Do you want fanatic customers and clients?

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 well.

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

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

respect their struggles
Most vendors are good at this.

If their product clears acne, they don’t just say how it will clear your complexion. They talk about how it will stop 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 that. “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 to their struggles until there is no way they can ignore the problem.

That’s when we offer the solution.

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

Your time becomes more valuable than ever. Every moment she could be devoted to creating new offerings, chasing new leads, researching new technologies, or daydreaming about new ideas.

However, people begin to treat your time as if it has no value.

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

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

There is a strange truth here: everyone thinks they are ‘busy’.

However, most people are not.

I remember being so painfully ‘busy’ in college.

Please, I was done with 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 when you waste their time.

When you write 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 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 post as irrelevant took a moment that 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. They have trained me to know that they are always worth reading.

respect their 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 for?

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 the time and money is already spent. You can include them at no cost and with little effort.

Respect your intelligence
Don’t lie to your readers.

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

(If you’re worried about glitches, 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 getting your emails.) But don’t do it for some crazy ploy to imply that your offer is literally irresistible to everyone…)

Assume your readers are smart. Assume that they will see through any lies 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 coming out of 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 the right thing for 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 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 customer 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 on these losers.

If they’re not happy, of course.

If they have legitimate complaints, you’d better get them fixed.

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

Politely let them loose and walk away.