulation. No urgency tactics.

The result? 500 people—a full THIRD of the audience—bought tickets on the spot. Without knowing speakers, agenda, or any other details. Just the date and city.

That's the power of creating an experience so remarkable that people can't wait to experience it again and tell others about it.

The "Top Secret" Event Strategy

Speaking of remarkable experiences, let me tell you about one of the most unique event concepts I've ever encountered—Gio's "Top Secret" events.

Picture this: You pay for a ticket (a substantial $10K), but you don't know:

• What the event will be about

• Who else will attend

• What activities are planned

• Even which hotel you'll stay at

All you know is the city and date. Everything else is revealed only when needed.

I recently attended Top Secret Miami, and it was unlike anything I've experienced. From being picked up at the airport to receiving personalized text messages every couple hours telling me where to go next, the entire experience was meticulously crafted.

The brilliant part? This "top secret" concept creates marketing BEFORE the event even happens. I found myself telling more people about this mysterious event I was attending than almost any other event in my life—both before and after.

As Gio explained: "I designed the event that I dreamed I could attend... it feels like you're in a story and it feels like everything is taken care of so you don't have to think... it unveils like a film."

The "Domino Effect" for Achieving the Impossible

One of the most powerful strategies Gio shared was his framework for achieving seemingly impossible goals.

He calls it the "Domino Effect," inspired by a physics principle where one domino can knock over another one 1.6 times its size. Start with a tiny domino, and by the end of a chain, you could theoretically knock over one that's miles high.

Here's how Gio applied this:

1. He set an "impossible" goal: Host a 1,000+ person event (when he'd only ever done 100-200 person events before)

2. He identified his last domino: 1,000+ attendees

3. He worked backward to find his first domino: Getting ONE big-name speaker to say yes

4. His first domino: Gary Vaynerchuk (by offering to buy 3,000 copies of his new book)

5. Second domino: Seth Godin (more on this brilliant strategy in a moment)

6. Third domino: Robin Sharma

7. Fourth domino: Community builders with their own audiences

Each domino knocked over a larger one, until he achieved what initially seemed impossible.

The Seth Godin Email Strategy

Speaking of Seth Godin, I HAVE to share the email strategy Gio used to get Seth (who famously hates flying) to speak at his Toronto event—with zero prior connection.

Most people would have sent a typical "I'm your biggest fan" email. Not Gio. Here's what he did instead:

"Seth, I'm your biggest fan, and you've heard that a million times, and I've read all your books, and I'm sure you've heard that a million times, but here's the thing you haven't heard a million times. I'm your case study."

He then showed Seth exactly how applying the wisdom from Seth's books had allowed him to build everything that led to producing this event.

He concluded: "I couldn't have been where I am if I wasn't your student. And I would love for this to come full circle for you to speak at the event that only exists because I read your books."

Seth's response? "How do I say no to this?"

This approach works because it:

1. Acknowledges the clichés but doesn't rely on them

2. Makes it about THEIR impact, not your desire

3. Creates a story they want to be part of completing

4. Gives them status elevation through recognition of their influence

The "Be Useful" Relationship Building Formula

One of my favorite tactical takeaways was Gio's approach to building relationships with successful people:

"Nobody in a group cares that they are ahead of me in some way. They only care that I can get them ahead."

The formula is simple:

1. Recognize that everyone—no matter how successful—is on a path to an even better future

2. Become useful in getting them further down THEIR path

3. The more you know about someone's path, the more you can help them

4. Focus on providing value through connections, resources, advice, or guidance

As Gio put it: "If you become useful in getting someone further down their own path, you can build and deepen relationship with them."

And the single most important relationship-building strategy? "If it's weird to call this a strategy, but the strategy is to care."

Making "Impossible Goals" Achievable

I asked Gio about his current "impossible goals," and they're appropriately massive:

1. A million people attending his in-person events within 10 years

2. Selling a million books (when 10,000 is considered successful in publishing)

3. Winning a Nobel Peace Prize

But here's what makes Gio different—and why he achieves what others think impossible:

"I don't really care about the accolade. I care about creating the impact worthy of achieving the accolade... imagine I can create so much connection and peace in the world that it deserves that prize. That's the thing I care about."

This isn't just inspiration—it's a practical framework:

• Set an "impossible goal" that excites you

• Break it down into a series of dominos

• Identify what the FIRST domino is (it's always smaller than you think)

• Knock over dominos one by one with full focus

The Brilliant "Pay After" Strategy

One final golden nugget that Gio shared: "What would be different if you had to create a result or an outcome before you got paid?"

When Gio launched his first-ever Archangel event in 2014, he used this counterintuitive approach. Instead of selling tickets, his invitation said:

"Don't pay me. Just RSVP that you're coming, attend the event, and if you think it was worth it, pay me after."

He started the event by saying, "I'm going to give you all my best stuff in the first hour. I want to make the first hour of this event so valuable that the rest of the day feels like a bonus."

The result? Most people paid at the end, and they kept coming back to future events. This approach kickstarted his entire business.

When you're confident in your ability to deliver value, removing the risk for your customers can be a game-changer.

Listen to the Full Episode on Apple or Spotify!

Want to Experience Gio's Magic Firsthand?

If you're intrigued by Gio's approach and want to experience it yourself, here are the upcoming events he mentioned:

• Destinyfest Austin: June 4th

• Destinyfest Toronto: September 13th

• Top Secret Events: Various dates (reach out to Gio directly mentioning "top secret")

Follow Gio on social media or visit destiny.live for more information and updates.

Final Thoughts: The Real Marketing Opportunity

What stuck with me most from my conversation with Gio is this: The biggest marketing opportunity isn't before someone buys—it's after.

Most businesses pour their resources into acquiring customers but neglect the experience after the sale. Yet that's where the real magic happens.

When you create an experience so remarkable that people can't help but share it—when you transform someone so deeply that they become an evangelist for your brand—that's when marketing truly happens.

And this applies to ANY business, not just events:

• For a SaaS company: Create onboarding so delightful users tell colleagues

• For coaches: Deliver transformation so profound clients can't stop sharing

• For e-commerce: Create unboxing experiences customers film and share

The question isn't "How do I get more customers?"

The question is "How do I create an experience so remarkable that my customers become my marketing department?"

That's the revolution Gio is leading—and it's one we should all pay attention to.

I'll see you in the next one!

To Your Success,

- Aleric Heck | Founder & CEO of AdOutreach

P.S. If you want to learn how to leverage YouTube Ads to fuel your own remarkable customer experience, book a Video Marketing Discovery Call with my team. We'll help map out a custom strategy for your business!