You might have noticed on our site that we recently added a pop-over box inviting people to join our e-mail list to get our very well received audio program.

You may have even noticed pop-over box when you tried to read this post.

It’s something we’ve wanted to test for years.  We finally decided not to think about it too much and told our VA just to do it.

Rather than spend time thinking too much about the design and how exactly it should work, we told her just to use the Aweber form wizard to get one up fast.

Then the complaints hit.

Did we screw up?

I started wondering whether the pop over was a bad idea all around.

Thankfully I looked at the numbers as well and discovered that the number of e-mail opt-ins had doubled.

I’m no math wiz, but even I can see what that could mean for our business.

But what about the complaints? Well, we finally discovered the one bit that we did mess up on.

The pop over was coming up on every page, every single time someone click to a new page.

I would be annoyed, too!

So we fixed that and now it only comes up once.

We apologize for the few days of annoyance that this caused. But, hey, we’re always trying new things so we can come back and share the results with you.

You might be thinking you want to add a pop over to your site now, too.

Before you do that, there are a few important lessons that we can draw from this experience.

#1 Action!

FIRST, sometimes you just need to “ready, fire, aim.”

Why didn’t we try this to years ago?! We were over-thinking it to the point of inaction.

Really, it only took a five-minute e-mail to our VA to get it done.

#2 Listen and Fix!

SECOND, listen to your community. But balance what they are saying against the numbers.

We definitely screwed up with the pop-over frequency. It was an oversight.

We’re glad our community pointed out something that clearly needed to be fixed.

#3 Test!

THIRD, always be testing.

You should always test and track new ideas.One change could boost your business.

We plan to keep our eye on this test and will then probably follow it up with something else.

If the results still hold, the next step is too try a nicer design and see how that performs.

So, is a pop over opt-in box the right move for you?

Only testing can tell.

QUESTION: Have you tried a pop-over and what was the result?

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

When it comes to email campaigns, it’s vital to have interesting subject lines to get them opened.

Here are some of my favorite subject lines from recent marketing emails I’ve received:

• A gift for you…

• The #1 question people ask me

• How to clean your email list

• The only success strategy that works every time

• How to get started (a weird story)

Time and again, the email subject lines with the highest open rates are the ones with self-interest for the reader.

In other words, focus on the reader in your subject line…and not on your offer.

When you look at the few examples above, they all offer something of value to the reader. Your email with a great self-interest based subject line is like an intriguing package they can’t help but open. The promise of something just for them is too much to pass up!

And when you add an “oddity” to the subject line, such as the “weird story” addition to the last example on the list, the sense of intrigue is cranked up all the way. The result? A subject line no one can pass up!

So when it comes time to write your own emails, don’t just settle on a quick subject line so you can move on to something else. Look at your email and what you have to offer in order to find the hidden gems of information that will force a reader to open it.

To come up with a good subject line, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the email offering useful info the reader can use immediately? (If so, perhaps a “How To” subject line will work.)

• Are you giving something away? (Maybe the “A gift for you…” approach is appropriate.)

• Do you have an interesting story to share? (Use intrigue from the story that will benefit your customer as the subject line.)

When you focus on your prospect when writing your subject lines, you’ll instantly boost the open rates of your emails and get them to read your messages!

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Mike Denison is a freelance copywriter with over 20 years experience in direct response marketing, including print advertising, direct mail, online sales letters, and email campaigns. More info at www.logikmarketing.com

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

One aspect of the servant mentality I am going to talk about is Customer Service.  People purchasing products online have come to expect the same customer service they experience at retail stores.  By providing excellent customer service experience you will strengthen customer relationships and make them advocates for your business.

Some of the strongest online businesses became giants by focusing on customer service.  Zappos.com for instance was just another Internet shoe store.  There were many brick and mortar shoe stores that also had an online presence. How could an Internet startup with no physical store to allow customers to hold products even think they could compete with the many established shoe stores that have been around for decades?  The answer is superior customer service!  I have outlined how you can provide superior customer service for your customers.

Here’s how:

1.    Win the customer’s hearts and minds to obtain word of mouth benefits to help you build your business.

For example a lady called Zappos.com to return her husband’s boots because he had passed away. Zappos.com processed the return and sent flowers the next day. I’m confident in saying that the lady became an advocate for their company after that.  The mere fact that I’m repeating this story is testimony to Zappos.com’s superior customer service.

Remember to be a person first and treat all your customers with respect and kindness just like you would friends and family.

2.    Systems and Procedures for consistent customer experience.

Did you ever go to a restaurant a number of times and each time the experience was different?  If so you probably stopped going there because your customer experience was hit or miss.  On the other hand McDonalds Corporation is the master of Systems and Procedures.  Regardless of the location of McDonalds you know what the experience will be like every time you go there.  That is one of the reasons McDonalds is so successful.

When you are building your online business you should develop Systems and Procedures for every aspect of your business.  There are volumes that can be written on this topic.  To learn more about Systems and Procedures I recommend a book called The E Myth by Michael Gerber.

3.    Follow-up with a thank you and ask how you can serve your customers better.

All business comes down to how well you build your relationship with your customers.  Whether your customers are inquiring or purchasing products from you thank them and ask how you can serve them better.  Collect customer feedback and overtime implement commonly requested changes to better serve your customers.

4.    Give corrective feedback.

Let customers know that you have made changes to better accommodate there needs.  I know when I hear back from companies that they have implemented changes to better serve the customer I feel more confident in purchasing products from them in the future.

For example I purchased an e-product that became outdated from an online retailer.  When online retailer updated the product they sent me a free copy of the update.  I am now an advocate for that online retailer.

5.    Be proactive and not reactive.

If you begin to notice an insufficient component occurring in your business address the issue immediately.  Do not let it linger!

Resolve the issue before the customer brings it to your attention. Your reputation is on the line. You must always deliver the best possible customer experience.

6.    Let customers know you care.

When you have an online business with hundreds or thousands of people it can be extremely difficult to maintain many relationships even with all the social media tools.  Make announcements on your site or send emails thanking all your customers for their support and business.

A couple of times per year hand select a customer or two and give them personal attention and access to your products for free.  You could even hold a drawing for this to create some buzz about your business.  Expect nothing in return.  Your reputation and business will expand by word of mouth by doing this.

7.    Anticipate questions by building a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

The FAQ page will continuously be a work in progress. As time goes you will be able to direct customers to your FAQ page.

8.    Respond quickly to customers.

When customers submit a question you should have an automatic reply telling them their question is very important to you, give them a time frame they can expect to hear back from you and finally have a link to your FAQ page.  Depending on the volume of questions developing a process to handle them in a hierarchical manner is key to being productive with your customer service efforts.  All questions are important but you need to weed out time wasters too.  I typically answer existing customer questions first then sales questions and answer information gatherer questions last.

9.    Hold your customer’s hand during their experience with your business.

Never assume anything.

Each customer’s needs are different.  You will have some customers that are more advanced than others.  Not all customers are the same.  Some may need instructions on how to get started using your site or product.  Some may not need any assistance with your site or product.  You may need to consider dividing your customers into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups to better serve them.  Then put procedures in place for serving each segment.

10.    Don’t sound harsh in your email responses.

It is easy to sound cold in emails.  When you respond to your customers take time to make it personal like you are talking to a friend.

For example I asked for help from an online store inquiring about a product.  When they replied to me four days later the answer was short and abrasive. At that point I went elsewhere.

That company does not even realize they lost a sale because they were not personable in their response. Imagine how much business they have lost because they are not personable? With that said be friendly and humble with your customer correspondence.

In conclusion these steps will put you on the right path to delivering superior customer service to help expand your business. You must believe that the customer is king because without them you do not have a business. The key to customer service is attitude. Some customers can be extremely difficult and challenging. You must not take anything personally. Take professional corrective action with the utmost respect for your customer. The customers that are a pleasure to deal with will make your business worthwhile and they help keep your enthusiasm for building the business further.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

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Tom Sasnauskas is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience focusing on Information Technology and Small Business. Tom helps people learn both topics with his expert advice at Understand IT Now and Job Talk Today.

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

In this episode of Internet Business Mastery we expose the Insider Secrets of Email Marketing with Tom Kulzer, CEO of Aweber – found at: GetYourEmailList.com. Plus we have a quick tip about how to get maximum exposure with your viral video content.

NOTE: Thanks to everyone that sent in a question for Tom!  We asked and he answered as many as we could before he had to go!  If you would like to get the full interview with Tom, CLICK HERE

Items mentioned in this episode:

• Aweber – The ONLY email marketing campaign service for the Internet Business Mastery Community!
• Tubemogul – Distribute your viral videos to MULTIPLE sites at once, plus a bunch more! Oh yeah, it’s free!
• Internet Business Mastery Membership/Community Site – This is coming VERY soon!

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

We’ve mentioned on the show before how a large part of the equity in your business is in the list of clients/customers that you develop a relationship with. A very common way to start the list (and relationships) is by getting permission to send email to site visitors so you can follow up with them on a regular basis.In this episode we go over five tips to help you build your email opt-in list. These email list building strategies will greatly increase the number of site visitors you convert into subscribers. Then we go over a technique for making money with your email list starting right away.

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Yank Font

CAN SPAM Laws

Our preferred email list management service

Internet Business Gift Guide

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

In this episode we talk about the #1 purpose of your internet business web site (and it’s probably not what you’re thinking). It even takes precedence over selling products.

Also, Sterling reveals how he boosted his monthly profit by thousands of dollars with one simple change to his system. This leads us to discussion of how it is important to be flexible as an internet entrepreneur. We also talk about the strategy retreat we had in New York City to discuss our goals for Internet Business Mastery.

Finally, we give an Internet Business Quick tip on how to get better response rates on your Google Adwords campaigns.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Email List Management – this is the system that we both use to manage our email lists

Google Adwords Course – this course is the best out there on how to use Google Adwords to drive traffic to your site

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.