On List Building: 5 Principles Of Success

I'm going to share some thoughts on list building, because I think it's the biggest weakness home business people have. If you have been in a home business any length of time, you've heard some guru say, "Treat it like a business." But too many people don't know how to do that. Here are five key principles on list building:

1. Take a long term view. Too many rookies are anxious to get a sale or recruit right this second. If they come across somebody with even the slightest bit of interest, they get verbal diarrhea and gush their product or opportunity all over the poor prospect.

Instead of doing that, think in terms of making a good first impression, and gathering their contact information and adding it to your list. Remember, most people don't buy anything on the first exposure, it usually takes seven. But if you over-whelm them on exposure one, they won't be listening to you long enough to become a customer.

2. Use professional tools. Are you still keeping a prospect list on a pad of paper? In outlook? In a generic contact manager? Ouch! Back to our "treat it like a business" mantra, what professional business do you know that keeps their prospect lists that way!? Get yourself a list building solution that includes tools to collect all the data you need, has web-site integration, e-mail tools etc. Your list building tool and marketing tool should be the same thing.

3. Don't treat it like a list, treat them like your tribe. Seth Godin says your tribe is out there already, waiting for you to lead them. Don't make the mistake of treating your list like a "list." Remember, every name on your list is a human being with hopes and dreams and challenges too. Don't spam them with your opportunity, instead focus on connecting and building relationships. If you put the relationship first, you won't have to worry about your business, it will grow naturally.

4. Provide value. Most list builders don't care about giving value, they just want to make money. Unfortunately, in today's transparent marketing world, prospects turn you off in a hurry if you don't give them a reason to listen to you. What do they want? What's missing in their lives? What do they lay awake at night worrying about? Answer these questions, and provide answers, and your tribe will value you and listen when you speak or write.

5. Be consistent. Not just in building your list, but in communicating to them. This is why a marketing tool is so important. If you can't send an e-mail, right now, to any segment of your list, that's a problem. You need to be able to communicate to your tribe often. The relationship builds over time, but if you ever stop communicating to them they go away. Believe it or not, most people won't remember who you are ninety days from now.

So get yourself a solid list building tool, build your list, provide them value, and you'll be surprised how quickly your business will grow.