Barry Goss

One of the most insidious, inauthentic, essentially clueless methods for recruiting list owners that I've seen lately is the very reason the list owners' end users (i.e., the readers) run from the pitch in the first place.

Before I elaborate on what it is (the HINT, by the way, is in the title of this post), gonna throw out a few pieces of thought around buyer psychology first:

#1) People -- the ones that use the practical, logical, analytical side of their brain, anyway, when considering a purchase -- buy steak (substance) over sizzle (hype). Sure the sizzle, those psychological, intangible feel-good elements, salts the sale; yet, when it over-shadows the pitch on quality, features, usability, etc., you either have a list of customers who never use what they bought or end up getting buyer's remorse.

#2) People -- everybody -- like buying, but not being sold! Ever heard a friend or family member say: "I have no clue why I bought ____ (fill in the blank)!"? For the most part, it's because they were sold. The message, the offer, played on their emotions. They let the sizzle dazzle them to hit the order button, without THINKING first. That's okay, by the way, too... we all can let that happen every now and then. Yet, as a buyer (and a person who sells stuff to buyers), you want to be saying/hearing this: "I dig this ______. It has this cool feature that allows me to _____ when I'm _______. I use it because it _____" (again, fill in the blanks).

* What's your game?
* What's your agenda?
* What's your big-picture strategy?
* What's your reason for endorsing a certain product or service?
* Does it relate to your niche?
* Does it offer uniqueness?
* Is it something you've used, read, or heard BEFORE you've sent our your high-flying pitch filled with every hyperbole and adjective in the English language?

If you want to be MORE THAN a "marketer," the key is simply:

Sell to your list, like you'd sell to your Grandma! A list, a readership base, a subscriber, is about lifetime, long-term value and relationshipping, not about "one-hit" sales.

Hell, the first sale doesn't count anyway !

Your list -- this includes your JV prospects and current JV partners -- want to know YOU. They're only sticking with you, by the way, if they feel you're A) not trying too hard to "sell" them (i.e., you're being real about the things you pass on to them) B) passing on your experiences, research, insights MORE than pitches and offers (i.e., not making every frickin' email a request to go to a link and buy something) and C) talking to them about "stuff" that is focused on the topic that compelled them to join your list in the fist place.

I've seen a lot of comical, wacky stuff lately, when it comes to reciprocal mailing offer requests and announcements to existing JV partners.

The gist of the madness is this: most people, trying to recruit a mailing partner, are NOT selling the prospective mailing partner on the merits of the PRODUCT / SERVICE they want somebody to endorse.

Instead, it's all about how the opt-in page converts, the ability to make $_____ in ____ days BS, or how somebody can earn above-average commissions.

Look, NEWS FLASH: you, as a mailing partner, ain't gonna earn squat if A) you don't have an authentic, completely transparent relationship with your list and B) you're not conversing with them (notice I didn't say BS'ing them) about why something you found is unique, different, or valuable.

If you're looking to recruit somebody to endorse your product, start FOCUSING on your product and how it can serve somebody's LIST, not THEM! Get that?

One little nugget of WISDOM that's helped me deal with the barrage of "JV Possibilities" is this:

I just ask myself:

Can this product I now know about 'serve'our readers, our subscribers, our customers?

If "YES," I don't worry about ME -- 'cause it's NOT about the publisher needing to do anything for ME... rather, it's about me sorting, sifting, and selecting compelling things for my, er, well... readers, subscribers, and customers.

For more of my straight, direct insights on that -- and how it relates to the "I'll only mail for you, if you mail for me" mentality -- see this video.

P.S. By the way, when you post titles like, "I will send your offer to X ___ number of subscribers" you're pretty much GUILTY of the ass-backwards approach that I'm referring to above..UNLESS that is, you've got some kind of qualifier in place for the actual product that you WILL in up endorsing.

Why would you send out any email about just any product, without knowing a few things (i.e., it's quality, it's uniqueness and whether it matches with what your list wants in the first place)... er, guess what, you wouldn't if you're actually BE-ing more than someone peddling stuff to your list. Think hard, think twice, about what I've said above... change around a few things and what your business GROW in ways you've yet to experience!

bobyeager

Awesome Barry

If I was to receive one more email telling me how "This is the next biggest CASH INFLUX..." I think I'd puke. I find it humorous how in traditional business, no self-respecting business person would lead with the "BIG BUCKS" when lining up a JV, but it would seem that a few marketers need to be schooled in proper approach and follow up... thanks for the great post!

Internet marketers if you truly want your subscribers, customers and students to become successful through your products, be sure they have the proper education in place that will allow them to understand how to use your product or service successfully:
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JV proposals accepted upon review 50% payout

QuantumSuccess

Barry,

Thanks for your great post. You're absolutely right with your comments. Enjoyed reading it very much.

Peter

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Barry Goss

Anytime Peter, it was inspired by the fact that so, so many colleagues and publisher counterparts of mine mention how they're unsubscribing from lists simply because the owners aren't offering any info of any real value - just peddling yet more stuff!

Yet, the rub is: the majority of these list owners ( the ones NOT providing any research, insights, commentary, insight of their own ) don't even know why (or possibly even care why ) their list is unsubscribing.

Same thing with the whole JV scramble here: If folks, looking for exposure to their product would just start qualifying the kind of affiliate they're looking for (as in a reputable, high-caliber product-focused, list-centric publisher) and if affiliates would start being selective with the kind of product they're willing to endorse to their list, the game would be played much more effectively.

appr

Great post, Barry.

I am on many lists where there is more promoting than value. Most of the time there is no value.

Consequently, I read emails from less than five marketers.

Joan

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