I can't remember the last time writing an
email felt so cathartic.
Here we go.
Ben Settle has taught me a lot, but more than anything else I benefited from this:
Play to win instead of playing not to lose.
That right there set the tone for everything I've done since.
Take something as simple as email.
On my other list I've mailed heavily over Black Friday weekend promoting Liberty Classroom, my signature product.
I'm darn proud of that site. And the offer I'm mailing about gives my folks great value.
Now: some people -- "mush cookies," Ben calls them -- will complain that I emailed too much, even though for a solid week I warned them that a lot of email was coming.
A lot of my readers read every single one. These are good emails, after all. A sliver will delete every single one but stay on my list because they like and appreciate it.
But yes, I'll get some unsubscribes, and a few people will even write to complain.
Should I scale it back, then?
Here's how I think about it:
After all the free content I've produced -- nearly 1300 podcast episodes, for starters -- I think asking people to read or at least click "delete" on some emails one weekend a year is not expecting too much.
If someone disagrees strenuously enough to write to me about it -- as four people did -- then it's best for us to part ways.
And yes, at this time of year I do get unsubscribes: under one-half of one percent of my list.
Am I going to modify my marketing formula, which is hugely successful, to pacify marginal subscribers? That's playing not to lose.
I'm playing to win.
How about you?
Doing anything new involves getting out of your comfort zone. Avoiding new things is a way of playing it safe, of playing not to lose.
Why not determine to play to win?
I know some of you are on the fence about starting that website or blog.
Having a website seems like something other people do, right?
Or: will you really be able to do it?
Or: will you be in over your head?
Or...or...all the kinds of questions that self-doubt imposes on you.
That's you playing not to lose.
Play to win.
Plus, my support group will be there to help you. That's one of my bonuses.
When the clock strikes midnight, you won't be able to get Bluehost's ridiculous $2.65 per month hosting deal anymore.
Lock in that rate, and get my bonuses: I'll promote your site to make sure you get visitors, I'll let you into my mutual help group, I'll send you 24 video tutorials, and I'll link to you from my site.
Link to the hosting deal:
Play to win.
The clock is ticking.
Tom Woods