This past weekend we took a family trip out to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm for some fall fun. I love the smell of fresh apple pies baking, the caramel apples, the miniature stream train that winds through the walnut orchard, and the 67 acres of pumpkins… I look forward to this outing every year!

We usually end up there at least two or three times before Halloween, so I guess you could say Bishop’s has become a yearly tradition. Each year, the Bishop’s Farm re-invests in the business, adding new attractions and improving old ones. And, each year, we come back excited for the traditional train ride, petting zoo, pig races, caramel apples, and to see what’s new!

This year I noticed something different.

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If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably noticed that your prospects are holding their hard-earned dollars much tighter these days. With the over-saturation of email marketing and infoproduct pitching, you’ve probably also noticed that reaching and grabbing the attention of qualified leads who are ready and able to work with you is becoming more difficult.

The good news is that there is something you can do reach your target audience, get their attention, and convert those qualified prospects into buyers. Almost every marketing professional will tell you the same thing: People do business with people they know, like and, trust. In fact, I have heard this said over and over and several conferences and workshops.

To cut through the marketing clutter and speak to your ideal client, there are three things that you can do right now to build upon the know, like, and trust factor to get more clients and grow your list.

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You may hear some marketing experts say “It’s all about the size of your list.” But I disagree. While a large list gives you a large pool of people to market your services and products to, it isn’t ONLY about quantity. Yes, at several of the conferences I have attended, experts say that the tipping point for a truly successful email newsletter is 1,000 subscribers. But I am here to tell you that HUGE results can come much smaller lists, if your readers are engaged and you are actively working to build long-lasting relationships with your subscribers.

For example, when my client Melissa first came to me and asked me to help her figure out why she wasn’t getting the sales results she wanted out of her email marketing efforts, she was shocked to hear my recommended course of action – To STOP focusing on list building.

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Turn on any news station, pick up any newspaper, search any news site on the web and I guarantee you that they all will be talking about the down economy. The media seems to be focusing all their attention on how much money consumers don’t have.

What about focusing on how much money consumer do have? The figures don’t lie. Ninety percent of all American mortgages are being paid regularly and on time. Businesses, especially targeted niche businesses are continuing to push ahead, growing and expanding everyday. Consumers are still spending money.

How does this affect you? It’s simple. Most small business owners and entrepreneurs are losing money everyday simply because they aren’t picking it up off the table. Your leads and prospects want to work with you, they want to give you their money and you aren’t giving them enough opportunity to do so!

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