Over the years I’ve compiled a list of excuses people make for either not writing emails, or failing at it.
Here it is for your viewing horror:
1. “Gmail’s inbox! Nothing is getting delivered!”
Bull.
You’re just not interesting enough for people to make you a priority. Frankly, Hillary should just blame her disappearing emails on gmail, too. That’s what all these Internet marketers blame for their lack of success.
2. “No time!”
Really?
You can’t carve out a half hour per day… maybe turn off the evening shnewz or get up a half hour early (or go to be a half hour later)?
And you think you’re going to be a biz’nid owner?
Meh.
3. “Can’t think of anything to write about! My brain goes blank!”
No.
You just don’t know your market well enough. Probably you are bogged down in all the latest persuasion tricks, chokes, and bright shiny objects instead of studying your market, knowing all their pains and problems, etc.
Otherwise, you’d have the opposite problem
So many ideas you have trouble deciding which to write about…
4. “I hate writing!”
But you probably like talking, no?
So talk into a recorder, and have it transcribed. Smooth out, and send.
5. “I have nothing to sell!”
So?
You can start building a list and use my launch method (for sale only to “Email Players” subscribers) to start pre-selling them, so they are primed and ready to buy when you do have a product.
Don’t use no product as an excuse.
That is, if you want to be taken seriously.
6. “I don’t know how to write well!”
Neither do I.
And it doesn’t matter — because email copy is not about “writing” it’s about communication. And you know how you get good at communication? By communicating… and you can practice by writing an email each day designed to sell your product.
7. “I have too much client work to focus on!”
That’s your problem right there.
You aren’t paying yourself first.
Paying yourself first is a must in my humble, but accurate, opinion — not just in terms of money, but in terms of time. The first hour of every day belongs to you and you alone. Start taking that attitude and you’ll find yourself getting a ton of work done, doing better work for your clients, and not feeling guilty at night because you didn’t write an email to give yourself and your kids and family lifestyle, opting instead to write emails to give your clients and their kids and family a lifestyle.
Is that really your priority?
So many excuses.
So many ways people hold themselves back.
If you’re just going to make excuses why you aren’t mailing and being successful with it (and blaming everything and everyone but yourself) I don’t even know why you’re on this list.
There’s nothing I can do to help you.
Nor do I even want to help you.
What would be the point?
I don’t like to encourage bad behavior, I punish it.
That said, for the few people left over reading this who want to stop the endless excuses and start making sales with email, and enjoying it (otherwise, why bother?), then check out my “Email Players” newsletter.
The next issue has a lot of advanced info in it.
And, the bonus I’m including is especially valuable.
More info here:
Ben Settle
