Last week, I, Bejako Baggins, was minding my own business, tanning my large and hairy hobbit feet by the fireside, when a wizard burst through the doors of my hobbit-hole and announced in his deep voice:
“Bejako Baggins — You are experiencing a huge deliverability problem my friend!”
Now we hobbits are peace-loving creatures. We shy away from noise and adventure.
Besides, only a week earlier I had sent another such wizard away from my doorstep.
I’d even written a little circular letter, which I sent to my readers all over Middle Earth, explaining how I take no thought for deliverability beyond writing interesting stuff that other hobbits and elves and men want to read.
But this wizard would not be denied. He towered over me, his peak hat reaching to the ceiling, his arms above his head. And he thundered:
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Listen mate, I love your copywriting style!
I subscribed because of that, but this problem is stopping you from more envelope opens & a higher number of return letters
Therefore, wiping out thousands of silver coins to be made from your work
I discovered this deliverability problems out of curiosity as your intro circular letter got delayed
Now, I’m 100% confident I can fix this problem for you… and I will NOT be charging you! (FREE)
Instead, Once I fixed this issue for you, and you’re satisfied with my service. I would hope if you can refer me (at any time) to someone else who’s facing a deliverability problem
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I have to admit that my little hobbit heart started pounding. Not because of the threat that my letters were not getting delivered or opened — I have reason to believe I’m doing well.
But I was intrigued by the wizard’s offer — free, fixed for me, no risk or effort required by my peace-loving hobbit body.
I thought for a moment. Then I smiled and I said, “Ok wizard, you are on. If you can improve my letter deliverability, I will happily promote you to anyone who comes asking for such services.”
The wizard immediately suggested we schedule a council meeting, tomorrow morning, down by the large oak tree, to discuss what our adventure will entail.
I frowned at this. It sounded like it would eat into second breakfast. “Just tell me what you have to tell me now,” I asked him.
So he tried. “First,” he said, “you will have to get a new address from which to send your circular letters. You can still live and write in this hobbit-house, but your letters will be sent as though they are coming from somewhere else.”
“That’s more trouble than I need,” I told him.
The wizard nodded and then stroked his beard. “Well, you can keep your address, but you can go and find a new letter-delivery fellowship.”
“Yeah that’s not gonna happen either,” I said.
The wizard was starting to get concerned. “Well, there’s one last thing you could do. You could pay for a dedicated letter-delivery satchel, to make sure your letters aren’t getting stuck to any other letters, or maybe getting thrown out with them.”
I got up from the fireside, and escorted the wizard to the door.
I appreciated the effort he had put in. But all of this sounded like work. It also sounded risky, and like it might create a problem where I really didn’t have one, or at least where I didn’t worry about one.
I could hear the wizard muttering into his beard as he stepped outside into the night. “Fool of a hobbit…”
But what to do? That’s how my race is.
That’s why I say you don’t want to sell to a hobbit like me. Even if you have a solid sales message (“HUGE deliverability issue, costing you many silver coins!”) and a great offer (“free and fixed for you”), you will most probably just end up wasting your time.
In the Shire we like to sing an old hobbit tune:
“First is the list, then comes the offer,
Last good copy, and then a full coffer”
So if you don’t yet have a good list and offer handled, then my advice is to focus on those first, in that order.
But if you have both a good list and a good offer… then you know what else we hobbits like, besides peace and comfort?
The only kind of excitement and challenge we are ever really after?
Maybe you guessed it. And if not, well, you can get the answer at the following page: