If you're reading this blog post, you are probably still on the fence as to why you should build a mailing list. You probably have heard of the old saying, "the money is in the list." If you are anything like the typical business owner, you probably have also rolled your eyes when you came across that phrase. I can't say I blame you. It's very easy to become skeptical of all the marketing hype and common sayings out there. 

Still, there's a tremendous amount of truth to that saying. How come? Well, let me ask you a question. When was the last time you bought from a complete and total stranger? It doesn't matter how much money is involved. Maybe it's a dollar, maybe it's five hundred dollars, the dollar figure doesn't matter. Chances are, your answer would be, "almost never." I can't blame you. You worked hard for your money. The last thing that you would want to do is to entrust it to somebody who's a complete and total stranger. They have to be selling something you REALLY want or need to risk sending your hard-earned money to a complete stranger.

People buy based on trust. That was true before the internet, that is true now, and will probably continue to remain true hundreds, if not thousands, of years from now. Trust is essential to any kind of commercial transaction. If you want to sell anything, you have to get people to trust you. And it turns out that one of the best ways to do this in an online environment is through email. Seriously. 

In marketing survey after marketing survey of heavy-duty online marketing firms and digital agencies, email or list marketing almost always comes out near the top five, if not the top slot. The reason for this should be quite obvious. And I should add, in times such as these, it is still the best way to stay connected with your prospects and customers. When people sign up for your mailing list, they trust you enough to at least want to talk to you. They may not trust you enough to buy from you, but they think that you're credible enough to at least give the benefit of the doubt to. 

When you send them update after update, you get them to become more at ease. When they read your emails, they get the impression that you at least know what you're talking about. This level of credibility increases as they read more and more of your emails. Eventually, you are able to direct their attention to certain sets of problems. In other words, they feel that you truly know what you're talking about and can offer the solutions they need. They're still not buying from you, but they like you and feel that they know you enough to want to keep receiving your emails. This is crucial to the sales process. 

The KLT Process 

To sell to somebody online or offline, you have to go through the KLT process. First, you must get people to feel that they know you and  your solution enough for them to keep focused on it. Next, you need to get people to like you enough for them to keep listening to you.  Finally, when they think that you know enough about them and their problems, and that you truly care, then they will trust your recommendation. 

What follows next, of course, is the point of conversion. That's when you make the sale! Believe it or not, all sales transactions go through the KLT process. For some people, this is almost instinct. You just need to say certain words at the right time or you need to be a certain type of person, and it's a done deal. Other people require a lot more time for the KLT process to totally unfold and work its magic. 

The great thing about email marketing is that you're able to work with people regardless of their timeline. For some people, they just need to receive one email, and they are convinced. Other people take a lot more convincing. It may take them months to get off the fence and whip out their credit card and buy something. Regardless, when you are able to communicate with them through email because they signed up for your list, you are able to let the KLT process work for you. 

The Best Part About Email Marketing 

As you can well imagine, in an offline setting, the KLT process takes a lot of work and attention. You're basically going to have to keep calling the prospect, develop a relationship with them, meet them for coffee, and otherwise keep working on them until they close the deal at some point in the future. 

With email, this can take place on a pre-scheduled, automated basis. When somebody signs up for your mailing list, you can set up your email list software to send an email based on a specific, preset schedule. Maybe you can send them an email once a week or every other day, it doesn't really matter. The important point is that all of this takes place on an automated "set it and forget it" basis. That's what's so awesome about email marketing. You can be selling to thousands of people at the same time by sending them different scheduled emails and you don't have to break a sweat. You don't have to lose sleep. You can be traveling halfway around the world and your mailing list can be converting these people. 

Sounds awesome, right? This is the number one reason why you should really, seriously consider selling via email.

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Lois Hubert is the founder and CEO of GoldMind7.  GoldMind7 is a viral email marketing agency that specializes in helping business owners to grow and nurture their email lists using a unique combination of contests, giveaways, social media, and email. We're digital marketers that focus on building email lists, creating emails, and nurturing leads through written communications and sales funnels. We work with email automation software, sending out email blasts, newsletters, and more, all with the goal of increasing brand awareness and helping our clients to monetize their email list(s).

Want to know more? Click on this link to receive a free special report "The 5-Minute Guide To Email Marketing Success".