I think it’s funny how people have gotten so “tactic” and “trick” oriented.
Like… “Here are 5 techniques you can use to make your list instantly trust every word you say!”
Ugh.
STRATEGIC thinking works much better, and there’s less you need to memorize.
Here’s a “trust building strategy” you can use:
Be a trustworthy person, and display the qualities of one.
Duh.
…
Yeah, if you’ve known me for a while, you should have expected that one… lol.
I’m dead serious, though.
Here’s what I mean by that:
You know how everyone and their dogs’ dentist are saying how the money is in the list?
Or… that the money is in the relationship with the list?
That “value is king” and you need to constantly give them value. Over the top. Be an awesome dude… and really GIVE A SHIT about them! [insert Gary Vaynerchuk* quote]
Yeah, everyone talks the talk.
Then they go on and tell you about how their “friend” just spent 26 months, $800,000 and sacrificed 3 sheep to develop their latest, cutting edge software which will automatically give you instant traffic with three clicks of a button… that you can have for only $37 if you act now.
It’s a bit pathetic.
That’s why I say that building trust with your audience ultimately comes down to simply being a trustworthy person… and walking the walk.
Congruency.
Being congruent in your actions.
In other words – if you say you’re gonna do something, you better damn well do it.
Here’s something else that’s been bugging me:
People who “slip up”.
Like… people like those mentioned above, preaching about value and all those nice, cuddly buzz words… that are, for the most part, congruent with it.
They have great products, great customer support, their blog is packed with awesome content, and even their emails are usually pretty decent.
But every so often, maybe once a week, or once every two weeks…
… they send out one of those “copy and paste” promo emails for the latest Clickbank launch.
It is, perhaps, even more pathetic.
Why?
The way I see it, it’s like they would rather do that stuff all the time… but they know they need to provide value in order for people to like them.
They see “delivering good content” as a tactic. A trick. Something you’re forced to do because the market demands it.
I don’t even need to explain why that’s bad, do I?
Well, I won’t, cuz if you don’t get it, you’re probably not the kinda person who’s supposed to be reading this newsletter…
This kind of behavior is, in my opinion, worse than those who make all their money teaching marketing advice.
I have no problem with that. The marketing crowd is one of the toughest markets, and they have some of the most fine-tuned BS detectors in the world.
I’m currently not one of those “gurus” – but I wouldn’t be ashamed of it if I were.
In fact, I’m actively cutting down on everything in my other businesses, because this is what I really want to do. Teach marketing and copywriting.
I’ve been rejecting more and more copywriting assignments lately, and I probably won’t do anything for less than, at least, a high four figure fee.
Other than the marketing stuff, I’m involved in two other projects (one being a client project)… and I think that’s a pretty good ratio.
Anyway, enough about me.
What have you got going on?
If you’re looking for something worthwhile to focus on, I would totally suggest setting up your own “MiniBiz”.
Even if you’re currently involved in a project, adding a MiniBiz structure on the back end of your business would make a huge difference, and probably relieve a lot of stress from your day-to-day activities…
I’ve added some new stuff to the course over the weekend:
- an 8-page report on how to quickly produce world-class content
- a 14 minute training video
- Two more PDF reports (super-valuable – these are technically “unadvertised bonuses” so I can’t tell you what they are!)
If that sounds pretty cool, you should check it out.
Cheers,
Linus
* Btw… the Gary V. reference wasn’t meant as a “diss” at all – he’s amazing. Easily one of my biggest influences. You should follow him.
