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Stop talking! Who are you?! (how to get a *MUCH* better response from emails to your list)

by Mr Bill
18 replies
Here's a small tip for all those who have a list and randomly send out emails hoping to sell me something.

Start with a little introduction to remind me who you are why I'm on your list. It's as easy as "Hi, this is Bill again. You're receiving this email because you downloaded my report at [url] or you bought [product name]." I've noticed that I read every word of an email from someone I know and trust (or at least recognise) and I almost always get hot in the head when I get "launched at" without a reminder intro.

It's now got to the stage where I presume all unannounced emails are spam and I hover over my "spam" button or go straight down and look for the unsubscribe link. This can't be good but if you were to introduce yourself before you started trying to sell me something I might be willing to listen because I remember your report or liked your product.

I don't want to get an email from "Bruce" (a name I picked at random - if you're name's Bruce please don't take offense) launching straight into the latest and greatest thing. I don't know who you are, I don't trust you and as far as I'm concerned unless you can prove to me that I already know you you're name is "please delete me".

Imagine you're at a party and some random stranger who you've never seen just comes up to you and launches into a sales pitch. WTF? "Umm, excuse me...do I know you?"

So don't waste all the effort you went to to get me onto your list. I might well buy if I know who you are and why I should trust you (again). "Stop talking...who are you?"

Anyone else feel this way or is it just me?
#better response #emails #list #response #stop talkingwho are you
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I'm sure there are others that agree with you... but it isn't a huge problem for me - even though most lists i'm subscribed to doesn't say, "Hi, this is xyz again. You're receiving this email because you downloaded my report at [url] or you bought [product name]".
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Bill
    I need a way to distinguish between people who are spamming me and those who I actually signed up to and I think this is the only way I can tell. I know that when I get an intro I can relax and trust the author but when I don't I almost always ignore it.
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    • Profile picture of the author shane_k
      Originally Posted by Mr Bill View Post

      I need a way to distinguish between people who are spamming me and those who I actually signed up to and I think this is the only way I can tell. I know that when I get an intro I can relax and trust the author but when I don't I almost always ignore it.

      Here is what I do

      I created a folder that holds all my confirmation emails.

      I called it "confirmation emails" creative i know, lol

      Then when I receive an email from someone and I don't remember who they are, I look at the "sender" and then go into my "confirmation emails" folder and look to see if they are in there.

      If they aren't then I block them, and unsubscribe. If they are in there, having that original confirmation email reminds me of why I opt-ed in for their list.

      Another thing that I do is I have a "on probation" folder.

      This is where whenever I enter my information into an optin form the emails I recieve from the person go in there for 1-2 weeks to see how many emails I receive from them.

      If I am receiving too many emails they are still in my "on probation" folder" then I unsubscribe.

      My on probation folder is for those times when I do opt-in but don't know the person, or have just bought my first product from that particular person.

      Once someone has passed "on probation" which means they have developed some trust with me, or have provided some value and I know I am not going to be hammered with spam, I then create a folder with either their name, or the orginal product I bought from them. And then I create a rule in my email so that anything I receive from them gets dumped into that folder. So it's organized by person.

      For example, I have a "WillR" folder, lol.

      EDIT: I actually thought it was funny to mention WillR but it actually is a good example of how effective my organization system is

      I bought his mobile product last year, and then there was a period maybe february -march where I didn't receive anything from him at all.

      Then one day I received some emails from him. and my first thought was, who is this? Then as soon as I looked in my confirmation folder I saw that I bought a product from him and was immediately reminded of who he was.
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      • Profile picture of the author Sandor Verebi
        Hi Shane,

        Both of your example are practically good and serve your better convenience. I use similars on my own correspondence as well.

        Cheers,

        Sandor
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      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by shane_k View Post

        I bought his mobile product last year, and then there was a period maybe february -march where I didn't receive anything from him at all.

        Then one day I received some emails from him. and my first thought was, who is this? Then as soon as I looked in my confirmation folder I saw that I bought a product from him and was immediately reminded of who he was.
        Sounds to me like I need to start emailing you some more!
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        • Profile picture of the author ShaneGorry
          We may behave differently because we are marketers. For instance I won't just mark an unknown email as spam without first double checking that it is in fact spam and not from someone I had previously subscribed to. I must admit I certainly don't go to all the effort that Shane K does though.

          The reason I do take the time to check however is because I know how it feels to have spam reports made on perfectly legit emails broadcast. And even in cases where nothing was being sold or promoted. Spam reporting is one click of a conveniently placed button. At least this is the case with gmail. Unsubscribing means (in most cases) scrolling to the bottom of the page and looking for the unsubscribe link.

          How many others though, especially outside the IM niche, would care less about how they impact your business, especially if they don't even recall who you are?
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          • Profile picture of the author shane_k
            Originally Posted by ShaneGorry View Post

            We may behave differently because we are marketers. For instance I won't just mark an unknown email as spam without first double checking that it is in fact spam and not from someone I had previously subscribed to. I must admit I certainly don't go to all the effort that Shane K does though.

            Actually it's not that much effort because once you set up the folders, and set up the email rules it is pretty much... (dare I say it) set and forget.
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  • Profile picture of the author gabysanchez225
    It would work, and if it eventually became the norm it'd help stop all the random offer pollution from people whose lists i'm not even on haha.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Bill,

    I agree with you, to an extent.

    It's something I have seen used by a few people but the reason I haven't used such a method is because I feel that it takes away from the personal nature of the email. You will also find a lot of people who don't take action on any products and when you remind them of the product they purchased from you, they are just as likely to go off in search of that product because you just reminded them they had it and hadn't taken action on it.

    As with everything, it's something worth testing. I don't think it's as clear cut as saying it will or will not work. Probably in some situations it could be good, in others it could do more harm than good.

    I think the better thing to do is to build a brand around yourself and be the person people remember. It's no good if everytime you contact someone you have to remind them of what they purchased from you. There are other (better) ways to be memorable.

    But it's definitely something to be tested.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Bill
    I guess you're proof of my point Will. I read every word of your emails because I know, like and trust you but when I get an email from someone and I have no idea who it is I just ignore it. So maybe it's something that only needs to be implemented in the first few emails, at the bottom of emails (just above the unsubscribe link?) or maybe just a link saying "Who am I?". Not sure. All I know is that I reject emails from people I don't recognise.
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
      During the initial stages where you're branding yourself or your business, I think it's important to give the reminder. This is certainly true for the first few emails in my autoresponders which state "I hope you liked / had success with X". After which time I don't remind people of a specific product for the eact reason Will states with regards to derailing focus.

      From then onwards, I let my "title" serve as the reminder together with a photograph which I put in every email. My title is a quirky line which states my area of expertise which serves as a reminder too for my product range.

      My email template (although bare bones) is kept consitant too.

      Daniel
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Bill
    Daniel, you're more proof that instant recognition works. You do it with your graphic logo that instantly tell me it's an email from you not just some guy called "Daniel".

    Instant recognition is what it's all about. Help me relax about who you are and I'll read every word. Make me guess and I've got better things to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author matchoo77
    Very true and very overlooked aspect of many of the emails that flood my inbox everyday.

    The idea is to have people on your list actually like you. Don't treat them like a number.

    Why do you think Frank Kern sends out emails with subject lines like "dude..." ?

    Because...

    That's how friends email each other...NOT...with subject lines where every word is capitalized...like: "Special Offer For You Inside"

    I posted in a thread a while back...and let WSO sellers know that they need to be doing what the OP is suggesting...I mean think about it....I know I have bought tons of WSO's...do the sellers honestly think I remember all of them by name?

    Remind me who you are...and how I most likely got on your mailing list.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cali16
      Bill, I totally understand where you're coming from, and often think the same thing. This is, IMO, especially a good approach for people who send out emails very rarely (although I do appreciate that those people aren't bombarding me with emails all the time) OR those who have changed their email address and then just put their first name in the email.

      Yes, testing it is good, but if you're getting spam complaints or a lot of unsubscribes, this might solve at least some of the problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Have you ever considered that perhaps you're on too many lists?
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  • Profile picture of the author dlane1987
    This is difficult I get that you should introduce yourself. however even then there will come a point where autoresponders become unwelcome and only the reciver can judge that.

    All we can do is maintain our list relationship as best as we can.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
    In the "From" field in the autoresponder I usually put my name and the product they bought from me or my name and something to do with the site they subscribed from. I figured this is a good way to make sure everyone knows who I am. For example I'll use: Bill | Product or if they sub'd from a site I'll put Bill | Domain.com. If the domain is too long I'll just shorten it or use an acronym somehow.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mr Bill
      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      Have you ever considered that perhaps you're on too many lists?
      No I haven't because I'm not. These days almost every time you try to get some (or more) information you're forced to join a list of some sort so it's not uncommon for normal active people to be subscribed to many lists. I'm interested in all things Internet so I collect all sorts of information and find most initial email and downloads useful but with all the list selling going on and people emailing you with just their first names as identification it's getting very difficult to remember who every Nick, Bruce, Bob and Bill is.

      Originally Posted by Bill_Z View Post

      In the "From" field in the auto responder I usually put my name and the product they bought from me or my name and something to do with the site they subscribed from. I figured this is a good way to make sure everyone knows who I am. For example I'll use: Bill | Product or if they sub'd from a site I'll put Bill | Domain.com. If the domain is too long I'll just shorten it or use an acronym somehow.
      I use this myself. So with one quick glance anyone receiving an email from my list will see the domain as well. I also let people know why they are on my list. At the start at the top then after a few emails at the bottom near the unsubscribe link.
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