Borrow My Success Secret
By Pat Rigsby
I think there are a few things that I do that have helped me achieve success…just a few.
I think being a coach first and a marketer / sales guy second is one.
I think making important concepts simple is one.
I think focusing on individuals and their unique goals instead of one-size-fits-all stuff is one.
And the other is connecting.
Really…it’s 4 things.
Not much else.
And with connecting…I prefer face to face…then phone…then email…in that order.
But the vast majority of my connecting is via email due to the leverage of it.
I’ve had a lot of success with email, but it’s simply because I use it to connect with people.
I treat it like I’m writing a note to a friend.
See, most fitness entrepreneurs want ways to automate their email…and I think it’s a mistake.
I think that your prospective clients and your current clients want to feel connected to you.
They want to know you. To do business with you they’re going to have to like and trust you too.
For me…email has been the platform for that.
Blogging is cool, but every time you ask someone to take another step like you do when you say ‘click here’…you lose a bunch of them. In fact, you lose most.
So let me give you a bit of advice after about a decade and a half of building businesses and 12 years of business coaching:
Those who last and thrive build their businesses on the foundation of timeless principles.
Those who build around trends and tools are the ones who rise quickly and disappear even more quickly.
The former is what I teach…
…and I know that plenty of people pass on my approach because it’s not trendy according to the ‘new experts.’
But, I’ll leave you with a quote that sums up my philosophy…
“Build your dreams on sand and your vision will crumble.
Take your time.
Think.
Plan.
Envision.
Learn to build on a solid foundation, and when others have all given up you will still be here standing tall.”
I’ve easily done 8 figures worth of business directly tied to email…and my approach isn’t complicated.
Step One: Show Up
If you want to get people to read, you have to put stuff out there.
Consistently. I’d say that most people should mail 2-3 times per week.
Yes, I do more but I don’t have the luxury of seeing my clients in person a couple of times a week either.
So have something valuable to share at least 2-3 times per week.
**Quick tip – If you don’t like writing or aren’t comfortable with it, but you want to make it part of what you do…just write. I really didn’t like it when I started…not at all. Now I love to write.
Step Two: Make Deposits
I try to deliver value…even when I am selling. I truly believe that someone could simply create a file of all my emails, ready them like a success manual and have enough to build a really solid business.
I use the bank account analogy…when you give value you’re making a deposit and when you sell you’re making a withdraw…
Your goal should always have your readers feel like there is a positive balance in the account…ideally a big one.
Step Three: Be Authentic
People want to know you. They want to connect with you. That’s how trust is formed. The more I share the better the response.
This is why just sending a boilerplate email is a bad idea. It might be good information but it doesn’t create any connection with you or your brand.
I talk about my family, my experiences…even some of the less enjoyable ones…because people want to know that I can relate to them…that I’m not some faceless corporation that is just trying to take their money.
The same applies to you too.
Step Four: Simple Value
I love to offer up simple concepts and tactics that can be applied quickly…things that either change the way that the reader feels instantly or impacts their business quickly.
Things need to be simple.
For you…that could be something to motivate, educate or inspire…but it has to be usable and simple.
Step Five: Commit To Your Ideal Brand
I mail pretty much daily and share what I feel I want my business to be known for and address. I get emails each week with people saying I mail too much or some unsubscribes…and that’s ok. Those people might be awesome, but they’re not my people.
Commit to you and your brand…the right people will connect and the others will move on.
Here are some final thoughts on email marketing that you can start applying immediately:
- Email marketing is simply a way to carry on a conversation and develop a relationship. If you think if it that way – connecting and communicating becomes a lot easier.
- I try to start every relationship by overdelivering. If someone opts in for a gift, I want it to be good. Something they would have paid for. ‘Capturing’ a lead with a great opt in page but a low quality ‘gift’ isn’t a good start to a relationship.
- Understand that everything is an exchange of value. If you want someone’s email, their time and their attention – you’ve got to give them something valuable in return.
- My goal is to add a little value to each reader’s day. Just a little…like 2 minute’s worth. Maybe I make them think, give them something they can use, inspire them or simply let them know they’ve got someone on their team pulling for them. It’s like making a small deposit in our ‘relationship’ bank account.
- With that in mind, unless I do a list of things (like this) – I typically only share one thought or idea per email. Email isn’t designed to replace a book or a 30 minute podcast. It needs to be consumed quickly.
- I think it’s way easier to write more frequently than less frequently. You get a rhythm and you stop trying to be perfect…instead, you just try to share something good. Less pressure = greater creativity.
- About 80% of the time I write my email the day before it goes out. That way I have a rhythm of daily writing but there isn’t some deadline looming for me to get something out in the next 10 minutes.
- I think of my email audience like a small city made up of individuals. Go into any town and you meet a bunch of unique people, each with their own wants, needs, challenges and concerns. That’s what we do in person – and it’s how I approach email.
- Notice – I’ve gotten this far without discussing selling? Well, that’s probably the main reason I’ve sold multiple 8 figures through email. Because the focus is on relationships first. We’re in a relationship business…so develop a ‘small city’, build relationships with the ‘residents’ and offer solutions to the problems they face or things that will allow them to achieve their goals. That’s my approach to selling.
- As a business owner, your most valuable assets are your relationships…so use email to create and nurture those and you’re multiplying the value of those assets.
I often get asked…where do I get things to write about.
The answer is everywhere…
- Conversations
- Meetings with clients
- Personal experiences
- Businesses I interact with
- Things I study
I really only write about a handful of things…the 20% that delivers the 80% of the results in building your Ideal Business.
I’m always looking for new ways to get my point across while staying true to my brand.
Writing a daily email to you and so many others has changed my life.
Crazy, right? It’s allowed me to kind of carve out my own place in the market and show up differently…and since it’s something that requires consistent work…it’s a way of being different that most people won’t try to compete in for long.
It’s been the catalyst for developing hundreds of relationships with fellow entrepreneurs I likely would have never met otherwise…people who I’ve been able to connect with, coach and ultimately call friends.
It’s been the ‘engine’ that has helped me to start and grow dozens of businesses…impacting tens of thousands of people.
It’s been the vehicle that got me comfortable with writing…to the point that now I’ve authored or co-authored a dozen books with a couple more on the way.
And it’s been one of three things (along with coaching & relationships) that has allowed me to exceed any financial goals I could have ever imagined for myself and my family.
So if you’re not using email as a driver for your business success…above are some suggestions on how it’s worked for me. And frankly – you could apply most of those to a different channel like FB live too.
OK – there’s a quick overview on my approach to email marketing…hope it helps.
