Ashamed to Sell? Nuh-uh. Here’s the Key…

There’s this bloke down under named Daniel Throssell who fills my inbox with entertaining (and informative) story-powered emails every day.

I'd like to tell you about a pair of emails he sent last month…

…because they’re so spot on…

…and so relevant to anyone who has ever struggled with selling their services.

Last month, Daniel drove his wife, Hayley, to Midland Hospital in Perth, Australia. She was in labor.

He wrote and sent an email from the waiting room, describing the drive to the hospital, the check-in process, and other not-too-personal details.

The email gave us a little peek into his life, but he never opened the curtain too far.

And, of course, as he always does, Daniel ended this entertaining email with an offer:

If YOU wanna know how to write emails like this one…

That make total internet strangers care about the fact that you’re in a hospital, waiting for a baby, by reading through to the very end (oh hi there)…

 Well, the rules in the Email Copywriting Compendium show you how it's done:

And then he links to the sales page for the Compendium – which, by the way, I own and love.

Great email…

…but that’s not even the one I wanted to tell you about.

It’s the next email Daniel sent that blew my mind.

Turns out a lot of Daniel’s subscribers – including yours truly – sent emails wishing Haley and him well.

But ONE subscriber sent an email spitting venom.

I’ll let Daniel take it from here:

It was a short message — just two words.

And all it said was:

“You’re shameless."

I assume it referred to the fact that I dared to sell something — my Email Copywriting Compendium — at the end of that email.

And this is where Daniel's email gets really good. He writes...

The idea being, presumably, that I was taking a ‘sacred’ moment and ‘profaning’ it with commerce.

So let me take this opportunity to publicly say:

Yes — I AM shameless.

…no, literally:

I feel ZERO shame about what I write in my emails.

Simply because … I don’t do anything I would be ashamed of.

And that includes telling stories from my life.

Am I “ashamed” that I told you a fun story of taking my wife to hospital for the birth?

Not in the least.

Am I “ashamed” that I added a link in that email to buy a high-quality copywriting course for a fair price?

Not in the least.

It goes on from there. But I’ve shared the best bits, the inspiring bits.

Really, that email is inspiring for any of us who ever felt ashamed of selling.

I used to feel that way, but I’m long over it. Why? Because…

The Products and Services I Sell HELP the People Who Buy Them

Period. The end.

If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be in business.

I’m not selling used cars with the speedometers rolled back and the bumpers glued on.

I’m not moonlighting as a crystal meth dealer.

I’m not running a trafficking ring from the basement of a pizza parlor.

I’m helping business owners transform content creation from hard to easy, frustrating to fun. My consulting services and coaching programs help them create better content, captivate prospects, and inspire them to buy.

In every email I write, I offer my services because…

…those who are ready to act will BENEFIT. 

If you’re not ready to act, no problem. Keep tuning in. You’ll always find valuable information, delivered in an entertaining way in my emails.

Info-taining content, combined with an offer.
That’s what you get if you’re on my email list. 

And like Daniel, I’m not ashamed.

I used to think otherwise. I used to think I was being pushy if I promoted myself in my emails.

But I know better now.

One last thing about this…

I’m reading a great book called The Art of Asking by artist/songwriter Amanda Palmer. Her belief: Asking connects us as humans. If we allow shame to keep us from asking, we actually undermine opportunities to connect. She writes…

“Almost every important human encounter boils down to the act, and the art, of asking.”

Then, referring to her friends who are ashamed to ask, she says, “I wanted to tell my friends it was not only unnecessary to act shame-ridden and apologetic, it was counterproductive.”

Take that to heart, dear readers and...

...go forth and ask...

...without shame!

Speaking of which…

I recently re-released a training I used to offer only as a live seminar. It's now available on-demand to watch whenever you want. It’s called:

How to Harness the Magnetic Power of Stories
to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act
So You Can Get More Clients Quickly and Easily

…and you can watch it here.