Do you really need a list to make money online?

I was watching a Webinar in which Jason Fladlien, one of the IM gurus, recommended not worrying about the list to start with.

He said to start with the sales page. Make sales and you will make money online. If you start with trying to build a list you will get frustrated at the slow lack of progress and want to quit.

Once you start selling something via a sales page you can move on to concentrate on building a list. This way you can get something out there quickly and practice your traffic methods out on it.

He did say that the list is the key. It is all about long term money vs short term gains. The list is for the long term, if you give value you will get value back.

So Sales Page first, start selling then worry about the list.

I think that it would be wise to create a list if you can. Why would you limit yourself to not having one?

I believe that in some niches, it is important to have a targeted list of subscribers . . . in others, not so much.

For example, I have an SEO content writing business, where I provide a writing service to clients in need of articles, web pages, blog posts, ebooks, etc. Those people are actively looking for a service provider, usually one they need quickly. They are wanting to get on someone's list, possibly waiting for weeks before getting a writer. In this instance, I don't need a list - and I have plenty of clients, more work than I can do at times.

Is a list always necessary? No - but in many cases, it definitely is.

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum, but I like that this is the first thread I saw, when I signed up. I just posted to my blog, about the ever-present "The Money is in the List" statement.
Personally, I dislike the idea of list-building, though I recognize that there is good sense in it.
What I dislike about it is based on my own experience : I find something online, that I hope will teach me something new about growing my business, & click on a link - only to be Captured, by a (you guessed it) capture page! So, in good faith (& in order to access the promised information, of course), I surrender.
Next thing I know, I'm receiving e-mails, sometimes 2 a week; then, increasing in intensity, 3, 4, & more, times, a week - until I'm getting them every day - each telling me something patently more absurd than the last, such as, "I found this the other day, & thought I would pass it along." Or "one of my good friends sent me this information, & I'm passing it along to you." And blah blah blah, on & on.
I know, of course, the strategy behind such transparent attempts to market to me,& I understand that we're all just trying to make money - but I dislike, intensely, being shouted at, on a daily basis, to buy this, buy that, this is my Last Chance.
I've been trying to come up with a way of earning money Without building a list, because I don't want to annoy or anger people the way I have been, by marketers that, I think, are taking it too far. Especially, when they begin to market not only their own product - but all of their friends', too. Just my opinion

It is annoying if you subscribe to something and then find you can't easily unsubscribe.

A good opt in should have an easy opt out.

talfighel: 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.
Not everyone checks their bookmarks even if they hit that button. Although not everyone reads the emails sent from your list. Most people now of days just Googles to find what they want, once they find it and get their information, they are gone.

You may not ever get anything else in front of them ever again.

If you dangle a freebie in front of them to get their email, they may give it to you and then you can constantly keep fresh content going to them.

When was the last time you checked your bookmarks?

Brian Snipes: When was the last time you checked your bookmarks?
30 seconds ago when I clicked the Work-At-Home-Forum link.
But you are half right, half of mine are years old and never clicked again.
I'd father have a 50/50 chance someone will bookmark me and find it again.
The SHARE buttons are far more important on your page than a bookmark button.

I have to agree with Rich on this one. Not only are you leaving money on the table...you are leaving LOTS of money on the table.

If you have ANY traffic whatsoever, why not capture them while they are there? You may never get another chance! Not having an auto responder set up when you have targeted traffic visiting your site is an incredible waste. If you don't want to spend money on an auto responder, there are free ones that will serve your purpose just as well.

I wholeheartedly suggest having a list if you really want to have a sustainable business!

This is my personal opinion about list building based upon my experience over the years. It works for some and not for others.

List building was a great thing in it's prime years ago. Now it is not effective. For the most part, people are more informed about buying things through email marketing and many times people do not buy things in an email. If you subscribe to 2 lists, you will notice that both are selling you something and people have a habit of not buying as much from 1 person anymore.

I never did a lot with a list and now I do not have one. I have subscribed to many throughout the years and I rarely even open their emails because all they ever do is sell something. I either unsubscribe or delete the emails. I never open any from people selling something. I do have a couple that I read that offer real tips and no selling, I always end up going back to their site.

A good point about having a big list tho is that there are people who will pay you to mail to your list. Not sale based, but pay you just to email to a big list. This can be profitable!

I am not going to tell anybody that it is a bad idea to have a list, tho if all you do is sell something you may ruin your reputation. If people do not have interaction with you and you offer a product, they may not take your word seriously. If you offer true value in your emails first and throw in a product here and there, you would probably profit from it. If all emails are selling a product, you probably won't gain a profit.

I prefer social media, blogging and rss feed. I subscribe to blogger's rss feed often and always open those emails. I like to read new posts from blogs.

As I said, this is based on my own opinion and experience along with the experience of people I know.

Brian Snipes: When was the last time you checked your bookmarks?
Funny.

When it comes to building a list, don't count on book marks for sure.
I've had people on my list for 3 years that team up with me. Anyone not establishing a contact list in their online marketing are really leaving hurting themselves in the long run.

The fortune is in the follow up!