You’re not going to become successful if you’re producing a subpar product or service. You should always strive to do more and do better. You want to become known for offering something premium. You want to stand out in your market, no matter how crowded it is.
What’s the first thing people think of when they hear the name of your business? What feelings do you think are associated with your product or service?
It’s not good to be unsure— you should always be aware of what kind of experience your customers are having. If you don’t know, ask. You can survey your customers and get a general feel for those in your market.
The Power of Reciprocity
This is very powerful. If you’ve given someone a gift they will want to return the favor, whether they’re conscious of it or not. That’s why you see so many marketers giving free gifts.
What do you give your customers or potential customers? Some marketers feel like they’re doing themselves a disservice— they don’t think people should get something for nothing. But you’re just shooting yourself in the foot if you take that stance.
Give people something and you’ll see a boost in your reach, conversions, and number of sales. The word FREE is very powerful and always will be. You’ll feel good helping people with free stuff and you’ll see a boost in your business as a result.
Give More Than You’re Getting
If you’re a member of my membership forum, Earn 1K A Day, then you’re very familiar with my stance on this. I’m constantly adding extra content, products, and tons of value to my forum. Members tell me that they actually save money on their marketing business every month because I buy the rights to so many things in order to give them to members.
I don’t have to do that. I could run my membership like so many others and just keep it a basic forum with a bit of content here and there. But that’s not the way I like to do things. I like people’s jaws to drop open when they join and see the seemingly endless free downloads, high-level support, and priceless value.
There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that my members receive far more value than they pay for their monthly or lifetime subscriptions. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It makes me feel good to give people so much.
It’s not fully altruistic, though. My member retention rate is incredible. They say the average membership site maintains a member for around 3 to 4 months. I have many people who’ve been subscribed to my site for several years. People tend to stick around when the value is so good.
Start thinking about your business. How can you structure things so people get far more in value than they’re paying you? Do some brainstorming— this is a really fun exercise. It can really energize you when you know you’re going to make people very happy.
This exercise will also help you get over any feeling that you can’t be successful if you give things away for cheap or add extra value. Successful people know how important it is to give if they want to get.
Do the Unexpected
People love to be surprised. If you surprise your customers with something, no matter how small, you’ll get customers for life. You don’t always have to announce your bonuses and special efforts before people buy. It’s a great technique to get people in the door and buying. But you can occasionally offer unannounced bonuses to really get people invested for life.
What was the last product or service you released? Think of something you can create or do to send to those customers, out of the blue. It doesn’t matter how small it is, they’ll be shocked and thrilled. You’ll convert them to lifelong customers, which can really help your bottom line. It’s also so out of the ordinary that you’ll likely spark some great Word Of Mouth marketing.
The point is that the most successful people strategically think about what they can do to provide more value to others. They know this is one of the fastest ways to develop loyalty and lock in a customer base for life. Don’t be stingy— be overly generous. You’ll be rewarded with a thriving business if you do this the right way.
Provide Value to Other Business Owners Too
The world’s most successful people know the power of networking. They know they can take some shortcuts and reach success even faster if they’re able to take advantage of the assets of others.
That’s one of the reasons a certain Internet marketing business model has become so popular. Product creators create products and offer 100% commissions (or close to it) for affiliates. These affiliates, often with massive lists, mail out because it’s such a good deal.
They get the money but the product owner gets every single one of their customers on their own list. We all know how valuable it is to have a big list and also how time consuming and stressful it can be while you’re building one. Wouldn’t you love to just get a bunch of subscribers from someone who’s already done the heavy lifting? That’s exactly what the marketers using that business model are doing. It works very well for them and is a near instant way to build a list.
Or, maybe someone else has a certain area of expertise— they’re the top in their field. You wish you knew how to do the things they can do. You wish you had the reach they have. Well, if you partner up with them or JV with them on a project, you get access to those things. Working with others and adding your own gifts to the table can do wonders for helping you get to where you want to be much more quickly.
But no one is going to work with you if they don’t know you. You can’t just jump right in and expect successful people to take notice of you if you have nothing to give. You can’t just write to successful people en masse, desperately hoping one of them will take you under their wing— it just doesn’t work that way.
You have to make it your mission to rub elbows with successful people. Get to know them and start to make a name for yourself. Get seen on the top forums in your niche. Interact on the blog comments of those you want to get to know. Develop a USP for your business and build your brand. Interact on social media and establish yourself as an authority. These things will help you get noticed.
Whenever you approach someone or suggest working together, make sure you make it clear that you bring some amazing things to the table too. You’re a marketer so you’re going to have to get good at selling yourself.