An email I wrote over 19 years ago about PROFITS and PRODUCTIVITY that has even more relevance and merit for you... TODAY!

Let me take you back to an email I wrote almost 2 decades ago.

The world wide web had just popped up into global consciousness.

There was no social media to speak of.

There was no AI hysteria.

And yet...

What there was, and still exists today in a Frankenstenian grotesque way, is INFORMATION. 

That, and what you'll read about profits and productivity, could make a major improvement for you across a number of areas. 

It's ready below:

   

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Your 'Swinging For The Fences' weekly e-Missile Smashing a Sledgehammer Over the Mountain of Information That Could End Up... Drowning You! -------------------------------------------------- Dear fabulous subscriber: LOOK OUT! Day by day, the world is becoming a more dangerous place. Why? There's more information available on a daily basis than we can digest over our lifetime. The danger lies in the fact that our brains heading towards... AN INFORMATION BLOWOUT. That being the case, there's still an insatiable, greedy appetite to collect, hoard, pile up a veritable mountain of information... Information we'll MOST LIKELY never ever use! Think of this -- The Internet is a wild and wonderful resource. Ask it what you want, and it'll give it to you. In fact, anything you ever want to know, is there, available, mostly -- FREE. But still, there's people walking around as if they've had information deliberately kept from them! So, this information -- information we're gathering like squirrels building up a NUT PILE for the winter -- ...this info only has value for us THE MOMENT we set eyes on it, AND NOTHING LATER. For example: you see a promotion touting a Google AD Words book. You feel excited. You sense a future stream of traffic flowing to your website. You feel the warmth of the sun slapping against your arms from the profits you'll net from the info in the Google Ad book. THE REALITY? Different. A lot different. Go check your hard drive. Go check the books you've not turned the pages of. Gaze at the manuals, the literature, the courses you've not followed through on. What did you find? How MANY did you find? Want to know something that'll sicken you? If you go back and ask yourself what you wanted to gain out of it all, and... howcome till now you HAVEN'T gained, than what was it all about? Why did you spend the money? And something else... This info virus won't stop unless you say, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" And, in a moment, I'll give you a terrific way to put a HALT, once and for all, to this process of gathering information we promise ourselves that we'll use in the future. Which of course, most of it, we don't use. Before I show you how to fix it, let me quickly tell you that there's nothing worse for our own self image when we promise to do something... But, we screw up on it. Now that can be something as simple as promising to do 20 sit ups in the morning, read a book for half an hour a day, write a journal... to -- submitting those articles on Thursday, get the website up and running, hiring expert outside help. Whatever it is -- We break it, it breaks us inside. Unbeknownst to the outside, the inside is slowly being chipped away at. Okay, let's cure this INFORMATION DISEASE. KEY: ONLY GATHER THE REQUIRED INFORMATION TO DO WITH WHAT YOU ARE WORKING ON, AT PRESENT I know it sounds simplistic. I know it could easily bypass you, set aside to be read another time. AND THAT'S MY POINT! If it's important for you and has impact in what you are doing today, get the information, act on it, track the results. Let's put this into perspective; so you can see how this all snaps together. You fine with that? Say you're working on a project with a client, and, you've also got to finish off a number of marketing and promoting tasks. Well, all the information you need should be related to completing those key tasks -- and only those. But, oh, there's a ton of stuff in the inbox. Hmmm... let's see now?... we seem to have a few minutes to spare. Promotion after promotion; for this website service, that email list building programme, how to be an effective public speaker for consultants course, this software programme, that recommendation, this affiliate programme... AAARGHH!! And guess what? We click on those damn buttons and links like our life depended on it! We think nothing of sending in whizzing to our hard drive... We internally dance with glee when our printer seems to buckle under the constant demands we put upon it -- stockpiling papers, information, data! Is it any wonder that we feel there's not enough time in the day? Just look at our INFORMATION HABITS! Can you see where this is all leading? It's leading to US fooling ourselves. Buying into our own PR DREAM MACHINE that's built.. ON SAND. But, the real you, the inner you, knows that productivity and profits is the NAME OF THE GAME. And that's true for each and every area of our lives. Go back again. The key to being effective in each and every area of our lives is PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITS. And that means, securing the information needed to solve those issues, TODAY. Not in hoarding a pile of information for a future promise that we're not sure we can fufil on. Yes I know there's all this vision thing and that we have to look at the BIG PICTURE of where we want our venture to take us... BUT There also comes a time to stop the flow of information relating to the far off future. A future that may not seem real to us just now. I've taken this a step further I've cancelled all those subscriptions -- free and paid for-- all those memberships, which although valuable, have no present use for me because of the lack of time to absorb them, and... IT'S NOT URGENT OR PRESSING FOR ME AT THIS PRECISE MOMENT! I really wish that you get this. It's just... KEY! I've cashed in all spend on those marketing and website promotional tools. And, am working step at a time with ONE service provider linking all the other vendors together. It's time well spent. It's one less headache. It's money redistributed to info I need at PRESENT! There's only a certain amount we should feed our heads. The rest of it can be accessed as and when we need it. Pretty silly signing up for a whole host of things... AND NOT EVEN TOUCHING IT! This is where you'll have to be your own best judge and say WHAT AM I REALLY USING AND WHAT IS REALLY VALUABLE FOR ME... TODAY, IN ORDER TO GET THE JOB DONE? I'm involved in a number of projects, campaigns, consultations. I've deadlines on all of them. I've gathered only the info I need in each. I've physical and computer files holding this very information. When I see something that could add to, or enhance any of them, I add it to the relevant file or folder. I've resisted the temptation to go on an information wild goose chase with things. Saved a ton of time. Projects are humming with crispness and clarity. Through this culling and guillotining process, you'll see a freshness and clarity in what YOU do. The information clutter, will have died. Now, your brain has the freedom of movement, of thinking, of greater PRODUCTIVITY! Isn't that liberating, refreshing... PROFITABLE? Whether you've hoarded and stored like the best of them, why not put a stop to this TODAY? Why not give yourself the gift offreedom, of mental relaxation, of building a self image based on YOU keeping your promises, and... ... of cleaning and clearing out the inbox of your computer and, that of your mind. There's immense power in DOING the simple disciplines of life. How POWERFUL do you want to be? Start by working and using the information you need to use TODAY, in the projects and plans that you need to finish TODAY. Wishing you a life of satisfaction and multiple rewards. Raja C. Hireker ------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT WEEK -- The ability to tell a good story is CRITICAL if you're looking to bond with your customers and clients on a more regular, friendlier and more personal basis. You really don't want to miss this if making a bundle of profits from your customer base -- whilst giving them enormous value -- is important to you. ----------------------------------------------------------- P.S. Many have asked me about my website. And also about the copywriting service. The website www.RajaHireker.com is functional. There's more content being added. Though, as of now, it's breathing on the web.

[What you find below may be pertinent and relevant, or not. Decide for yourself:

https://rajahireker.com/who.html] Re Copywriting, especially email copywriting; I've a copywriting course that's delivered by email for those who are looking for some sort of 'hands off' assistance. To get it, all you have to do is send a blank email to the following KillerAdCourse@aweber.com [SORRY. Course no longer available] About 'hands on' help, get in touch: raja . hireker @ gmail.com

Could be your marketing's number one BIG IDEA.

Here's the NUMBER ONE idea, strategy, thing that I got whilst attending an 8 hour marketing and business building livestream on 5th November 2024, hosted by MR INTERNET. (A name I've now coined for him)

And before I declare what that number one idea is, let me give you the absolute BIGGEST idea that precedes the number one idea above.

Mystified?

Don't be. All will be revealed.

Announcing:

That ABSOLUTE gimongous mother of all ideas is...

PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE GOVERNING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES.

And that's it.

Sorry to break that to you and to be a lead balloon party pooper.

There's no wild fanfare or red carpet roll out for that mother of all ideas.

Nor are there any apologies for not schexing it up to any level.

Because the governing overriding principles can't be messed with, meddled, shortcutted, or understated.

They're profound foundational stuff.

The stuff that makes any system, tick.

So what ARE the governing overriding principles that'll work for anyone in any business?

I'll list a few for you:

• Have an irresistible offer. Or even, a series of them.
• Know your marketplace, intimately. No guessing allowed.
• Keep communicating in a way others, aren't, and keep on communicating, truthfully, honestly, entertainingly. 
• Show up in a way others, aren't.
• Follow up religiously
• Handle complaints or concerns obsessively quickly and, with a smile.
• Drop anything that you can't get a measurable return on.
• Turn down the noise on anything promoted as a sure fire, quick fix revolution.

Just focussing on those will put you way ahead of where you're currently at right now.

Now when you marry those to the NUMBER ONE big idea I'm going to tell you about now, you'll be a dangerous lethal weapon.

And again, just like the above, what I'm about to share with you is nothing schexy, and nothing earth shattering and nothing that'll have your greed glands zipping and pinging into uncontrollable overdrive.

So, here it is:

Have a 48 hour implementation rule.

So what does that mean?

Simply put, everything you get or learn that's new, or some idea or strategy is brought back to life from the past, implement it, and... implement with speed.

Give yourself a 48 hour window for implementation.

And by doing just that, and look, you don't have to believe me just because I'm bringing it to your attention, you can just test this out for yourself on something small.

Because whan you do, you'll be startled at what you'll discover.

And guess what?

You just might get the addictive bug inserted into your head about implementing things and getting things done at a speed and level that has you energised, and upbeat about what you're doing and what you're up to.

Not only that.

Because of you leading the way with this way of being, you will, as a natural by-product, infect, inspire and instill this way of operating and doing things with everyone who is connected and affiliated with you and your business.

Now let me be very clear.

When I say have a speed implementation plan, I don't mean that you recklessly do things and cut corners, just so you can meet the implementation deadline. I'm not talking about operating in that way.

What I am talking about is having a deadline based mentality to what you do and what you want to create, because in that way, you'll be more alert, more aware, more receptive to what's going on in your business. You'll be more aware and alert in your marketing, your sales, your whole modus operandi than if you didn't have any deadline based implementation window to work within.

Because yes, you'll be more than tempted to stall and delay.

You'll be more than ready to go over things for the dozenth time.

You'll be more than convinced that delaying and pontificating represents 'busy' work.

Take this piece of writing.

I began creating it only 5 minutes after the idea came to me.

I didn't have the idea for it on 5th November and then just let it stew and percolate in the dusty cobweb corners of my tiny little mind.

It didn't happen that way.

And for most of us, things really DO happen that way.

We're lethargic about it.

We mull, and dwell, and pontificate over things when they can just get into motion, right now.

And guess what, new shiny object syndrome, new distractions, new ideas come in the way all the time. And yes, we think we're not deliberately doing it but we hang ourselves by that daily distraction cord nearly every single day.

It's no wonder it's the same people constantly bleat out the busyness line, and the overwhelmed line, and the info overload line.

And that's because there's too many unfinished loose ends (partly done campaigns, offer creations, lead generation, emails, joint venture proposals, business follow up...) all lying on the cutting room floor that needs tending to, that needs tying up and sent packing off into the marketplace before moving onto something else.

Want it so there's a clean slate and a clean operating table to work from?

Then create an implementation plan. Create a speed plan. Create a getting things done, plan.

Because that kind of systematised way of operating and doing things will pay you back in multiple ways, will bring you multiple rewards, will create a system of operation that'll have you approach life and business in a refreshingly open, straightforward, and simple way.

The results required, way.

If you want a sytematised way that'll have you producing engaging, irresistible emails and marketing communications, fast, and without fuss or frustration, then get the simple 5 page booklet here that'll show you EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT!         

     

 

The Finest Argentine Beef? Not when it's described in a boring-as-hell, way!

A worldwide, business choking, cashflow stopping, phenomenon.

What is it?  

Quality products and services represented by weak mediocre ideas and thoughtless boring writing. 

Case in point - 

The following email from Tom Hixon (The world's finest meat, delivered. That's their labelling, not mine)  

Hi Raja

The Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef is a cross between Hereford and Angus cattle, which are world renowned for it's consistency and delivering exceptional textures and flavours. Save up to 53% off today.

The cuts benefits from the natural skill of our Argentine producers, who ensure that the cattle live a tranquil and relaxed lifestyle through their careful efforts. As a result, the beef is incredibly tender.

Now if you're emotionally salivating over that descriptive ad copy and are ready to order, then you probably need a bunch of tablets.

The best part of that email ad promo?

The picture of the product. (No. Stop. Do not lick the page!) 

The picture renders all that copy, ineffective and unnecessary.

Now what if we were to lead the email with that picture first, and then revamp the ad copy, what kind of effect could that have?  

Let's experiment:

 

Hi Raja 

Can you smell and taste that! 

Because once you get your face into this mouth-wateringly unputdownable sizzling feast, there'll not be one slice left.  You can't but help drool over another serving of this amazingly succulent, richly flavoursome Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef. 

Frankly, you're not at all sane if there's anything left in the serving dish!

Thinking of calling a few friends over? 

You might think twice about it once you realise the artisanal Argentine farmers who've raised this spectacular cattle (that are a cross between Hereford and Angus cattle), have you and your gloriously greedy taste buds in mind when they created this spectacular offering. But go on, why not celebrate the delicious Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef today with friends and family.

Make no mistake - you and your beef will be the talk of the evening! 

And the exciting thing about it? Get 53% off the normal price of this sensational beef.  But you need to act right now to secure your lavish savings because this flavoursome Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef isn't going to be hanging around for long.

Go here, order now, and start planning that amazing, intensely appetising, unforgettable meal.  

And please, do not send any pictures of you and your guests licking your plates clean... we've enough of them already to fill an entire wall!          

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Note any differences?

Well, adopt, adapt and use them for selling and promoting your products and services. 

Now what's the BIG money-making lesson here for us all that'll help businesses grow and scale?

To fuse ALL our communications, promotions, campaigns, ads, emails... with the kind of energy, entertainment, salesmanship and engaging readability that compels curiosity, readership, engagement, consumption and... sales.     

Are you catching on that your communications ARE your business's currency?

And that means... your communications are an asset you'll want to continually refine and develop because not only will you make more money, it'll stand you and your business far apart from all others in your business category who are most likely numbing readers and customers into dull mental submission!  

FREE BOOK to Help You Write Emails That'll Get Opened, Read, Bought From... AND, Can Transform Your Business? 

Join Mr X for drinks on his Superyacht?

An interesting email headline just flopped into my email inbox.

And, probably for the right person, a somewhat intriguing invitation on the face of it. 

Who would that RIGHT person be?

• Most likely someone infatuated with the super yatch person in question -- (Mr X represents a real person) 
• Most likely someone who is infatuated with high value material possessions. 
• Most likely someone who WANTs that type of lifestyle.
• Most likely someone who wants to run with the big dogs, to be linked and associated with them.
• Most likely someone who likes people with big show-off egos.
• Most likely someone who automatically drools and salivates at glossy luxury pictures of the inside of a luxury super yatch. 
  
  

However...

The lead in invitation email does a rather poor and pathetic job of framing the invitation as something other that's private, elite and invaluable. 

All they've lazily done is to think and believe that those on the communication list receiving the communication, will be all googoo and gaagaa about the whole thing, who'll be mesmerised and boggled eyed over the yatch picture interiors and as such, will wrestle and hair pull in order to snap up the invitation for drinks with Mr X.

Let me add something however... 

That the conditional pre-requisite for even being in a position to accept the invitation, is to buy and enrol in one of the courses and training programmes Mr Super Yatch owner promotes and sells.

Nothing wrong in that.

However...

Simply believing that joining Mr X on his super yatch for drinks is a compelling enough reason to want to go, demonstrates you could have the highest value products and services in the world.

And yet...

Without having the proper thought out communications and copywriting, the whole thing can fall flat on its face.     

The BIG Key: (no matter what you sell and promote) 

You want to give people enough compelling reasons as to WHY it is they should buy what you're selling, take you up on the proposition, invest in what you're presenting, request the information you're offering. 

Without doing that, you're asking people to decide on something simply based on thin air.

Join Mr X for drinks

Why?

• Because he'll share some insights and info you won't get in any of his courses. 
• Info and insights that'll make you a lot more money in the next X days than anything he's shared before.  
• You'll get to meet a few of his secret aides who've inspired and helped him become a multi-millionaire, and they'll give you their most prized information that'll help accelerate your thinking and future business activities. 
• You'll get to ask Mr X any questions you want about how he's doing what he's doing, and how you can do the same.

Let's think about the difference here:

Are those reasons why above, more interesting and more compelling than the reason they've given in the PS in their promotional email for the drinks invite - 

PS. You can find more pictures of the boat here:

They've, of course, (ahem!) missed the boat here.

Don't let that be what you do with your communications when selling and promoting your products and services.

Give them REASONS WHY.

Want to create the kind of emails and communications that compel, inspire and sell?
Then sign up and find out how to do that, here.  

Help, I'm all muffled... I don't have anything to write about!

What's the big business curse infecting many a business owner's mind?

"I can't think of anything new to write about" 

And that's a curse that's spread right across the whole communication smorgasbord.

• The emails
• The ads
• The sales letters
• The campaigns
• The social media posts
• The special reports
• The blog posts

And when you internalise the fact that your communications really are the heart and soul, the lifeblood and profit centres of most business, the whole thing warrants close scrutiny.

Because guess what?

A bored and switched off customer or prospect, will go elsewhere in search of the good time feeling, in search of a better happier experience, in search of the difference making that makes all the difference.

And that means, a whole lot of customers will soon bail if prodded with enough boringness, and as such... will take with them their referral and residual value profit centres -- and yes... they'll align it to some other business!  

So how can you inject the kind of newness, freshness, the joyful entertainment that enhances the readability factor inside your communications ...the very communications that'll have your customers and audience lapping up all you have to say and share? (And therefore, buy more from you, more frequently!)

Well, you do it by accessing your already existing content factory plant.

What?!!

That's right.

You need not go anywhere outside your sweet circumference in order to have you access the kind of material and content that'll bring the hordes to you.

That's because your content factory machine is already inside you. 

More specifically...

It's all logged and lodged inside the recesses of your incredibly ample and squishily  intelligent brain.

Now the key to getting to all that delicious content nourishment, is to jumpstart and trigger your brain into being that search and collect mechanism for you.

And how do you do that?

By prodding and poking it with a series of laser focussed questions.

Questions that'll help you uncover priceless, and an almost unlimited supply of money- making goody bars.

So what are some questions we can begin with that'll get the prodding into motion? 

(And do remember, the answers to the questions can be used as material and content in multiple media formats).

Who has been your most obnoxious customer, and why?

What specific thing goes on in your industry they want no-one to know about?

What's the most absurd 'rule' in your industry that you want to see banished and crushed?

What do customers in your industry generally hate that the majority of businesses do a lot of?

What's been your most successful product?

What's one of the most priceless things about your business that you've taken for granted, yet have been hiding all these years? 

What did you have to overcome to get your business to where it is today? 

What's an admission that you want to make and clear the air with?

Who are your business and non-business inspirations?

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As you're most likely beginning to see, there's an endless amount of material locked up inside your brain, which, if released and poured into your communications, will bring that missing newness, freshness, authentic spirit and energy into your business. 

And yes...

Your readers and customers will LOVE this difference making that you're choosing to make. 

And don't let it stop here!

Keep going back to that content factory plant and pull out all those goody bars by asking all manner of the sane, mixed in with the wild, weird, unconventional and unorthodox questions that'll produce the kind of entertaining answers that'll be the profit making gold for you. 

So let's ask that question again?

Don't have anything to write about?

On the contrary. 

Do the above and you'll have a happy filled mountain of the stuff that you can sort, sift and apply to your heart's desire. 

    

Want MORE proper email education that'll help you entertain more and help you sell more of your products and services? 

Here's where to go!

    

          

   

Spin the marketing wheel and bank the dough (pointer 4)

It's that glorious time again.

Where we spin the magnifico marketing wheel and see where the pointer, points. 

And before we get into it, let me just straddle the soap box here and poke my pointy nose into things for a second to say that if you dismiss what you're reading here regarding these strategies, or you nod your head in happy agreement but you do nothing with what you're eyeballing, then it's as bad as being able to read, but not read, being able to walk, but not walk, being able to help, but not help, being able to drive, but not drive, being able to love, but not love. End of lesson.

And so the pointy pointer lands on....  

Raising Prices! 

I can hear the collective tension rise up inside the throats of many.

Here's what you probably know: 

Your prices are already way too low (on some of your products and services).

Now it's not a good idea to raise prices for the sake of raising prices. 

(If you're a low cost provider and your desired goal and mission is to be the lowest priced vendor, supplier, business or product provider in your marketplace, then this raising prices strategy will have nothing to do with you at all. Skip on by and enjoy the rest of your day) 

In raising prices... 

You've got to give reasons why. 

You've got to add additional value. 

You've got to improve the quality of your service or product. 

You've got to ensure the entire A-Z customer buying and post buying process and standards, are all raised and bettered.

What you can't do when raising prices is to trance someone into buying from you or hammer them over the head with some kind of sob story.

They'll sniff that a mile away. 

And it won't truly resonate or connect.

And yet, there are providers and services all over the place who are high priced yet providing little or additional extra value than their closest competitor.

They'll soon be rumbled as their pricing won't match the quality of their services.  

Of course, if your business has a personality and has a loyal rabid following for what it is you sell and promote, then raising prices won't be nearly as troubling.

In fact, when you go even higher in your prices with new product and service offerings, there'll be a certain percentage of your customer base who'll devour and lap it up.  

And they'll do that because they've already been convinced and have bought into who you are and what your products and services stand for in their lives.     

Test it out. Raise dem prices!

There are 3 other strategies on the marketing wheel that deliciously blend and merge into the raising prices one, and you'll get to see what they are over the coming days.

Email Marketing Q & A (Part 2 )

Q: Why do you think Email has been given a back seat recently as a marketing vehicle...is it because of social media marketing being so prominent?

RH:My take on it is that email, the proper use of it, will be here to stay as long as the internet is here and so that’ll be like, forever. Social media marketing has its merits, though all in good measure. 

It seems like whenever the next new shiniest marketing tool comes online, there’s this buffalo stampede that can be heard for miles, with everyone who has been sold into the idea and concept, touting it like it’s their online saviour. 

Which of course is just plain old hype and I suppose a business owner has to go through the experience to see that social media marketing isn’t as it’s cracked up and promoted to be. 

Yes, there are wonderful uses for it all but tell me a business that’s built its business solely on social media marketing and then you’ll have me as being an eager listener.

And the dirty little secret is that the big guns, you know, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Ebay… they’re using offline direct mail to grow their businesses.

Gasp. Who’d have thought that, right? 

I mean, shouldn’t they be using just social media marketing as they’re purely online businesses? Now you know. Okay, now, social media marketing used in conjunction with email, can be a powerful combination. 

But give me an either/or choice and I’ll pick email as a method of building a deep strong relationship with customers, as well as making regular sales like clockwork, I’ll take email, any day of the week, month or year. 

Now those who spurn email and its inherent uses and power, simply do not know how to use it effectively. 

And so what happens as a consequence? 

They bad mouth the media, based on their erroneous assumptions, based on false information, based on simply not taking the time and investing energy and flop sweat to doing it right. 

And let’s just take a look at this; email is just another format to communicate. 

Nothing more. It’s not the holy-grail. Neither is facebook or twitter or any other social media marketing platform. They’re all communication vehicles, just like the fax, the mobile phone, tv, video, letters in the post. 

And with all of those media platform or tools or vehicles, whatever I’ve just mentioned, if you don’t know how to effectively communicate using whatever media, you’re not doing as well as you thought.

And you can’t blame the media platform because if someone else is being successful at using it then it’s you, me, whoever is the mind behind the use of the communication tool in question; we’re the problem and not the media platform! 

If someone else is successful at it, and we’re not; we’ve screwed it up along the line, somewhere. 

How you can get more of your customers, prospects & subscribers addicted to reading (and buying from) your emails

Ever witnessed someone who’s just addicted to something?

They’re rabid, irrational, and sometimes, beyond reasoning with, aren’t they?

Take golfers as an example; they’ll do anything, spend anything, try anything, just to lower their score or hit a drive as straight as an arrow – they’re addicted to getting every kind of tool, insight, information, resources that they can lay their hands on.

Now you can if you want, create a similar insatiable addiction so your subscribers, prospects and clients have for reading your emails.

Possible?

Well think about this for a second; email is simply a way of communicating using a medium, just like reading a book or watching your favourite tv programme, is. And have you ever been rabid about a programme or a book or magazine where you just simply have to know what the next instalment is all about?

It's just like that for email, if you set it all up right.

So let's think about this; what does your email have to contain in order to have your customers itching to receive your email communications?

The first thing is that you must know at a deep core level, are the pains, the frustrations, the problems your marketplace and your customers are experiencing.

Because, once you know this important information, you can then speak directly, sincerely and with authority, where you can tie your communications together by showing how your products and services can fix the equivalent of a poor wayward drive or a sloppy chip shot or a finely tuned mindset when the putt absolutely has to go in the hole.

If you can do that, and you can do that in language and in a voice that’s sincere, that’s authentic, that’s believable, you’ll have a following who’ll be addicted to what you have to say next. They’ll be hanging on your every word. And, just like a soap opera saga that runs and runs; your audience just has to find out what the next instalment is, what the next cure is, what the next surprise will be. What the next whacky zany story or account is going to be.

They’ll be addicted in wanting to hear from you because you’ve established your credentials, you're showing up frequently, you're not just smacking them over the head with continual blatant saleszee messages - you're now perceived as someone who is genuinely interested in what they are going through and in turn, your audience will have confidence in your products and services because as a default of the process, they’ll automatically perceive your products and services will help them fix and solve their burning issues and problems.

Can anyone in any business use this email addiction strategy?

Yes, I think so. However, this kind of good addiction cannot happen if there’s no personality or no identifiable character that an audience can identify with or feel an affinity with.

It just can’t happen without it. 

An audience needs to have a deep synchronicity with the business/business owner (and vice-versa) for there to be this rabid, insatiable addiction to the communications.

And the great thing about email is that a business’s personality and character can be built, communicated and transferred via simple, continual, plain text communications, and, where in a short space of time, the audience (customers/subscribers/prospects) will become trained, steered, addicted to receiving your email communications.

Of course, it’ll only last as long as you have something valuable to say that is addiction worthy and, that is communicated in a consistent and timely way.

And that’s the way to do it because you don’t want to communicate in a run of the mill way and be perceived as just an average or normal marketer.

Because that's what'll happen when you aren't adding any kind of value or joy to your readers through your communications. You'll be classed, bracketed, pigeon-holed as someone who's not really worthy of being passed around and referred.   

And you'll know when your creating hyper addictive email communications is when you skip a few days of sending your email communications- and you get mail saying (either openly, or saying it inwardly to themselves)...

... where is today’s email, did I miss it, did you send it yet, it’s not gone into the junk folder, can you send it again…

It takes a continual commitment and deep down desire to relate and connect. 

And believe it or not,, it’s this very discipline that'll determine how high and how profitable a business can really be -- with the simple email being at the engine room of the entire communication process.

The BIG question --

How's your email communications working for you?

​

Email Asset makeover - (because they sincerely DON'T really care about you, they only care about filling their pockets)

Cancelled a product, membership or service recently? 

So what did you get back from the company by way of a follow up communication?

Well, depending on the company or business, you've probably not received anything at all as most are firstly unware about the lifetime value of a customer. 

And secondly, most are unaware of the various impact points throughout their customer communications funnels and sequences and so can't actually do anything to fix them. 

You can't fix what you can't measure, see or know about.  

Or, you'll have gotten something that sounds like they want to bribe you back into their arms, without really ever sincerely digging in and finding out why it is you cancelled.

Of course, many people don't want to give any reason at all why they've cancelled and simply ignore any communication they receive that's designed to enquire - and that's whether or not the follow up communication is sincere or not. 

They, we, just want to be left alone and carry on with our day.   

And in case you're thinking that it's the smart, switched on and customer centric, marketing savvy companies who've got all this sorted by way of their customer communications and follow ups, then think again. Because they're not immune to creating communications that smell of desperation.

Let's get into a follow up communication email I received from a big company in the motivation and productivity space.

To give you some context, the following email was generated because I cancelled a trial membership to one of their service based products.      

--------------------------------------------------------

Why Raja? Why?

Raja...

Maybe you can help me out with this?

Here's the deal ...  Two things:

1.  You cancelled your membership a few days ago.

2.  I think you're crazy :p

See, I'm pretty sure xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx is amazing.  But you seem to disagree.
Or maybe there's some other issue?

See, I don't know.  But I want to  ...

So, if you take a second to tell me what's up, I'll give you a course
of your choice on the house (up to a $97 value).

Just click here:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Then I'll immediately send you a coupon code for the course.  Easy :-)

----------------------------------------------------------

So let's see where things could be improved. 

Subject line is good. It got me to open the email, especially because I was unaware who it was from. It's curiosity based. 

Next...

Maybe you can help me out with this?

The can you help me out with this rings as if they're coming to you for advice, yet it's really all THEM centered and focussed, and not customer focussed. 

How could that opening line be improved?    

Something like...

I'm troubled that we've let you down in some way yet I know it seems silly but we don't quite know what we've done to mess things up. 

The next line of their message -- 

Here's the deal ...  Two things:

What deal? Where's the negotiation? Why that language? And why the quick, curt, Two things line? 

Not sure who their writers are but they're not really thinking in alignment with normal human conversation. It's as if there's an urgent on their part for a response, along with a  demonstration of how cool and smart the writer is..., rather than giving full attention to the reader/recipient and focussing on their wants and needs.

So how could that all be improved? 

I've noticed you've cancelled your trial membership and that's really okay. I wanted to get in touch with you to understand what I can do to help you, to figure out how we can make the product work for you so you can benefit from it in the way we'd promised it would.

Moving on to the next piece of copy in their email...

1.  You cancelled your membership a few days ago.

2.  I think you're crazy :p  

I've touched on the first part in my version of things above, as well as the second part in a way, but the second bit of the second part is quite interesting. I think you're crazy, along with a colon and the alphabet p. I'd no idea what that was so googled it. Turns out it's the equivalent of sticking your tongue out in a playful way in real life.   

I don't know the person in the email so would I be speaking and doing that in real life to someone I don't know. No. Not really. Yet in email and with online communications, it seems nearly everyone has given themselves the freedom and license to replicate real life scenarios and conversations online, buck them, and not think anything about it. 

Big error in thinking.

The next part -- 

See, I'm pretty sure xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx is amazing.  But you seem to disagree.
Or maybe there's some other issue?

What's wrong here?

The person doesn't even know if the product is amazing. They're 'pretty sure'? They're not certain. They're hedging. They're riding on a possibility. There's no evidence that says they've used it at all and can speak with any kind of credibility. So why use that line at all? 

Next piece in the same sentence assumes I disagree that the product is not amazing. Where did they get that factual info from? From nowhere except out of thin air because of their sheer laziness and guesswork.   

How to improve their line of thinking?

By replacing it with the following:

We've 3,459 (or whatever their real customer number is) people who are thrilled customers who swear by the product and think it's amazing. And of course, we'd love for you to be number 3460 but we know that that can't happen at all, until and unless we know how to help you solve whatever problems you might be having.   

-------------

Now in that email there's a link to a questionnaire where the language and thrust is all about "what can we do to win you back?" It's as if bribing osmosis is being dealt, ethical or not, and yet all of that won't do a jot of good if there's no clear understanding and connection regarding why the cancellation. 

I can tell you one thing, no matter how good the product or service, trying to plead and get people to buy and invest by offering a price cut, will get you a specific type of customer with a specific type of mind. And you can be sure there'll be a mad high percentage who won't use the product or service. In some cases it works, but price lowering is never a good idea if you want quality customers who invest and consume. 

Right now I could go on and complete the email and have a completely refreshed and revamped version. Which in turn would bring a number of cancelled subscribers back as full paying customers.    

Now let's step back a little and think about the numbers here.

The monthly membership is $47. 

Compound that out over the year and it's over $500. 

Multiply that by 5 years (and that's being conservative because just like electricity or gas, you're going to keep on paying for it if it brings you ongoing constant service, usage and value. You're not going to disconnect)...

So that's a $2500 amount. 

Factor in the suite of products and services they'll ascend people up to, you can see there's a huge amount of value stored inside one customer who buys and invests in a front end product. 

And by fixing one email in the cancellation sequence, you'll find that each month there'll be a number of $2500+ customers coming in who wouldn't previously, excusing themselves and never to be seen again. 

Tot that up over the year and you're looking at an email asset that'll continue to pay you... over and over again.  

Lesson?

Three of them.

1. Don't be casual in your communications.

2. Emails, copy, sales messages, they ARE the money bringers. Value them above anything else in your business. Because without them being the best they can be, you ARE losing a stream of income. Continually.  

3. And so now look through your entire suite of marketing and sales communications and ask this simple question -- "how can we improve this?" 

 Do the above and you'll find you'll add plenty to your bottom line. Plenty.

 

Creating value based follow-up emails are worth an ongoing mint. If you want to know about 20 other WAYS you can retain your customers and clients, pick up this handy one page guide here that'll help you do exactly that.    

    

 raja . hireker @ gmail . com 
07903 905 802