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The Newsletter Pro - April 2019

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#120 in the 2015 and #343 in the 2016 INC. 500 | 2016, 2017, & 2018 Best Place to Work in Idaho | Marketer of the Year | 24K Club Winner

04.19 208.297.5700 www.thenewsletterpro.com

As Seen On:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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The Big Lie You’ve Been Sold Client Success Never Lose Another Customer Conger Teaches Her Readers to Lead With Their Heads Held High A Look at What Evernote Has to Offer Meet Madison Holland Socks That Strive to Bee Better

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THE UNFILTERED TRUTH ABOUT GROWING MY BUSINESS Why So Many Small Businesses Never Become Successful!

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That bit of self-confidence was what I needed. My own head trash was telling me I wasn’t good enough, and that was holding me back. My head trash kept me from taking risks, kept me from investing, kept me from making money moves, and kept me from the success I so desperately wanted. Today, I’m friends with some big-name marketing gurus, and I get to see and hear about all the cool things they’re doing as well as their failures. The truth is they fail as much as any of us do. The difference is they try more. Most of them don’t get bored with what’s working and jump from one shiny object to another. They can all do math, and they all get that relationship marketing is foundational to the success of their business. Think about the top three gurus you follow. Do you feel like you have a relationship with them? Do you know personal stuff about them, like are they married, do they have kids, or what do they enjoy doing other than work? Do you know about the events they’re speaking at in the next few weeks? That is all relationship marketing. Do you see how they add value to your life with free info and content?

Forget what you’re being sold for a minute and look at how they’re marketing to you . Have you noticed that they all let you in on their lives with personal info? Have you noticed that they all send tons of emails? Have you noticed that they all have newsletters and that they use them to educate and build deeper relationships with their readers? They all use direct mail. They all surround themselves with others who are smarter than they are via mastermind groups. They all go to conferences to learn. There is a pattern; you just have to look for

I used to sit around and wonder why everyone else seemed to be enjoying crazy success with marketing when all I was getting was, at best, okay. It really bothered me. I would buy the course, do the work, really put in an effort to make it happen, and maybe get a base hit. WTF! I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I started to wonder if I was better at business and marketing in my head than in reality. Have you ever felt that way? All the “head trash” we have seems to surface when things aren’t going as planned. Fortunately for me, I decided to attend a marketing mastermind in Boise, and when I got there and started to meet people, I quickly realized I wasn’t alone. Many of them — who were running businesses much larger than mine — started asking me for advice! At first, I was confused, but it turned out that I was just experiencing the same things everyone else was. Not long after that, I made friends — people I looked up to — in an organization I spent a lot of money with. Lo and behold, I found out they struggled as well; they mostly had base hits like the rest of us. The difference was that they only talked about the big wins, so it appeared that was all they had. The lightbulb came on. It wasn’t just me who was struggling — it was everyone.

Continued on Page 2 ...

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... COVER CONTINUED it. And maybe you should buy the next thing they’re selling, or maybe you shouldn’t. But you should at least be doing everything they’re doing on the list above because those are at least a few of the things these successful people all do. “MY HEAD TRASH KEPT ME FROM TAKING RISKS, KEPT ME FROM INVESTING, KEPT ME FROM MAKING MONEY MOVES, AND KEPT ME FROM THE SUCCESS I SO DESPERATELY WANTED.” Getting back to marketing campaigns, here’s the truth: They are unlikely to work right out of the gate. One of my products, which I sell only to dentists, is a new mover program. Literally in the same week, I had one dentist telling me how amazing it was and another telling me it wasn’t working well. Now, I prefer the former, but I wasn’t worried about the campaign that wasn’t working right. The reality is in that case, for some reason, something’s off. Maybe we need to adjust the demographics on the list, maybe it’s the front desk, maybe the offer needs to be stronger in one area or another. What is important is that we know it’s

functional — we just need to test a few things to make this doctor’s campaign work.

marketing campaign that isn’t working only to find that the business doesn’t answer its phones or that the person on the phone is rude. It’s so common that it should be obvious. The funny thing is when I point this out, most of the time, business owners don’t want to hear it or are unwilling to deal with it. In turn, they cancel and move on to marketing’s next shiny object only to find it doesn’t work either because they don’t have a marketing problem — they have a business problem. About two years ago, we hit a rough spot at The Newsletter Pro. I had to fire two managers, which left only me and one other person on the management team. I was putting in 18–20 hours a day, six and sometimes seven days a week. My wife complained to me about how much I was working. I said, “Mariah, right now, all these issues — all these problems I’m fixing — that’s why I make the money I make. Fixing this is why you and the kids live the life you live. I wish it could be all good times, but if that were the case, anyone could do my job.” The same is true in your business. Building a good marketing foundation, building an amazing team, and dealing with the crap — regardless of how hard and unpalatable it is — that’s why you’re the boss; it’s why you earn what you earn. That’s the truth, nothing held back, no bullshit. If you take it on board and implement it, I promise you’ll make more money. P.S. If you want more truth, if you want to see what really is working instead of shiny objects and not sales pitches, you need to be at my bootcamp in May. I only have a few seats left, as this bootcamp is held in my conference room at my office, not some large hotel. Get more info at NewsletterPro.com/scaleup . –Shaun

If a campaign isn’t working, I will jump in, figure out why, and get it working if the doc is willing to work with me. This is the reality of marketing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t but we know it’s a functional campaign, then we simply need to adjust. It isn’t a big deal. The disappointment comes in when either the business isn’t paying attention and too many months or years go by while the campaign isn’t working, or the business wants instant results and gets pissed off and blows up the whole thing. The only thing dumber than that is stopping a campaign that is working just to try something new. That is the height of stupidity. Please don’t ever do that. Whenever you start a new marketing campaign, regardless of the success of the company you’re working with, you need to realize that it may take some time and effort to get it working, both for you and for your business. You also need to realize that, in most cases, the reason marketing fails is that your business is dysfunctional. Yeah, I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but the reality is there is dysfunction in every business, and that includes every guru you’ve ever followed. Most of the time, dysfunction comes either from your head trash or that of your employees. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve researched a

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THE BIG LIE BUSINESS HOW-TO

You’ve Been Sold That Is Holding Your Business Back From Massive Growth and Success!

Most people understand this, but they operate their business as if the customer needs them more than they need the customer. So many businesses today only call or write when they want something. These businesses act like your brother-in-law calling to hit you up for a loan: no communication until he wants something from you. So, what’s the solution? You need to give a damn. You need to stop insisting that every action you take be 100 percent trackable, especially since that isn’t the case now in your business, and simply embrace that you MUST build relationships with both customers and prospects. If you’re unwilling to do that, you will lose this game. If you’re lucky, losing may only look like not reaching your full potential — but it easily could mean you lose it all. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be difficult. It really is as simple as thanking customers when they buy, refer, or take some other positive action toward your business, or sending weekly or monthly content that is useful to them. Newsletters work well for this. When sending emails, consider not always including a sales pitch. Maybe even go wild with emails that don’t have a link a few times a month. I know — crazy talk. The relationship economy is here. You don’t have to like it, but the market doesn’t care if you like it or not. To survive, you have to embrace it. I’ll leave you with another perspective. Being a good human and treating the people who literally put food on your table like more than just a dollar sign is not just good business; it’s the right thing to do.

How is your ROI on responding to emails, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn direct messages?

I was just on Facebook, poking around while I waited for my plane to take off, and I saw a post that said something like, “Do you hate marketing that doesn’t get an ROI?” I nearly laughed out loud while I was reading that — for two reasons. First, it is a silly question asked with an agenda in mind that is designed to get one — and only one — type of response. Second, it shows

You get the point. It will only get more and more difficult to track ROI as you adopt more and more nontrackable marketing strategies to stay competitive. We have shifted from a transactional economy, where the flow of information was controlled by the business and only dished out to the customer on the business’s terms, to an economy where the consumer has nearly all the power due to the volume of choice they have for any product or service. If you don’t spend time and money on some of the softer sides of marketing, where you’re building relationships and creating an amazing customer experience, you will lose. The relationship economy is in full force. Consumers don’t just want to be sold an awesome product anymore; they also want to do business with a company that makes them feel good — one that shows they care about creating an amazing customer experience. Customers remember the companies that make an effort, and they almost always continue doing business with the ones that do. Answer this: What is the No. 1 thing required for any good relationship? If you said, “communication,” you’re right. Without good communication skills, you’re screwed before you ever begin a new relationship.

how little that person and all the people who responded understand marketing.

Here is the reality: If you insist on being able to track dollar-for-dollar ROI on all marketing, you will ALWAYS be a very small business — or you’ll be soon out of business.

The truth is you have to be willing to do things that don’t enable you to track ROI or you will not grow.

Whether you realize it or not, you likely implement marketing initiatives that you can’t track ROI on, but that doesn’t stop you from using them. For example, if you send any nurture or engagement emails, you aren’t able to track ROI on those. Do you post to social media? Can’t track ROI on that. What about online reviews — do you have any of those or manage them? Can’t track them.

–Shaun

P.S. Want help with building relationships? Hit me up at NewsletterPro.com/schedule.

Do you manage a Facebook group? Can’t track 100 percent ROI on that.

How about those thank-you notes, gifts, or emails you send … can’t track ’em.

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CLIENT SUCCESS

MARKETING HOW-TO

“My February cover article was brilliant! A judge I send my newsletter to actually called our office after reading it. She couldn’t get through the article without a good cry; it was that powerful. And my mother —who the article was about — couldn’t drive home from the post office until she stopped sobbing. Dylan does amazing work. His writing takes my spoken word to the next level and finds ways to convey the between-the-lines messages that so often get lost when I try to write the articles myself. Superior product and great results every single time. Thank you, The Newsletter Pro. You certainly put the PRO into my newsletters.” –Lee Berlin, Berlin Law SUPERIOR PRODUCT AND GREAT RESULTS

NEVER LOSE ANOTHER CUSTOMER

OUR BOOKSHELF

BOOKREVIEW: ‘YOUGOFIRST’

Ronda Conger’s Upbeat Ideology Gives Hope to the Hopeful Leaders

knowledge, the reader is taken on a ride as they figure out how to take both their professional and personal lives to their desired success. Conger explains that your perception and demeanor affect your reality. The more you change the way you think, the more you will be able to achieve. The beauty of the book and its message is that, though it falls under the

The path to success is paved by your attitude. If this proves to be true, and we think it does, then Ronda Conger is wildly successful. It is this message — and so much more — that Conger shares in her recent book “You Go First.” She inspires her readers to be the leaders of their own lives as she details the best strategies to set the tone for a life you can be proud of. With genuine excitement and a constantly unfolding lust for

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How often do you send something physical to them that isn’t just an advertisement or bill?

for anyone to give as to why they’re canceling or want out of a contract, and most of the time, it’s a smokescreen. No matter what reason you’re given, it’s important to dig and get to the real reason. It is impossible to save a customer or fix the problem of bleeding customers if most of them give you a BS reason as to why they’re canceling. How can you keep more customers? The reality is that it all comes down to two things … and one of the two things is not a newsletter, but newsletters are an important part of both things. As I was saying, it all comes down to relationships with your customers and customer experience. The good news is that both are interconnected. One of the best things you can do is take inventory of your prospect and customer experience.

Have you ever wondered what your company would look like if you had never lost a customer since you opened? It’s an interesting, albeit slightly depressing, exercise. It’s kind of like looking at your retirement account and saying, “What would have happened if I really had started investing just a few hundred dollars per month at 21?” A lost customer is like a retirement account except that you lose money. Every time you lose a customer, you lose all future growth and profit from them. To make matters worse, you also accrue the expense of replacing them. How much would investing suck if you had to pay your advisor extra money to work harder to make up for them losing money in your retirement account? That sounds like a special form of investors’ hell, but that is exactly what’s happening when you lose customers. If you’re good at what you do — if people need your product or service and you help your customers — when you lose a customer, you should take it personally. I know I do. When they leave, by and large, the customer is saying you’re not that good. Before I jump into some strategic methods to keep more of your existing customers, I want to point out one thing. Many times, a customer will leave and tell you they’re leaving because they’re broke. Most of the time, that’s pure BS. Money is an easy excuse

Do they get a new customer gift?

How do you hand off from sales to operations?

How is their first interaction with operations?

• What does your month-to-month communication with customers and prospects look like? This is by no means a complete list, and neither is it in any order other than what came to my mind first. Fixing all these areas in your business can have a profound impact on your prospect/customer experience and your relationship. Think about the advantage you’d have over your competitors with the above items in place. How many more referrals would you get simply based on the experience and relationship you have with customers? How many more prospects would convert to customers because you were the only one following up with them weeks and months after they first inquired? As consumers have more and more choices, you must stand out from the crowd. Creating a unique Continued on Page 6 ...

What happens when a prospect calls?

How is someone treated when they’re on the phone?

How about when they walk in for the first time? Do they get a tour of the office, if appropriate?

Do they get a customer guarantee/promise flyer if they’re not in the office?

What happens after their first visit?

Have You Heard the Good News?

John 20:8-9 — “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.” Mark 11:24 — “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5 — “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” Ephesians 1:18 — “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”

Successful companies — and what they do right — are used as examples of how positive ideologies affect some of the most successful businesses in the world. By showcasing simple and intuitive action plans alongside stories of triumph and failure, the potential leaders reading the book are left with a new outlook on what success means for them. Being a leader means making hard choices and setting the tone for the group you lead. By changing yourself, you’re able to effectively manage those around you while lifting them to become the leaders of their own lives.

umbrella of business leadership, it can be applied to virtually any aspect of your life. By following the principles Conger excitedly lays down, the reader gains a new outlook on their future that won’t be tarnished by a few small obstacles. With fresh takes on old concepts, like cause and effect and positive affirmations, the book holds numerous tidbits of wisdom that can easily be applied to the workplace, making a more joyful and productive environment for all parties involved.

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MARKETING HOW-TO CONTINUED ... experience and relationship with your customers is how you’ll do that. As a bonus, it will be impossible for your competitors to copy you — they can never replicate you — and once your prospects and customers have a relationship with you, they won’t be looking to build a new relationship with someone else. Even if your competitor hired me to do a newsletter for them, once you have your relationship in place, it’s a “done deal” as long as you maintain the relationship. Of course, they would build relationships with their customers and reap the benefits from that, but it would be very hard for your competitor to steal customers from you because

planning a vacation to figuring out how to pay for college, it is easy to organize your files on the platform to be easily accessible later on. The most attractive feature is that its cloud can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet, or desktop, so that wherever you go, Evernote will be there with you. To accompany this on-the-go feature, you can also easily sync your Evernote program with Google Drive and Microsoft Outlook. There are multiple tiers for Evernote accounts based on how comprehensive you want your program to be. If you’re looking for a basic storage system that allows for easier note taking, geotagging services for files, screenshotting, etc., then the free version would be more than enough for your purposes. The premium versions, however, offer a broader suite of services that can dramatically change how you run your business. Once you go behind the paywall, you are granted options for easier and more expansive sharing, ad-free usage, search options for PDFs, a backlog of notes history, and larger upload capacities. No matter what option you choose, Evernote can take your business and personal life to the next level. kept growing and technology kept changing. This dentist just sat on the sidelines never feeling like he had to market or keep up with the changes, so his practice had declined to the point where he was seriously struggling. At this point, his dental practice was basically worthless. Why? You can sum it up with two simple thoughts: Change or die/grow or die. You have a choice. You can ignore my warnings about relationship marketing and bury your head in the sand, or you can jump on board, create those customer experiences and relationships, and thrive. The world of business will continue to head in a more personalized, relationship-based direction. Choose not to follow, choose not to grow, and you, too, will find yourself in a parking lot asking for advice, praying your business can be saved. –Shaun

your customers would already have relationships with you and wouldn’t be looking for a new provider of goods or services in your category. You don’t have to listen to me, and frankly, many people who read this won’t do what I say, because it’s hard or expensive or [insert excuse here]. The problem is, you’ll get left behind. The world is changing at a faster and faster pace, and relationships and experience are where we’re headed — you can get on the train or not. If you choose not to, you do so at your own peril. One last thought. Last week, while I was in Pennsylvania speaking, I had drinks with a good friend of mine, Chad Madden, who runs the largest physical-training business-education company in the world. He told me a story about his dentist, who literally chased after him in the parking lot at the end of his appointment asking for marketing advice. You see, for decades, this dentist has prided himself on not having to market his practice. Over the past 10 years, his competition

EVERNOTE RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

IN THE OFFICE OR ON THE GO, EVERNOTE HAS YOU COVERED

Simply put, many businesses would not be where they are today without Evernote. Evernote is a simple and intuitive form of cloud-based storage that allows its users to organize, create, and store files of various media. Instead of risking the catastrophic loss that can come as the result of a crashed hard drive or a lost laptop, Evernote boasts a software that provides its customers with full access to a cloud that can store a seemingly endless amount of information. Many businesses have taken up the company on their offer of technological salvation in order to organize their programs through its many archiving options and note-taking services, which make sharing and collaborating easier than ever. The benefits to Evernote are expansive. The company provides platforms to manage as many different areas of your life and business as you want, all while being incredibly simple to navigate. It’s not just for businesses either; from

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Madison Holland Explains the Secret to a Perfect Article A MATTER OF HEART IN THE SPOTLIGHT

or for a custom article to present a new treatment they offer? What will reach their customers most directly? I like diving deep in the English language. And it’s great to work with a team of editors who also enjoy getting into the nitty-gritty and discussing the best way to phrase a sentence so it is most effective.“ From an outsider’s perspective, editing appears to be a rigid job focused on logic and rules. But as Madison explains, there’s a great deal of heart to be found in an editor’s work. “We create newsletters so our clients can build stronger relationships with their clients. You don’t create relationships with people you don’t feel connected to. As editors, our job is to make sure the articles are constructed in the best way to build those connections. I use myself as a barometer for emotion. If an article touches my heart, I know

What constitutes an appropriately placed em dash?

If your first response is, “What’s an em dash?” know you’re not alone. Most people never have to think about em dashes, appropriate or otherwise. But if you walk past Editor Row at The Newsletter Pro headquarters, this is exactly the kind of topic you’ll hear being hotly debated. These debates are often settled by our lead editor, Madison Holland. Before taking up her post at The Newsletter Pro, Madison started out editing poetry for her college’s literary magazine and later worked as an editor for a feminist blog here in Boise, Idaho. Both are quite different from editing our newsletters, but Madison comes with a great skill for preserving voice while pulling meaning out of words.

it will do the same for the readers. My favorite editing moments are when I get to work on a client cover letter that shares a really personal story and reveals something about this person. When I see that authenticity and am able to help them create an article that will relay that authenticity to their clients, I remember why I love what I do.” There’s a lot to say about the importance of our editors at The Newsletter Pro. They’re able to take an article from good to perfect. If you’re wondering if your commas are well-placed, your clauses are dependent, or your story is being told with the right amount of heart, rest assured. Madison Holland has your back.

“It’s a fun puzzle,” Madison says. “What’s the best way for a cover article to convey our client’s voice

KEEP UP

With Our BEST POSTS

If you’re looking for more great content — like what you’re reading in this newsletter — to drive your business forward, take a look at these articles on our blog. Would Your Business Crumble Without Your Leadership? NewsletterPro.com/business-crumble Make Customers the Hero by ‘Building a StoryBrand’ NewsletterPro.com/building-a-storybrand How One Community Business Escaped the Shadow of Amazon NewsletterPro.com/shadow-of-amazon 6 Traits to Help You Succeed When Others Fail! NewsletterPro.com/6-traits

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BUSINESS PROFILE

How One Company Is Changing Footwear and Homelessness STRIVING TO BEE BETTER

STRIVING TO ‘BEE BETTER’ As brands with a purpose like Bombas’ grow, larger corporations are taking notice and action. In 2018, Starbucks made a commitment to stop using disposable straws by 2020 after viral videos and public outcry raised awareness about the ecological consequences of plastic straws. Companies and corporations like Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo have all committed billions of dollars each year to various charities as well. This new wave of philanthropic consumerism is causing many to question whether profiting off of helping people is ethical, but as Heath told the New York Times in 2016, their company is more focused on filling a need. “It’s a fine line between exploiting the people you’re trying to help and helping those people,” Heath said. The co-founder has also said his company doesn’t look to compete with other brands with a purpose. Instead, they look for ways to focus on their own cause, and in order to do that, they need to sell more socks. Bombas has focused on spreading its mission by promoting its brand as the best, most comfortable sock on the market. They offer consumers a better product, and they promise to make the world a little better too. Since Bombas is derived from the Latin word for bumblebee, “Bee Better” is stitched into every pair of Bombas socks. It’s a subtle reminder from the company that they’re on a mission to help homeless people — one pair of socks at a time.

“By 2025, Bombas wanted to donate 1 million pairs of socks; as of the winter of 2018, THEY HAD DONATED MORE THAN 16 MILLION.” But creating socks for homeless people is a useless endeavor unless it can actually be utilized by those people. That’s why Bombas joined a growing list of brands with a charitable purpose and began offering their durable socks to homeless people across the country. Inspired by TOMS Shoes, which first made the buy-one-give-one phenomenon mainstream, Bombas developed a business model in which they donate a pair of socks to a homeless person every time a customer purchases a pair. By 2025, Bombas wanted to donate 1 million pairs of socks; as of the winter of 2018, they had donated more than 16 million. By establishing partnerships with organizations and shelters in all 50 states, Bombas is simultaneously filling the need for better footwear for their customers and for those who rely on the durability, warmth, and comfort of socks the most. the socks were engineered makes them more durable, and they come in a variety of dark colors to hide stains.

When was the last time you seriously thought about your socks? If you’re like most people, you only think about socks when your grandma gives you some for your birthday or when your ankle socks keep falling down in your boots. But for the more than 554,000 homeless people in the United States, socks are one of the most important commodities they possess. Socks are the most commonly sought-after item at homeless shelters, but due to hygiene concerns and a lack of knowledge, most shelters struggle to provide enough pairs for those seeking clean, woolen comfort for their feet. Instead, many homeless people live with socks that are dirty and falling apart, causing stress, discomfort, and health complications — and that’s if they can find a pair at all. CREATING GREAT SOCKS After learning about the dire need for socks in America’s homeless shelters, Bombas co-founders Randy Goldberg and David Heath knew they had to find a solution. With no fashion experience, the two business experts dove into the surprisingly untapped world of sock engineering. For most consumers who purchased them, socks were barely a blip on the radar in the fashion industry. Goldberg and Heath’s developers created a sock that was tailored to curve with a person’s foot through what they call a honeycomb structure. Additionally, each sock is made with “stay-up” technology, features microfiber material to wick away moisture, and is designed to hug your heel. Creators even found a better way to manufacture that annoying toe stitch you’re always fidgeting with. Yet these weren’t meant to be quality, high-end socks for the average consumer; Goldberg and Heath wanted to create socks that catered to the specific needs of homeless populations. The way In 2013, Bombas sought to change that.

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