One thing you’ll hear me talking about a lot these days…
Is the idea of the “long tail.”
For example, when it comes to what I’m doing with my content…
The way I write an email every day, post stuff on my blog and LinkedIn, make videos for YouTube, am launching a Podcast, etc…
I’m not doing any of that for an immediate transactional purpose.
Instead, I’m doing it because of the long-tail benefits these things will bring.
You see…
I love talking, teaching, and writing about copy, mindset, entrepreneurialism, marketing, etc…
And I believe that by sharing my experiences and thoughts on these topics…
I can make a really positive impact in the careers, and lives, of so many people.
So that’s my motivation…
To help people live better, fuller, richer lives…
And it’s why I do what I do.
Of course with that being said…
As an entrepreneur and a businessman…
I also really enjoy making money…
And the thing is…
I believe that over time…
By being so giving, and by providing so much value to others…
The financial “what’s in it for me” part will take care of itself.
In other words…
I feel confident that because of our relationship…
You’ll probably end up attending one of my events…
Or buying a course I put out, or a book I write…
Or joining my Copywriting Mastermind…
Or you’ll introduce me to someone who becomes a mentor…
Or we’ll enter into a business relationship together…
Or something else.
And I’m very comfortable saying that and not feeling weird about it…
Because frankly, I only put out things that are best in class…
And my only focus is on helping people to better their lives – from both a business perspective and a personal perspective too…
So why would I feel bashful or ashamed about offering those things to you?
And here’s the bigger point…
I’m completely at peace with the fact that you and I may do something together in a few weeks from now…
Or we may do something in a few years from now…
And it doesn’t really matter.
If I focused on transactions with people…
It would be exhausting…
But more importantly…
It would also be unfulfilling…
Because transactions are fleeting…
But relationships are nourishing and can last a lifetime.
—
Now I want to shift gears and talk about the idea of a “long tail” approach in a completely different context.
Check this out…
As I’ve talked about before…
For my first health supplement offers, we grossed $23MM in a single year…
And I netted a few million dollars…
But I also left several million on the table…
Because I was brand new…
And there was all this stuff about increasing profitability that I didn’t know.
Then around that same year…
I did a venture with a partner in the CBD space…
And we had $2MM in net profit snatched away from us…
After the merchant processor we were using shut down overnight (it’s a long story and one for a different email).
In the case of my first supplement offer…
It was a great experience for me, but I could have done better.
In the case of the CBD venture…
It was a shitty experience for me, because I was expecting a $1MM windfall that I never got. ($1MM = My Half of the Profit)
So why am I sharing that with you?
Well because as I was driving home from the Strip this past Sunday…
I had a realization, and it’s all about the long tail.
As anyone who has been reading my content for even a few days knows…
I have a new health supplement offer with a partner that’s doing very well…
And when I’ve done the math on it…
There’s a chance that we could net $15MM in profit from this offer in 2020.
That’s $7.5MM for my partner and $7.5MM for me…
Which would be pretty awesome.
And here’s the big realization I had:
The only reason this funnel might personally net me $7.5MM today…
When most operators would be lucky to net $3MM from it…
Is because of the mistakes I made with my first health offer – where left a bunch of money on the table…
Along with my $2MM CBD debacle – where I learned a TON of valuable lessons.
And so even though those experiences were frustrating at the time…
When I look at things over a longer horizon…
It’s like yeah, I lost out on maybe $3MM between those two things…
But because of that…
I’m now in the position to realize upwards of $7.5 MM this year.
Does that make sense?
If we stop looking at big events in our businesses or careers as isolated incidences…
And instead…
We view them as the dashes on an ever-expanding horizon…
Suddenly we realize that mistakes or losses…
Things that seemed painful at the time…
May actually be exactly what was needed to propel us further down the road…
And to realize much greater returns in the not too distant future.
—
I know this one got a little philosophical…
But it’s a really interesting concept to me.
I truly believe that shifting my mindset around this, so that:
1. I think about almost everything in relational terms, instead of transactional terms…
2. I’m more focused on the long tail effects of my actions, rather than the short-term ones…
Has made a HUGE difference in my level of effectiveness…
Led to less anxiety and clearer thinking…
And helped me to move closer to becoming the man I want to be.
—
Okay, that’s it for today.
If you have any thoughts on this subject…
Please feel free to comment and let me know.
On my end – I’m going to record some video and audio content talking about this same concept in a second…
– SPG
P.S. If you’re new to my blog, don’t worry. There will be plenty of times where I’ll talk specifically about copy or get nice and tactical. But the reality is, mindset is just as important to your success as any tricks or tips. And when I finally realized this, my life rapidly changed for the better. So I’d ask that you have an open mind to this more “meta” stuff too 🙂
P.P.S. If you know someone who would find value in posts like this one, feel free to share. Also, they can apply to join my list using this link here.