The strangling ropes of analytics

One of the most liberating things I have ever learned in this bid’niz was over 15 years ago when Ken McCarthy hired me to write the bullets to sell the CD’s to his System Seminar training that year. One of the trainings was from the great Sean D’Souza's talk. And, I will never forget his answer to a question from someone asking for data and analytics proving the methods he was teaching worked, etc. Sean’s answer? “We don’t use analytics or any of that and I don’t have any data — I started out as a cartoonist and I moved to marketing and this has allowed us to take 3 vacations per year, buy houses, travel, do all the things we really wanted to do. We earn more money than we need.” I remember thinking: “Yep. That’s what I want instead of being a slave to a spreadsheet.” I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t go blind fapping to your righteous metrics or analytics but I find them mostly find them highly unreliable when it comes to email. And, in fact, people I've talked to or heard from about it over the years mostly just talk about them for ego value, to brag about their clients' results they didn't have nearly as much to do with as they pretend to, and that sort of thing. In my business' case: I care far more about time than money. And without spending hours pouring over all the typical IM goo-roo razzle dazzle that impresses would-be clients and goo-roo fanboys at the seminars and big launches and in Facebook groups, my business sales go up each year, and have steadily especially since implementing the ideas I talk about inside the upcoming September Email Players issue. The entire issue is about something I call: “Sociological Marketing” It’s almost the exact opposite of having the typical Psychological Marketing email approach. Much less “safe” too, admittedly. But a whole lot more fun and, for my business, a whole lot more profitable. This is why I couldn’t even tell you what my open rates are even though I can easily see them in BerserkerMail. Or what my opt in rates are. Or what each click is worth. Or any other soft metrics that mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. I rarely ever think about them. If I was driving cold traffic, I obviously would track conversions from that. But even then, my cold traffic game would be dictated by the Sociological structure of my business, and not by whatever media I was using to drive that traffic, or what anyone else is doing that is supposedly working now. Instead, what I do is look at my sales each month. Did they trend up? Then I’m good. On the other hand, did sales go down? If so, I look at lot of NON-metric things first: Like my offer, traffic, the time of the year (seasons effect sales in my business), current events, the kinds of emails I’ve been writing, how I’m curating my list, expectations I give to would-be buyers, consumption (and, thus, people benefiting, wanting more...) of what I sell, and a bunch of other non-metric data you can't measure with a spreadsheet. When I am focused on the important things, like not majoring in the minors stressing out over an open rate for example, it always works itself out in the next month or two, and I’m back on top. Anyway, here's the point: If you want complicated and technical, I ain’t your guy. There are other, far more geeky and tech-savvy, people you should be learning from. If you want dirt simple, and more time to enjoy life, and have a business that works for you (instead of you working for it) then I’m your boy. Or not. that’s entirely up to you either way. What I can tell you is, the Sociological approach I use and teach (first in my elBenbo Press book about my high ticket book & newsletter publishing model — 100% based on this Sociological approach — and now, at a much deeper level, in the upcoming September Email Players issue) is probably not going to appeal to most marketers. These people are simply too hell bent on making life complicated. And often just for the sake of it, and no other real reason. Or they are trying to mimic what a billion dollar direct marketing company like Agora — that has completely different variables & logistics & responsibilities than a smaller company with a list of 5 or 10 or 20 thousand opt-ins — is doing, and think they gotta do the same. The one who will especially hate what I have to say about this? The guys prancing around the room at conferences & masterminds, and who only talk to an echo chamber of other direct marketers day in, and day out, and never look around at other Options for Thinking Differently. Many a direct marketer I know screws themselves by not thinking outside their own industry this way. I certainly did, too, for several years. More: My way gives you nothing to brag about to your friends either. Frankly, if you do what I advocate those people will probably look at you like you’re insane. Plus, it’s also not something you just abruptly shift to even if you do like it. I talk about this in the September issue as well. Finally: Other than Sean's take above (and I am not up on how he does things today) I cannot even show you examples of other marketers doing it in any meaningful way. Not to the degree I advocate at least. Most of my influences are NON direct marketers. And all I have done is take what I see them doing and apply to my direct marketing-powered business as the two (Psychological and Sociological) marketing can work quite nicely together. Okay at this point you’re either interested or not. If you are? The deadline to subscribe in time is in two days. Here is the mighty link: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2023 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA