Once upon a time, there was a nobody-marketer from Boulder Colorado with no product, no list, no marketing experience, no confidence, and very little money.
He just had a weird passion.
His name was James Fry and by the light of day, he hated his job doing the technical aspects of WordPress web design.
While in the dark of the night, he dreamed of fish and flora.
In other words, his passion was “aquaponics”… helping people grow super-nutritious food in water by combining various forms of marine life and edible plants.
And like millions of dreamers, he’d thrown together a mish-mash of ideas from random marketers he’d seen online.
Unfortunately, his doubts locked him in chains.
Then James got lucky.
In desperation, he grabbed one of my trainings when I was still including my crazy, unlimited coaching/critique offer. What was I thinking?
And even more amazing… despite his doubts and embarrassment about how little he knew, he swallowed his pride and contacted me for help.
James was positively passionate about aquaponics, but doubted it was a viable business.
And even if he had a good thing, could he sell it?
He told me “I’d never sold anything to anyone… and I had all the fears and misconceptions about selling being bad.”
“And even if I tried, I’d be amazed if I could sell even one copy of my product, but I’m actually worried it will sell NOTHING and be a total failure” (at minute 4:42 on this inspiring audio clip.)
So I took a look at his ideas, went back and forth with him a few times, and showed him an example of a real “Goliath” in his niche, with a massive ad budget, killer copywriting, and high-flying videos.
Of course, James couldn’t compete head-to head with the “big dogs” on their own turf.
It would be stupid to try.
He was a true “David” in this story.
But that’s the beauty of guerilla tactics.
You don’t need to spend a fortune.
You don’t need a Hollywood production studio.
You don’t compete with expensive marketing weapons at all (though you can still use them).
You stay nimble, fast, and mobile, so you can strike in a heartbeat… without warning.
And like so many tentative entrepreneurs, James needed only the slightest bit of validation for his ideas and game plan… plus the right tools… from someone who knows the enormous power of low-cost, high-conversion guerilla email marketing, and has made it work consistently in real life.
So James got to work.
He put a product together and harnessed the power of the EMAIL ALCHEMY “guerilla launch”.
Following my step-by-step instructions, he wrote an amazing (and lengthy) e-mail series to sell his aquaponics course.
And what happened?
>>> He gave a few of those emails to a BIG DOG JV partner in the grow-your-own-food niche…
>>> Low and behold, they sent them out (his opt-in rate from the e-mails was a jaw-dropping 95%!!)…
>>> In just over a week’s time, James built his list into the thousands…
>>> And pulled in $4.45 PER NAME!
Despite his fears, no one complained about the number of e-mails.
He sold at a HIGHER price point… double that of the BIG DOGS, which gave him an ADVANTAGE.
And James now has a re-deployable asset (he’s rolling it back out immediately).
Best of all, he QUIT is soul-sucking day job at the wordpress factory!
Without EMAIL ALCHEMY and the “guerrilla launch” formula, he’d never have made it. (8:01 on the short interview).
Looking back, James says his fears were ridiculous.
The accomplishment itself, that it’s possible to make money “out of thin air,” was (almost) as good as the money itself.
Writing the e-mails, while following the EMAIL ALCHEMY formula, was a HUGE time saver (20:09 on the audio) and was actually FUN!
Now that the dust has settled, James said he’s still in “shock and awe” from these results.
The sound of those sale notifications pouring into his in-box was magical.
He even had a little “money dance” he would do with his family (we don’t have that on video, it would probably be too embarrassing).
So the lesson here?
The power of e-mail is not just alive and well… it’s STILL the secret weapon that allows the little guy to level the playing field and succeed against established rivals in any niche.
James did NOT do what most people in his position do.
He did not waste his time with every shiny new marketing object that came down the pike in an effort to compete on the enemy’s terms.
He did not waste months or even years trying to climb the product launch formula learning curve.
No fancy pants videos.
No podcasting.
No blogging.
No moving the free line fandango.
None of it.
He simply re-wrote the rules of engagement, by doing email the way nobody else does, the EMAIL ALCHEMY way.
So you have to ask yourself:
Are you like a little Israelite, endlessly making ready to meet the giant Philistine in your niche… struggling to even move in your hundred pounds of full body armor… cumbersome shield in one hand… heavy sword, javelin and spear clenched in the other…
…When a little courage and a trusty sling shot will do?
But NOT any old e-mails.
NOT the ones that turn loyal customers against you.
NOT the ones that piss off your prospects.
NOT the ones the trigger a stampede of unsubscribes.
No, GUERILLA emails that build goodwill and let you profit from product after product, year after year.
It’s why Jon Benson asked me to create that $450,000 e-mail campaign last year.
Because these e-mails are different.
AND HERE’S THE BEST NEWS OF ALL:
I’m holding an all-new EMAIL ALCHEMY workshop next week…
… Because after a year and a half of testing, I’ve figured out how to QUADRUPLE its profit-pulling power.
Just a few more nights burning the midnight oil and the sign up page will be ready.
It’ll be like the Ferrari showroom floor for the new models.
There’ll be a greedy crowd pushing and shoving to get closer to the stunning new model under the glittering cloak.
Then, amid gasps and awe, I’ll unveil my new creation with a flourish…
The outrageously faster, ridiculously easier, and far more comprehensive and profitable version of the most powerful e-mail creation technology ever created:
EMAIL ALCHEMY “ELITE”!!
Glue yourself to your inbox on June 19.
There are just 1,000 seats available for this free training.
Be ready to pounce as soon as you see the email.
James is basking in his passion… the satisfaction of knowing he’s helping families grow nutritious, pesticide free food. And he has their money to prove it.
What about you?
Click Play To Listen:
I like the case study provided here. Interesting that you don’t need a big budget, but a great JV partner.
One question: How do you evaluate a niche? I mean to say, how do you know if there are enough people out there who want to buy a product such as food production, or anything else somewhat obscure?
Hey Grant,
James here (featured in the article).
I think Daniel’s best advice would be “look for a precedent”. My market is indeed niche, but believe it or not there is quite an industry and popularity for my type of product (aquaponics).
The popularity actually plays to my advantage because there is a TON of low quality and mis-information out there on the topic. I’ve been doing and teaching it for years so I provide simplified guidance.
To further answer your question:
I think that you might think about WHO would be a ready and willing buyer of your niche product and find who might get the most use out of it, even if they don’t realize they will. Then sell them on your solution.
Hope that helps. Feel free to email me at james (at) groweverywhere.com
Keep growing,
James~