During last year’s brief gov shut-down, I got this from a desperate MBA:
(I know he’s an MBA because it’s stated in his name attached to the email he sent me)
Please know that I absolutely adore your stuff. So much so, that it took me a couple of weeks to actually accept the fact that I needed to do this. But with the government shutdown, my business has tanked and I need to conserve every dollar I have right now until it’s over.
So I need to cancel my newsletter subscription before it renews on Sunday. It pisses me off beyond belief that I have to do this, but business is down 60% since December and I have to cut every cost I can. I realize this means I probably can’t come back. I’m not okay with that, but I have to feed my family first. I’ll keep reading your stuff and buying your books.
Thank you, but please cancel my membership.
I remembering finding this fascinating on multiple levels.
In fact, my first thought was:
“All that MBA education and he can’t use the info he admittedly adores to write an email each day that recoups his whopping $3.23 per day investment (which was preventing him from feeding his family?), and have the wisdom to sell something on the backend that makes him many more sales to boot?”
Instead, he retreated directly into play-not-to-lose victim-mode.
Did absolutely nothing with his investment.
And, I would bet someone else’s kidney… probably kept his bloated cable/satellite bill, kept his starving kids cell phone bills, and kept stepping over $100 bills to pick up dimes.
Anyway, so that was my first thought.
My second thought?
Before curling up into a fetal position and despairing, it’s too bad he didn’t take advantage of the perk I give “Email Players” subscribers where they can ask me questions (not copy critiques, I don’t do critiques) via email about anything I’m qualified to talk about.
He didn’t even bother to ask, before quitting:
“Mr. elBenbo, I am in this pickle… yada yada yada… any ideas?”
To which I would have rattled off some quick-to-implement ideas he easily could have used to wipe that slack, bovine-like look on his face away.
More:
People are always looking for a boogeyman to hide behind (government shut-downs, the economy, Trump, Obama, the weather, the stock market, whatever it is) to justify their inaction, self-sabotage, and easily-overcome failures.
And this MBA’s particular boogyman is easily staked & beheaded.
Enter the upcoming October “Email Players” issue.
I walk you through the exact plan I would have given him, that’s so simple, even an utter and complete newbie (or MBA) can follow it and potentially be up and making cash-in-the-piggy-bank sales in a few days.
Still more:
This plan can work even if you have no product or list now.
Although you will need *some* kind of network. Even if it’s just a small social media following. Plus, even though I created this game plan for someone who’s back is to the wall, or someone who fears that could happen to them, it’s just as useful for someone already successful, too.
And, this is especially true for those of the freelancing persuasion.
This is just one of many business-changing lessons in the October issue.
But the deadline to get this issue is in 6 short days.
After that, it’ll be too late.
Here’s the link:
Ben Settle
