3 years later - My biggest Success Tip For $$$

[James Schramko]

I just noticed I joined here three years ago.

Back then I was working full time and trying to
figure it all out. I have since quit working for
someone else and have my own IM business.

I have several six figure business models running
now and this was only possible because of the
following action I took.

Since doing this one thing I have had several
six figure months.

Here it is:

** Get off all those email lists **

Yes - as soon as you unsubscribe from every crap
email list you will free up three hours a day and
you can get into creating products.

You will be able to implement many of the ideas
and training materials you have bought along the
way too!

Seriously - Your output will be inversely opposite
to the number of email lists you subscribe to.

Don't fool your self into thinking you will miss an
important message or technique. Many marketers only
have one technique - greed.

Try it for a month and tell me what happens!

[kanwarjot]

Thats absolutely right...no marketing guru will ever reveal his or her marketing secrets.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by kanwarjot

Thats absolutely right...no marketing guru will ever reveal his or her marketing secrets.

especially if it is :


"keep emailing until they buy or die'

(Direct quote from a well know guru)

[mogili]

That's an absolute fact James. Reading these emails takes away major chunk of my time. I think, the time could be better utilized. I'm one with you.

[tomah]

I've unsubscribed from many lately.

You just gave me further reason to unsubscribe from even more.

Thanks!

[James Schramko]

Just for a day or so - keep a note of how long it takes
you to read your inbox and follow all the rabbit holes
it produces.

It will Frighten most people.

I have been stuck in the loop of checking emails
and never getting anything for MY business done.

This is truly the biggest time thief of today.

I try and run my inbox at Zero now.

People have to send me good stuff for
me to stay on the list. No exceptions.

[Gene Pimentel]

Thank you James! This is a powerful piece of advice. It's okay to be on many lists if you're just starting to learn and want to study other's marketing techniques, but the sooner you get OFF those lists the more productive you'll be.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

Thank you James! This is a powerful piece of advice. It's okay to be on many lists if you're just starting to learn and want to study other's marketing techniques, but the sooner you get OFF those lists the more productive you'll be.

The thing is many of them will not teach you anything.
They will teach you how to be an asshole just like them

It does not matter what they do - just be yourself and
only follow the people who you trust and are teaching you
the right things.

There are many people I do not want to be like...

If you insist on following marketers make SURE you
keep a separate Gmail account for those emails
and resist the temptation to look at them every day.

The question is:

Do you control your email or does it control you?

A ten minute scan of the Warrior forum will tell you
what is going on in the marketplace.

A few RSS feeds for top blogs and News sites will help.

[Rich Pryor]

James, this advice is pure gold. I'm going to go on an unsubscribing expedition this afternoon!

Cheers, Rich

[James Schramko]

Have fun

Thank me in a few weeks when you actually close your
inbox and it is empty. That is freedom.

I should also mention that Twitter is an easy
way to get your information.

Also use Google Alerts if you have a special
keyword, product or competitor URL you need
to keep tabs on...

[lemonarian]

Good advice. As I'm working in the IM niche I want to be aware of what's going on so I'm subscribed to a couple of these lists. However I end up reading like 3 of them a day and just mark the rest as read. Usually it's enough to read the subject line to know that it's the same as every other guy that's emailing you...

[Bev Clement]

Good advice, I have only a couple of emails that come into my main email account and they are good quality.

Interesting that google puts most emails from marketers into my spam folder.

I now have a couple of throw away accounts, and I don't even bother to unsubscribe from them. I check it once or twice a week, and then a two minute scan to see what is in there. Normally I might find 1 useful email, the rest is deleted immediately without being read.

How do I know they are not useful someone might ask? Simple when you get 20 emails all with the same title, it tells you that some promotion of other is happening and people were too bone idle to write their own emails.

[Frank Donovan]

James, you make some good points.

The so-called marketing education that can be gleaned from these emails is way overrated IMO, especially as there are now, seemingly, so many cookie-cutter marketers clogging up our inboxes.

It's such a liberating feeling when you realise that the world didn't end because you decided to opt out of the latest hyped up product launch. And the increase in your own productivity is eye-opening.

A by-product of this culling is that you tend to focus on the tools you need for your business rather than this week's marketing gimmick - thus hastening your transition from consumer mindset to marketing mindset.

As you say, just a few quality newsletters and the Warrior forum is enough to provide all the day-to-day info you're likely to need. And for your specific business, Google Alerts or a similar service where you control the info you get, is a far more efficient method.




Frank

[Hal3000]

Thanks man,

makes sense.

Hal

[hotlinkz]

Excellent advice James! Goes hand-in-hand with my plea for newbs to "FOCUS"...

[James Schramko]

Wow edd666666!

Go for it!

I just unsubscribed from a marketer who helped me
double my business a year ago. He was a super
marketer who had incredible lessons to share.

Unfortunately he has lost his way and only sends
promotions these days. I think he may be burnt out?

His recent product launch flopped and his projects
are never completed on time.

I am just NOT putting up with it. I am ruthless with
my time.

Who can You Zap today?

[JayXtreme]

I concur.. completely...

You know James.. as a sidenote..

A customer of mine recently told me... They un-subscribed from every I.M. list aside form me and YOU

They said our "approach" was refreshingly honest and helpful... how about that, eh?

Peace to ya James

Jay

[Nic Lynn]

Good, solid advice! There are far too many distractions (especially for newbs). It's easy for the mind to make up excuses to why they can't get on to the real work of building a business. Of course, some could argue that along with all those emails and newsletters, that forums like this one should be minimized too (no arguing that they can certainly be a time suck if you let it!).

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by JayXtreme

I concur.. completely...

You know James.. as a sidenote..

A customer of mine recently told me... They un-subscribed from every I.M. list aside form me and YOU

They said our "approach" was refreshingly honest and helpful... how about that, eh?

Peace to ya James

Jay

Haha!

I guess we can only try. I am not perfect but my own tolerance level
for promotions does guide my email programming.

Probably could have made more money but this is a LONG game!

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Ed Stas

Good, solid advice! There are far too many distractions (especially for newbs). It's easy for the mind to make up excuses to why they can't get on to the real work of building a business. Of course, some could argue that along with all those emails and newsletters, that forums like this one should be minimized too (no arguing that they can certainly be a time suck if you let it!).

I AGREE.

Forum participation must be strategic. I like the alerts that tell
you when there has been a post. This is a great time saver.

[Max Ramocsai]

This is definitely great advice for anyone who is new the world of IM or anyone in general who values their time.

This also says a lot about email marketing in general. I think that in order for you to be a successful email marketer you need to actually provide value to your list and form a relationship with them no matter what niche you are in.

Why should someone buy a product that you say "is worth their money", if you've never provided something for that person? How can someone relate to you on a personal level if you are constantly shoving promotions down their throat?

I just think that many marketers use email marketing as a way to hard sell their subscribers and in my opinion this just doesn't work.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Max Ramocsai

I just think that many marketers use email marketing as a way to hard sell their subscribers and in my opinion this just doesn't work.

The situation is that it works in the short term.

If you get 1000 opt ins a day - you might be tempted to burn through them faster.

[Gene Pimentel]

Ironically, I've just opted in to your list James

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

Ironically, I've just opted in to your list James

make sure you leave it if I send you garbage ok!

[Roey Pimentel]

Yes, generally "Less is More" however, it is important to note TIMING with this advice. A complete newbie may need to be on many (many!) emailing lists. But at some point when you are done exploring the waters and find your niche, then it may be time to start trimming the inbox. That time is different depending on the individual.

Peace,

Roey.

[Roey Pimentel]

PS- Of course, before you get to this point, when you do have a ton of emails, it's important to learn to skim, and be disciplined with the time you spend on your emails. Think of it as a big buffet on a cruise - do a quick walk-thru, and then choose the best ones to taste.
-r*

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Roey Pimentel

Yes, generally "Less is More" however, it is important to note TIMING with this advice. A complete newbie may need to be on many (many!) emailing lists. But at some point when you are done exploring the waters and find your niche, then it may be time to start trimming the inbox. That time is different depending on the individual.

Peace,

Roey.

I think 'many many' lists is a recipe for overload and will lead to
lack of action.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Roey Pimentel

PS- Of course, before you get to this point, when you do have a ton of emails, it's important to learn to skim, and be disciplined with the time you spend on your emails. Think of it as a big buffet on a cruise - do a quick walk-thru, and then choose the best ones to taste.
-r*

I know most people will eat too much at an all you can eat buffet!

[mtucker]

Man, hit the nail on the head with that comment!! I'm taking your challenge and deleting the guru mail/junk mail sooner than later. I'm sure I"m going to be shocked at the time I save each day.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by mtucker

Man, hit the nail on the head with that comment!! I'm taking your challenge and deleting the guru mail/junk mail sooner than later. I'm sure I"m going to be shocked at the time I save each day.

The easiest way to start is to move every email
from your inbox into a storage folder and start
clean from today.

Good Luck!

[Quentin]

I think it is even more important for newbies not to be on these lists as it sends them into information overload and quite often buy the junk. In the end they would be far better off to find a mentor and just follow them then branch out.

What we actually do with our new students is get them to download a good RSS reader and give them some key feeds.

These are usually much more informative than emails and also they can do everything inside the reader.

Not only that but if the presenter goes off the rails it is very easy to unsubscribe unlike many of the email lists that may unsubscribe you from one but can then update you to another.

The other beauty with rss feeds is you can quickly glance over the topics and if they do not apply then can delete. Also most are informative and not full of sales copy if you get good ones.

I get James on my RSS and always good info.

Quentin

[Quentin]

Billy boy it is not that email lists are bad. Just when all that people do is send out offers continuously then it becomes worthless.

There is no substitute for good solid information but so many of them have lost site of this.

Quentin

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by billyboy

ok so you do not use email to send your potential buers any messages? I mean if you did you'd be the king of Hypocrysy.

Interesting...

I was waiting for that one.

Yes I use email but not as a battering ram.

In my Original post I did qualify what type of email list I
am talking about:

"from every crap email list"

If I send crap unsubscribe from me.

This is my suggestion.

The other thing is my product lists are segmented and
for product updates I don't send a load of promos every week.

Some list owners feel compelled to send you a bunch of
promos when you buy from them. I have a unique
list for newsletters.

You choose.

I am suggesting that the reason people do not move forward
is because they are paralyzed by the inbox.

Most people reading this will understand what I am saying...

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Affiliate.Solutions

interesting point. This is why I created a junk mailbox to subscribe to everything... I check the junk box on occassion but not for hours on end.

Very good technique.

It would be interesting to make a note of how
much quality info is garnered from this list.

[Gene Pimentel]

What I've been doing for about 2 years now is creating a folder for each marketer. In the past I had 70+ folders collecting emails. It keeps it out of my regular email box, and once in a while I go into each folder, quickly run up and down the list of emails from that particular marketer, read only the ones that look somewhat important and delete the rest. As time went on, I kept removing one marketer at a time if they were not of value to me. I'm now down to about 10 that are keepers, but even at that I only look at their folder full of email once a week or so.

Then I have folders that are important to things I am involved with directly -- programs, paid subscriptions, forums, etc.

[James Schramko]

Nice system Gene.

I have three folders.

Inbox / Storage / Delete

Inbox is empty

Storage is a 'keeper'

[Gene Pimentel]

Originally Posted by James Schramko

Nice system Gene.

I have three folders.

Inbox / Storage / Delete

Inbox is empty

Storage is a 'keeper'

I'm working toward that

[jasonl70]

The issue here is time management.. whether it's your email, the WF, or whatever.

To turn this into the typical "i hate it when marketers market to me" forum rant is not only irrelevant, it does a huge dis-service to this very important point.

What people say they respond to, and what they ACTAULLY respond to, are usually 2 different things all together.. want proof? How well has Saturn done with it's no-haggle pricing, and a sales staff that doesn't sell? They have given the car buyer everything they said they wanted, and yet they have struggled from day one. As nice and touchy-feely as it is, their business model is a failure.

[jasonl70]

Originally Posted by James Schramko

Some list owners feel compelled to send you a bunch of
promos when you buy from them. I have a unique
list for newsletters.

You choose.

I am suggesting that the reason people do not move forward
is because they are paralyzed by the inbox.

Most people reading this will understand what I am saying...

acutally, I do not understand.. is the problem spending too much time with your inbox, or with the quality of what you find within it? Whether the email is quality or not, if you are spending all your time with it, you are not taking care of business.. it's no different then spending all ones time on the WF.

Actually, I read stuff like this, and I see people shifting the blame from where it belongs. The lack of 'quality' in one's inbox has nothing to with one's inability to manage their time, nor their success. The person sending promotions is not to blame for one's lack of success.

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by jasonl70

acutally, I do not understand.. is the problem spending too much time with your inbox, or with the quality of what you find within it? Whether the email is quality or not, if you are spending all your time with it, you are not taking care of business.. it's no different then spending all ones time on the WF.

Actually, I read stuff like this, and I see people shifting the blame from where it belongs. The lack of 'quality' in one's inbox has nothing to with one's inability to manage their time, nor their success. The person sending promotions is not to blame for one's lack of success.

If you are saying it lies within - then that is what I am saying.

YOU decide to remove the inbox filler.

[AlexKaplo]

Originally Posted by James Schramko

I just noticed I joined here three years ago.

Back then I was working full time and trying to
figure it all out. I have since quit working for
someone else and have my own IM business.

I have several six figure business models running
now and this was only possible because of the
following action I took.

Since doing this one thing I have had several
six figure months.

Here it is:

** Get off all those email lists **

Yes - as soon as you unsubscribe from every crap
email list you will free up three hours a day and
you can get into creating products.

You will be able to implement many of the ideas
and training materials you have bought along the
way too!

Seriously - Your output will be inversely opposite
to the number of email lists you subscribe to.

Don't fool your self into thinking you will miss an
important message or technique. Many marketers only
have one technique - greed.

Try it for a month and tell me what happens!

haha.. I love it... because it's really true!

I've actually put every marketers newsletter into my gmail's spam folder, and I get to check out they're emails from time to time to see exactly what they are promoting and I also like to see how they work they're product launches and how they frame they're promo letters.

Yeah, other than that get off they're lists because you'll end up broke really fast!

Great tip James.

Alex

[Frank Bruno]

So what you have done is basically transferred your time allocation to forum posting.

In either case you need to allocate a specific amount of time each day to both e-mails and forums. Start with 15 minutes each day.

Frank Bruno

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by Frank Bruno

So what you have done is basically transferred your time allocation to forum posting.

In either case you need to allocate a specific amount of time each day to both e-mails and forums. Start with 15 minutes each day.

Frank Bruno

Are you talking to me?

I know you cant be because I did tell you in the
original post what I do with my time and it is not
forum posting.

I am posting less in forums now than before.

[jasonl70]

Originally Posted by James Schramko

If you are saying it lies within - then that is what I am saying.

YOU decide to remove the inbox filler.

Well, I did agree that your core point was very important

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by jasonl70

Well, I did agree that your core point was very important

Cool.

The reason this came up is because when I work with new
people they are often in a state of overwhelm and they
have bought many more products than they need.

It comes down to self. Nobody else is responsible.

In my case - letting go of email lists gave me time.

[MeTellYou]

Great post I don't necessarily unsubscribe, but I never read them...

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by MeTellYou

Great post I don't necessarily unsubscribe, but I never read them...

I guess that is just as effective

[4Highflyers]

From jasonl70

What people say they respond to, and what they ACTUALLY respond to, are usually 2 different things all together

Slightly off topic, but I hope people pick that up - it's of MASSIVE
importance to anyone wanting to do business of any shape or form.

It's also a big reason not do market research via polls and forums, and
do as much of it as possible at the POINTS OF SALE.

Back on topic...

You're right Jason that it's a time management thing - though use of email
is one of those addictive bastards that can become like virtual crack
cocaine. So the essence of James suggestion could at least prove useful
in kicking the habit.

On the side of the coin of the mass mailing marketers...

They're not thinking too much about whether people on their list are
entirely happy about what they're being sent. And there's an important
lesson from that:

They're doing what a lot of wannabe marketers should be doing -
getting down and dirty (sure - maybe too dirty sometimes)...

...but to anyone who is mailing out to their list, don't be put off by
worrying about whether everyone on your list thinks you suck or not:
You've got to do more than you don't.

People get over-worried about what other people think. And there are
always degrees of crap depending on who's doing the shi&%ing - hell,
apparently hippo dung is quite a delicacy in some parts

Nice thread by the way. And big congrats James on what you've
achieved in 3 years. Always enjoy reading your stuff.

Best,
Adam

[James Schramko]

Originally Posted by 4Highflyers

From jasonl70
Slightly off topic, but I hope people pick that up - it's of MASSIVE
importance to anyone wanting to do business of any shape or form.

It's also a big reason not do market research via polls and forums, and
do as much of it as possible at the POINTS OF SALE.

Back on topic...

You're right Jason that it's a time management thing - though use of email
is one of those addictive bastards that can become like virtual crack
cocaine. So the essence of James suggestion could at least prove useful
in kicking the habit.

On the side of the coin of the mass mailing marketers...

They're not thinking too much about whether people on their list are
entirely happy about what they're being sent. And there's an important
lesson from that:

They're doing what a lot of wannabe marketers should be doing -
getting down and dirty (sure - maybe too dirty sometimes)...

...but to anyone who is mailing out to their list, don't be put off by
worrying about whether everyone on your list thinks you suck or not:
You've got to do more than you don't.

People get over-worried about what other people think. And there are
always degrees of crap depending on who's doing the shi&%ing - hell,
apparently hippo dung is quite a delicacy in some parts

Nice thread by the way. And big congrats James on what you've
achieved in 3 years. Always enjoy reading your stuff.

Best,
Adam

Thanks Adam,

Yes I am looking at this from the perspective of
the person receiving the emails..

We know the person sending the emails have an agenda
of their own. This is expected.

[4Highflyers]

Yes I am looking at this from the perspective of
the person receiving the emails..

We know the person sending the emails have an agenda
of their own. This is expected.

Of course - but unless the thread members here are clinically insane, they're also on this forum to (at some
point or another) market products and mail to their own lists too.

Thus, most of us are both receivers and senders.

EDIT:
What am I talking about - reading through some of the threads here it's
pretty obvious that many members clearly are clinically insane