Course-Correction On My List-Building Goals

I just completed reviewing the progress I've made on my 2015 goals. With most of my goals, I'm doing quite well. I'm even ahead of schedule on a few of them.

But when it comes to my most important business goal, my “push goal” for the year, I need a course-correction. I'm off-target with the goal I set for building my email list. What am I going to do? I'll get to that in a moment. First, though…

Why is this email list goal so important?

As I'm sure you know, the lifeblood of an online business like mine (and possibly like yours) is having a large, responsive email list.  That email list is made up of people who know, like, and trust you.

You send your email list lots of valuable content, and occasionally send them offers for products and services,  which some subscribers choose to purchase. And you make money. And they get value. And that's what makes the wheels of commerce turn on the Internet.

My email list is growing, just not nearly fast enough to get to my target number by the end of the year. So what am I going to do about it?

What To Do When You're About To Miss A Goal

I followed Michael Hyatt‘s advice on what to do when you find yourself about to miss an important goal:

  • I've revisited my “why”. My reason for setting the goal in the first place. I still believe this goal is important enough to fight for.
  • I've re-assessed whether the goal is actually realistic, and I've determined that it is.  I did set an aggressive, high target – but I still believe it's possible to hit that mark.
  • I've actually done quite a lot of work on this goal, but I'm still not hitting the required milestones. If I  keep moving at our current pace, we will not hit the goal.

In his goal setting program, Five Days to Your Best Year Ever, Michael suggests that at this point it's time to bring in outside resources.

His advice: hire the best coaches you can afford. Somewhere in the world, someone has already done what you want to do, and they have done it with excellence.

It only makes sense that by tapping into their expertise and experience, you can get back on track.

Getting the best outside help can be done in three ways, according to Michael:

  1. Read the best information available on the subject.
  2. Enroll in specialized training on the subject.
  3. Hire a world-class expert to do it for you.

You Can Do This Without Spending A Fortune

One key distinction is that Michael phrases his advice in a very particular way: “hire the best coaches instructors you can afford.”

This doesn't let any of us off the hook. Even if you don't have extra budget and cannot afford to hire an expensive coach, you can certainly do something. For instance, you could check out a book from the library. That is free. And yes, if you truly have zero dollars to invest, then a library book qualifies as getting the best “instructors you can afford.”

When it comes to my list building goal, I've already got access to what I believe to be the best information available. I've already enrolled in specialized training. So now I am bringing in the “big guns”: I'm going to get some help from world-class experts.

Nobody has more expertise in building email lists than the people who run LeadPages. LeadPages is a tool for building landing pages on the Internet that… well… grow your email list! They've conducted tens of thousands of experiments, tracked the data, and they know exactly what works and what doesn't.

So this Wednesday, April 15th, at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific) I'm getting on GoToMeeting with Tim from LeadPages, and I'm going to get his direct coaching on how to hit my list-building goals. He's going to show me how to get back on track & meet the aggressive goal I set for myself.

You Are Invited To Listen In

If one of your goals for this year is to build a bigger email list, maybe you'd like to listen in.

I'm officially inviting you to join the call, and look over Tim's shoulder as he covers this important material. Here's what Tim has promised me we're going to talk about:

  • The four pages on your website that should receive the bulk of your attention, energy, and focus. (Tim says if you focus on these four webpages, you can ignore almost all the others and still increase profits). This is about focus. Pay attention to these four pages, Tim says, and you'll do great. Ignore them – and you're hosed.
  • The 7 most important tweaks you should be making to your website in 2015.
  • How to easily create a one-page dashboard to help you monitor the most important webpages in your business (and monitor the life of your list).

Just to put my cards on the table: when I decided I was going to get serious and “double-down” on this goal, I knew that LeadPages was the place to go for help.

I also knew that they have an affiliate program. So I came to the brilliant conclusion that I could get myself some coaching, invite you to be on the line, and promote LeadPages at the same time. If you happen to open an account with LeadPages during this webinar, then I will receive a modest compensation.

But let me be clear: this is not a “bait and switch” webinar. It is not a “veiled sales pitch”.

The bulk of the call will be pure content. Action steps you can take today, whether or not you're customer of LeadPages.  I myself plan to be taking notes like crazy, and implementing all of Tim's best advice.

At the end of the meeting, Tim will share a special deal you can get on a LeadPages account. You don't have to buy anything to get value from attending this GoToMeeting session. But you might want to take a look at the LeadPages deal just the same.

 

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.