What is the lifetime value of everyone on your email list? This might be something you’ve thought about or it might be something you’ve never thought about.

Of course, you always hope that everyone on your list will go on to become a buyer. The fact is that there are some people who are never going to buy from you and might not stay on your list.

They joined your list to get something for free, but maybe found that you’re just not their cup of tea, or they never intended to buy anything for whatever reason, or they’ve moved on from the topic, or something else happened.

Those people are going to unsubscribe from your list or go inactive by not opening your future emails and that shouldn’t shock you. It’s going to happen… period. You shouldn’t be worried or concerned about the people who unsubscribe. It’s just a fact of being an email marketer.

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In every email-marketing guide you read it says that you have to build a relationship with your list. Okay, that sounds great… but what does that really mean? It’s email, after all, not an in-person meeting. Is it even possible to develop real relationships with those who join your email lists or is it a lost cause?

First, it’s not a lost cause at all. I consider many of the people on my lists and that I communicate with in other places to be great friends. I care a great deal about the people on my list and many have told me that they open my emails even if they don’t tend to open emails from other email marketers. That makes me feel great.

Part of me isn’t surprised by that because I work very hard to build relationships, treat people right, and give a lot of value. And those things are a huge part of the secret.

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