I Survived a List Purge (You Can Too)

by Nancy Marmolejo on February 23, 2010

in Build Your Business

With so much emphasis on list building and building social media networks, it may seem counter-intuitive to suggest purging a list and losing your bottom 10%.

The philosophy is this: lose your bottom 10% and you’ll feel an incredible surge in your business.

It’s scary to think about, but I just experienced this and wanted to share honestly about what’s happening, what freaked me out, and what the gifts are.

What’s Happening

I have a wonderful new program coming up, Discover Your Profitable Essence, which teaches heart based service professionals (coaches, healers, consultants, et al) how to break out of anonymity and place their mark on the world with a successful business.

I promoted it differently than I’ve promoted things before. LOTS of emails. 2 preview calls. Special offers. More emails.

It’s not that my list can’t handle a flurry of emails from me- I’ve made offers before via multiple emails and people either buy or delete. And a pretty consistent amount of people unsubscribe. No biggie.

But in one week in January we had three times the amount of unsubscribes! My assistant emailed me with great concern and I went into freak out mode…

The List Purging Freakout

“Insecure Nancy” emerged when my assistant contacted me. “Oh no! Lost opportunities! People don’t like me! Who’s idea was it to send all those emails! Crap!”

It just so happened that I was at a retreat with a high end mastermind  I belong to and took my concerns to a group of 6 and 7 figure business owners.

The general consensus:

  • Let them go.
  • Let the unsubs happen, they probably weren’t going to get excited about ANY offers.
  • My offers may no longer match their needs.
  • They may be pissed off because they find invitations to invest in a service distasteful.
  • They may have been feeling a disconnect for a while and this finally spurred them to take action.

Not one person advised me to chase after people, cry, try to get them back… and knowing me, that was good advice.

Years ago, I saw each and every one of my unsubscribes and it freaked me out. I’d feel bummed out that this person who got a bunch of free resources from me and who I talked to for 45 minutes on the phone dared to unsubscribe… can you hear my bruised ego in that one?

Today, I don’t look at my unsubscribes, my assistant monitors them and reports back to me. I am at peace with the fact that I can’t be all things to all people. And who knows, maybe all those people simply needed to simplify their lives by getting off my list and their act was a gift to us both.

The Gifts in This

My business mentor told me it was time I grew balls. (Male mentors are so interesting!) But seriously, this was an invitation for me to grow.

Some of the gifts I got from this experience:

  • Resilience
  • Focus
  • A higher percentage of people on my list who resonate with what I offer.

My focus right now is on the people who resonate. Why bend over backwards to please people who will NEVER buy? Rather than convince the naysayers, I want to focus on my PEOPLE.

Just in the last couple days, I’ve gotten these kinds of responses from people starting my new program. THIS is the stuff I want more of! The naysayers can have a party somewhere else.

From Barb Knobova, Self Love Coach for Women

“Oh, and one more thing, Nancy. You were absolutely right – just signing up for the program created an amazing shift in energy. Since I signed up for Profitable Essence, I’ve transformed my programs, created a radio show and e-zine for women and I feel much more confident about my business. I’ve set clear sales and income goals and I’ve really started to believe that I can and will create a 6-figure business in 2010!”

Final thoughts: What Can You Gain by Letting Go?

A redwood tree’s seeds can only be released through a fire. No crisis, no growth.

What can you gain by letting go? What (or who) needs to be cleared away for your amazing talents to touch the world without fear and insecurity?

I’d love your comments below!

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  • billbaren
    Bravo, Nancy! The more we take a stand for something, the more our tribe resonates with us and the more unsubscribes we from the people who don't. AND, it still hurts when they unsubscribe... Perhaps one day I can honestly say that unsubscribes don't effect me.
  • ahhh, Bill, the authenticity shines through! It's OK to admit it still hurts, we just learn to focus on the positive that's coming. Thanks so much!
  • Ed.
    Hi Nancy,

    What a fantastic refreshing post, i say this simply because, at the time of writing it`s been the exact same mindset i have with my list and as i am just starting out i have only 21 subscribers and i have lost a few, but hey they where just freebie seekers anyway after the lead magnet on offer!

    Anyway Nancy love the content you have a refreshing blog..

    Thanks....Ed.

    http://www.skincareprofitsgoldmine.com
  • Great post Nancy! I built my first list and since then, I've found tremendous focus and direction for my business. I decided to start over and built my list to more than 3 times the size of my first list, and did it in just 2 months! I value that list so much more, not because its bigger (although that's nice:), but because its targeted. The people on my list now are the people I can best help and that feels really good.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Cindy
  • That's very inspiring Cindy, I'm sure your experience will help others stuck in list-fear mode!
  • julieannejones
    Thanks, Nancy. I experienced something similar last fall when I was promoting a program with numerous e-mails. I actually said in one of the first e-mails "I'm going to be sending more e-mails than usual because I believe in this program and I totally understand if you feel the need to opt out of my system. The link is right there at the top of this e-mail." A week into the experience, I wrote a blog post called "If I'm Bugging you, I want you to Go" (http://wp.me/pNMnu-iL) on the same topic, letting people know I totally understood if they needed to opt out and promising I wouldn't take it personally. You should have seen all of the positive comments I got about that post!

    I used to be like you, scouring my opt out list and feeling offended and slighted when someone I knew opted out. No more. Now I look at it as a gift and I know that they're leaving for their own reasons (and that those reasons have nothing to do with me). Thanks for a great post.

    Julie Anne Jones
  • Good for you, Julie Anne, another great idea for list scrubbing!
  • Nancy!
    Thank you for being the Authentic YOU. I share many of the sentiments of the other commenters -- tough to mention them point by point!

    When we let go, we make room for Greatness--The Greatness that we've suppressed. And when we release the baggage weighing us down, our view is elevated...We see the people who look to our gifts to ignite part of the path along their unique journey.

    Nancy, thank for being one of Lights along my journey.
  • thanks Marian for BEING on the journey.
    :-)
  • momsworkathome
    I htink list builind, subscribers is great but if they are not there because they are genuinely interested in what you are doing is there a point in having them? Good for you!
    Belinda
  • I used to look at all my unsubscribe emails, until I realized what a downer they were! So I banished them to the trash (hurray gmail filters!)

    I did a scary thing last summer when I took a newsletter that had been going out every other week, and made it weekly. I have tons of great content to share (thanks to all my fabulous Solo-E Certified Solo Entrepreneur Experts, like you! and Michele!) and although there was an initial spike in unsubscribes, I sat tight and kept with it and now I get so many compliments about my newsletters! Plus, click-thrus have absolutely soared.

    I've also decided there are a group of people out there I call the "teach me how to do it myself" folks, who are in startup (or austerity) mode, want info for free, and sometimes are even offended that I'd put something in my newsletter that isn't free. (It's not a public service announcement, it's a newsletter!) If you don't have the money and the courage to step up and invest in yourself, then definitely, get off my list!
  • Terry, you got downright BOLD in that comment! Love it!! "Get off my list!"

    I think we need to welcome those in austerity mode and teach how to invest wisely in oneself. I love meeting people who are at step 1 but they have the gumption and drive to take big leaps. I love that attitude!
  • I should have said that *some* (a small minority) of the startup folks (and hey, we all started there!) react with anger when presented with even one non-free learning opportunity, among all the free information we all provide. Them, I can do without. Most startup folks will understand that just as they are aspiring to make money, so do others need to make money in order to be able to help them. They are the ones that will eventually be successfully -- and I love being able to provide them free information that will help them take those big first steps!
  • I'm right there with you Terri! I'm sensing that this topic might be a highlight of one of your future emails to your list... :-)
  • AWyldfyre
    Ha ha Nancy Did you know that those seeds need more than just a fire - they need a WILDFIRE!! I love it and am celebrating everyone of the recent unsubscribes on my list as the space is created for more of the Leapin Leaders who will resonate with the CORE of what I am here to offer - which I'm quite sure will be even more refined and revealed through engaging with YOU and your great work through the Profitable Essence program we embarked upon this evening!
  • The people who don't "get" you will energetically pull you down... you know that one I'm sure!
  • Hi Nancy, great post as always. I just "purged" myself from several email lists because of information overload. Many of those I unsubscribed from simply added nothing to my need for knowledge, just sales pitch after sales pitch, never offering anything of substance.

    One of the lists I left was yours and one was BobTheTeacher's, BUT, only because I was double subscribed. :-)
  • Sharon that is a great point. What I find is that you need to include content and great info so that the offers are met with less resistance. I don't like the nonstop pitchers. Now that might be ironic cuz I just had a massive pitch fest of a launch, but out here on the blog, on social media, and through the ethers I provide enough value to not fear being lumped into that category.
  • Some will, some won't, so what?
    And not only that, you need to figure out how to adjust your walk to accommodate the new appendages. LOL.
  • Nancy I can't tell you how proud I am of you. This is so tough, especially for women. I had so many issues with it myself. I remember when I first started my ezine I never wanted to send a solo email. "But they'll unsubscribe" I kept thinking. I worked so hard to get them on my list in the first place I couldn't bear the thought of them leaving. Finally one day I woke up and thought "Why am I treating my list with kid gloves? If they aren't buying, why am I spending all this time giving them great free stuff? I'm not a charity." That changed everything. And more than that, it was one of the mindset shifts I needed to make to really start growing my business.

    Good job Nance!

    Michele PW
  • Michele, you held my hand through this and I can't thank you enough! I also am giving my readers the space to make clear decisions about where THEY want to go with their choices. This is such a great discussion!
  • SpiritusShelagh
    Speaking only to those who want to hear you really resonates with me!

    When I started Spiritus, so many people said to me - that name will really put people off.

    And yes, it does.

    But for those who "get" what I'm doing, the name is highly attractive.



  • And it gives you the chance to speak to your tribe in an authentic way!
  • florabrown
    Hi Nancy,

    You've touched on a very true (though painful for us "nice" types) business fact. Some will like you. Some will not like you. Oh well. Move on.

    The unsubscribes are a signal that they are not your target audience and that's good news. Using the folks who subscribe and even better, buy, is a much better metric to use anyway.

    Congratulations on being free of the dead weight.
  • It's spring cleaning and a gift on both ends of the subscribe/unsubscribe spectrum.
  • Close one door ... and another one opens. As one of your long time affiliates, I saw the benefits of becoming "Marmolized" right from the get-go. What you bring to the table may not be a good fit for everyone, but so what?! There's plenty more where they came from. It's not like we're running out of people who will genuinely embrace your style, your warmth, your programs, and your expertise. I can see a new line forming already. :-)
  • garrywells
    Great post and thought provoking as usual. As someone just starting to build a list this is good advise. My perspective is from one who unsubcribes. Bob has it right, sometimes I unsub due to info overload and overwhelm - doesn't mean I dont follow in other forms - I would also say I come back to a core group I follow - which you are 1 - Garry.
  • Glad you're sticking around Garry!
  • Nancy, thanks for sharing this.I had the very same thing happen a couple of weeks ago...for the very same reason: lots of exciting emails about new program(s). I did the freak out for a minute and then thought, well, I'm changing focus/direction here and they're not aligned with that...so okay...buh bye and good luck! LOL.
    Doing it all with open hands to let go is so much more fun, and all the good ones DO come along to us, don't they!!
    I love you and your work, Nancy! Love to collaborate sometime!!
  • I feel like we all just came out of the shadows with this...
    speak up, speak out!
  • Nancy, a great post! This is so true, we can't please everyone and we shouldn't even try to. When I started building my list, I freaked out each time someone unsubscribed - so I know the feeling! But now I'm grateful for every unsubscription - it just means you can focus your energy on those who are really interested in what you have to offer. After all, it's always better to have a small responsive list than a huge list of people who don't care about your work or products. It's quality, not quantity, that matters! (It's the same with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, btw.)
  • Thanks for concurring Barb, it's a big step to be able to step away from what doesn't work.
  • Congrats on "growing those balls," Nancy. We are often our own worst enemies when it comes to our businesses - especially those of us who are too "nice." Thanks for blazing the trail - I'll keep you in mind when I have my own "Oh No!" moments. :)

    Warmly,
    Lis
  • Yes, hopefully I don't have to alter my wardrobe too drastically to fit those babies in there. LOL!
  • I LOVE the idea of being Marmolized. That is hilarious Bob. Great post Nancy. We take such a risk when we test out a new way of communicating with our list and every time we do it we lose people who were comfortable with the way we used to do things. But, you know, we all evolve in our business and our customers need to as well. Last year I moved right out of my comfort zone with the way I communicated with my list. Lots of emails running a challenge and then launching a new program. My unsubscribes peaked but guess what? My emails of gratitude and stories of breakthroughs also peaked. Even more exciting, my revenue (and profit) tripled. Definitely a pay off.
    Through your voice in this post Nancy I see you standing tall, shoulders back and a strong light shining. Thanks so much for sharing. You're a total inspiration.
  • Janet, you're my soul sister of business! And with your recent "Phoenix from the Ashes" experience you got to experience firsthand how people will stay if it's meant to be.
  • Cygnet Brown
    The great thing about people who unsubscribe is that it opens your business up for all those who would love to be part of your business but because you're wasting so much time with the dead-weight that's holding you don't you don't have the resources for those you really can help. I did that with emails at the end of the year and it freed so much time. By getting rid of what isn't working it truly does provide a vacuum for what happens next. My question is, how often should you purge of your bottom 10%?
  • Cygnet, I realize that energetically people who "may be offended" or "may not respond" hold us back!!! Knowing that you have peeps who love you when you change and can still love you during a big launch is GOLDEN.

    thanks for your comment!
  • BobTheTeacher
    Nancy - having been part of the mind-meld with you and the others in Vegas, I can say that you have implemented what you were advised to the letter, and you're seeing the incredible benefits from it.

    Like you, I have been promoting an event heavily for the last 90 days. And my unsubscribes have been spiking to be sure. But those that are sticking around are what the business world calls "customers", and they're the ones you're in business to help.

    There may be a few who unsubscribed who would make great customers too. But just because they unsubscribed to your email list doesn't mean they aren't still looking at your blog, or following you in social media.

    The right people are there now, and the others will find there way back to you if it's right for them.

    If you love someone set them free....

    Bob

    p.s. Anyone who doesn't "get" what you can give to them, is missing out. Getting Marmolized myself helped me tap into my profitable essence, and I won't be unsubscribing any time soon.
  • I LOVE it --> "Marmolized"
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