Came a question from one of my Email Players of the Horde back on March 31:
“Just curious if you’re getting a higher than normal number of cancellation requests considering what’s going on around the globe? We also have a subscription program and we also have a “no return” policy (stolen from you, admittedly) and we’ve been trying to navigate how to handle these requests. On the one hand, I’m sympathetic to their situation, and I don’t want to seem callous but on the other hand, I feel like if you’re a true entrepreneur, you figure out solutions to problems during times like these instead of cutting costs and making rash decisions out of fear. Anyway, just wondering your experience and thoughts on the situation from one subscription model guy to another.”
As far as “Email Players” subscriptions have gone:
We ended up hitting a new milestone number of subscribers for the May issue.
And the ones who did leave desperately clinging to their “OMG Corona!” crutch were wise to cancel.
They were never cut out for it in the first place.
On the other hand, it has been a lot of fun hearing from the winners amongst my Horde who have been using the crisis to figure out whole new ways to make sales, and even create whole new businesses & niches they never would have otherwise.
The crisis is a gift to anyone with ambition, imagination, and character.
To everyone else?
The sky probably does feel like it’s falling.
And they probably should seek the nipple of the government teet or a day job.
After all, it ain’t gonna get easier as we wade deeper into deflation, without access to the easy credit these blokes have had for the past several years… and where relying on social media chest pounding won’t cut it anymore.
That mean ol’ tide Warren Buffet talked about went out in March & April.
And there were a whole lot of buck naked people exposed.
In my world the most ironic ones are those who had been banned from “Email Players” and tried to sneak back in. My policy about not letting people back is clear. I don’t want ’em back & immediately block them. Nor do I care to sell anything else to them in the future, even though it might “cost” me short term sales.
Why?
Because the Dan Kennedy-ism about toxic or unmotivated/lazy/lukewarm customers leaving always being quickly replaced by someone better is a very real phenomenon I have witnessed & experienced over and over and over again lo these last 10+ years of publishing newsletters – both “Email Players” and my old “Crypto Marketing Newsletter.” These blue flame specials trying to sneak back in after being blocked clearly lacked the ambition and/or intelligence to do the work to build a list and find/create an offer and use the info to make the whopping $3.23 per day in sales it costs the first time around, when times were booming with easy access to credit. Now they suddenly think they will magically have their shyt together when times are economically crazy, with deflation on the horizon, where just thinking positive thoughts & reading a newsletter they won’t implement will somehow save them.
Woo-woo positive thinking or temporary enthusiasm ain’t gonna cut it.
There’s a glitch in their thinking & character.
In fact, I noticed a few of these “try to sneak back in later after being banned” types hopped on our Learnistic mobile app service when it launched, thinking THIS will finally be the thing that will make them successful.
But it won’t.
Because those types have never been successful in the long term.
Not since the founding of business & commerce thousands of years ago. Leopards don’t change their spots, and these types have a sickness of the psyche they caught at some point in their lives. And this sickness is like herpes of the online marketing community – that never really goes away, quickly infects those they associate with, and will “flare” back up eventually.
That’s been my experience with those types over the years of dealing with them.
And, I have yet to see a single one who didn’t relapse into quit-and-do-nothing mode eventually.
Thus, they are curated out & blocked from coming back with extreme prejudice.
All right, enough of this.
The June “Email Players” issue is coming soon.
Here’s the link to subscribe:
Ben Settle
