I got a message a couple days ago from @Michael Silk. Michael wrote: === I have just seen a post on LinkedIn and the post starts out.. "I just became CEO of a 10M ARR Tech Scaleup. What can you do for us? Comment with your one liner below." (The post set some rules beyond that and how if he was interested he'd get back to people, but that was the main part of the post). === Michael thought I could do something similar here in Daily Email House. The tone of the "10M ARR Tech Scaleup" CEO isn't really my style... but I think the idea is sound. In fact, I already did something like this here in Daily Email House, almost exactly a year ago. Michael's message reminded me that I should do it again. So lemme ask you: What can you teach? What's something you can put a presentation about for people inside Daily Email House? Maybe you just enjoy teaching and are always ready to do it. But maybe you need some better reasons. Here are a few: 1. You can float an idea here and gauge in a low-stress, low-effort way whether there's any value in pursuing it further. 2. If there is interest, you can get my feedback, input, and help into organizing your presentation, or even organizing it into a product. (I'm offering my feedback, input, and help both to encourage you, and to make sure any presentations will be of high-caliber and valuable for other House members.) 3. If you do give your presentation, you can use feedback from the group to polish and improve what you're teaching, so you can then turn it into a paid offer (or a free lead magnet). 4. You can get ready testimonials or even case studies from people here. 5. Though I make no promises about this, if you do turn a presentation into an offer, and if I feel it's a fit for my own list, I would love to promote it, and help you get sales and more exposure. 6. Maybe by teaching something valuable yourself, you encourage others inside Daily Email House to teach something valuable as well, which ends up benefiting you and everyone else down the line.

I've been going through a presentation by Jeff Walker of Product Launch Formula fame. Here's a bit that particularly stuck with me. Says Jeff: === When I'm looking to run a launch I'm as much interested in what strategic benefit does it have to me in addition to any money I could make. I'm a big believer in thinking long term. That's one of my competitive advantages, that I always think very long term. === Sounds really good, except.. ... what does "strategic benefit" really mean? And how do you think long-term? I'm not just farming for engagement here. I'm genuinely asking, because my time horizon is like 3 days. To help me with that, I just sat down and made a list of "10 kinds of strategic benefits of a launch." I wanna hear yours as well, because I'm sure I'm missing some. If you're game, we can play the usual "Battleship" format. If you name a strategic benefit that's on my list, I'll confirm it. If you name one I don't have, I'll give you one I have that hasn't been named yet. The game goes on until I'm sunk. Your turn.

It's not a question I came up with. It comes from Dean Jackson. Says Dean: [...] [wait for it...] [gotta tease it a bit more...] [I hope you will appreciate the significance of this simple statement...] "What would you do if you only got paid if your client gets a result?" This does not mean I work or sell stuff on commission only. (Though that can be a good model.) Still, thinking about only getting paid on results has been incredibly sobering to me. Am I selling something where I ultimately don't expect anybody to get real-world value from it? If so, why am I selling it? And vicey versy. If I have to take a bet on my customer or client succeeding, what all would I do to help them succeed? Beyond that, who would I even entertain working with or selling to, because I have a good hunch they will succeed, with or without my help? It's maybe worth asking yourself these questions when you start thinking of your next offer. (Btw the "result" in Dean's question above doesn't have to be major, ultimate outcome in your customer's or client's life. Even a small, concrete win can be valuable.)

If you're selling to people who want to be where you are... ... for example, to solopreneurs if you're a solopreneur... ... to internet marketers if you're an internet marketer... ... to coaches if you're a coach... ... then does it make sense to appear frustrated, dissatisfied, or disappointed with aspects of your business? Or does it make more sense to be cheerful, optimistic, and eager about your business, both as it is now, and as it was yesterday, and where it will be tomorrow? I'd claim it's the second. Today I listened to a presentation by Internet Marketer Jeff Walker. Jeff was speaking in a closed-door mastermind. And he made his business sound so great. One big success after another. One great idea after another. Made me want to learn more from him, and pay him money. Even though I know for a fact he's had problems in his business... And even though i know the reality of running a business like his. So I got a question for you: If aiming to look happy and successful is good for business, and I believe it is... ... then how do we square this with the fact that being transparent and honest is good for business, which I also believe?

A reader forwarded me another marketer's email that said, "Are email agencies fucked?" And she (the reader who forwarded me the message) asked: "I wanted to know what you thought of this - is the writing on the wall for email copywriting?" That was two days ago. Yesterday I saw a promo (in my email inbox) with the subject line, "R.I.P. Email Marketing." And last week, I polled my readers on a different question, and got a response from a reader (and member of Daily Email House), who runs a 6-figure info publishing and coaching business. He wrote: "The sales from emails are really down, I sell maybe 10 % of my revenue through email, the rest is from ads and I am sending good emails, if I say so myself and almost daily." Is something in the water that I failed to notice? Or is email marketing dying? Any thoughts or better yet direct experiences?