Let’s play a game.
I don’t know either of the two gentlemen below from Eve. But try to guess which one you think is going to ultimately be the more successful one… and which has cursed himself to wander the goo-roo casino all of his days…
Here goes:
Email #1
Ben, This email is useless because you don’t give any value in it. Its a pure sales pitch. Hopefully your future emails will not be a waste of my time.
Email #2:
Just want to thank you.
Just using the free info I’ve got from you and a few principles I’ve learned from your emails I just had my first $2000 day (ever) from a product I thought was dead.
What I did was:
1) Stopped being needy AF
2) Offered no refunds
3) Gave no apologies
4) Told leads flat out that my product isn’t for losers (proles)
And some other stuff you taught me for free (except I bought your villains books)Anyone that says you don’t give value for free I’d like to tell them fakoff. If they can’t find it then they can’t be helped and should probably unsubscribe.
As for me you’ve given me so much I still haven’t even implemented that I suspect soon (if I can stay disciplined) even your not cheap products will be pocket change.
Larry Shier
PS use my words as you see fit
The irony of the fanatical “value-seeker” never ceases to amuse me.
Especially since, they more often than not already have “value” staring right at them — not unlike the farmer in the Acres of Diamonds story who sold his farm to look for diamonds, killed himself when he failed, only for the person who bought his farm to end up finding a huge diamond mine on the land that was there the whole time.
And so it is.
Which brings up another point:
There’s a reason I am not on the “Give value” bandwagon so many other people who teach marketing subscribe to.
It’s not because I don’t think it works.
Nor is it because I think it’s a bad idea, either.
Showering your free email list with value is a completely legitimate marketing strategy, and I highly encourage it if (1) you are more concerned about being liked (and getting Facebook likes) than being respected… (2) you’re content and happy with the rate at which your business is growing now, and… (3) you measure success by the approval & high-fives of peers, non-buyers, & marketing gurus… instead of how much bigger your business & income grows each year while maintaining or enhancing your lifestyle and enjoyment of the game.
If that’s your bag, I’m the last guy you should listen to.
And, this is especially true when it comes to the upcoming April “Email Players” issue.
Why?
Because the entire issue is about a secret way of doing business I’ve been experimenting with for approximately the last 18-months, after hearing an obscure marketing training I doubt 1 in 1000 people reading this email have ever heard of, much less studied in any kind of depth. And in these last 18-months, since incorporating this secret, my business has seen more rapid success and “spurts” of growth than it had in the entire 18-years prior to applying it.
More:
I make no guarantees it will work the same for you or anyone else.
But, what I can say is this:
Once you see what this is, you can’t “unsee” it.
You can choose to (foolishly) think it doesn’t work.
You can cowardly dip your toe in the water, not fully commit to it, and then pull back once it makes you uncomfortable.
(And it will.)
You can even decide it’s too scary, and not even consider doing it, whip up an excuse for why you “can’t” do it to protect your ego, and go safely back to what you’re doing now to build your business.
And there is no shame in that if you do.
But, once you are introduced to this way of approaching business, there is no getting it completely out of your mind.
No not noticing the massive, quick, seemingly “overnight” success of those few you observe who do have the sac to do it.
And, no lying to yourself that you don’t wonder what would happen if you did throw caution to the wind, take a swan dive into applying it to your business, and risk your reputation with your peers and Facebook friends who will no-doubt think you are dumb, stupid, and crazy.
Which brings us back to the people I described above.
i.e. the ones more concerned about being liked than respected, are content with their current sales, and who measure success by the approval & high-fives of peers, non-buyers, & marketing gurus over all else.
Those types will be very disappointed in this issue.
Especially since, there is no checklist of what to do.
There’s no sales copy to swipe.
There’s not even much talk about email – although the info fundamentally changes everything about how you approach email, especially if you are the “give value” type.
Instead, what it is, is this:
1. A short description about what exactly this way of doing and approaching business is.
2. Exactly how I’ve been applying it to my business the past 18-months especially – much of which will NOT apply to you, requiring thinking and problem-solving in applying it to your business. Although it’s not exactly rocket science, either. The “what” to is easy, the hard part will probably be the social backlash after implementation, for most.
The rest will then be up to you.
While I’m still at it not giving value in this email, I will also predict this:
In my opinion, this is one of the single most valuable – if not the single most valuable – “Email Players” issues I’ve written in the 8 years I’ve been publishing it.
But, due to the rank simplicity of the content, combined with the fact it takes hard work (mostly research), an open mind, and a thick skin to implement, hardly anyone will actually do it. And so, I suspect it might make a few people a lot (as in potentially millions in sales) over the next couple years. But, also, prompt lots of cancelations, when people who are comfortable & content with small, safe growth and seek social media props from their peers & colleagues – not big, scary growth and being mocked & questioned by their Flakebook & advertising critic friends – realize they simply have no place at elBenbo’s table anymore, as my ways simply aren’t intended for them.
A “cleaning house” issue like this is long overdue.
Especially since, I am implementing a valuable new feature to the newsletter, and absolute purity of the subscriber base in terms of seriousness about their success, and open-mindedness about learning is mandatory. Even to the point that I’ve been manually canceling a small handful of friends I had been “comping”, to keep it a paid-subscriber only publication.
That may sound a bit melodramatic.
But, those who see the new feature I am testing in the April issue will understand why.
Here is where to subscribe before the deadline:
Ben Settle
P.S. Aw shucks.
I forgot to add value.
Maybe next time…?
