One Email A Day = Million Dollar Business?
One Email A Day = Million Dollar Business?
The case for sending a daily (or daily-ish) email
“Email? No one reads them, and they certainly don’t buy from them.”
^^^Response from a pal who owns a financial planning firm, when I told him about my one email a day strategy.
He’s somewhat correct.
No one reads and buys from shiddy emails.
But if you’re sending useful, relevant, and entertaining stuff consistently?
Not only will people read and buy from them. They’ll buy again and again, at prices you never thought possible.
How do I know?
Because I’ve been closing big-ticket deals from email for years, often without sales calls.
It’s possible because of the OEAD strategy in this post.
So how does it work?
First you have to understand…
The 7 Hour Rule
A concept introduced by Daniel Priestley in his book “Oversubscribed”.
It’s the idea that it takes 7 hours of interaction with your leads to build the trust and desire necessary for them to buy your product or service.
Did you see the heart bar in the graphic at the top of this post?
Imagine that’s your 7 Hours.
The fuller that bar is, the easier it will be to sell your stuff.
When you meet someone for the first time, that bar is empty.
But with every interaction… you fill it up little by little.
Every email they see. Every post they read. Every video they watch. Every conversation with you. Fills that bar up a little bit.
Once it’s full, selling your product or service becomes far easier.
It’s the same idea behind why you listen to recommendations from family and friends. And buy from celebrities/influencers you like.
Why do so many people buy Kylie Cosmetics (from Kylie Jenner)? How did she build a billion dollar company in such a short time? Does she have superior products compared to other beauty brands?
Doubtful.
It’s because Kylie has an audience of people who’ve spent far more than 7 hours watching her. From her Instagram posts, to reality TV show, to the gossip column on websites and magazines, etc etc.
People buy because they feel a bond with Kylie. They’ll buy whatever she puts out just because it’s HER.
The faster you can rack up those 7 hours, the faster and stronger you build a bond with your people.
The stronger the bond is, the easier it will be to sell your stuff.
Make sense?
The One Email A Day (OEAD) Strategy
All other things equal… the person who sends OEAD will sell more than the person who sends OEAMonth.
Now that you understand the 7 Hour Rule, you understand OEAD racks up those 7 hours. So you should understand why more emails = more sales.
There’s only 3 things you need to know to execute on the OEAD strategy:
Person
Frequency
Next step
Person is who you are writing your email for. A message for everyone is a message for no one. Always write as if you’re sending to ONE person as it’ll make your messaging razor sharp. If you work with multiple segments of a market, write to the ideal person you want the email to resonate with.
Frequency is the amount of emails you’ll be sending. This post is about daily emails, but start with a frequency you can stick to. At a bare minimum I recommend once a week and you can work your way up to more once you’re in the groove.
Next step is what you’ll be pointing people to after the email. It could be to a product. A free piece of content. An idea you want them to think about. To reply and start a conversation with you. Figure out what the next step is so your email is the bridge that leads to it.
Now let’s talk about how to actually write great emails that people love to read and buy from.
The Anatomy Of Emails That Sell
When you write emails, or create any sales material, think of yourself like a lawyer.
They make a point, back it up with evidence/proof/testimony, make it super relevant to the case, then leave the jury with one thing to think about. And they do this multiple times in court to win their case.
Writing emails is similar to this.
Below is a tactical framework for writing great emails:
CTA - what’s the one thing you want them to do next?
Click a link, read/watch content, think about the idea, reply/reach out to you, buy
The Lead - how do you start the email?
Get them hooked and give a reason to read the next line. When in doubt, start with TIME+PLACE+SITUATION. Or when+where+what.
The Meat - what’s the main point of your email?
Insight, wisdom, or lesson you share that gets the reader to think or behave differently. Focus on ONE point and try to create “a-ha” moments
Proof - what can you provide to back up your point?
Story, analogy, analysis, example, or metaphor that validates the Meat. Think like a lawyer
Transition - how can you transition smoothly from the Meat to the CTA?
Always keep in mind what the reader wants, not what you want
“If you’re looking to close high-ticket clients from your email list… reply to this email to let me know”
Signature signoff - how you end your emails (don’t copy mine :-))
I always use:
Your compadre, Sean “something to do with the email” Anthony
P.S. - tease something exciting coming soon
I use this to tease offers, or to reiterate the point of the email with a CTA
You don’t always need a P.S.
Subject line - how can I get them to want to read the email?
Curiosity and self-interest. Create an open loop so they have to open the email for the answer
“Moving Box Label” subject lines work well if you have a stronger bond with your audience. Imagine you’re putting a piece of duct tape on a box to easily identify the contents. That’s what this subject line is, examples:
clients
email list
linkedin profile
One more question I get a lot is…
“Should I include images in my emails?”
It depends.
80% of my emails are text only.
I add images when it either:
Adds proof/believability to the main point. Like a before/after screenshot or result from a client
Creates a vibe and a stronger bond with my audience. Like a picture of me on the beach in the Amalfi Coast in an email about freedom
It also depends on your market.
Some markets are more visual than others. Real estate for example, it’s a smart move to show images and videos of the home being sold.
Consider these points and make a decision based on your situation.
Here’s a recent email I wrote. See if you can spot all of the elements.
Action Steps
Choose your Frequency
Get clear on your Person and Next Step
Write an email using the email framework
Comment below to let me know you’ve done it
I’m only going to keep publishing here for as long as it’s useful.
I gauge that based on engagement and people doing the work. So do the work, then let me know so I can brag about you.
Join my email list to see examples of my OEAD strategy in real-time.
If you want monthly templates and breakdowns of my best emails and campaigns, consider upgrading to ER+.
Hope you found this useful.
Your compadre,
Sean “OEAD” Anthony
P.S. I just opened up spots in my Email Rainmaker Elite program. It’s 1-on-1 focused on building out the ecosystem together. Watch the private video here for more details:
What are your thoughts on the new gmail algorithm changes and how they will impact email?
This is great. Thank you Sean! You definitely practice what you preach.