18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

List Building:Whats YOUR experience with this..?

by KLinfluence
13 replies
Hey Warriors, while in the process my building my list I was taught to provide valuable content, give away freebies and not hound my subs with a sale right out of the gate. My AR series is around 12 emails of unique quality and freebies. I was coached to sort of "over deliver" and after that 6 week period they'll feel obligated to buy that awesome product at the end of the first series of emails.

With that said.. recently a few marketers with sizable lists mentioned to me that the bulk of your money you make is going to come from the people who are the newest on your list & "THE FRESHEST".The older a lead gets, the less responsive they become, generally, especially if you're an affiliate.. Its also better to sell to them after 3-4 emails and not string out the AR series because the longer they're on your list for the freebies the less likely you'll make money, let alone build a relationship. Now guys, These marketers make a lot of money and I respect what they're saying despite being taught slightly the opposite. The crazy thing is a few others echo'd the same.

SO im asking, In your listbuilding experience what have you found effective when making sales to your lists. Do you hard sell right out the gate?... When is a good time to spring that purchase on them..etc?

I would love your feedback on this because as I continue to build my list I want to be sure I find a balance for longterm growth in my business.

Thanks in advance Warriors!

-KL
#buildingwhats #experience #list
  • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
    I don't believe in hard selling to my valued subscribers
    at any time.

    And I don't give a feck if it leads to more money in the
    short-term either. I choose not to do it. I'm just not
    prepared to be a pushy wanker to make a quick buck.

    However, I do believe in consultative selling in each e-mail.

    So, give your subscribers content that you know will be
    useful to them and then include a link to paid offers in
    most of your e-mails - and from the start too.

    Dedicated to mutual success,

    Shaun
    Signature

    .

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362096].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Anton543
      Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly View Post

      I don't believe in hard selling to my valued subscribers
      at any time.

      And I don't give a feck if it leads to more money in the
      short-term either. I choose not to do it. I'm just not
      prepared to be a pushy wanker to make a quick buck.

      However, I do believe in consultative selling in each e-mail.

      So, give your subscribers content that you know will be
      useful to them and then include a link to paid offers in
      most of your e-mails - and from the start too.

      Dedicated to mutual success,

      Shaun
      Say you are running a health site, what information can you provide to your list that isn't already on the site? If its more content, they may ask, why not just publish it on the site?

      Do you need to provide something else that is of value. Lot of people say offer a product, but what? What can a person running an information content site provide in the way of products, other than products from affiliates?

      I don't think this will work. I send out similar to what is an article (but a special article) that would usually be posted on the site and at the bottom of it, I might say, 'As a valued subscriber to our newsletter, we thought we would let you know a new product ----- ------ ------ ------' and sneak in cloaked affiliate code.

      Anyway, I will subscribe to lists of couple of sites I know well and see how they compose theirs.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362550].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author KLinfluence
        Thanks guys, and those were all valid points Anton543. I have in fact started a swipe file just to see what marketers are mailing and in what their intervals are. Terrance to answer, most of my subs are from solo ads/freebies and are on the second to third week of being on my list. Would you..or any of you warriors recommend a broadcast for a paid product being that they are all fairly "Fresh leads" and haven't really been sold to yet? Anyway, I guess the bottom line is mix in valuable offers from the very beginning correct? I'll see what works for me as I go along. Thanks again for all the help ladies and gents. Always appreciated.
        Signature
        $14,837.43 a month & 20k Subscribers. Sneak Peak Exclusive:*NEWBIE FRIENDLY* List Building System Taking The Internet Marketing World by Storm! CLICK HERE
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362699].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by KLinfluence View Post

    Its also better to sell to them after 3-4 emails and not string out the AR series because the longer they're on your list for the freebies the less likely you'll make money
    I agree with this perspective, for the most part.

    It varies a lot from demographic to demographic and a little from niche to niche, too.

    I certainly wouldn't ever be waiting 6 weeks before trying to promote something, in any niche, with any subscriber demographic.

    Originally Posted by KLinfluence View Post

    Do you hard sell right out the gate?
    No, I don't.

    I never hard sell at all, at any stage. That would be a disaster, for me. I promote something typically in the third email, which is usually on day 5/6. http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5300985

    Originally Posted by KLinfluence View Post

    I would love your feedback on this because as I continue to build my list I want to be sure I find a balance for longterm growth in my business.
    I suspect there may be stuff in this thread that might interest/help you: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6123982
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362109].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author zoldusta
    everyone has what works for them best. for me i made my offer immediately after giving the freebie and it work well. and for me that's the best.

    in fact you can offer your freebie together with the product you're selling.

    i've even seen it some people present their OTO, before offering the freebie. still it worked.

    the best thing is to make sure that your freebie is of high quality, it should offer so much
    value that they wouldn't think twice before purchasing your product.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362143].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    It's better to build a good relationship with your subscribers before you try and sell to them. If you want to sell to them then I would suggest doing a non-biased review of the product going over all the benefits and maybe 1 small negative aspect...

    In your email send the subscribers to your blog where you review the product, or you could even use a youtube video if you want.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362295].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Much depends on the typical sales process for any given combination of product and market.

      From the impulse sales Amazon gets with their "people who bought this item also bought..." soft-sell offers to the months-long, multistep sales processes for high-end medical equipment or government contracts, there's a path to follow.

      Many high-end or extended sales processes can be viewed as a series of smaller sales. Each successful 'sale' brings you one step closer to your ultimate goal. That said, both parties in the process know and understand that the ultimate sale is the final objective. So even as you build your relationships within the company, gathering allies and moving through the process, no one gets offended by asking for the order - whether that's moving the proposal up the line with a recommendation or asking for a signature on the final contract.

      Unless I'm going for an impulse sale, I look at working with a list the same way. I can offer excellent content that helps the list member accomplish something, but we both know that there will be a request for a purchase periodically.

      Like Shaun and Alexa, I don't believe in being pushy or obnoxious. The boardwalk pitchman has to be that way. He only gets one shot at a sale, and has to cut through a lot of competition for attention.

      Once you earn a spot in your subscriber's email box, your messages become more like a business relationship. More like a sequence of sales calls, consultations, company outings, etc. You can even have some fun, but both of you have to understand that underneath it all, there's business to be done...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362412].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vicky K
    Well, the thing about waiting 6 weeks and 12 emails until you ever sell something is... those 12 emails need to be REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD.

    Cause it doesn't matter if you wait 2 emails until you start promoting stuff. If those two emails suck, people won't read any of your future stuff. Whether you promote something or not.

    And yes, you will make the most amount of money in the first month or two your people are on your list. So it's kinda silly to wait until they're sick of you until you're getting paid (or not).

    "selling" or "promoting" things doesn't mean spamming people. And it doesn't mean you need to act like a jerk and do people a disservice with it.

    On the contrary. Your aim should be to do people a FAVOR with the things you're recommending to them. If for example you're giving good value in every email and then at the end or even through out have links to GOOD products that will actually HELP people, well you're helping them!

    There's nothing bad about promoting things. If you're being cool about it. Be personal, be funny, tell stories, give good pictures and content. And then kinda mention like oh btw.. this product just came out, I bet you'll totally love this/this will really help you make more monies/be successful/quit your job/etc

    That's what it's all about. Yes, you can start promoting things from your first email AND be awesome at the same time. And you should.

    Hope that helps!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362458].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author KLinfluence
    This is all extremely useful information I'll take into account. I was actually working on my AR series as we speak to see what I could promote relating to that particular email. Personal,fun, but still business related is what i'll shoot for then. I'll just make sure the products I provide are QUALITY and actual methods I use or highly recommend. Has anyone ever tried.. Sales email/freebie/sales email/ freebie in that order? Anyway, I appreciate all the info. Thanks warriors!
    Signature
    $14,837.43 a month & 20k Subscribers. Sneak Peak Exclusive:*NEWBIE FRIENDLY* List Building System Taking The Internet Marketing World by Storm! CLICK HERE
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362523].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author TerranceCharles
      I wouldn't say wait that long before you start selling your recommendations. Every list is different and one of the biggest things is HOW you generated that list. If you generated the list via them buying your products, they've already proven to take action and will buy from you over time. (Buyers List.)

      However, if you've generated the list through solo ads, media traffic etc and they are just freebie seekers you want to condition them from the jump. The point of a freebie list is to get them to buy, then you transfer them to your buyers list.

      Soft-selling has been my best approach. I go over a problem they're having in their business with good quality content, and in between the email I give them a recommendation on something that can help them further.

      But take note, one thing you do NOT want to do is give nothing but good valuable content for weeks and then introduce a sale, they will unsubscribe, complain and stop opening your emial. The best approach is to you mix both promotional and educational in the same email, everytime which conditions them that you do sell products but also give good content.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362546].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nerdy88
    I'd say, you are likely to sell to someone who has some trust in you and that can be a returning user to your site! But you can read books on copy-writing by Joseph Sugarman- The best!!!!!(advertising of the written word)- You can sell at any time it all depends on your product and your pitch... However, if you are building a list you have a better chance to do it to someone who has a bond with you and trusts you.... It ultimately depends on the method, the effect or the product you are offering. I think that if your aim is to make money then why wait? you stand a chance to lose the client if you do... But if you are, educating or demonstrating then time is well on your side!!!!!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7362739].message }}

Trending Topics