Self Employed Success

As more and more small business owners are leaning towards “on demand” everything (music, movies, books) to download or stream instantly, I’m noticing some changes in the way that small biz owners like to learn.

The ground is shifting very quickly when it comes to education and the delivery of training materials and information.

I’ve teamed up with 26 other small business mentors to find out exactly which ways you like to absorb new content, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge to help you run your business.

I’ve put together a quick, 2-minute survey with six easy questions for small business owners and solo entrepreneurs. Yes, just six questions. It’s as simple as that.

But even 2 minutes is a lot when you’re busy, so we’re making it irresistible by offering you 26 practical, helpful educational bonuses for free, just for completing the survey.

How many bonuses? Twenty six! Free! Just for taking the survey.

Can I ask you the favor of taking just 2 minutes from your schedule today to take my survey? Here’s where you can take it online.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q53MRS2

(The link will open in a new window/tab.)

Thank you for your help!

P.S. Would you like to see a summary of the results of this survey? Once you complete the survey, you’ll be asked if you want a copy of the summary. I’m happy to share the findings of this research with you, and all I ask in return is that you answer the survey questions…just 6 of them. Take the survey here.

P.P.S. Please share with other small biz owners and solo entrepreneurs you know. Share the love! 

I’ve posted nine new articles about mastermind groups on The Success Alliance website:

• Why Mastermind Group Guidelines Matter
• Getting Your Group to Set and Keep Goals
• Inviting Guest Speakers to Your Group
• Great Books for Mastermind Groups to Read Together
• 10 Reasons Why Mastermind Groups Fail
• Staying Connected Between Mastermind Meetings
• Start With a Core Group Then Build From There
• How Many Members Should Be In a Mastermind Group?
•  Mastermind For 90 Days

I hope you enjoy these articles and find them helpful with your own mastermind group!

http://www.thesuccessalliance.com/articles.html

Over the past several years, people have become accustomed to building personal relationships with a business via email. They reject companies and service providers where they don’t feel they’re being honored.

Your first email to them, your “Welcome” email, can begin that relationship, and turn a one-way conversation into a conversation that goes both ways between your business and your customer. Make it count.

Send the first email out automatically, within a few minutes after a person subscribes and opts-in to your email list. It can be one email, or a series of emails, triggered by a person’s joining.

Some tips on what you should put in your first email:

• Welcome them to your community. Remind them how they got on your list – did they sign up for a free offer, or did they make a purchase from your online store?
• Thank them. Acknowledge that you’re grateful they chose your content, or for their purchase.
• Talk to them about what they’ve signed up for. What kind of content can they expect? If they bought something from you, let them know how to access that item or when they can expect to get it.
• Give them more than they expected. Offer links to important and helpful content on your website, or links to audio files, documents or webinar and video content.
• Tell them how often they can expect your emails. You should be sending email newsletters at least once a month, but once a week is better.
• Provide them with links to your social media accounts as another way to connect.
• Answer frequently asked questions. Are there questions that pop up all the time, that an FAQ could answer quickly?
• Continue the conversation. If you promised something in return for their signing up, make sure you give it to them. You can also follow up to make sure they’ve received your email, ask them to fill out a survey about what they think. Remember: Even if it’s free, they’re still a customer. They’re consuming your content.
• Tell them how to unsubscribe. It’s important that you give clear instructions on how to get off your list.

Doubling down with a double opt-in

Sometimes, asking people to confirm their email address – known as a “double opt-in” – will be your first electronic correspondence with a client. By asking people to double opt-in, you’re ensuring a quality list of real email addresses. The double opt-in is meant to get people to click on a link to confirm their email address. Some people don’t do this right away – or they don’t do this at all – so you might have to send a reminder. You can also check the list of people who signed up but didn’t confirm their subscription to check for obvious misspellings in their email addresses.

A well-crafted welcome email – whether it’s confirming a person’s subscription or offering immediate access to your content – can build trust and a rapport with your audience. It sets the tone of future communication, starts a conversation, helps reinforce your brand and message and acknowledges how important they are to you. Consider it your calling card; it’s your one opportunity to knock their socks off with meaningful content that solves their problems or answers their questions. You want them to open future emails from you. Be warm, professional, helpful – and human.

I’d love to hear from you.

Are you sending out Welcome emails? Do you add anything to them aside from the 9 items listed above? Do you send them automatically or manually? Share your story, comments and questions in the Comments area below.