How Neil Patel Built His First Business Through Email Marketing

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For all of us, the ultimate dream is to invest in a startup and to see it succeed. With the turn in technology, the idea of startups have changed and any person with a computer and relevant knowledge can make the best of their lives.

To tell the truth, when I came across this ideology, I was skeptical too. But gradually, as I started to experience things on my own, I realized how well this digital world can serve us. When starting my blog, my previous inhibitions were far gone and I went forward with a clear perspective.

Starting any business is easily, as long as you plan and follow the map. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee for the success of your business, but as long as you follow the path you’ve decided on, things will go your way.

It’s all about taking inspiration and getting the right information. I was lucky enough to get the right guidance and hey presto! My blog started. And the thing that played the biggest role was email marketing.

We millennials lean more towards the convenience of IM, but when you have to take on a professional role, it’s the old fashioned email that comes into use. Don’t believe it? Check out the benefits of email marketing.

People may ask why email storytelling matters, but with examples of email marketing reigning blogs of IT influencer, you better believe it’s the real deal. And who can be a better judge of it than Neil Patel.

The top influencer on the web and one of the top entrepreneur under 30, Neil Patel attributes his early successes to email marketing. The first business he built using email marketing bloomed and started him on a path, which gained him the award of Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives.

With a lot of awards to his name, Neil Patel has many times shared the story of his journey’s start and how email marketing played an important role in it. And he’s not the only one to write on this topic. Even Alex Chris has come up with email marketing tips that are specifically for small businesses. These are the blogs that would eventually help people devise the best email marketing strategy for their businesses.

Getting insight from Patel’s blog, I decided to elaborate on his success. Instead of dealing with the same old definition, we’ll move over to the more important stuff.

According to Neil Patel, here are some of the tips that’ll help you market your business through emails.

1. Only Target Millionaires (Or go even higher and target billionaires)

Neil Patel might be a known name now, but there was a time when only a handful of people knew of his talents. He was also short on money and things weren’t exactly working for him the way he wanted them to. That was the time when Patel turned to email marketing to help his business grow. It was during this time he realized that sales pitches might not be the most effective way to market his business.

And so, without any connections to leverage and promote his business, Patel decided to help people realize where they were going wrong.

One of his earliest emails went to Michael Mortiz, an investor in Eons. The email wasn’t the most professional ones and just detailed the shortcomings of the website without suggesting how to do the changes that’ll overcome them. In spite of all these things, the strategy worked and the investor replied back.

Even though it was a risk putting all his cards on the table, Patel was adamant to do thinks his way. And his main reason for targeting millionaires is because he knew they wouldn’t have the time to implement Patel’s recommendations themselves. Other companies might have implemented his recommendations without paying Patel his due, but a millionaire wouldn’t.

And Patel’s plan worked. He was soon contacting with an offer for a job, which he declined in favor of a consulting gig. Even though the deal later fell through, email marketing did help him in getting his thoughts through. His correspondence gave him a chance to include Mortiz’s name in his future interactions with other potential clients.

His advice to his followers? Why stop at millionaires? Go for the big fish and target billionaires.

2. Be Thorough

Patel himself accepts that since he wrote that email to Michael Moritz while he was a young man, he wasn’t able to define each problem in detail. In order to make sure that Mortiz take him and his suggestions seriously, Patel should have included screenshots of the problem, carefully pointing out the things that needed to change.

Including figures and graphics is also a plus point. They’ll work to elaborate your points and display the changes required. The last thing you need to do is include how the problems can be managed. Just pointing them out is not good enough.

When you’re going for the big jump, make sure that all your bases are covered.

For example, if you wish to turn the email into a paid gig, make sure you don’t just inform people of the missing component. Explain how your product or services can help them achieve their goal and drop some figures. The ore thorough you are, the more chances you have of turning that email into a successful sales pitch.

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3. Patience Is the Key

We all have our days when things don’t work out the way we want but there’s no time limit to these things. When utilizing email marketing, keep in might that things might take time and by being patient and getting follow ups, Patel finally got some of the gigs he was after.

Some people might think being persistent might show off their desperation but that’s not the case. Being patient has its advantages in the long run.

For example, you start working on a client who doesn’t pay any attention to your sales pitch. You need to know that it must be because they don’t trust you enough, just yet. In order to ensure a successful sales pitch, you have to make sure that they have all the reason to trust you and your recommendations. Ensure that you make use of business email best practices to entice companies.

This is where being thorough will work for your advantage. Seeing how well you’ve realized the shortcomings of the system or the market and the benefits of implementing your suggestions, will eventually make the client consider your services. But all this time, you have to be patient and refrain from making aggressive sales pitches.

On the other hand, if someone persists but eventually becomes a nuisance, no one would be willing to take them on. A simple follow up would be effective but sending a constant flow of emails, would only aggravate the situation and that’s something you definitely want to avoid.

Patience is the key and if you are able to follow this rule, you’ll definitely succeed.

4. Be Respectful

Being persistent is one thing but being a downright ‘serial emailer’ will definitely not work in your favor.

It’s okay if people ignore you at first. Things wouldn’t just fall in place, it takes time and people will ignore you at first. Some people tend to take it personally and get mad over it. Remember that these are your potential clients and the last thing you want to do is scare them away.

Having an extensive email list should be one of your goals. This way, if certain people ignore you, you can always move on to the next target. But before that, you’d have to have an iron clad strategy in your hand.

With the right strategy, you can not only achieve views but also email subscribers. And Jimmy Daly has used this skyscraper technique for success over and over again. And if you face problems in growing your email list, you can always follow some smart ways to increase your email list by Adam Connell.

Always be on the lookout for better newsletter ideas and make sure they cater to all your business needs. You can easily get them free on the internet. You too can use these strategies to market your product as long as you remember to exercise patience.

5. Use Your Past Clientele for Leverage

If you have some well-known and big shot clients don’t feel uneasy using their name for your advantage. After all you provided services for them and if their influence can get you some more gigs what’s the problem?

How can you expect people to trust you if they don’t even have any idea about your credentials? This is why you must use your past clients to showcase your skills. Once people realize how many big shot clients you’ve already worked with, they’ll be highly impressed. Name-drop a few of them and get the attention you need.

Now It’s Your Turn

For many people, email marketing might be an unknown territory. But since it is an effective way to market your product or services, you shouldn’t ignore it.

Look for email marketing best practices, which would be the ultimate tool in your marketing strategy.

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