No Hard Feelings ... Unsubscribe

[JoeRagona]

Every so often I get notice that someone has unsubscribed from my
investment newsletter ` the one specifically sent to people whom have
said `I`m interested, can you send me more information?`

In
my experience, when someone asks for information, most Real Estate
investors immediately take this opportunity to send deals asking them to
invest.


I however, have chosen an alternate strategy that first
builds rapport and trust with them because my information never `sells`,
it educates. I contribute authentic thoughts and stories both good and
bad about my life as well as my portfolio. This strategy interests most
and removes time-wasters.

I Love It When They Leave

By hitting `unsubscribe`, someone has told me `I`m not your ideal JV investor, don`t waste your time with me.` I know this because I`ve spent major time `interviewing` prospects learning what frustrates them, what keeps them up at night and what they want. Then, I refer to EXACTLY THAT in my communication!


I
refuse to spend any more time talking with people who are never going
to work with me anyway so when they unsubscribe, they are doing me a
favour.


Let me clarify this for you because I don`t want to sound arrogant. Because I now know what the exact ideal JV investor looks like (their likes, dislikes, fears, frustrations, lifestyle and so on) I`m able to `speak' to them via my written material.


When
I see Real Estate investors struggle with attracting JVs, in many cases
it`s because they are `barking up the wrong tree`, they've not truly identified the characteristics of their ideal JV.

The Permission Strategy

With MY email list, I realize they`ve given me the `permission` to market to them and I choose to use it very strategically, I do not
slam them with sales. They are so familiar with lists like that so
when I send them something different identifying their frustrations and
fear; it begins to build a different rapport.


I`ll watch the list carefully; who reads it, clicks stuff, follows through on requests, etc., and trim out the ones who don`t. I intentionally keep my list very small because for my outcome, I don`t NEED a huge mailing list ... I need a responsive one!


My communication is deliberate, it `speaks` to that ideal JV person I sketched ` they know it and I know it. The ones who don`t `know it` are the ones who unsubscribe.


I want to avoid time-wasters because my time is VERY valuable; to me, my family, my coaching clients AND my joint venture partners. So the little time I have left, I want to ensure it is spent with people whom have moved themselves to the next level.


They do that by specific persuasion actions they get from my education.


Isn`t that beautiful? They are doing all the hard work for me.


I teach our Real Estate entrepreneurs this simple but powerful
idea because it allows your joint venture partner to choose you. They
are ACTIVELY looking for a solution and when they call you, a huge part
of your `sale` is already done.


So, if you use this strategy, be
thankful for those who unsubscribe because you can now focus on the ones
you can really help!!! What do you think? Hit me up with a comment to continue the conversation!!

 

[Nir]

Hi Joey, Good points! I would try to take it even less personally. perhaps I'm being too realistic but after all it is your business. and you know what in business you lose good customers too.
Yes it depends how you look at it and one can say if you lost a customer by definition she/he wasn't a good one. I feel better saying something like "I lost. can't always win, I'll do better next time my business is still doing well.." or something like that
It's a balance between disappointments and optimism. Being too optimistic carries some risk too. Thoughts?
Ps. Ego plays big role in everything we do. Everyone has it and so many people have a big ego which literally prevents them from learning, from being happy, from not being easily offended, from building healthy relationships.. I find it interesting to see so many old people too have huge ego problem till their last day including some close family and friends. I'm not a psychologist but think dealing with this should be a top priority for any successful investor. I constantly remind myself of its importance to work on this, I think it can be a constant struggle. (not sure maybe there is a better way to describe 'Big Ego' in English? but Im sure people know what I mean. The reason I mention it is because I mentioned trying not to take things personally. I know it's not exactly related to the topic just using the opportunity to share some thoughts
Sincerely,
Nir

 

[JoeRagona]

Hi Nir,



I don't take it personally at all - did it come across that way?



I didn't LOSE anyone, they were never my customer in the first place



What this post is about is waiting for the right customer to contact me ... IF THEN I do something to LOSE them, then yes, I would be concerned about my methods



thanks for the reply!!!

 

[Thomas Beyer]

Indeed.



We also have a two-tiered opt-in list. Those that wish information / updates on real estate in general .. And those that actually think of investing their RRSP or cash, but the minimum is $25,000 and a recommended 5-7 year hold. That is not for everyone. Some might invest in 3 years when they have enough confidence or cash, or lost in the stock market again and again and finally see the light. Therefore, the tier 2 prospect only gets a phone call and an investment package after a qualifying phone call to keep the numbers, and the costs, manageable. Mailing a physical package with express mail is around $30 to $50 depending on how you count cost.



So yes, knowing your client target market is critical, and the web lets you communicate effectively and inexpensively so the filtering happens automagically.

 

[Alvaro Sanchez]

Well, I subscribe to a lot of feeds where I think I will learn or get some VALUE... after a while when I realized that there is no real VALUE then I move on (same deal with tweets and FB).... Please note that I have yet to subscribe to your feeds not because I did not see a VALUE but I was not aware that you had a feed.



Also you might have come up a bit off the wall on the post by naming people time-wasters just because the unsubscribe to you. Perhaps, they do not like your writing style...



Please don't take it the wrong way; in general I like most of your posts (except this one of course)... and I am only commenting on this as you actually requested. You might noticed that I use upper case on a word that it's key when having successful feeds or blog.... you must provide VALUE... instead of dismissing them, maybe you should contact them and ask them why they left.... you might learn something and improve your system.



Anyways, I would hope that I gave you valuable feedback.

 

[JoeRagona]

Hi there Alvaro,



Your perception of the post and comments are well respected - I deliver massive VALUE to my list, my clients and colleagues - what we can't guarantee is how that VALUE is perceived by others ... as you have mentioned here (that you did not like this post).



Remember, creating VALUE is knowing what niche you want to create it for and that is exactly what I do with my content.



I certainly can appreciate your questioning about why someone would leave, but for me, I dont have many opting out and secondly as mentioned in the post, I've researched for more than two years with people and when I designed my ideal JV investor, I know I speak their language. When a person leaves because they do not see the VALUE in that content, they simply are not my ideal JV ... that's all.



Thanks for your comment! It is important to have all views explored! Great Speed Forward.

 

[GaryMcGowan]

I have a number of different lists in different niches. Opting out is part of the business, it is a numbers game. Same way as we view a "no" when pitching a JV deal it takes us closer to the next yes.



The main point that should considered is the action the subscribers take. You can have a small list but if they are all action takers then you have a GREAT list.

 

[bizaro86]

[quote user=JoeRagona]Your perception of the post and comments are well respected - I deliver massive VALUE to my list, my clients and colleagues - what we can't guarantee is how that VALUE is perceived by others ... as you have mentioned here (that you did not like this post).





I respectfully disagree with this. You're only delivering value to someone if they perceive the value. Anything else is just noise.

 

[Thomas Beyer]

[quote user=JoeRagona]I deliver massive VALUE to my list, my clients and colleagues


One could argue that value is measured by the price people pay. If you deliver something for free, then that is not value, but marketing for something else that will have future value ... to you as the creator and the recipient.

 

[JoeRagona]

I agree with that Thomas, I suppose I really mean that I BELIEVE I am giving value because I've surveyed many people asking what it is they want and I deliver that in my message - and looking at it from the angle of marketing something now with a future value is a great way of looking at it.

 

[JoeRagona]

You are so right - I BELIEVE there is massive value because I have done my research and speak directly to their concerns, but in the end, as you say THEY must be the ones who perceive the value. It just points out that if I trust my marketing and it has spoken to so many others before, then the value one does not see is ok, they are just not in my target market.



this is the main point of the article, NOT about perceived value really, because we all know that we can't please an enture market - once we have defined that market, continue to give them what they want.

 

[Thomas Beyer]

[quote user=JoeRagona]continue to give them what they want. .. for free ? or for free NOW .. and something else for a fee LATER ?



It's common in information marketing to give s.th. away for free now .. build a name / following .. and then sell s.th. later: a course, a mentorship, a CD, a download, a seminar, a book ..

 

[JoeRagona]

Thomas what I give away for free is education to a degree, the marketing process depends again, on who your target market is.



When you GIVE a solution to a problem, usually there is a completely different problem that is underneath. Successful marketing and gaining one's trust and respect is about one giving a solution to a problem without having a 'sell' at the end of it.



At least, this is what has been successful for me and gaining joint venture partners.



It doesn't take much to send educational information via a newsletter and let the recipient decide how to use it.

 

[Thomas Beyer]

We're saying the same thing ..