I was sitting at our kitchen table. Writing my email (of course!)

When I heard some unusual noises…

creak

crrr-rreaak

CRRRR-AAAAAAACKK!!

…

THHUUUUDDD!

“Woah! What was THAT?”

I bolted outside. Knowing something not-so-good had just happened.

It didn’t take long to spot it…

Looks like our old silver birch tree had seen too many winters.

One of the biggest limbs had decided to KAMIKAZE its way into our neighbor’s property!

A massive tear was left in the tree. And another giant half-cracked branch was propped precariously against the tree beside it.

The winds were high. And had literally pushed the tree to breaking point.

It couldn’t be long before more branches would succumb.

So it was time for it to come down.

Now, it’s an expensive exercise nowadays to have a tree removed.

There’s skill involved, sure. And there’s the safety gear. And the extra people on the ground to hold ropes.

It’s NOT straightforward. At least… not if you want to do it safely.

I mean… I COULD have hacked away at the trunk with my trusty Ryobi electric chainsaw.

I already brought down a fair-sized horse chestnut tree a few years back. (Which I was quite proud of.)

But this birch was double the circumference. And a fair bit taller.

Beyond my capabilities, I’m afraid to say. So I’d have to let someone else have all the fun. 😢

I’m not in the habit of calling property maintenance companies for help.

But the reason I chose the company I did, was because their card was on my fridge.

The only reason it was on my fridge is because…

A couple of months back I had a knock at my front door.

I opened it. And James was standing on my doorstep. Smiling.

“Hi. We’re just in the neighborhood, seeing if anyone needs any gardening or tree work done.”

I wasn’t used to answering my door in the daytime like this. But quietly impressed that he was taking this initiative.

I answered…

“Uh… not at the moment. Thanks, though.”

“No worries,” he said, “here’s my card if you have anything come up.”

He held out his card. I took it.

That was the end of our exchange.

I walked into the kitchen. Found one of our super-strong magnets. And clamped it to the fridge

Then promptly forgot about it.

But it was there when I needed it.

When the time came to find someone to help with our tree…

It wasn’t just having the card with a handy phone number.

It was that I’d met the guy already. Had a chat. And he’d come across as friendly and helpful.

There ALREADY was a relationship. Sure… a small one. But it was there.

I felt happy ringing these guys. Even though I knew there’s other people around town who do this sort of thing. And friends have mentioned other people they’ve used before.

That intial interaction made me happy to be in touch with them.

Plus, I also didn’t want to muck around calling everyone. And seeing who had the best quote etc.

I just needed that tree down. NOW!

AND I needed the tree limb, embedded in the neighbor’s lawn, to be cut up. NOW!

When this all happened… I got to thinking about our email lists.

And about what keeps us stuck with a strong magnet to our subscribers’ fridges.

It’s simply showing up and building relationships.

Showing up often. And not getting lost amongst the noise and clutter.

A way to start off on the right foot is with a lead magnet that offers something valuable to your ideal client.

It helps them get to know you. And see how you can help them… just a little better.

Then it’s continuing to show up with value.

That includes the kind of offers that help your subscribers make progress in their businesses.

I’ve also found it so much easier to show up regularly when it’s easy to load and send my emails.

Hence my love-affair with BerserkerMail.

It’s simply write my email. Cut & paste. And 3-clicks to schedule.

Removing the friction like this makes it so much more doable…

And enjoyable. 😄