So here’s the simple strategy…
To get – and stay – ahead of almost all your competition in online business you need two things:
- You MUST know EXACTLY what will happen to new subscribers on your email list.
- You need a system for doing that.
The most famous example of a system is probably the Ford motor car assembly line.
Well… it doesn’t have to be as grandiose as that.
But if you want your business to be as profitable as possible then you DO need something in place.
And that something can be very simple and uncomplicated.
All it needs to be is something that every prospect who comes into your business experiences.
So using my business as an example:
When ALL new subscribers opt-in (via my squeeze page) they are taken through a very short funnel with one upsell then put onto an email sequence…
They’ll then receive my often hilarious emails that not only entertain, but also deliver value.
The subscribers get to know me better, and slowly become brainwashed learn to like and trust me.
This happens to EVERYONE who finds their way on to my list.
The emails contain content as well as sales pitches – so this doubles as an engagement activity to get the new leads to resonate with me and my business.
And while you might not like my system, it works really well for me and that’s the point – to find your own system and what works for you.
You’ll almost certainly change and adapt it as your business grows, but to build a seriously profitable business you DO need to know what you’ll do with every single new lead that arrives in your list.
Here’s what I’ve observed…
I’ve seen countless people who have squeeze pages and funnels AND have products ready to sell but still no system for presenting those products to their new subscribers.
It’s like there’s a huge disconnect between getting a new subscriber and the actual thing you’re selling.
“Imagine placing an ad in your local newspaper advertising your furniture shop and then when people turn up they find nothing on display because everything is stored in your warehouse 150 miles away!”
So if you have products and services for sale think about how you’ll present them to your leads, what will they see, what will they experience and how will they know what to do?
Your system can be anything you want!
You’ll end up changing it anyway as you progress but the main thing is to HAVE one in place in your business because many don’t – they just make it up as they go along.
And if you can automate things so it happens while you sleep, even better.
It can be a 365-day autoresponder that every new subscriber goes through.
It can be 5 broadcast emails a week pushing people to your continuity. (Both the autoresponder and broadcast emails can easily be done in ConvertKit.)
It can be a coaching-based funnel where your sole aim is to get people on the phone so you can sell your high ticket coaching program.
Because if you just get people into your system with no real plan of how to sell to them you’ll get nowhere fast and it will become very expensive very quickly.
Your system is your profit generator.
It pays for your ads, your autoresponder, your hosting as well as your rent and your food.
If you don’t have a thought-through system your expenses will soon overwhelm you.
My system works well because it works in a way that I can understand – it produces sales from emails. That’s it.
Systems work best IF they are easy to understand.
Look at McDonalds…
Their system works because it’s SO well-run. Now, we all know, their burgers certainly aren’t the best.
But their restaurants are always full at peak times because customers know what to expect.
They know they won’t have to wait a long time and most importantly, they know exactly what they’re getting.
How many times have you wanted to go to Burger King or Wendy’s but decided against it because you were running late and knew their service isn’t always the fastest?
Systems are what makes real profit, not products.
Mediocre products can make you rich with the right selling strategy… ahem, though I strongly suggest you not go this route.
Get great products AND a great system and you’ll struggle NOT to make money.
The main thing is to ensure you have a system in place BEFORE you start buying traffic, mailing your list, making new subscribers, doing launches, creating a new product or any of the other more exciting things that make up online business.
The successful marketers you see in your niche, at any level all know EXACTLY where their new subscribers and customers are headed BEFORE they arrive.
Get yourself a system together – no matter HOW simple – and watch what happens to your bottom line.
Make no mistake, putting a system into your business that takes over when you get a new subscriber to sell your products and services is stupidly powerful.
Now go plan out your system on paper first… and then, when it’s done, execute it online.
You’ll inevitably go through a short period of trial and error as you iterate and sort out the glitches in your system. But this is normal.
Once you’re done and have a smooth, well-oiled system in place… your business will see a boost in sales and you will surge ahead of the competition.