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May 2023
I Walked Away From $40,000 a Month Would You Have Done the Same Thing?
B ack in 2006, I bought into a franchise called Our Town America. It’s a direct mail advertising company that has delivered coupons to new homeowners since the 1970s. I went to all of their training sessions and inhaled their marketing materials. One of my favorites was their Proven Offer Book. It rounded up a couple of their best advertisements proven to work in particular industries. I couldn’t wait to use the thing! Then, I found out about the 24 Carat Club. If a new franchisee like me sold 24 accounts in their first 90 days, Our Town would hand over a bar of gold worth about $500. I’m a competitive guy, so I asked the owner, “Who has sold the most accounts in the history of the company in their first 90 days?” It turns out his wife held the record — she’d sold 74. “Good to know,” I told him. The next day, I hit the streets and phone lines with that Proven Offer Book in my back pocket. I sold, and sold, and sold. By the end of my first 90 days, I’d brought on 100 new accounts! I got my bar of gold and became the fastest-growing franchisee in Our Town’s history. One of my specialties was karate studios. I kid you not, I sold out my entire territory of karate studios, and every single one was a one-call close. I was pulling in $40,000 a month in profit. That’s a lot of freaking money! Then, things started to go sideways. My phone started ringing. One by one, all of the karate studios I’d sold told me they weren’t renewing their contracts. Why? Because the offer wasn’t working! The first two calls didn’t worry me too much. There are all sorts of reasons a piece of marketing won’t work for a particular business. But then, everyone started calling. What the heck was going on? I called corporate, and they sent me to Chris, an Our Town franchisee in Texas who’d been in the business for 20 years.
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“Chris,” I said, “what am I doing wrong? I used two Proven Offers to sell these karate studios. Why aren’t they working?” “Well, Shaun, these Proven Offers are great,” he said. “But they’re not ‘proven to work for the business.’ They’re more like, ‘proven to help us sell to the business.’”
feel the same way. You wouldn’t sell someone a product or service you know is a ripoff, would you? Of course not! You’re in business to help people, not hurt them. So am I. Here at Newsletter Pro, every product we sell is designed to help business owners, and every piece of advice I give you in this newsletter is designed to help you, too. I don’t just rely on someone like “Chris in Texas” to be the expert. My team has done our own research and written our own case studies. We talk to our clients so we know our products and processes work. We have proof our newsletters are helping lawyers get more referrals, brokers close more sales, and PTs get more repeat business. Remember how I’m always telling you to get personal in your newsletter and produce content with value? Recently, one of our clients called to tell us they did just that. They asked their writer to
“So, have they ever actually worked?” I asked.
“Oh no, man,” he said. “Not one has ever said it worked!”
That was my last day at Our Town. I shut my franchise down and walked away from the most money I’ve ever made. To this day, it’s still the only business I’ve ever sold. I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t respect myself at night.
When I opened Newsletter Pro, I swore we’d never sell a “Proven Offer” that wasn’t actually proven. I want my products to work for everyone who buys them! If I’m selling something and I don’t think it’s right for you, I won’t take your money. This has actually come up before at trade shows. A business owner will walk up to me, tell me about their business, then hand over their credit card — and I’ll hand it right back.
put together a personal article about loneliness and added value by including a quiz that would rank readers on a loneliness scale. Guess what — it worked! Not only did their readers engage with the newsletter and take the quiz, but also, one of them actually called. He said, “I got your
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I never want to take advantage of anyone or accept a penny I didn’t
earn. My integrity is worth more than the value of any potential sale.
newsletter, and I think I’m really lonely.” They talked through it together, and our client (a health care provider) was able to get him help. How awesome is that? I can sleep well at night because I know my company has integrity. We deliver on what we promise — and if there ever came a day when we didn’t, rest assured I would shut Newsletter Pro down and walk away.
“This isn’t right for you,” I told one guy recently. “You told me what you want, and my product won’t do that. I know it won’t do that. I’m not going to sell it to you and make both of us unhappy!” I never want to take advantage of anyone or accept a penny I didn’t earn. My integrity is worth more than the value of any potential sale. I think most business owners
- Shaun
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PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION Don’t Let Fear Stunt Your Growth
None of us are perfect, but that doesn’t always stop us from trying to be. Many entrepreneurs consider perfection a mildly irritating quirk or even a positive trait. After all, who doesn’t want their business to be the best it can be? But ironically, perfectionism can be the enemy of growth. To start, perfectionism harms productivity. Unable to get things exactly right, some perfectionists procrastinate on essential tasks. Others spend way too much time trying to get them exactly right. Either way, they waste time chasing an elusive goal. We should all strive to do good work, but perfection is in the eye of the beholder, so no product, logo, social media page, or press release will ever be immune from criticism. Then, there’s the impact on new ideas. Every new product, service, marketing campaign, and hire poses risks. Perfectionists can hold themselves back for fear of failure. But even our favorite and most iconic products weren’t perfect straight out of the gate. Technology greats like Microsoft and Apple continually build on their original offerings to develop the best gadgets and software. Like most of us, these companies best refine their ideas through trial and error and customer feedback. Perfectionism also prevents us from becoming better leaders. Perfectionists sometimes refuse to admit errors, convinced they’re always right (or too afraid to admit they’re not). In other cases, they beat themselves up over mistakes. Both reactions prevent an honest assessment of what went wrong and an opportunity to grow from the experience. You also can’t reliably lead others without a combination of humility and confidence, something perfectionists can struggle to master.
So, what’s the antidote to perfectionism and all of its pitfalls? Many thought leaders argue it’s progress. How far we’ve come is more important than how gracefully we got there or how much further we have left to go. The key to valuing progress over perfection is to stop measuring yourself against others and let go of your ideal regarding how things “should be.” Maybe you wanted to grow your sales by 30% last quarter — but that doesn’t discount your achievement of “only” growing them by 20%. Or perhaps your new quality control initiative still needs some work. But you should consider whether your business is better off than before the project began. Instead of focusing on how well we do things on our first attempt, we should reflect on how far we are from where we started. Progress is a better metric than perfection because it’s much more likely to create growth and innovation. Fewer things get done when everything must be perfect, and you miss out on valuable opportunities to acquire new customers, grow your market share, and learn from your mistakes. You’ve probably heard of “letting perfect be the enemy of good.” But perfect can also be the enemy of productivity and progress. Instead of asking, “Is this perfect?” try, “Is this better than what we had before?” The results might pleasantly surprise you.
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Ditch the Robot Approach Don’t Underestimate the Power of Human Connection
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Over the last few decades, the world has seen some drastic changes, and the recent pandemic has opened our eyes a little wider to this change. Back in the day, we relied so much more on human interaction than we do today. Ordering a coffee once required waiting in line and communicating with a barista and possibly other customers in the coffee shop. Today, you can place a mobile order right from your cellphone and swing around through the drive-thru or indoor pickup counter to retrieve it. Heck, sometimes you’ll even catch a glimpse of two people dining out at the same table, both with their noses buried in their phones texting each other! In today’s world, we can accomplish it all with just the touch of a button without needing to interact with anyone. Sure, on bad hair days or when you’re in a rush, skipping out on the small talk and face-to-face exchange is just what you need, but it can also leave you feeling detached. After all, we are human, and humans crave interaction. When it comes to your marketing plan and strategy, it’s important to keep this in mind, even as technological advances continue to roll in. Tim Sanders, a New York Times bestselling author, former Yahoo! Executive, and public speaker, said, “Your network is your net worth.” Creating personal connections with your customers is essential for your business to succeed. With so many virtual and technology-driven resources available, it’s easy to forget that we are dealing with and targeting real, walking, and breathing people. The goal is to help these live people to feel connected to your brand. According to a recent survey, 66% of customers think they are just a number due to impersonal messaging and a disconnect from the brand. Thus, in your advertising, instead of focusing on your idea or product, you must emphasize your brand’s impact on their lives. Highlight your authenticity — allow them to see that you’re human, too! Evoke emotion in your brand identity. A powerful brand identity pulls on emotion and helps consumers identify with it. Your brand should allow your customers to be heard, seen, understood, valued, and safe. As humans, we all want a sense of belonging, and if your brand can help customers to feel that by aligning with their values, they are likely to choose you over your competitors. Actively listen to your customers. You may be listening, but are you really listening? It’s important to get to know your customers. What are their interests, hobbies, and favorites? What do they dislike? What are their needs and wants? Social media is one of the greatest ways to interact with and listen to your customers. When you interact with and acknowledge your customers on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, they feel heard and supported. Remember that
conversations and social media threads are all about timing — your customers won’t be there tomorrow. You must be quick, prompt, and responsive. Add a human touch. Do away with automated messaging and add a personalized touch. Everyone has grown sick and tired of chatting with bots to achieve their customer service needs and listening to automated recordings. Adding something more personalized and intimate will help your brand stand out. Sure, utilizing AI is great, but incorporating a human feel into your client communication increases customer engagement and lifetime value. While most bots have nailed down including the client’s name in the email, incorporating a human sender name in the “from” box on an email is just one way to achieve a more humanized feel. Tap into empathy. It doesn’t matter how large your company is or whether or not you have a customer service team. One of the largest traits that makes us all human is the power of empathy and expressing a genuine desire to understand and care for each other. Ensure every client interaction is centered around compassion when dealing with questions, complaints, concerns, or confusion. It’s important to connect with the customer, be considerate, and put their feelings and needs first. When they experience this human connection, you create lasting and loyal customers. In your marketing, you want to showcase your human side — act and behave like a person your clients can relate to and ensure your brand reflects this humanistic touch. As a result, you’ll foster loyal and dedicated relationships with your customers that will outlast the test of time and market competition! Pro Tip
“Your network is your net worth.” Creating personal connections with your customers is essential for your business to succeed.
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“Burnout” is the word in business lately, and in 2023, companies across all markets are looking for ways to help their employees feel more motivated and less drained. One strategy to create less burnout in the workforce is by implementing what is called “proactive rest.” Proactive Rest Proactive rest is more than allowing employees to take a power nap or an extended vacation once a year. Instead of only relying on days off to provide staff a reprieve, workplaces are rewriting policies to allow their team more breaks and flexibility in their workdays. If this is hard to conceptualize (probably because the idea of resting during working hours is so foreign to us), we get it. Here is what proactive rest can look like at work: No-Meeting Time Blocks — A company blocks off certain hours or days so no meetings take place. Bye-Bye Burnout The Power of Prioritizing Proactive Rest
Flexible Lunch Breaks — Employees can take their lunch breaks whenever they want in their day.
Mandatory Breaks — In addition to lunch, a company requires their team to take another sort of break, even something short. 4-Day Work Weeks — Employees get the same amount of work done in fewer days, with no pay deduction. Office Closures — A company purposely closes its doors, whether for a week or every Friday during the summer, to give its team a chance to recoup.
of proactive rest into their policies experienced a 26% increase in performance. Not only that, but companies with more focus on employee health and well-being are also more attractive to potential applicants and experience lower turnover rates since their staff feels more supported and content with their jobs. Burnout is still widespread in American corporate culture; with the American workforce clocking in roughly nine extra unpaid hours a week, the hustle mentality isn’t going anywhere soon. And while a workaholic workforce may sound appealing on the surface, a business that prioritizes its team’s mental — as well as physical and emotional — health will always yield bigger and better results.
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Benefits of Proactive Rest For many business owners, losing any time in a workday can seem scary (and threatening) for their bottom line. However, it turns out that when companies prioritize their team’s rest, productivity increases. In a survey from Gartner, companies that incorporated some form
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5 Ways to Improve Your Health in 10 Minutes or Less
Are You Tired of Using Multiple Programs? Rocket.Chat Can Streamline Processes! Wouldn’t it be great if all your messages, emails, projects, social media accounts, and markets were all in one place? If you answered yes, then you should look into Rocket.Chat! Rocket.Chat is one of the world’s largest communication platforms. It allows businesses more control over their correspondence with colleagues, partners, and customers. One of the best features Rocket.Chat provides is the ability to streamline everything in your business. You can create different channels to connect with your employees and customize chat engines to engage with customers and potential prospects in real-time. There’s no need to log into other accounts if someone messages you through Instagram or Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Slack, WhatsApp, or your website’s chat box. With Rocket.Chat, you can effectively communicate with others all while using one software. By using Rocket.Chat, not only will you have more control over your business’s correspondence, but you will also empower your team to do their best and remain productive. When you bring messages, projects, and tasks together in one place, you and your team will no longer have to search down rabbit holes or leave one project to access another. By doing this, you will save yourself and your team time and limit distractions that can hinder your team’s workflow. If you’re interested in using Rocket.Chat for your business, you can start your 30-day free trial by going to Rocket.Chat/trial-saas . After your trial ends, you will have the option to sign up for Rocket.Chat’s Enterprise package that provides the highest level of security and unlimited access to the amenities Rocket.Chat has to offer. For only $35 a month, you can enhance your customers’ and team’s experience in more ways than one. So, give Rocket.Chat a try and learn why it’s the world’s largest and best communication platform out there!
Completing 8 minutes of intense exercise per day (or 54 minutes per week) lowers your risk of early death by 36% and your odds of getting heart disease by 35%.
Getting 5-15 minutes of sun exposure daily is enough to absorb suitable amounts of mood-boosting vitamin D without causing adverse health effects.
Performing breathing exercises for 5 minutes a day can greatly lower blood pressure and improve vascular function by 45%.
Studies have found that spending just 5 minutes a day exploring nature can greatly boost one’s mood and lower cortisol.
Laughing for 5-10 minutes a day can be greatly beneficial to your cardiovascular health.
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From Our Blog
Different Types of Personalized Marketing (and How to Use Them)
What are the different types of personalized marketing? Why are they important? How can they be used to boost the ROI of small businesses? These questions are at the root of every successful marketing personalization campaign. However, marketers and small-business owners often begin these campaigns without carefully considering their goals, methods, and the scope of personalization they have the capacity for. As a result, marketers who start using a personalization channel without the proper goals or direction cannot gauge if it’s meeting their expectations. This can also lead to poor data collection and an inability to adapt, among other things. So, what are the different types of personalized marketing, and how can they be implemented successfully into your campaigns? Moreover, what is personalized marketing,
Generic marketing, however, seeks to appeal to as broad an audience as possible (think billboards, newspaper ads, generic commercials, etc.). While these ads may be strategically placed, they still are not delivered directly to the target audience based on their relevant interests. The advantage of personalized marketing over generic is that the resources used in a personalized campaign go directly toward marketing to a relevant audience. This allows you to tailor your messaging to your individual or segment, not to a generic audience. It also increases the likelihood that the people you market to will be interested in what you’re selling.
Want the rest of the story? Read more on our blog! NewsletterPro.com/blog
and how does it differ from generic marketing? What is personalized marketing?
Personalized marketing appeals to individuals based on their tastes, demographics, and other relevant information. It is delivered as directly as possible to individuals within the target audience through various means like email, targeted ads, and more.
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