How To Sell To Your List

Hi EasyCash,

Ok, this is easy:

1. People buy from people they know, like and trust.

2. Marketing experts say it takes about 7-10 "touches" or exposures to your message before they will buy from you. 99% of your first-time Web visitors will NOT buy from you. Hence why you need to focus on getting your first-time visitor onto your list instead of making the sale. Offer something of value for free to entice them to give you their contact information: a free report, free e-book, free audio, free video, etc.

3. Once you've got them on your list, you send out a regular e-zine and/or audio or video giving your audience good, solid information. The keys here are "good, solid information" and consistency.

4. However, you can begin selling the instant they sign up to your list. Give them a link to your product on your "Thanks for Subscribing" page. You can say something like "Hey, thanks for subscribing. Check your e-mail to confirm your subscription and enjoy all of the great information you're about to receive. If you'd like to know more about XYZ, you might want to check out my XYZ product which gives you the A-Z about XYZ by clicking here."

See how it's a soft sell? If they're interested, they'll click through and read it.

5. Give good info about different aspects of your topic. At the end of your e-zine article IN EVERY ISSUE, you can do a similar soft-sell. For example, Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, recently wrote a short article on social networking. She closed the article with this final paragraph:

""How to do Social Networking, Run a Business & Still Have a Life"
explains how to get started, how to save time, sites where you
must have a presence, and tips for letting people know, like and
trust you BEFORE you promote. Learn more at
http://budurl.com/g6j6"

That's the link for her CD/transcript product. See how she does a soft sell? That was the ONLY "selling" she did in the article. The rest was pure information, actually a case study of someone who leveraged social networking successfully.

Joan is a master at using her e-zine and the soft sell to drive sales of her products and services. I've been a subscriber for several years and it's one of the few e-zines I actually read. I HIGHLY recommend signing up for her newsletter. You'll get great info, not endless pitches.

Another master of the soft sell in her e-zine is Marcia Yudkin. Sign up for her "Marketing Minute" e-zine. She does the exact same thing and I love to watch it happen.

See how this doesn't have to be mutually exclusive? You're ALWAYS selling, but providing good information.

Ok, moving forward.

6. In addition to your weekly or bi-weekly e-zine, you can send out SOLO mailings. If you're doing a push to drive special sale or doing a push to drive registration for a teleseminar (to promote your product), you'll want to send out a solo mailing, an e-mail which is designed specifically to drive your audience to the sales page to sign up for whatever you're selling.

Generally speaking, don't try to put your entire sales message in the e-mail. It's too much. Your subject line and opening paragraph are critical here. Be honest and open, but not over the top. Include several carefully crafted bullet points designed to pique their interest. (Good copywriting is really important here.) Then close with a call to action by inviting your audience to click through to the sales page for the whole story. Give them a reason to click through.

And last but not least....

7. Generally speaking, you want to have 2/3 informational content to 1/3 promotional content. This isn't hard and fast, but is certainly a good rule of thumb.

Hope that helps!

Michelle