Throughout this entire course we have been talking endlessly about how to grow your list and why. But there is still one thing left that you must know about your list. If you only get one thing out of this entire training – make sure it’s this:
It’s not the size of the list that matters – it’s the relationship you have with your list that will make you money.While we want to concentrate on building our list so that we have a constant pool of leads to pitch to, if you are not building a long lasting, quality relationship with the people on your list all of your hard work getting them to your list will have been in vain.
This is why buying a list is a huge waste of your money, you might have pages upon pages of names and email addresses, but these people have no idea who you are! They have not asked to receive information (let alone advertising) from you, and your messages will sit unread in hundreds of email accounts – or worse, sent to the spam folder.
Building a list organically is the only way to create a long lasting asset for your company that you can use to create massive wealth at the click of a button. So in this lesson I am going to teach you how to protect this asset and nurture it, so that it continues to work for you for years to come.
Ask what you can do for your list. Yes, I know it sounds cliché, but it is so true! And if you follow this simple advice, you will not want for anything. If I have said
it once, I’ve said it a thousand times (because it really does need to be said) you
want to cultivate a positive relationship by adding value for the other person. You
already have some sort of relationship with the people on your list, because you
were able to get them to invite you into their lives and their inboxes.
They subscribed to receive your emails for one reason or another. That’s the easy part! Now, how do you convince them to stay on your list? And not only that, but truly listen to what you have to say, and wait for your next email week by week? You do this by catering to their needs.
What do your subscribers need? What do they want? What urgent problem can you solve? Once you answer those questions get to work solving their problems and fulfilling their desires! If you can do that, they will likewise be willing to follow you to the ends of the Earth, wallets out and ready. If you spend your follow-up emails looking for cash, they will defensively hide their cards every time you open your mouth (figuratively or literally).
However, if you gush a river of pure golden nuggets that will build their businesses and encourage their success, they will be looking for an opportunity to partner with you regardless of the price.
Once your list has grown to 500 or more subscribers, it has become an asset. Not only in the sense that you can send out an email and (if you have played your cards right) get commissions with the click of a button, but also because you have something that other network marketers want: leads. Welcome to the wonderful world of ad swapping.
Ad swaps are when you and another networker trade lists for one day. You put his ad on your list and vice versa. This gives both of you exposure and the chance to earn some income and new leads. Since you have been bolstering your relationships with other networkers through various social media outlets, blogging and forums, it should be plenty easy for you to find a marketer in your niche and at about your marketing level that you could ask to do a swap with.
You want to be very careful when swapping with another networker. First and foremost – PROTECT YOUR LIST. If the other person does not have a quality offer to share with your list, don’t do the swap. You want their offer to be on par with or better than what you regularly give in your follow up on a weekly basis.
Likewise you want your offer to be great as well, not only so that you make the most of your opportunity, but to uphold the reputation of the marketer you are swapping with and to continue nurturing that partnership.
Another option is to do a Webinar swap. Of course, you will want to be very comfortable with yourself and your presenting materials before attempting this, but it can be quite beneficial! A webinar swap is the same as an ad swap, except you are swapping webinars instead. You will have to create a PowerPoint presentation for your webinar; most webinars are about an hour long and have Q&A sessions at the end.
If you don’t know what a webinar is your primary opportunity should be hosting them on a weekly basis! Find out when they are and be there. Remember, your education is the number one asset you should be investing in always!
Before I wrap up this lesson I wanted to give you a few pointers on creating quality follow-up emails to send out to your list. Follow these tips to creating great relationships with your list and you will be able to utilize those relationships for many months and years to come:
Consistency: When a person first subscribes to your list you should email them once a day for at least a week. This tells them that you are serious about your business, that you have a lot of value to offer (since your emails are packed with value, right?), and it also helps them to learn who you are.
It takes a lot of effort to develop an initial bond with your list, these first emails are crucial to that task. After 7-10 days taper your emails off to every other day, and then seamlessly integrate them into your main newsletter which you should be sending emails out to at least twice a week.
Content: Again, even if someone signs up for your list specifically to get information on your primary opportunity you don’t want to directly sell them on joining your business. You want to position yourself as a leader so they naturally want to join you. All you need to do to be seen as an expert by your prospects is to know one thing (in each email) that they do not know.
Teach them one tidbit that will be helpful to them regardless of whether or not they join your business. Indirectly sell them and also seamlessly integrate your affiliate programs into your teaching model so you can be earning commissions on your list whether they join your primary opportunity or not.
Creativity: Make sure your emails are enjoyable as well as informative. You don’t want to bore your prospects with a lecture on preliminary marketing strategies, you want to wow them with quick tips on how to generate massive income. Remember, in our society we do not pay attention for long periods of time and we like to be entertained.
Use these as guidelines when writing your emails, make them visually appealing and intriguing so that you can hold their attention for the next several months or longer.
Character: Don’t forget, people are looking to network with people. In order to build a relationship with your list, don’t be afraid to add a little of yourself to your follow up. If you’re from the south throw in a ya’ll every once in a while, talk about the funny remark your three year old made at dinner last night, show off your great sense of humor or let them in on the struggles you had when you were first starting out.
By revealing little parts of yourself you garner trust and friendship – keys to building a networking empire.