Hi Candidate,
I've learned a few things from reading and answering over 1 million emails from readers.
That's no exaggeration! From the beginning, I read and responded to every single email I got. Even as I got 100 emails a day … 200 emails a day … even 500 emails a day.
What can I say? I love reading your emails to me. (And I learned to type really fast.)
Eventually I started receiving 1,000+ emails a day. And while I couldn't reply to all of them, I was still committed to reading each one. And I still do! And it's still an honor. (You can always reach me at ramit.sethi@iwillteachyoutoberich.com.)
Here's why I still read thousands of emails every day: Because people tell you the truth in words, not in numbers.
I believe real insights come from qualitative feedback — from listening to people — not from reading numbers in some survey.
That's just one of the many things I've learned from my readers over the years. Today, I want to share a few other insights you've given me.
(These just scratch the surface of what we teach you about listening to customers in Greenlight Your Idea — our course on creating a product customers LOVE.)
Lesson #1:
Some people will succeed and some won't
Someone asked me how I get comfortable with my business knowing that many people buy my products and never use them. It's a good question.
Here's my answer: At a high level, success is a numbers game. Take 100 people: Back of the napkin, 10 will crush it … 50 might do well … 20 will refund … and 20 will give up. The big group of 50 is your opportunity. They might go slowly until they succeed, they might pause and resume, or they might even take away non-quantifiable results. I accept that.
I hope you're one of the people we can help. I can give you the world's greatest material to help you do it — but ultimately, it's up to you.
Lesson #2:
Give people what they want,
but slip in what they need
Everyone wants crunchy tactics and scripts they can use today. Great — I'll give you the Briefcase Technique and the exact words to use in conversations and interviews.
But what people really need is mindset changes, new ways to think about common situations, and deeper strategies. The key is that nobody wants to hear about those upfront. By sharing valuable tactics, you earn the right to talk about the deeper, more meaningful strategies.
Lesson #3:
Be careful who you take advice from
I get a lot of people saying, "I didn't buy your course, but here's what you should d—" ZZzZzZz.
Yes, do non-buyer surveys, but I would rather listen to 1 customer than 100 non-buyers. This is why listening to real buyers is so important.
Lesson #4:
People lie
Sometimes the lies are deceptive. But, in my experience, the vast majority of the time people are just (unintentionally) telling you what you want to hear.
The most common lie? "Yeah, that'd be interesting … I'm sure someone would love that!"
Notice how people rarely say, "I'd buy that." (And if they did, what would happen if you said, "OK cool, I'm going to charge $50. You can pay me right now"? Answer: They would not pay.)
People say things to make you feel good. It's not their fault. But as a business owner, it is your responsibility to press them, to push them, and to make good decisions.
Lesson #5:
There's an ocean of buyers out there
If you follow any comment threads online, you'll see tons of people celebrating never spending money on anything ("LOL! Buy a course to start a business?? You could do that for FREE!").
But beneath the cheap commenters who seem to have endless hours a day to comment on Reddit (hmm...), there is an ocean of buyers out there. People who are serious about investing in themselves and are willing to pay for help. They don't think twice about spending thousands of dollars on growth. (Just go look at any of my comment threads. You'll see.) Find them and you have a business.
Lesson #6:
Thank the people you admire
If you find an article, book, or course that you love, let the author know about it!
I love reading the success stories from our readers in my inbox every day, and it's motivated me to reach out to thinkers and authors who inspire me.
This is also how you build relationships with influential people — all with a simple thank you.
Lesson #7:
It's almost impossible to turn a D student
into an A student. Don't try.
Not just in school, but in life.
Some people will always choose the cheapest option … but some will always choose the best option.
Some people will never follow through on what they said … but some always follow through.
It's very difficult to get someone to change which group they're in. Better to just start with people who are good and make them great.
I see this difference every day when I compare the emails I receive from random weirdos ("hey, Ramit, your eyebrows are ugly") with the success stories I receive from my students ("using your material, I increased my annual income by $72,000 over 3.5 years").
That's why I've built my business around A students and spent years learning how to better listen to, understand, and serve them.
It's such a rewarding cycle. I listen to great people … who tell me how to better help them … which attracts even more great people.
That's the power of great customer research. And what I want to share with you in our course, Greenlight Your Idea.
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