Do you want customers and fan customers?

Do you want to earn good money while doing good things?

It all comes down to RESPECT.

If you don’t respect your market, you can still make a lot of money. However, it will be more difficult.

I’m not talking about some mystical, “do good things and the universe will reward you.” Even if it’s purely profit you’re after, listen up and listen up.

Do things like ‘word of mouth’ and ‘repeat business’ make your bank account drool?

If so, stop disrespecting the people you want to buy from.

respect their struggles
Most sellers are good at this.

If their product clears up acne, they don’t just say how it will clear up your complexion. They talk about how it will keep people from laughing at you and give you more confidence.

You’re more likely to get the job, the girl, the raise, if you’re not worried about all the pimples on your face.

Some people make fun of it. “Are you worried about pimples? First world problems?”

Just because it’s not the worst thing in the world doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal for the pizza-faced kid struggling to fit in at school.

Marketers respect that.

We recognize it.

We hold up a mirror of their struggles until there is no way they can ignore the problem.

That’s when we offer the solution.

respect his time
When you start a business on your own, something strange happens.

Your time becomes more valuable than ever. Every moment she could be spent creating new offers, pursuing new leads, researching new technology, or daydreaming about new ideas.

However, people start to treat your time as worthless.

“If you don’t have a boss, you are free to take me to the airport, right?”

“Can I have 15 minutes of your time to throw you something you don’t want?”

Here’s a strange truth: everyone thinks they’re ‘busy’.

However, most people are not.

I remember in college I was so painfully ‘busy’.

Please, I was made of free time.

Same thing when I got my first full time job. How was that? I only worked 9 to 5 back then…

Point?

Whether they’re busy or not, people hate it when you waste their time.

When writing an email or whatever, ask yourself: after the reader has read this, will they be happy they did? Or will they want those moments back?

Nothing will pay off for everyone, so focus on your prospects.

Will they find your message entertaining, informative, or an offer too compelling to pass up?

(Ideally, all of the above.)

When your reader thinks to himself, “reading that was a good use of my time!” something strange happens. Whether they buy or not, they are more likely to read your next message.

I get way too many emails from people where it’s all about them.

“I have a new product for you to buy!”

Great, I don’t care. Tell me what the product does for me and why I want that. Even dismissing your message as irrelevant took a moment I’ll never get back.

On the other hand, many people who email me are so entertaining that I will read their emails no matter what they sell. I have been trained to know that they are always worth reading.

respect his money
Digital products are awesome. It costs the same to send someone a two-hour video as a two-paragraph message.

And you can send it to 10,000 people as easily as ten.

Everything is fast, automated and practically free.

This means that you can offer your customers 10 times what they pay for something. Why not right? Once you’ve created something, there are no additional costs to deliver it.

Are you selling a $30 eBook? What additional reports, templates, podcasts, videos, guides, and other eBooks can you add to make them worth $300?

So for the right person, the offer becomes irresistible.

Sure, it will take time and money to create those bonds. However, once you have them, all your time and money is already spent. You can include them at no cost and with little effort.

Respect his intelligence
Don’t lie to your readers.

Don’t send them silly emails like “I noticed you didn’t accept my latest awesome offer. Does that mean you’re not receiving my emails? Please reply so I know it’s not a technical issue.” That’s an obvious lie, so don’t say it.

(If you’re concerned about technical issues, look at your email deliverability and open rates. If there’s a sudden drop, maybe it’s a glitch. Who knows, you might want to ask your readers if they’re receiving your emails But don’t do it for some crazy tactic to imply that your offer is literally irresistible to everyone…)

Assume that your readers are smart. Assume that they will see through any lie you tell, even the smallest ones.

respect yourself
Imagine this scene:

A man in a suit on his knees, tears running down his face, snot running from his nose, hands clasped as he begs a woman not to leave him.

Let’s say she accepts it (not likely, but come with me here). Is she going to respect this guy?

Of course not!

Will he respect her?

Doubtful!

As it is with love, so it is with business.

You want to do right by your customers. You want to offer them as much value as you can.

And of course you want to respect them.

That means respecting yourself too. If someone doesn’t want to do business with you, maybe you’ll fight for them and offer even more value. If they still say no, you move on.

“The customer is always right” is too extreme. Sometimes the client is legitimately crazy. Too often, the client feels powerless in his own life and craves any opportunity to dominate you.

You disrespect your genuine customers, the ones who appreciate your value, when you invest too much time, mental energy, and money in these losers.

If they’re not happy, of course.

If they have legitimate complaints, you better fix them.

But if they are being mean and disrespectful or just for the sake of it?

Politely let them loose and walk away.