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Building Relationships for the Long Term

Turning a one-time Subscriber to your list into a long-term client has a lot more to do with relationship building than offering good products for sale.  Building relationships for the long term will be mutually beneficial to you and your Subscribers.

“The money is in the list” is as true as the day is long.  Opt in Lists give you a group of customers who, if you do things right, will make you money. That being said, here are some ways to really shine and foster longer term relationships:

  • Be yourself in either your emails or blog posts.  Let your subscribers/readers know that you’re ‘real’.  Be honest and open and provide excellent value.
  • Ask your Subscribers to contribute ideas.  Indicate to them that you’re interested in what they have to offer and are open to suggestions for valuable content that they want/need to see.
  • Always over-deliver on your commitments.  Beat deadlines. Your Subscriber wants to feel like he’s getting more than he’s paying for, so you want to surpass expectations whenever possible. Coming in ahead of schedule is a no-cost way to impress.
  • Be responsive and available.  You’re not next door or just up the street.  In all likelihood, you’re somewhere else in the world.  But there are ways around this.  Install a help desk to your blog/website, have a dedicated email where your Subscribers can contact you, or create a support room using Skype and be available or have others that you trust available in the room to offer support/answer questions.
  • Earn trust. If you don’t know the answer to something, be real, let your Subscriber know and assure them that you’ll find the answer for them.
  • Communicate smoothly.  Sometimes words can be misinterpreted in emails between you and your subscriber, perhaps even be unclear, or seem negative. Work to fix communication issues early.   Skype calling is free and sometimes a personal call can clear up issues.

    • Let’s face it, no matter what kind of business you’re in, building good customer relations should be one of your top priorities. All customers, whether on-line or off, like to feel that they are appreciated. It’s easy in today’s busy society for business owners to get all caught up in their everyday schedules of running their businesses and loose focus on why they have a business in the first place… The Customers!

    Here’s one way to build those solid relationships:

    A Newsletter

    An email newsletter is similar to a regular newsletter, but it delivers information directly to your Subscriber’s e-mail address. You may have noticed that most businesses have an email sign up form on their web-site for their newsletters.

    The biggest obstacle you face and have to overcome is the fact that people have gotten used to getting junk (from your competitors) disguised as helpful free or paid information.

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    Many writers put out low-value or sub-standard information simply because they’re writing from a mentality of “I gotta get paid” and when you do that, you completely forget about the people you’re writing to and start to concentrate on you and what you want.  KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON YOUR CLIENTS!

    Whenever you write anything for your Subscribers, website visitors or customers don’t write with the sole intention of making money. That’s a surefire recipe for disaster.

    Making money is nice, but keep in mind that the sustainability of your business is most often based on how many people believe you genuinely want to help them achieve their fondest hopes, dreams and goals.

    Without an effort from you to show your readers that you value them enough to part with real information and that you see them as more than just a dollar sign, you’re going to be lumped in a group with all the rest of your competitors. You might as well be wearing a big sign on your forehead marked “Will Do Anything for Quick Cash”.

    Responsive Subscribers come from a conscious effort to build a solid relationship with them – people connect with other people.

    Now don’t get me wrong, any list owner would love for their Subscribers to buy the products they recommend, but they’re far better off in the long run if they don’t force it on their clients. When they do enough of the right things in YOUR eyes, they will have earned the right to ask you for your money in the form of product purchases, and commission checks from other product and service recommendations.

    The big thing is that they have to earn that right by giving up good information that is of actual use to you. When you write anything you expect other people to read, the same thing applies to you.  If you’re going to create information full of affiliate links then you’re completely missing the point of what it takes to get people to value what you have to say.

    A primary example of how not to build your list rather than Building Relationships for the Long Term can be found in one of my recent posts, entitled “How Not to Build Your List”.

    When some marketers build their lists to substantial numbers, they tend to forget about their Subscribers and begin to do what I call “pimping” their list.  Once your list(s) grow, don’t fall prey to “pimping” your list.

    The real truth is if you want people to eagerly anticipate your next email with every intention of quickly purchasing the products or services that you recommend, you should build trust, be yourself, be responsive and available and communicate honestly.  When done properly, building relationships for the long term makes it entirely possible to have people beating down your door to buy anything and everything you recommend.

    Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    About Jane Porterfield

    Hi there. My name is Jane Porterfield and I’m your host(ess) and owner of Jane Porterfield dot com. I own another couple of niche blogs called How A House Works and Let's Talk Pregnancy You can find me on Twitter and Facebook: @reddunes and @ltstlkpregnancyand like us on Facebook If you use Skype, you can find me at janep_2012 I'm a retired mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. I'm an avid blogger, freelance writer, list builder and internet marketer. I came to blogging by learning about list building and discovering niches and I'm so happy that I did. I love to write and what better way to express myself than by having my own blog. Be sure to add me as a friend, ouiouioui Like many others online, I've struggled over the years to find my voice, learn, and make money. I'm not getting rich online, but I'm here to share with you some of the valuable lessons I've learned with my internet marketing resources. Enjoy!

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