You are on fire!
You are moving full steam ahead.
You are selling your wares online like hotcakes, and making it look easy.
People watch you to see what you do next.
Folks in your field opt-in to your list to see what’s trending.
Clients-to-be read your stuff for months (or even years) and send you emails saying they are finally ready to work with you (and you’ve never even met them yet!).
That’s the vision.
That’s the promise.
That’s the dream.
Now… what sexy fancy moves do you have to pull to make that a reality, you ask?
- Commit to the relationship. Make a commitment to send a weekly newsletter with a personal note about how fascinating your life is + a feature article with hot tips in your field. Be consistent. Keep showing up. Be willing to give more than you get for the first 9 months.
- Get out of your house (or on the phone) + teach. Building an active, buying list isn’t social media trickery or having the world’s best awesome free gift – it’s about regular marketing. Get out there. Even if you aren’t perfect. Offer a free gift. Get folks on your list.
- Keep showing up. Did I say this already? I’ll say it again – having a list that reads, clicks, and buys is a relationship. We all want relationships with awesome people who enrich our lives. Be one of them.
- Forget about “being in the mood.” Like sex, writing a newsletter is more thrilling with the right lighting and music. Learn how to get yourself out of procrastination and into productivity… and to change your state so that you get your stuff written, no matter what.
The truth is, sending a regular newsletter is still your ticket to developing a genuine and trusting relationship with your tribe. There’s no short cut here – like any relationship, you gotta show that you’re the real deal (and not some get-rich-quick huckster).
My wish for you is that you discover your own creative process with your writing that sells… at the drop of a hat, you can come up with 5 different angles on your topic that are dazzling and fresh… that you don’t spend years of your life writing a newsletter that doesn’t win your business… to a handful of people that tell you what you do is nice (but don’t buy).
Do not drop anchor there. It is an impoverished and isolated place.
Not sending a newsletter means you have no way of building a relationship with the people who want to buy from you (but want to get to know you first).
Sending a newsletter without ever (successfully) asking for business means you are withholding large chunks of your value from the people who actually need you the most. Your light is hidden under the proverbial bushel.
You have so much to offer the world.
You can stretch outside what’s known, familiar, and comfortable… and reach the world with your message.
You are here to serve others… and make a fabulous living doing it.
You can have that.
You can be that.
Just promise me you’ll get into regular communication with the people who are interested in what you do, but haven’t bought from you (yet)… and you treat them better than 97% of the other business owners out there. If you’d like help, join me for the next Writing That Sells production lab.
Mighty thanks to Kalyan Chakravarthy flickr photostream for the lights.
