We're Answering YOUR Questions In Today's Newsletter! Copywriting, Marketing, Auto Responders, Direct Sales, Lead Generation and More!
By Sandi Krakowski
Last week on our Facebook page and our Twitter profile we asked more than 30,000 people who follow us what their biggest challenges were in the topics of:
- Copywriting
- Marketing
- Auto Responders
- Lead Generation
- Opt In Offers
- Direct Sales
and more!
So today we are going to just jump to it… and answer some of your top questions! Grab a pen and paper… this is going to be like a coaching session!
Melissa Austin writes– "I just don't know where to start when it comes to lead generation and building a huge list."
Sandi's Reply-
Hi Melissa…. great question. And one that many struggle with, so the biggest thing to know is that you are NOT alone. There was a time when I had been working in eCommerce (Ran 5 of those very successfully), then I went onto Direct Sales for a few years and eventually I built a 7-figure Copywriting and Marketing firm. Every company I built, a list was also built. But they were all very different. The thing I want to encourage you to do first off, out the gates, is to decide what you want to use your list for.
A list can be used as a rapport building tool, a place where you keep current and past clients up to date, something that you publish a newsletter through and even a place for training. I've successfully done all of these. When you decide WHAT the list will be used for, the marketing that creates that list successfully becomes very clear. The Opt In offer will also tie in to what you desire to do with the list. Currently, our list is used to create content in a publication every week for our readers. The most common thing we do with our list of clients is publish highly valuable content. We also send out promotions and updated information on our company, but that is only after we have kept our foremost goal of giving great content. Each publication of our newsletter gives one Big Idea and an Actionable Step. Our customers write to us every day thanking us for this content.
When you look at our 'list' in this manner, you can see that our marketing and our Opt In offer is also geared towards delivering highly targeted valuable content that someone can use and get a result from, immediately.
Focus on what you want to do with the list first. That is your first step in starting.
Inge C Halliday writes, "How do we decide on who exactly is my market, to choose one and then deciding on an enticing offer for Opt In. How do you do that?"
Sandi's Reply-
Inge, before you can figure out who your exact market is, focus on what the problem is you are fixing. Every business must be built on this one solid premise- An urgent pressing problem that you have a solution for. If there isn't an urgent pressing problem that your business solves, you have to go back to square one.
Then, when you have found the problem that you solve, it will be SO much easier to focus on who your target market is. You see, many people find solutions and answers to their urgent problems with our company. But they are very diverse. Our ideal clients include:
CEO's, copywriters, web designers, authors, fitness coaches, moms, dads, pastors, spiritual leaders, psychics, psychiatrists, life coaches, direct sales consultant, athletes, chiropractors, financial advisors, investment planners, lawyers, massage therapists, dog trainers and more!
The issue is this- they are all looking to generate more leads, write better sales copy, use social media and the internet in the most effective way. But I had to focus on the problem(s) that I can solve and give a unique solution to the problem before my ideal clients were clear on what we could do to help. I know this will bring much clarity to you and at least 30 other business owners reading this right now! 🙂
Casey Eden Sollock writes, "My audience is Christian women… maybe my target is too large! I'm trying to figure out how to build a list and audience with that. I do speaking and life purpose coaching."
Sandi's Reply-
Hi Casey! My first thought is yes, not only is this market too large but it's also non-specific. As we both know there are so many different kinds of Christian women. Some work at home, some work outside the home. Some have children, some have no children. Some are married, others never want to be married. Some cook, others hate cooking. So immediately, as I shared with Inge above, my first thought is, "What is the urgent pressing problem of ALL Christian women that you believe you can solve?" Then the question becomes even more specific- is this a problem that all Christian women are saying that they have? Or is it one that you believe they all have.
Never build a business on assumption.
Having built a client base currently of over 150,000 customers and in the past, my businesses combined served tens of thousands of other customers, I've never seen one group of faith-based people who are so alike that they all have the same problem. I've never seen a group of ANY people so alike that they have the exact same problem. Major clarity will not only come to your list building and writing efforts when you become clear on the solution you bring to an urgent problem, but you'll also quickly see 'groups' of people separating that you can help and those who might not even want your help.
Fact of the matter is, not all people who own a business want what we have. Do they all need it? I would tend to believe so. But in my small local community where I live with 25,000 other people there are many successful business owners who are just now considering Facebook. They would never even dream of creating an online or offline newsletter, just the thought of it with their already full schedule with local business could make their head spin. It is my belief that if they wanted a huge business it would certainly help them to have what we teach, but not all business owners want a huge business that is international in it's reach, let alone national.
So… get real clear on the urgent problem you solve, and the solution you bring to the marketplace. What separates you from everyone else that is out there and why should I do business with you? This alone will narrow your target market. Then, you'll have a better chance at bringing your message to this specific group.
Rochelle Bonefield Sladky writes, "I need to know how to sell without sounding like you desperately need that sale, like you're a sleezy used car salesman."
Sandi's Reply-
Rochelle, I can SO relate with your question! You see, when I ran my eCommerce businesses I had clients calling us, inbound calls, all day long. I did PPC ads and a newsletter and our phone literally began ringing within days of starting these campaigns. As our list grew, so did the phone calls. No one ever called just to chat, they called because they wanted to buy something from our stores. This was in the 90's when that is how online business was done, people called in most orders or at least they called you first and then went online to order.
Today, things have changed drastically! Our phones rarely ring here at A Real Change but we get emails, Direct messages on social media and comments on our blog all day long. All of this said to lead into the time I spent in Direct Sales. It was a challenging time for me because I "thought" I had to begin serving people in a totally different way. I figured if I was going to call a lead back who wanted more information about working from home, than I had to put on my best ' salesman' type attitude to do so. This caused me to FAIL miserably!
It was only when I went back to the model I originally used, and that was SERVING first and taking a genuine interest in others, did I begin to see success. I paid a business trainer to teach me what was necessary to do this and oddly enough.. as I look back now.. it's exactly what we did with our kitchenware stores, our vitamin store, our bread making forum and our publishing company that we ran in the 90's.
So, the answer to this question is a heart-centered one. You must serve to not sound salesy. The ONLY way that I know of to not sound like a slimy sales person is simply, don't be one.
Do YOU have a question for Sandi that you'd like answered in an upcoming newsletter? Post your questions below in the comment section to be considered!
Sandi Krakowski is a "Back To Basics Step By Step Business" expert who currently serves more than 100,000 clients in over 136 countries. Her systems help the average business owner as well as big corporations get extra-ordinary results quickly. She has a track record for her 'bringing it into action' processes that company owners find easy to implement with quick results. She has been working online successfully for the last 14 years.
Get your FREE copy of Sandi's NEW BOOK-"Read Their Mind: How To Hear What The Marketplace Wants & Build A Huge Business" to discover the secrets that will help you get to your idea clients, build amazing relationships and learn to sell anything quickly! Click here to order your copy NOW!
