Mistakes are a Sign of Progress

Since I made a change last week to work with another Ezine delivery system, I’ve been pleased with the product’s features and easy-to-read reports.

Newsletter subscriptions are up by eight percent due to a pop-up that appears on my Web site’s home page. It encourages visitors to subscribe and works much better than the dedicated subscription page.

This new system will allow me to launch a series of autoresponder messages. You know the type. It’s a mini lesson or something similar that you create, delivered to prospective clients who request this multi-part message via Email.

When you work by yourself, autoresponders distribute examples of your expertise to potential customers you may not have gained through other methods.

I didn’t realize that when I uploaded my autoresponder messages, I was supposed to create them under a new category, one that’s not associated with my weekly newsletter. That was a big mistake.

The next morning, I received 80 requests for a test product mentioned in the autoresponder message, a product that doesn’t exist. I realized the problem, deleted the messages, created a new category, and added the messages to that category to launch at a later time.

I was frustrated because of the mistake. At the same time, I’m glad it happened. Had I not completed the project, the problem would not have occurred.

On Wednesday, when my weekly newsletter is published, I’ll apologize to those who requested the product and explain why they won’t receive it. If your reputation is solid, one mishap won’t change that fact.

There are too many times when you sit in your office, all alone, wondering if you should start this or do that. No one’s looking over your shoulder demanding a status report. It’s just you. So if you complete a project and make a mistake in the process, you may initially feel bad, but it’s really good. Fix it, and move on.

Technorati Tags: small business marketing, solo business marketing, solo entrepreneur, newsletter delivery system, fixing mistakes, fixing problems, finding solutions