Let’s talk about the easiest, most fun way to reach clients, build relationships and make more cashola, shall we?
I often get asked how to build and retain a robust client list. I let people know that there is a secret tool that we all have in our back pockets— a tool that costs nothing to use and very little expertise to learn, but can give you an incredible return on investment and help you build a thriving community.
That tool is email.
I know, I know— email? Email is boring. Email is pushy. And aren’t we all overwhelmed with too many emails nowadays anyway?
Well, email is effective. In fact, for every person on your mailing list, you can generally expect to make an extra $100 a year. That means that a thousand-person mailing list can net you $100,000! Not bad for words on a screen.
I began building my mid-six-figure business back when I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I didn’t know it was supposed to be hard. I started with a mailing list of around two or three hundred people, and wrote poems I thought people might like to hear. One day I sent a poem called “A Prayer for the Capable.” It was an ode to the type of people who show up day after day, the type of people who make the world a better place by helping.
That poem received an avalanche of response. People wrote to me saying they loved it— that they felt seen, or that they saw their loved ones in it. It was a beautiful moment of connection that showed me something I’d been missing— the key to email’s true power.
Email is a bridge-making device. Communication is two-way. It’s like the excitement you might have had as a kid when you got a letter at camp or a postcard from a traveling friend. I wonder what they’re going to say? When you write to your clients’ hearts, you give them that feeling. The key is to write your emails as if you expect everybody to write you back.
When you think of email as a conversation instead of a bombardment, you’re giving your clients a gift. It might be a moment of reflection, a moment of sweetness, a thought-provoking idea. You don’t have to be a great writer, and you don’t have to write a lot. The work lies in attracting people onto your list and feeding them a steady diet of great stuff.
Want support and a chance to practice? Head over to www.therealsambennett.com/bunny.
My Heroes
Confused about personal branding? Not sure how to describe you or your work in a way that doesn’t feel weird?
You’re not alone. Personal branding is complicated for everyone.
The problem in creating a personal brand is that we are on the inside of our own heads, having an interior experience of ourselves. We have never been on the receiving end of our own energy. We have never flirted with us. We have never seen us from the side, or from across the room.
At the same time, everyone else on the planet is having an exterior experience of us. They don’t share our perspective and they can’t hear the voices in our heads : )
So we need to come up with a vocabulary that describes us truthfully. One that captures both our internal experience of ourselves as well as everyone else’s exterior experience of us.
Luckily, we can do that pretty quickly, because you’ve been being you for some time now. We just have to find the right words.
Experiment with this quick 20-minute video. I bet you’ll be delighted with what you discover. Leave a comment and let me know, OK?
We’re going to look at one of the hottest “freebies” there is and how it’s being used by one of the hottest teachers I know.
Sage Levine of Conscious Women Entrepreneurs
Sage has created a terrific quiz: What type of Workshop Leader are YOU?
——> CLICK HERE to take the quiz & get the results emailed to you
Sage’s Unique Style
Sage is down-to-earth and fun-loving and quite a bit smarter than your average bear. She focuses her work exclusively on women – even her own team is all women – and she truly believes that a feminine approach to leadership and business can not only transform lives, but indeed, the planet.
Sage loves to travel and she loves philanthropy, so she’s structured her business in such a way that she takes several long trips each year. She’s been everywhere from the Amazon to Africa, and I happen to know that she took her entire team to Hawaii this year – isn’t that cool?
As someone who has built a seven-figure business from scratch, Sage really knows her stuff. She’s a great teacher with a strong business philosophy, and she really is working to make the world a better place.
—–> I recommend getting on her list and taking advantage of her multiple freebies (start with the quiz : )
Sage’s Smart Strategy
A quiz is a fantastic way to invite people into your list. Not only are quizzes FUN, but they have the added benefit of allowing you to learn a lot about your prospects.
Quizzes also leverage one of the most powerful tools in marketing: intellectual curiosity. When faced with a compelling question like, “What kind of Workshop Leader are YOU?” even grizzled veterans like me want to know the answer!
Finally, quizzes are cool because they invite immediate engagement. The sooner you can get people INTERACTING with your material (clicking, sharing, commenting, rating, sharing….) the better off you are.
Idea You Could Borrow for Yourself
What ONE piece of information would help you communicate more intelligently with your clients? Could you make a quiz designed to elicit that data?
For example, if you’re a health coach, you might want to know more about your clients’ eating habits, so you could create a quiz called, “What’s Your Diet Downfall? Take this quiz to discover the sneaky nutritional habits that are ruining your waistline!”
Or if you were a visual artist, you could create a quiz called, “Does It Have to Match the Couch? Take this quiz to discover how sophisticated an art-buyer you are!”
Even just playing around with this concept can lead to some juicy ideas, yes?
Let me know what you come up with, OK?
—-> And be sure to check out Sage’s quiz and see what you would do the same, or differently!
Yours,
Sam
P.P.S. I am proud to be a friend, colleague, student, Big Fan and affiliate for many of the teachers, writers and healers I’m discussing in this email series. I trust that you will trust your intuition, do your own research and only get involved in things that are right for you. Good? Good. Thanks. – S.
