People in the room shared just about every method imaginable for building a list. They covered what worked, what didn't, and what you definitely should not do. They shared their personal experiences and the results of their latest list building tests.

A few of the speakers had tremendous impact on me. One was Paul Myers, whom I previously knew primarily from on-line discussion forums. I had also enjoyed several LONG phone calls with him. The other speaker whose message intrigued me was Frank Garon. Frank spoke of buying lists of new subscribers for less than a penny a name. He spoke of something called "co-registration."

Terry Dean also validated for me the impact writing good ezine articles can have at that seminar.

Frank Garon REVEALED that he and other top marketers regularly joined together and bought batches of tens of thousands....maybe 100,000 names. These names were gathered via on-line forms placed on high traffic websites. The forms offered more information on the types of products and services that Frank and his friends offered. The websites' visitors checked this box requesting more information, and these names (along with datestamp, IP address and other relevant information) was passed to the opt-in name purchasers.

As I listened to this talk of building a list of 100,000 in a month or less, I wondered, if it's so great, why isn't everyone doing it? The answer that later became clear is that many of the top marketers ARE doing it. It's not their only method of building a list, but it's definitely one of their most profitable.

The next question that popped into my tiny mind was, "Are these really subscribers or will I be accused of spamming if I send emails to these people?" These people do actually opt-in to receive more information about starting an on-line business. They do physically check a box requesting more information be sent to them. That does technically make them opt-ins.

Later, my coaches and mentors would share with me many SECRETS. One was that when you have access to one of these list, it's all about return on investment. We all know that names purchased via co-opt systems are less responsive. They are less responsive because the subscribers don't know you - they don't have a relationship with you.

These mentors went on to share that there was a proper way to legitimately turn these opt-in "LEADS" into subscribers. The method is very simple. In your first, and every email to them, you remind them that they requested more information of this type through an on-line form. It doesn't hurt to include the date, IP address and email address they subscribed from. Then you go on to share some fantastic information with them... maybe in the form of your ezine. In every contact with these purchased names you also include an easy method for them to unsubscribe.

If you provide genuine value, over time, you will build a relationship with many of these leads. Many will unsubscribe, but again - the important metric is return on investment. that's what you need to track. If you start out with 100,000 names but 6 months later that list has dwindled down to 10,000 or maybe even 1000, what is the lifetime value of those list members remaining? That's the question you need to ask. You answer that largely based upon what you currently earn for each subscriber on your list.

Another concept that sank into my head at Joel's workshop was the concept of building sub-lists. These are lists that are kept separated based upon the source. This allows you to send emails/offers to your lists based upon list demographics or how they were acquired.

I now have many sub-lists. These sub-lists are from articles I written, teleseminars I conducted, interviews I given, course I've authored, website forms, joint ventures, and co-registration purchases. Each list is generally set up as an autoresponder that I can send select messages to. My autoresponder system allows me to send out an unlimited number of both scheduled and unscheduled messages.

The primary system I use cost me $19 per month for an unlimited number of autoresponders with an unlimited number of messages. I can pre-schedule message for up to 24 months. This fantastic autoresponder deal is available through http://ProfitAutomation.com

ProfitAutomation.com does have very strict policies on how these autoresponders can be used to prevent spam accusation problems! There is also a limit on the number of new names you can import at a time. For that reason, I recommend that when dealing with co-registration emails you use the autoresponders at: http://Therealsecrets.com/co-reg/

I also recommend that with co-registration names you not email to them too often. I send them a few emails, spaced over several months. In those emails, I provide information of genuine value... on the topic of building an on-line business AND I invite them to join my regular ezine list. In each email, I inform them of how and why they are getting the email AND provide a convenient unsubscribe link.

Over the years, I've spent many thousands of dollars on co-registration lists. The quality has varied. The best deal I have discovered is through the "Nitro Guys." They can deliver 100,000 names in 30 days. If you want less, they have an "auto-ship plan" where they send you 25,000 names a month. These names are in CVS format which mean you can import them directly into many list management and autoresponder systems. Some systems, including ProfitAutomation.com, mentioned above, do limit the number of names you can import at a time... so read the terms of service before signing up.

I mentioned the "Nitro Guys. I was attracted to them by the following intriguing headline:

"Ever Wonder How Top Marketers Get Thousands Of Subscribers On Their Lists While Everyone Else Struggles To Just Get A Couple Hundred?"

I clicked through to their site to complete the education I had started at Joel Christopher's workshop…

They taught me all about the system a lot of top marketers use to build their lists fast. Their service provides me with a great return on investment. That's what keeps me going back. For more on their services visit: http://Therealsecrets.com/co-reg/

There are no real magic bullets. I've found the names purchased through co-registration services much less responsive than the names acquired from visitors to my website. However, I have grown to consider opt-in co-registration names to be a vital part of my marketing mix. Maybe you will too? Give it some thought. And now… you know one of the secrets to building a mailing list of 100,000 in 30 days.

Copyright 2004 Willie Crawford