I do a lot of sales through email marketing — to folks who specifically requested that I email ’em.

I don’t email all that much; most months, I don’t email at all.

For the past month, I’ve been sending 1-2 emails a week. Not just “buy my shit” emails, but free samples from the class, free advice, true life stories of the lessons I’ve learned. (Plus fat discounts for my 30×500 Product Launch Class.)

In other words: good shit. Good news. Stuff people want.

OMG! A European Is Angry on the Internet!

And yesterday this email appeared in my inbox:

Amy, I really like you and your blog. Really, I mean it. However you’re getting in touch more often than my mum. I’m not sure if it’s how it works in the US, but in Europe people rather get pissed off. I have plenty of e-mails already. I like to read some of your stuff if it’s time to time. I will unsubscribe if you’ll be sending so many e-mails.

No hard feelings, just saying.

Action Required!! …Or is it?

What would you do, if you got this email?

Probably try to stop annoying people, right? After all, you don’t want to piss off a bunch of Europeans, do you?

Well… yes. You really, really do.

Pissing people off is actually great for your business. Not just great — but required.

Why I’m Happy to Piss People Off

Here’s what I wrote back:

And that, my friend, is why so many Europeans fail at their businesses.

They think that some imaginary social boundaries are more important than doing what’s necessary — and more important than doing what helps the most people.

The folks who stay on my list are the ones who want to hear from me… and they buy. The folks who unsubscribe are the ones who don’t buy.

Why would I waste my effort & potential income & dilute my message in order to please people who won’t buy?

Being successful means doing what works over & over & over again. And that’s just what I’m doing.

Overly didactic? Snarky? Maybe. But truth.

The folks who are invested are staying on my list — overwhelmingly. Over 90% of them stick around.

You know, I almost don’t even care if those people buy what I’m selling. The invested people who stick around are infinitely more likely to be people I can help. Who’ll take my free advice and put it to use.

Which furthers my mission to create more happy, healthy, thriving indie biz.

Irritated people don’t invest. They don’t listen — even when it’s free. And if they don’t listen, what’s the chance that they’ll implement it?

I can’t help them.

So I’m happy when they get fed up and leave.

The Bottom Line: Aphorisms Edition

The empty can rattles the most. And our immediate, instinctive urge is to try to please them. We want to please people.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But it shouldn’t — not when that wheel’s never gonna roll the direction you want.

But we’ve gotta save up our precious energy & focus for our customers who are already pretty happy.

There’s no reward in listening to people who want to change everything about you, your business, or your products.

What do you do?

Do you have a great pissed-off-non-customer story? Have you caved to the loud minority before? (I have — it’s an almost irresistible urge.) Do you have an “action plan” for handling emails like that?

How do you make your first sale?

Follow our FREE roadmap from $0 to $10k and start your product business one small, achievable win at a time.

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