How Dare You Sell to Me
Last week I received the following email when a former ezine reader told me why she was unsubscribing to my ezine:
When I’m subscribed to a newsletter I want to be able to read the articles in the newsletter. I don’t want to be told that I have to subscribe and pay a monthly fee to read the article that is in what I thought was a free newsletter. I enjoyed the newsletter until I couldn’t access the article I wanted to read. I understand you are trying to earn a living, but I don’t think a free newsletter should contain links to articles that you have to pay to read.
Perhaps I’m jaded and have been in this business too long, but I think it’s rather naive for anyone to think that anything is truly "free". Every single type of business sells with "free" items, typically as an upsell to something more expensive. I guess the illusion that "free" still exists on the Internet continues to persist…
Here’s an excerpt of my response to this reader:
The monthly fee is part of my membership website, in which I share more in-depth information with my members. Yes, this is a major part of my income structure. However, in the newsletter, I do write one new in-depth article and share one resource every single week for the subscribers to the ezine. In this last week’s issue, that article was, "Grow Your List with an Effective Client-Capturing Device" and the resource was a review of Full Calendar.
Part of the rationale of publishing an email newsletter is to sell, whether that’s paying for access to the ebooks that I sell or access to my membership website or paying me as a consultant. If I’m not selling in my marketing materials, I simply cannot afford to stay in business..:). Continuously providing free information doesn’t pay the bills. You’re going to find something being sold in almost any email newsletter to which you subscribe, unless they have corporate sponsors, and in that case, you’ll be hit with banner ads throughout the issue.
If you’re not selling in your email newsletter, you’ll soon discover that it’s a wasted marketing effort, as it will not bring you any results, i.e. new clients or customers, which is the point of being in business. There’s always a "price" to pay when something is free, and you have to decide if what you’re receiving is worth that price. I’m sorry you have decided that the Get Clients Online Ezine wasn’t worth the price and that you have chosen to unsubscribe from the list.
I’m starting to get more and more of this type of email, which is a great barometer telling me that what I’m doing is right on track. To quote one of my favorite authors, SARK, "If you’re not being rejected, you’re not reaching far enough." However, I have to admit that the comments still sting a bit..:)
About the Author Donna Gunter
Best-selling author Donna Gunter works with successful business owners who are experts in their fields and established in their industry and are seeking a way to stand out from their competitors. Using her Ideal Clients on Autopilot System©, she helps them determine the exact strategies to generate more qualified leads and better-paying clients with automated systems. This proven system makes all their marketing easier and more effective and they find themselves positioned as the only choice for their clients.
