It made me stop and think.

While, she spoke highly of the Virtual Assistant Revolution and how it’s helped her business, I had to reflect on what it truly means. This was difficult for a few reasons but the biggest being, as a co-founder of the Revolution, am I revolutionary?

Defined by dictionary.com:

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.
2. radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.: a revolutionary discovery.
3. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the American Revolution or to the period contemporaneous with it in U.S. history: Revolutionary heroes; Revolutionary weapons.

Take out #3. I’m not going to war.

Let’s focus on the “sudden, complete, or marked change” and “radically new or innovative”…

Am I doing what everyone else is doing and capitalizing on it? Or am I setting new standards and raising the bar?

Yvonne talked about a minor set back in her business. We all have them, whether they are because we were at fault or because that’s just what happens. But it’s how we overcome them that sets us apart from the crowd.

I had a similar set back a little over a year ago. It was one that set me back pretty far. While it had nothing to do with my business, it affected my business in a major way.

Several times over the course of the year, I tried desperately to make a “come back”. I was trying to force something that wasn’t there.

My business went on auto-pilot and thanks to many great VAs and friends, I survived.

And then one day it clicked. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was putzing around on the computer and an idea hit me. I ran with it and had it fleshed out and implemented that day. It felt great.

Over the next few weeks, more ideas came and I was on a roll. My business partner and I were again brainstorming and making a million bucks in our heads. We jokingly told her hubby that we were back.

The problem was, the ideas never made it past our heads. Yes, I put out Expand Your Business…One Subscriber at a Time. Yes, I started updating the blog again. But there are many more ideas that I’m sitting on because I haven’t figured out how to perfect them.

Perfection is holding me up.

Perfection is stopping me from being Revolutionary.

The ideas are Revolutionary. The implementation is not.

I know what you’re thinking…

And yes, I strive to put out quality products and services. That’s not what I mean by perfect.

By perfect, I’m talking about from idea to the public needs to be fleshed out completely and work flawlessly both now and two years from now, in my mind. When I don’t have the answers, I stop.

A great example is an affiliate program. One of my goals for this month was to set up an affiliate program and really focus on my affiliates. Recruiting and training. However, I want a one stop shop for my affiliates with a long list of requirements. There are TONS of them out there, however none of them meet all of my requirements, at least none that I’ve found. So I stopped. The content and tools are all done, but I’ve done nothing with them.

How can I get affiliates and help them sell my products better if their tools are tucked away on my computer?

Revolutionary thinking? Nope. I’m not thinking outside the box and I need to be.

So, I’ll be making it my goal to figure out something by the end of the year and letting perfection slide just a little bit.

So Revolutionary to me? Thinking outside the box…not letting the little things stop you…and setting the world on fire…

Right now, I’m not there.. but watch out…

it’s gonna get hot in here… and soon!

Until next time…

Heather

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that said, well, I’d already have a fortune!

However “broken-recordish” it may sound, it is a truthful statement. The fortune REALLY IS in the list.

Fact is, if you possess the knowledge of how to grow and profit from opt-in lists, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

And, if you’ll read the remainder of this article, I’ll pass that knowledge right on to ya.

It comes down to getting folks to do four things…

1. REQUEST.
First things first, you need to convince people to “opt-in” to your list. That is, get them to join your list of their own free will.

Usually, this involves giving away a mini-course, report or newsletter from your web site. All you need is..

- An Attention Grabbing Title. (I could have chosen “4 Keys to Successful Email Promotions” for this article, but is that as attention-grabbing as “How to Pull in As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold From Opt-In Lists”?)

- A Handful of Bulleted Benefits. (A short list of 4-6 desirable things subscribers will learn if they join your list. Think “what’s in it for me?”)

- An Opt-In Submission Form. (Your autoresponder system will provide this for you.)

NOTE: The BEST way to get folks to join is to embed the above mentioned items DIRECTLY in the most prominent place you have your site visitors’ attention. Usually this is 3-5 paragraphs into your sales letter or 1/3 of the way into an ezine article.

2. RECEIVE.
After visitors to your site have “requested” information by joining your list, it’s critical that your emails be delivered successfully to their inbox. With all of the filters in place (among other hazards) this can be quite a chore.

One thing you’ll want to do for certain is check your SPAM rating to make certain it’s in an acceptable range. Again, most of the better autoresponder services offer this feature for you.

You can also do things like…

- Get your subscribers to “approve” mailings from you.

- Authenticate yourself as a legitimate mailer when you receive a “response challenge” from protection services such as Spam Arrest.

- Use alternative formats of your email messages such as “downloadable email messages” in PDF format.

3. READ.
When your emails successfully arrive at the inboxes of your subscribers, another task awaits - getting them to actually open your message and read it.

This is going to depend upon your “subject line”. It is paramount that your subject line be intriguing enough to convince your readers to stop what they are doing and take a look inside.

One way to get this done is to create a swipe file of email subject lines that have convinced YOU to read the messages and then modify those subject lines for your own use.

Ex. I received an email that had the subject line of “This affiliate tip is almost too easy” that caught my attention and forced me to read the associated message.

This subject line could easily be used in a variety of different niches…

- This dieting tip is almost too easy
- This time management tip is almost too easy
- This marriage saving tip is almost too easy

4. RESPOND.
When you have convinced your subscribers to open your email message and read its contents, the only remaining “task” is to get them to respond.

You want them to take action. Click a link. Go somewhere. Ultimately, spend money with you.

The only way you’ll be able to do this is follow a simple catch phrase I’ve been teaching for years: “useful, but incomplete”.

It simply means this: your messages must provide content that is useful to your subscribers (otherwise, they’ll unsubscribe faster than you can say “oops”!), but is also “incomplete” in that there is some additional offer that could enhance or maximize that content.

Ex. You might write an article that shares “7 Ways to Profit With Autoresponders” to send to your list. That’s “useful” information to those who are interested in that particular topic. It’s also “incomplete” because they need an autoresponder service to put the information into action. That’s your cue to promote your recommended autoresponder service.

See how it works?

If you want to pad your wallet with profits by using opt-in lists, this is how you do it:

Get people to do these four things

- Request
- Receive
- Read
- Respond

This is a system that has never failed, will never fail. I’ve used it. Others have used it.

Now, it’s your turn to use it.

Until next time…

Heather

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For the first time, ever, Jimmy D. Brown is sharing his simple, yet powerful 6-step system that will show you how to grow your list, provide your readers with the content they crave and start making more money than you ever expected from your list. Do I have your attention yet? Then visit http://www.heatherjacobson.com/listprofits to get your copy of the List Profit System today.

One of the best investments I ever made was my laptop. I love my desktop PC and I love my Mac, but I love my laptop more.

It’s not state of the art. It’s a Toshiba and I’ve had more problems with it than I care to share, however, it’s my best friend. I take it with me everywhere.

And do you know what I look for when I travel, anywhere, whether it be across the country or just down the street? Wi-fi.

Why? Because I like to stay connected.

I’ll be honest. My laptop typically stays one of two places. Either right next to my bed or right next to the couch. I love to be able to lounge in bed and work or park myself in front of the TV at night while I clean out the inbox or just chat with friends.

And really? My creativity starts when I walk out of my office and park myself at Panera or Starbucks with my laptop. When I’m away.

I spend all day in my office so it’s nice to have some down time away but still be connected. And when I travel to my parents’ for the holidays? It’s going to stink. I’ll have to plug in in my dad’s office and won’t be able to roam the house. However, I’ll still have access to the my files and my documents, because I’m taking my laptop.

So how about you? Do you have a laptop? What’s the best thing you love about it?

Until next time…

Heather

So for a moment, I’d like to pause and do a little shameless self promotion… but it’s my blog, so I can do that, right?

As you may or may not know, a few weeks ago I released a new book called Expand Your Business…One Subscriber at a Time as part of my $7 Business Builders Line.

I was pretty proud of it. It’s not majorly long, just 32 pages, but it’s packed full of information, it’s only $7 and it comes with a kick-butt affiliate program.

Last night, I got a testimonial from someone who had read the book and I thought I would share…

I had the privilege of working with Heather before this book was written when I was looking to start my own newsletter. I had a lot of fears and concerns at starting a newsletter, but Heather provided me with the support and information I needed to realize that the task is not as overwhelming as I had feared. I am so glad that Heather has written this book to give others the wealth of knowledge I was able to take from Heather and at such a great price!! When I read Heather’s book, I was surprised to learn some tips that I hadn’t even thought of even though I have been providing a newsletter for sometime now. With the information provided in this book I am excited about how I can take my newsletter and make it even better for my subscribers. This book is a must have for not only those thinking of starting a newsletter, but those that are already utilizing newsletters in their business. The best part is her awesome “affiliate” program. Where else can you buy a book and have the potential to earn every last cent you paid. It’s like getting “free” information!! — Yvonne Weld, Thriving Business…the Series

Thanks Yvonne!

If you haven’t picked it up yet, what’s stopping you? Seriously… it’s $7 and worth every penny (especially if you become an affiliate!)