Please, No More Newsletters!

How's your inbox? Stuffed and overflowing with unread mail?

If you are like me, you probably receive at least five to ten valuable newsletters daily. Most of these are great, and full of useful information.

But, I just can't read them all. If I read all the "useful" information I received from newsletters each day, I would spend at least half of each day reading!

If I'm reading, I'm not doing.

Doing creates profit for my business. I simply cannot afford to spend half my productive time reading all the wonderful information you send me!

I think the concept of the newsletter has gotten out of hand.

If it takes me more than 30 seconds to read your message, you are wasting my time.

When I send you a newsletter, you will never get the whole issue via email. I will send you a list of the titles of the relevant articles, and a link to the PDF for you to print and peruse at your leisure. I want you to read my newsletter when you are relaxing in your easy chair after work, or spending a few quiet minutes with your morning cup of coffee.

I heard something interesting the other day about the difference between how children and adults listen. When you tell a child a story, they will give you 100% of their attention. That's why fairy tales are so useful in teaching values to children. Instead of telling them what to do (which all of us hate), you tell them about actions and consequences. Children listen to stories, and then go out and play. They have the leisure time to process the information behind the story.

If you tell a child the story of Red Riding Hood, they will at first be horrified that the wolf ate Grandma, and then wonder why in the world Red Riding Hood didn't recognize that the wolf wasn't Grandma before she even entered the room. The story of Red Riding Hood teaches children there are bad things and people out there, and they need to be cautious and watch out for the hidden wolf.

If you tell the same story to an adult, they will think to themselves, "Oh, what a sad story, and how terrible for Little Red!" Their attention will immediately transfer to what they will be having for dinner, which child needs to be picked up next, or the bill payment they need to get in the mail before tomorrow.

Adults are bombarded with so much information they learn to filter out everything but the most urgent and important.

Back to email. If you know that the average adult will only spend a few seconds on your message, why in the world would you send them a page full of data? Since most of us access email at work, we simply do not have the leisure time to process your information!

If you want my full attention, give me snippets via email. Don't try to sell me, or send me a book. Mentally, I have too much to process. If your message takes me more than 30 seconds to read, I will probably ignore it. Instead, send me the highlights, and a link to a PDF I can print and read at my leisure. I keep reading material with me at all times, while I am waiting for an appointment, or one of my children.

When you put together your next promotional message, keep this in mind. Thirty seconds, max. Anything more and your message will go right in the trash.