What is a ‘list’ and how do I build one? I work with many business owners who are just starting out and/or who want to ramp up their on-line marketing. There are many types of list-building activities to help make this happen.

One of my favorite ways to build, and to grow, my list is to host a Tele-summit. This is simply a series of telephone interviews with numerous guest experts that are scheduled over the period of a week or two.

Here are a few steps to help you get started if this is something you have not done one before.

1. Decide on a theme. My tele-summit themes always fit with my brand – thus, the most recent one being: “THE Money-Making Master Class” (because being in business is about making money).
2. Choose your dates. You always want to plan out a minimum of 12 weeks because it takes that much time:
   • to get your copywriting complete,
   • to get significant marketing accomplished,
   • to schedule leading experts in the field (who have very busy calendars)
   • to coordinate your team schedules
3. Choose your platform/tool. We use Instant Teleseminar for our service provider – there are many choices available. Do your homework. Check with colleagues. Get references and referrals on what would work best for you.
4. Decide on who you want to interview. People are busy. Create a dream team list of experts, who are in alignment with your theme, and who have a larger list than you. That’s the whole idea – is to have THEIR community invited over to join YOUR tele-summit so they become part of your community. Ideally, you want a minimum of 10 guest experts – and be sure to include yourself on the list. The new people joining your community need to learn about you and your own area of expertise. I always schedule myself last.
5. Get help! Let me tell you – this is no easy task. There are so many ‘behind the scenes’ tasks that need to be accomplished that it is, in my opinion, impossible to pull this off by yourself. Get a coach, get a team, get some great help. It’s well worth it!
6. Have fun. Just know that ‘Murphy’s Law’ can kick in with this type of event. Things can, and do, go wrong. Remember that it’s not life or death! It’s a great experience and once you’ve got one under your belt, you’re on your way to the races.
7. Plan ahead. Schedule your next Tele-summit about 6 months out.
8. Participate in other Tele-summits. That’s one way I learned a lot! I signed up for other people’s Summits – paid attention to what they did, technically – who they interviewed, how they interviewed, how they marketed, etc. It’s a great learning experience.

List-building should be a regular business activity for you. It’s not that you need a large list in order to grow your business – but you do need a list! It’s about quality and not quantity. Typically, once you have over 1,000 people on your list, you’re in business with respect to making money.

The best way to get started is to just jump right in!

So when are you going to schedule your first Tele-Summit?

Let me know your thoughts – I’d love to hear from you!