The Money Is In Your List

You've probably have heard the saying: "the money is in the list", well - it's true. It is in your list. And it's a frustration that a client brought to her mentoring call this week. She was all flustered because she keeps hearing that to do any good, you've just got to have a BIG list.

What I believe is more important is that you have a responsive list!
What's the point of having a list of ten or thousands if no-one is opening your emails, let alone buying from you. Wouldn't it be better to have a smaller list, filled with clients who can't wait to open your emails and read what you have to say. Who look forward to your latest product or service launch, and are happy to purchase from you.

No I'm not saying that you stay with a small list, you do want to continue to build it, but build it strategically. The way you can do this is by being very clear on your strategy around building your list. If you have a clear strategy, you build quality rather than a quantity.

Your first strategy is to be very clear on who your ideal clients are. The clearer you can be about this, the better understanding you will have around what you can share with them. If you've worked through our e-book on 'Identifying Your Ideal Clients', you will be clear on who these people are. Take time to really understand what their conce
s, challenges and dreams are. Develop your avatar about these clients and have it somewhere you can see it regularly to remind you about them.

Your second strategy is developing a relationship with your clients through the content you provide. When writing, make sure you are conversational. This isn't the time to become a bureaucratic writer!

A tip to remember is when writing articles or emails imagine that you are sitting across the table having a coffee with your ideal client. Have a conversation with them, use conversation tones and make it easy for them to get to know you.

For those of us who aren't natural writers, it does take time to get use to writing in this style. I know for me it took a while to write more conversational, as having a Defence Force background my style was very militant and rigid. Even now after many, many years I still find I'm learning from each article I write.

The final strategy is to be aware of how you position yourself. You want your clients to see you as a leader within the marketplace. To see you as someone who is willing to take a stand on what you believe in and inspire others. Someone who is willing to tell your story to connect with your clients.

Think about the e-newsletters you currently open and read, what makes you want to open those particular emails? My guess is that it has less to do with the instructional information, but more to do with the individual person and how you see them...

Now you've got a strategy to follow, what are some of the tactics you've used to build your list?