Do you really need a list to make money online?

Hi everyone,

I just had to get this out to everyone here who thinks that just because every guru says that you need to have your own list to make it online, I am here to say that you don't.

From my own experience online in the past few years, having your own list or large list of subscribers will not make or break how well you do online.

The most important aspect of making the most money online with your own product or selling other people's products is to have as many people as possible see the program on a daily basis.

A list is not going to make you more money in the long run unless you are a product owner that gets 1000's of new subscribers per day and can follow up with them in the future with other products.

Here is an example:

If you are selling an ebook that talks about relationship, the more targeted people see it every day consistently, the better. Not everyone will buy right away and many of them will bookmark your product for later consideration.

So from my own experience over the years, you don't need a list to make money online. You need to drive as much traffic to what ever you are promoting on a daily consistent basis and never stop.

Gee, that feels better.

I agree one doesn't NEED a list, but it sure is wise to establish one.

I just had this training discussion with a team member today. Having a list is not always about the "now" product/service you are promoting. You may have, or come across, something else that may appeal to a person that is on your list.

The other thing to consider in having a follow up list, which people are not oppose to, is that very often people don't have the time to go through your full webpage and make a buying decision at that moment. The saying, "the fortune is in the follow up" is true. Being able to follow with message to just remind a person to review what you are offer is pertinent to more sales/team members.

So if one is having success without a list, and I know of one person that did such, imagine the results if their is a list and one can follow up.

So, I would not suggest going about things without having a means to allow people to get on a mailing list of yours to get more info or follow info. They can always remove themselves per the law.

FreeCashMan: The saying, "the fortune is in the follow up" is true.
Yes, it id but don't forget that many people will bookmark a page that they will want to consider later for buying. I have a site that gets a good amount of people returning to it by bookmarking it themselves.

So it is not the case that you need to build a list so that they may buy later. You can also have a bookmark button on your website so that the link stays with them for a while until they make a buying decision.

Funny, I was just discussing this recently as well. I have to agree that a list isn't essential to make a good income online. I have a could of lists (newsletter subscribers on my websites), but they don't really contribute much to my bottom line.

Part of the reason for that is because I don't utilize my list as well as I could. I'm suspect I'm not that good at email marketing either, so that probably doesn't help.

Regardless, a list that is really targeted to your niche offerings can certainly be a powerful asset, but it is definitely not necessary for online success.

Blessings,
Angie

happywife: Funny, I was just discussing this recently as well. I have to agree that a list isn't essential to make a good income online. I have a could of lists (newsletter subscribers on my websites), but they don't really contribute much to my bottom line.

Part of the reason for that is because I don't utilize my list as well as I could. I'm suspect I'm not that good at email marketing either, so that probably doesn't help.

Regardless, a list that is really targeted to your niche offerings can certainly be a powerful asset, but it is definitely not necessary for online success.

Blessings,
Angie
Thank you Angie. Thanks for agreeing with me.

Every guru says that you MUST build your list and I am here to say that this is not the case and it will not make you more money.

The money is in having as many people see your offer or product on a daily basis and doing this consistently.

Are u encouraging people to NOT have a follow up list? As such has been proven to make people more money. Although, one can make money without a list. However I've seen a ton of people fail because they didn't establish any follow up method, and looked for that one shot sale.

For online marketing I would certainly encourage everyone to do some sort of list building vs not doing it. Having a follow up method with prospects increased online marketing success, not that it's mandatory, but I can say that in 5 years of online marketing success my list has served me well,and me them

Oh yikes! You could see I was tired when I made that last post. The typos are so funny they don't even make sense.

Of course I'm not encouraging people to NOT have a follow up list. That would be silly. The point being made is that having a list isn't ESSENTIAL to making money online.

When I first started online, there were many people saying "the money is in the list" and that you can't make money online without a big email list. The idea was to create a landing page to capture email addresses and then try to drive traffic to that page to get sign-ups so that you could bombard people with offers and make money.

I'm not saying that doesn't work, but for one thing it isn't as simple as that, or as effective as it can be made to sound.

A "good" list is a good thing, but it isn't (in my opinion) your first priority online. Your first priority should be to add value by providing quality content that meet the needs of your target audience.

Once you've done that and built a relationship with them, you can then seek to build the follow up through a list and gently market to them.

I've been on enough lists of other people and quite frankly got sick of their emails (particularly when you are getting the SAME email from half a dozen different people) and ended up either unsubscribing or just tossing them all in the trash without ever opening them any longer.

So, I guess the two key points to me are...

1. You don't HAVE to have a list to make money online.
2. If you DO have a list, be sure it is a good list with targeted subscribers, and send them quality information.

Blessings,
Angie

You don't absolutely need a list to make money online, but you'll make much more money, faster, easier and more consistently with a responsive list!

Doing business online without a list is like scooping water into a bucket with a sieve. The random trickles that do get into the bucket will take you a very very very long time to fill it up, and you'll waste massive amounts of water with each scoop.

Doing business online with a responsive list is like scooping water into a bucket with a shot glass. Each scoop deposits a small but predictable quantity of water, (significantly more than a sieve) and will fill up the bucket in much less time and with less effort than using a sieve.


talfighel: The money is in having as many people see your offer or product on a daily basis and doing this consistently.
While that is true, studies show it takes about 5-7 exposures to an offer before a prospect will make a purchase. So the majority of sales aren't happening on the first visit.

And since not every visitor will bookmark your site, you need to have a system in place that allows you to pro actively follow up with visitors and get them back to your site again and again.

In other words... build a list.

This way you don't have to keep your fingers crossed hoping that the bookmarkers will come calling soon again. You can initiate email contact with your list whenever you have a reason for them to visit your site.

It gives you a bit more control of your business.

Hermas

I had to chime back in on this.

Those that skip building a list do so at their own peril.

I just had a guy join my business that has been on my list from 2008. And not only did he join he brought 4 people with him in a day.

You never know what is going to interest a person. I take building a list to keep people informed of various things and having them take advantage of something you offer over having to go and spend time, money or otherwise for all new prospects any day.

It may not be Necessary to have a list to prosper but that doesn't make it wise to operate without creating one.

All the best.

Having a list is a great way to leverage your time and the answer to this question is yes because you can develop relationships with hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of people at the push of a button.

Of course one could make a lot of phone calls and do the many tasks that the auto responder normally would do when it comes to followup. As humans we cannot expect to do what seems to be impossible and why bother lol

I agree. I don't have a list and I'm succeeding. So, in my case, a list wasn't needed whatsoever.

I agree, you really don't need a large list, most of the time you can build a business with 10 good I have tried a lot of ways, to me getting a list is the hardest. I have used Facebook and talk to people and I just have not seen the benefit in that yet. Your upline will probably say work your worm market, that may work, but not all the time. I think face time is important, like I like to just go out and talk to people and then say by the way "what do you do for a living" then after they answer the usually ask me what I do. So I tell me and then hand them a business card. My card does not say what company I am with, it just has a 45 second presentation on it and my name and contact. This has worked the best for me. I usually ask for a contact information, like name and email. I then make a follow up that day and ask for a phone number. It works alot easier that way. Hope this has helped some people.

The Key to building a business -- whether offline or online or anything in between is to build a relationship with those you want to offer your products and services to. While going through this thread it's all so real -- some find lists helpful, some not, some are ok with either etc. While all these are tools that indeed need to be used on a 'blended' basis, i.e. one need not be totally dependent on one or the other, the real key is to build a GENUINE rapport with your prospects and existing customers. So many people send out absolutely over-hyped emails to their list that many people end up discarding these emails altogether. While, on the other hand, if your subscribers or even people you speak to over the phone etc., hear your genuineness and specially that your service or product will help THEM, then they will pay attention -- especially so if you will be saving them dollars in their business.

Totally agree with Vishal that people do like to be listened to rather than listen -- they have a lot to tell you know -- so lend them your ears graciously and they will feel connected to you and hopefully convert into paying or referring clients down the line. Cheers.

By the way, I have created a new topic here: Tips for managing stress effectively: Tips For Managing Stress Effectively

It would be great if you participate in sharing your experiences. If you have any questions feel free to post and I will reply asap.

lvantge
Great tip -- thanks. Sounds quite conversational which slowly warms up to a business relationship -- cool.

Well, yes it's very important to have good traffic and exposure to product, but is also very important to have a loyal subscribers list with who to have a close relationship .. they will ensure continuity

[Post edited. Removed all bold - Admin]

I am just now exploring the list thing. I do have one, but it was by accident. I was a moderator on a forum and often got mailed questions by forum members so I collected the addresses in my yahoo email. I use it maybe once a month, but it hasn't been the source of my income.

I know a few gurus in my market that do use lists. They usually make a lot of money at once, perhaps with the launch of a new product and then the sales dwindle down.

Do you have to have a list to make money? No, absolutely not, I do quite well without one. Can I make even more money with a list? Probably.

Hi there, i am new on here so apologies for the lack of photo, i will get one on soon once i get on the other computer.

To build a list is a great way of making money but only in certain business models which lean towards this type of marketing.

However there are many more ways of making money online that do not involve list building, one system that springs to mind is a system i use to make sales through Youtube, they are always straight sales with no list, simply click and buy, the system is targeted and the customer wants the product there and then.

A bit like walking into a shop, you do not go into the shop a few times first to build a relationship with the shopkeeper before finally you go in and buy, you go in because you want something, you buy it, and you leave.

So yes you are right, although list building is a great marketing model, there are ways that work without building a list.

It is always best to build the list anyway even though they have bought what they want, because you never know, people buy more than once remember

All the best
Steven

I think it depends on what your business is. If you are just pitching product then a list is probably not essential. However, if you are pitching a program or an opportunity, then I think a contact list is essential. If someone takes the time to provide you with a phone number and you don't call it, then I think you are doing yourself and your business a dis-service.

The hard work is generating a customer.Of course you want a list - that way you can keep selling them more stuff.

For example, one of the things I market is a weight loss product. I advertise directly to my capture page (just an Aweber hosted form) and redirect them to a sales page. Even if they don't buy the product I now have a prospect to keep marketing to - I'll send other offers (click bank ebooks on weight loss) to them.

You're leaving money on the table if you don't have a list.