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100% Open Rate, Lesson 2 (an email program I love)

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If you read Lesson 1, you know the lesson is to get started imperfectly.

Lesson 2 is about getting started simply.

And one of the biggest barriers to simplicity these days is technology.

Let’s go back to my client who had just 1 person on her list. Once she made the decision to start sending emails, the next hurdle was: which program to use?

To dip a toe into the overwhelming number of options, do a quick search for “email sending programs.” You will see endless ads and articles that “narrow” down to the top 23 options (ugh).

In the spirit of true simplicity, I’m going to narrow it down to 1 for you.

The program I recommend is Constant Contact.

Yes, I know, it’s kind of old school, but here is why I recommend it:

  1. Customer Service. Seriously, I shouldn’t even write #2 or #3, because this is SO huge. While there are free programs out there like MailMonkey and SendPurple (names have been changed) – the sheer time and frustration you’ll spend on trying to figure out the answers on your own or dig through community forums to get answers… believe me, the $10-20 a month is worth it.
  2. Simple Tech. So easy to build an email, add your contacts, send an email. Years ago, a 70-year-old client of mine who was not super tech-savvy built and sent her first email within an hour (with the help of their outstanding customer service).
  3. Scalable. Start simple with email. Then if you want to add a landing page? Constant Contact can do that. Event marketing? Social media marketing? Integrations with other programs? Yep, CC can do that too.

This is a very specific example, of course. For whatever you’re trying to accomplish right now, here is a quick-start approach to simplifying:

  • What is the goal or project?
  • What are all the things getting in the way? (brainstorm)
  • Regardless of what you’ve done in the past and all of the barriers, what is the SIMPLEST way to reach the goal? In particular, consider how to make it technologically easiest.
  • What is the first step? When will you take it?

100% Open Rate, Lesson 1

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My client got a 100% open rate the very first time she sent an email to her list.

WOW. How did she do that?

Well… she only had 1 person on her list.

So – surprise! The open rate isn’t the lesson.

The lesson came in an earlier conversation after she said to me, “I’ll start keeping in touch with my list once it’s bigger.”

To which I replied, “Start now. Build the habit and systems. Create a container to put great people who want the gift of your content and resources into.”

Too often the pursuit of perfect, polished, ready, or even just “good enough”, derails getting started.

But the truth is, it’s the trying, the trial and error, actually putting yourself out there and DOING IT, that gets you the result you want.

So send the emails before you have a big list… and you will grow your list.

Do the speaking inquiries before your presentation is perfect… and you will get great at speaking.

Record that video before you fully understand how it fits into your strategy… and you will get comfortable in front of the camera and attract a following.

My client will likely never get a 100% open rate again, but she embraced the lesson of getting started imperfectly.

Be Bold Like a Q-Tip®

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I couldn’t stop laughing recently when I bought some Q-tips, flipped over the package and read the marketing copy:

Q-tips® cotton swabs are the Ultimate Home and Beauty Tool.

C’mon. It’s cotton. On a stick.

Without reservation, they make this bold claim*.

And yet every day I run into business owners who downplay how they talk about their work, for fear of being accused of exaggerating, bragging or over-promising.

They tend to call this “being humble.”

But the truth is when you play small, you shut down possibilities.

Got that?

You’re shutting down possibilities.

Ask yourself…

By playing small, what possibilities do you shut down for yourself?

And if that doesn’t get you motivated, then how about this question…

By playing small, what possibilities do you shut down for others?

Ouch. (yes, I know how to hit givers where it hurts)

So here’s my suggestion: when you talk about your business, when you create your messaging, shift your thinking from “making promises” to “opening up possibilities.”

You can even tape a Q-tip to your desk to remind you. ?

* Funnily enough, this claim isn’t actually over-stating things. They provided a list of uses, and the possibilities are quite impressive!

The 5 Phases We’re All Going Through Right Now

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It’s been amazing and awful to cycle through being scared then creative then challenged then connected… and back around to scared again.

This rapid-fire cycling has made me SO much more intentional about getting support and connection from my community (the Watch Us Thrive calls are the best example of this)!

Through these connections, I noticed a very consistent pattern: 5 distinct phases that business owners are going through. The time frame for each phase is different for everyone, and the phases don’t necessarily occur in this exact order.

Phase 1: Abject Terror
Oh @#$%&! This is no joke, it’s not China’s problem, it’s actually here. The economic impact is going be staggering. My business will never survive. No one is buying anything. Ever again.

You freak out, become paralyzed and may be eating potato chips dipped into a chocolate milkshake. You have difficulty breathing, sleeping, and keeping your mind off toilet paper. Nothing productive happens during this phase.

Phase 2: Panic in Motion
You realize you’ve got to get off the couch, but can’t seem to stop arguing with people on social media or refreshing websites looking at COVID-19 graphs. Refreshing, refreshing, refreshing… WAIT – I gotta get to work!

You waffle back and forth, “Can I position myself to benefit from this? Wait – oh ick! NO! I can’t capitalize on this. But I’m helping people, right? Will they think I’m being opportunistic?”

More chips. More milkshakes. An emotional roller coaster that takes you, minute by minute, from feeling mildly hopeful to dipping into the desperation of, “We’re screwed forever… what’s the point of doing anything?”

Phase 3: Channeling “The Dude”*
Hey man, it’s cool, I have no control over this. I’ve pretty much been ordered to stay home, and it seems like no one is doing business anyway, so… maybe I’ll do some gardening. Or watch Pride and Prejudice (the 6-hour BBC version) at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. And then go for a walk.

I’m going to treat this kind of like a vacation.

This is ok. I mean it sucks, but maybe this is the universe’s way of telling me to slow down, right?

* The Dude is a waaaayyy chill aging hippie from the movie The Big Lebowski.

Phase 4: Productivity Overkill
THIS! This is the opportunity in the crisis! Yes! It all has meaning now.

I am NOT going to waste this time. I’ve been wanting to start my podcast and write my book. I’m going to take this time and do both. (I mean it is kind of weird how it’s harder to get things done even though my schedule is so open.)

So… ok, I’m going to frame the family pictures, start making bread, develop an online mastermind, can my own veggies, plant a garden, organize weekly Zoom calls for my family and create an online course while losing 20 pounds.

Oh thank goodness! I’ve worked myself into the normal over-scheduled pace I’m used to.

Phase 5: Settling into Your New Reality
You realize, this is how it’s going to be for a while, so you focus on figuring out new routines. How to work out at home, find alone time even though the kids are around, get work done.

Born out of necessity, you start to get creative. Solving problems you’ve been stewing on for months or even years. Collaborating with others because you’re craving connection.

Fears still crop up, but more often than not you see where you can be serving and thriving and simply running your damn business through the chaos.

Spaghetti and Waffles, Anyone?

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Recently I spoke for the Silicon Valley NAWBO chapter in Palo Alto. As I was teaching sanity strategies (a.k.a. time and priority management) to the group, the “waffles vs. spaghetti” discussion came up. It was eye-opening for the audience, so I thought you’d enjoy it too!
Bill and Pam Farrel coined the waffle and spaghetti concept, but the guy on the video I included uses the terms “boxes and wires” for his presentation. Take the time to watch it – it’s hilarious and educational all at once!

Gersberms!

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WARNING: This is likely the silliest, most ridiculous article I’ve ever written. My eyes are already watering with tears of anticipation. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Something really weird is on the internet right now. It’s a series of pictures that people are posting with really odd captions that – at first glance – don’t make any sense at all.

The translation? “Goosebumps. My favorite books.”

When my sister shared this with me I was at a total loss. Okaayyy… They can’t spell? I don’t get it.

And yet, after looking at it a few times, I got the giggles. Then I started randomly saying “Gersberms” to people and laughing hysterically. Even now, alone in my office, I’m giggling. Too weird. No rhyme or reason.

I was hooked, so I did a little research, and as far as I could gather, this strange trend came from someone who was recalling what it was like to wear a retainer, or to have just recently had orthodontic braces tightened. How it gave you a bit of a lisp, and you felt like if you just kept your jaw clenched, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so bad. The captions reflect this lisp-y, jaw-clenched pronunciation that many of us went through as adolescents.

Much to my delight, my sister provided me with two more examples of this trend. I decided that I absolutely MUST find an excuse to include them in this article.

               

So I thought long and hard, trying to think of life lessons that would align with these pictures. Here’s the best I came up with…

I had braces when I was young, and it was a necessary, but unpleasant experience. We have these experiences in life from time to time – having to fire someone, having to take on a less than ideal client, etc. But in the end, these experiences give us better alignment with what we really want, and, if nothing else, give us amusing horror stories to tell at cocktail parties.

Not my best work on the serious side of things, but ehrmahgerd! I still can’t stop laughing!