In short, you give them a kick in the pants. In long:
Many years ago, in a country far, far away, I was reading one of Ben Settle’s print newsletters.
In that newsletter, Ben was preaching the importance of “consumption.” Not the disease, but actually getting your buyers to go through the book, course, or program they bought from you.
It’s consumption, Ben claimed, that turns buyers who buy once into customers who buy from you over and over.
That’s why Ben preached creating your offers with a view to consumption… pricing your offers with a view to consumption… and selling your offers with a view to consumption.
I was reading this, and I had what I thought was a bright idea. I thought I had spotted something that Ben had missed. So I wrote him an email and asked about it:
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Have you ever used email to encourage consumption of an info product (or another product) after the sale?
… like sending out regular elBenbo emails to people, except changing the CTA to say, “If you wanna find out what the secret is, you’re in luck, because it’s right there on page 72 of the book you just bought.” I feel like the direct response standard is to say, “Thank you, you’ve made a great decision” and then to move on to selling the next product in line.
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Ben wrote back an hour later with a message that just said:
“I think that’d be an excellent idea for anyone motivated enough to do so.”
I was a little disappointed that Ben wasn’t more keen on my brilliant idea. But that’s because I’m a little dense. A little slow on the uptake.
The fact is, Ben does send followup emails getting people to consume his books and courses. He just doesn’t do it right away, but in a few weeks or months time, when it’s time to promote the same offer to his list again.
Of course, I do this too, and so can you.
Sell something, and then keep selling it in plain sight of people who have already bought. Keep it up until you get people to consume what they’ve bought and until you turn buyers into customers.
But does this really work?
Here’s a message I got last night from Howard Shaw of Chester Toys, a UK toy wholesaler that’s been in business for 60 years. Howard wrote:
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What I like about your emails, John…
Is there is usually something that resonates, and then when I notice the offer link, they serve as a kick-in-the-pants reminder to go and read that course again, as each time I go through one of the multiple items I have purchased from you, I always find something new, fresh and relevant to use.
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Again, you can do this too. A swift kick in the pants a day, reminding your customers of the value they already own and can benefit from right now.
Of course, that same kick in the pants might also motivate a new buyer to try you out for the first time. It certainly happened with my email yesterday.
If you too would like to get started with this powerful habit today, here’s a resource that might help you out: