Great post David.

It always surprises me how “common sense” isn’t so “common” when it comes to building relationships with ones readers.

I think as long as people stay focused on your comment “our readers are PEOPLE” we’ll be fine.

Yeah, pretty much.

This is one of the best things you can do. It can also be used to understand the objections your leads are having to buying your products. You can then talk to each lead individually and address their objections specifically.

Of course, after you grow to a certain size, it becomes very hard to personally interact with everyone, which I suppose, is when you can have a VIP or members only area where people pay for direct access to you like you have discussed.

I’m surprised you aren’t happy with your results considering those numbers. I’d be interested to see how you have things structured.  It might be that you need to make a few simple adjustments to turn up the notch on sales. 

I agree with you David, acknowledging that we’re humans, marketing to humans is a major shift in the way things need to be done online.  Proof of that change is in what Frank Kern used to teach.  He would openly recommend you “hide” behind your email address, be inaccessible and interact with customers AS LITTLE as possible.  He’s since changed his stance on that, but things are a bit different now huh?

I saved a bunch of those emails after the last several years, for my electronic swipe file.

Eben is pitching again. His stuff is pretty good, but with the perspective of experience I can now say I’m not after the same customers he is marketing to.  

These guys all go after starving crowds, offering hamburgers. Great analogy, and Halbert (or whoever) was a genius for that.

But it’s a Major League “home run” strategy, and I have enough trouble consistently making base hits in the JV. So I’m putting more time into the batting cage, as it were.

Absolutely.

And, yeah, it does get harder as the audience grows. But, there are ways.

Good idea to save the emails. Always good to watch them and learn… rather than reacting harshly to being pitched. If you want to make money, you should ENJOY being marketed to so you can see how they do it.

Chrisopher, you hit the proverbial nail on the head about the tech niches.For the blog I always ask a question or two in the article and sometimes at the end, response rate is near zero…

In my Newsletter and the small publications I give away every month I also ask for feed back, heck the two surveys I have done since I started giving away a monthly ‘Guide’ (smaller and less intense than a checklist to fix a given computer issue) the open rate was the highest I have ever had at 87% but I only got a 3% response rate.

Yup, them tech people are very closed mouthed, I know they have opinions but I think they are gun shy from being trolled in some forums.

Makes it hard to do a 2-way commnication but I ain’t givin’ up!

Great post: I find it especially encouraging for us, the beginners. This online universe is really intimidating, but knowing that even “little guys” can have some chance is so gooooood….
In particular after watching a video, some days ago, in which seems that Google will pay attention only to the big corporations in the near future, intentionally strangling all the dwarves entrepreneurs!

You are always personal and will tell it like it is. You have a good heart and everyone I send your post to respects what you put out there. This is a great post and the bottom line really says to me is to exhibit love ( I know I used the “L” word) and not to be stuck on yourself. Thanks again David.

David,

 I knew there was a reason I was in love with you (I  hope you’re blushing).  What a great post!  You put your finger precisely on the pulse of why I 1) always read your posts, 2) I have learned to trust what you say, 3) that you listen and reply and 4) always feel myself to be in a dialogue.
I so very much appreciate that you share of yourself so openly while at the same time managing to to make your blog about us.

Yes I am one of your tightly knit loyalists.

Susan French

Very nice post, David.  Reminded me that I, too, need to make more effort towards 2-way communication with my list.

The thing about high touch marketing is that having a big list is really kind of irrelevant. You’re right this is kind of common sense, but it’s a great message because it seems to be something that never becomes a popular concept. 

You simply don’t need a big list. You just really do not need half a million visitors to your blog every month to make great living. When you really get to know people, you can create offers which truly hit home and are almost impossible to ignore. 

Importantly, the $2k product launch model you mention has kind of been on the way out for a long time. Wouldn’t you agree? The fact is that kind of business model is just old school, impersonal push marketing. Those offers are sent out to hundreds of thousands of people and just don’t convert well.

Facing this obstacle right now. I suppose it isn’t a bad obstacle to be having, though.  

@David, I always open your emails/posts when I have time.  There are many emails I don’t open. They are from marketers who have nothing to offer, and are just begging me. I am not saying it is wrong to market, of course not. Market just means sell — and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this!  But you have so much to offer us besides pushing an offer  in our face.  You have truly helped me through the past year – through your blogs, through ustream, through youtube, your blogs, your courses, answering questions, making yourself available, etc.  I know time is money, but you do what you can, balancing helping and making money.  Those who are just in it for the money — who just want to “make millions but not work” — will soon be gone.  Good ones like you will stick around and make money. God bless you.

krissy knox
follow on twitter http://twitter.com/krissyknox please note my twitter name has changed, thank you!

Monte,
Thanks for the support but I don’t want my opinion on tech blog readers to become an excuse for inaction (for me anyway).  David makes some good points in his previous reply to me and I agree that it does work, it just takes time and effort in helping people personally to engender that interactivity.

I noticed in looking at your website that comments are turned off in many of your posts. Any thoughts on why?

Gotta build the list. I feel like the guy from the Dunkin Donuts commercials “Have to make the doughnuts”. I understand and agree with your point. I have to try to be less cynical. Nice webinar last night by the way. If anyone here wants some great info and business tips join David’s Inner Circle, definitely worth it. 

That’s “Big D”.

That’s certainly another way to put it, yeah.

Sorry – that name is reserved for my pimp.  hahahahaha. 
 

Well, I don’t think the product launch is going anywhere. The whole PLF thing is based on solid marketing which has been around long before the Internet. That said, I think people were playing copycat and getting insanely uncreative about it. 

And besides the method of launch, yes… I do think the $2K price point is going the way of the dodo. At least in internet marketing.

Thanks for the plug.

Just concentrate on setting up communication channels with particular purposes, so not everything goes to you. A support desk helps. Contact forms with particular purposes, diverted to other people. Not ALL correspondance has to be answered by you.

Thanks, Keith.