People have given you their email address because they want to hear from you. Some of them might want to buy from you. Some of them might just want to get to know who you are and what you do better. Some people might buy from you later on. But, they’ve been burned by poor email relationships in the past…
That Hotmail address everyone uses to sign up for stuff
What kind of state is the internet in when people create designated email addresses to sign up to stuff with?
Early internet marketers have basically ruined it for the rest of us with their constant stream of advertising deposited directly into our inboxes. We’ve had to adapt by creating whole email accounts dedicated to signing up for things so that our regular email account doesn’t become flooded with advertising.
Fair enough, and I get it. But you know what, for people and services I think I want to have a relationship with, I actually use my “real” email address. If people abuse that trust, they get booted out. Pure and simple. Unsubscribe. Report as spam.
Treat your list with respect
Love your list. Treat these people with respect. What do I mean by respect?
Treat people signing up to your list like new friends. If you go over to their house, you take a little gift with you, whether that is a cake you made or a book you’d like to lend them. You don’t go over announced and tell them to just read what you’ve written or buy your stuff. I mean, really, how rude!
The numbers game
Also known as the… you need x number of people on your list to make y number of sales…
Or you could invest time and energy into genuinely loving your list. If people buy from you, great. If they don’t, you still have a connection with them – and that’s important in and of itself.
Would you go to a network event and just burst through the door and rub your product flyer all over it in people’s faces without so much as saying, “Hello! This is who I am. Who are you?”?
Be genuine and authentic in your relationship with your list. Even if it’s small, it is valuable to you. Sales are awesome, don’t get me wrong. You need sales to have a business. But it’s not the only great thing about having a business – meeting and getting to connect with people is another.