The month that stops short

Oh, February! The month that stops early and says “I’m done”. … Which in some ways is a good thing. For many of us, the month of love has been frigid cold. Bring on March! But for my team here at Ready to Go Newsletters, it means we have to squeeze three days into one.…

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From newsletter to listing appointments

From time to time we do a client survey here at Ready to Go Newsletters. It’s something I’d recommend any business do. You get insights into what is going right (and wrong), and you find out what your clients really want from you. A survey can also be a great source of testimonials, like the…

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Your clients and the eight-armed rival

I just watched a video (yes, I was wasting time on Facebook and one thing led to the other…) and in this video… … an octopus hurled itself out of the water and attacked a crab. Right there. On the rocks. Then it dragged the unfortunate crustacean back to its salty lair. Which goes to…

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Rabbits, wolves, owls and newsletters

The traditional way to think about sales goes like this: You’re the wolf and your prospect is the rabbit. Now, because you’re a wolf, you’ve got to go and chase the rabbit – which is hard because the rabbit doesn’t want to be caught. It takes a lot of energy – and sometimes blood is…

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Newsletter footprints

In the depths of the winter, it pays to think about somewhere warmer. Like the beach. Do you ever walk along the surf, right where the ocean meets the land? And have you ever watched what happens to your footprints in this in-between world? They start well defined – all five toes. But after one…

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Your referral machine

Remember that restaurant that Bob recommended? You know, the one on 4th street? Or was it 5th street? The Italian… Portuguese… Brazilian one? You remember – he said it was really good. Now what was its name? …Ever have conversations like this? Someone recommends something but because you have a memory like a pasta drainer,…

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Why people read your newsletters

One of our clients sent me a link to an infographic last week – six reasons customers aren’t opening your emails. It had some good information in it. But… … the main reason for newsletters failing wasn’t included. Here’s the thing. You could implement all six of these ideas perfectly, but if you don’t earn…

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Success story: There is no magic – it just works

Ding! In comes an email to Ready to Go Newsletters’ inbox. It’s from Ed Stone, who has been a member for about 18 months. “Last month I closed a $680,000 sale that was directly attributable to the newsletter showing up every quarter. “I send it out by email and by US post every quarter. It…

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When it’s all about them

Tomorrow is the day we devote to the one we love. It’s all about them. And… that’s an appropriate thought when we’re talking about newsletters. Why? Because a good newsletter is all about them. It’s all about what will interest your clients and leads. So, instead of bragging about how great you are, prove you’re…

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Two flavors of ice cream newsletters

If you order a “small” Ben & and Jerry’s, you get two scoops. And that means you can choose a different flavor for scoop number two. It’s like getting two ice creams for the price of one. So… why I am I telling you this extremely important news about Vermont’s finest? We find here at…

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Math that makes you feel good

Math, to say the least, was not one of my favorite subjects at school. I’d rather eat old gym shoes than solve an equation. (And there were plenty of old gym shoes served with ketchup at the school cafeteria.) So for 20 years after that, I stayed away from numbers. Words were my thing. But……

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Newsletter template amnesia

I was talking to a potential new client yesterday. He was already sending out an email newsletter. He’d been doing it for 12 months – but with no response. And that’s a shame. Now, it’s better to send something rather than nothing… …but… When I looked at his newsletter (which was supplied by a big…

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The Valentine’s Day newsletter lesson

It’s Valentine’s week, and I am reminded of the best bit of advice about relationships I ever heard. It was this: Love is done. In other words… You can say “I love you” until you are blue in the face, but unless you actually do the things that matter, it means nothing. So how does…

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Big and bland or unique and interesting?

Have you noticed how craft beers are such a “thing” these days? Even up here in my tiny part of the world, we have two micro-breweries starting up. I’m not complaining, of course – I could enjoy a pint of Old MacFuggle’s any night of the week… Sometimes it seems like the business world is…

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How local should your newsletter be?

I was talking with a potential new client yesterday and an interesting topic came up. Is it better to send a generic newsletter to a wide geographical area or send one that’s targeted at one small area? My answer was that it was better to send something targeted. But let me explain further. You want…

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How newsletters eliminate cold calling

“I don’t want to cold call.” That was the response someone gave to why they want a newsletter. Hey – I’m with you on that one! Cold calling is horrible. And in the vast majority of cases (but not all), it’s a poor use of your time. Cold calling positions you as desperate. It automatically…

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Clients… or followers?

I just got the first draft of my book back from the designer – and it’s running at 270 pages. (If you ever need to reach something at the top of the closet, you know what to stand on.) The first chapter is about finding your “why” – the reason you do what you do.…

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7 reasons to have a newsletter

Time to go back to basics today. I’ve said for a long time that every business – every real estate agent – should have a newsletter. But have I given enough reasons why? Try this. Here’s 7 reasons why you should have a newsletter. Bring clients back more often. If you can complete two transactions…

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