How to Use Email Cycles to Educate and Sell

Nobody cares about your 20% signup discount. There, I said it. And while I'm on the topic... Stop including a discount code in every email flow you have just to try to boost your conversion rates. Most brands think: "Hook them in with an offer, make it irresistible, and they’ll buy. It's an easy win." Except… it’s not. Here’s the truth: - Relying on discounts in your email flows is lazy marketing. - It trains your customers to expect one every time. - It devalues your brand and slashes your margins. - It doesn’t build loyalty. It builds bargain hunters. Here’s what actually works: Focusing on value over discounts. Instead of throwing pure profit away, your email flows should highlight why your product is worth the full price. • In your Welcome Flow, tell the story of your brand and showcase how your product solves a real problem.    • In your post-purchase flow, tell customers how to get the most out of their purchase, build trust, and reduce buyer remorse.    • Address objections in your Abandoned Cart Flow. Use customer testimonials, FAQs, or “you might have missed this” benefits to make them reconsider. You don’t need to convince people to buy with a discount—you need to make them want to buy because they believe in the value of what you’re offering. The best part? No more racing to the bottom. Instead, you’re building long-term relationships with customers who buy because they see your product’s worth, not just because it’s 20% off. So, let’s stop making discounts the default. Focus on storytelling, education, and building trust, and watch your flows do more than just convert—they’ll create loyal customers who keep coming back. Want a bit more of this? Grab a copy of our Step-by-step Klaviyo Flow Strategy Guide. 📌 Find the link in the comments (select ‘most recent’ if you don’t see it).

Our first beta user signed up after the 7th follow-up. Never thought I would be doing this…  When we started building our vertical AI startup, I had this naive belief that good products sell themselves. Send a compelling email, maybe follow up once if they don’t respond, and move on. I was terrified of being “that annoying salesperson” everyone complains about. This approach got us exactly nowhere. Here’s what I discovered while desperately trying to get our first beta users: the customers world operates on completely different timelines than startup founders expect. Decision-making cycles stretch for months. Stakeholders are drowning in priorities that shift weekly. Your perfectly crafted first email isn’t competing with other vendors - it’s competing with urgent fires they need to put out today. If you stop after two attempts, you’ve essentially volunteered to be forgotten. The breakthrough came when I started tracking our sales cycles properly. Our successful enterprise conversations averaged five to six touchpoints before we got meaningful engagement. Not two. Not three. Five to six. That prospect who ignored your first three emails might sign a deal after the sixth one. It’s all about the timing finally aligning with their bandwidth and priorities. But here’s the crucial part - and this is what separates persistence from pestering. Every single follow-up needs to add genuine value. The moment you send a “just checking in” message, you become noise in their inbox. → Email 2: Share a relevant case study from a similar company → Email 3: Send an industry report that impacts their specific challenges → Email 4: Update them on a product feature that solves their exact problem → Email 5: Highlight a quick win we delivered for another client in their space This transforms the entire dynamic. You’re not chasing them for a meeting - you’re providing ongoing value whether they buy or not. Building a startup teaches you that persistence isn’t about being pushy - it’s about being consistently valuable over time. The companies that survive are the ones that understand timing in enterprise sales often has nothing to do with your product quality and everything to do with their internal cycles. Most founders give up too early because they mistake silence for disinterest. In reality, silence often just means “not now” rather than “not ever.” The key is building a follow-up system that makes you more valuable to prospects over time, not more annoying. How many follow-ups do you typically send before moving on? #wetechiteasy

Summer sales are coming - But 83% of D2C brands will completely mess this up. Here's what most brands do wrong: → Send one "SUMMER SALE" email blast → Throw random discounts at the wall → Ignore their email list until sale day → Only focus on acquiring new customers We helped a fitness apparel brand think differently. The result? They went from $240K months to their first $1.2M month last summer. Here's exactly what we did in the 4 weeks before launch: Week 4: Built the foundation → "Summer body goals" educational series → Zero selling, pure value → Train People to Open Emails More Week 3: Created mystery and anticipation → "Something big is coming" teasers → VIP customers got behind-the-scenes peeks → FOMO started building without revealing anything Week 2: Social proof everywhere → Customer transformation stories → "Get summer ready" lifestyle content → Real customers showing off their results Week 1: The countdown begins → "Final week to prepare" urgency messaging → Ramped up abandoned cart recovery → Activated SMS for mobile engagement During the actual 5-day sale: → Day 1: VIP early access only → Day 2: Public launch with testimonials → Day 3: "Flying off shelves" scarcity messaging → Day 4: "Last 24 hours" urgency → Day 5: "Final hours" last chance The numbers: → Before: $240K average months → Sale month: $1.2M total revenue From email alone: $680K SMS added: $180K But here's what really matters. The month after the sale, they kept doing $480K. Double their old normal. Because we didn't just run a discount. We built relationships first. Most brands burn their lists with aggressive pitches. We warmed people up with actual value. The sale felt natural, not forced. What made this work: → Segmentation - VIPs, newbies, and past buyers got different messages → Value first - We educated before we pitched → Multi-channel - Email, SMS, and ads working together Summer is money time for D2C brands. But only if you prep your audience right. Most brands will wing it and wonder why they flopped. Smart brands start planning now. Which one are you? #emailmarketing #d2cbrands #ecommerce #shopify

Alex Hormozi revealed the 3-7-30 framework he uses to drive 7-figure sales from his newsletter audience. Here’s how you can implement it: Most companies kill email nurture with: 🚫 “Hey John, I think this could be so useful for you. We’ve worked with 100 companies like XYZ. Let’s hop on a call?” Nobody wants that. It lowers your status and makes you look like a pushy salesperson. Instead, you should educate and guide your audience to persuade them to buy. The formula: 80% education, 20% sales. Here’s how to do it using Alex’s 3-7-30 framework: 1. First 3 days Day 1: Show your best case study Elements of a great case study: Client introduction > Similar problems they faced and the consequences > How they found you and trusted you > How your solution solved their problem > Share the results (numbers/metrics and client quotes) Day 2: Best client transformation Share how a client transformed their situation after using your product/service. For example, if you’re selling a sales solution, you can share the client's before/after story. Before: Stuck at $10K MRR, no consistent revenue channel, nervous on sales calls After: $50K MRR, 1-2 consistent revenue channels, confidently closing high-ticket sales Position your product as the bridge between the before and after transformation. Day 3: Biggest Industry Insight Share unique knowledge (trends, hidden opportunities, expert takes, insider tips) that shows your experience and establishes your credibility. 2. Next 7 days For the next 7 days, tackle common objections every other day. Here’s how we did it for our client: We emailed ~300 subscribers and asked if they would provide feedback on something we were creating. ~50+ agreed. We talked with them and uncovered potential fears/concerns buyers might have. Then, we addressed them individually in different emails. For example, the top objections you can tackle: • "Too expensive" → Showed 10X ROI case study (add video testimonial for more impact) • "Not for my industry" → Featured wins across 5 different niches • "No time to implement" → 6-week accelerator, and you’ll close a sale by the end 3. Next 30 days Send two emails per week. Alternate between success stories (more proof) and industry insights (more credibility). These emails should be valuable enough that even if the prospects don’t buy, they thank you for the insights you shared. I followed this similar (3-7-30) template for one of my clients. Here are the metrics: $47 product • 10 emails sent • 46% average open rate • 3.4% average CTR • Sales page CVR: 23% • Up-sell rate to $5k accelerator: 7%

Imagine this: Someone buys a tub of protein powder. And your next 3 emails pitch… meal replacement bars they’ve never asked for? Not only is it irrelevant, it lowers engagement across the board. Here’s the fix: Post purchase category matrix. Tag each product with a clear “need state” (muscle gain, recovery, weight loss, energy, etc.) Map customers by last purchase → next logical step Build email flows that respect their actual journey Example: • Bought protein powder → Wait 7 days → Recommend shaker bottle or recipe guide • Bought creatine → Wait 10 days → Suggest hydration support or stacking options You’re not just selling supplements. You’re supporting a routine. Make every follow up feel like a smart next step. If you don’t segment by product category, you’re throwing away money.

Most business owners think email sequences are about selling… I disagree. Your email sequence isn't your sales team.  It's your education system. After analyzing 30,000+ successful funnels, here's what I've learned: 1-3% conversions email sequences: → Pitch immediately after opt-in → Focus on features and pricing → Send 3-5 emails then stop → Same message to everyone 5-15% conversions email sequences: → First 3 emails: pure education → Address specific pain points with solutions → Segment based on clicks and behavior → Continue nurturing for 90+ days Your funnel doesn't end at the thank you page. That's where the journey begins. The goal isn't to sell immediately. It's to build trust through value. It's to solve problems before asking for money. When you lead with education, the sale becomes inevitable.

You’re not “too small” to automate your emails. You’re losing sales every day, silently. I've spent 5+ years helping ecommerce founders unlock hidden revenue with email automation. The biggest surprise? Most are making these critical mistakes without realizing it: Mistake #1: Treating email like a promo channel 50%+ of brands send only discount emails. That trains customers to wait for sales. ✅ Better: Use storytelling + education to warm up buyers before the pitch. Mistake #2: No post-purchase strategy After someone buys, the emails… stop. No upsell, no review request, no loyalty trigger. ✅ Solution: Build automated flows that maximize LTV, without more ad spend. Mistake #3: Ignoring segmentation Sending one email to everyone sounds “efficient”… but kills conversions. ✅ Instead: Use behaviors (like product viewed or abandoned cart) to trigger personalized flows. The truth is: Most revenue doesn’t come from more traffic, it comes from better retention. Here’s what actually works: • Educate before you sell (5-day email courses work insanely well) • Create flows for each journey stage: pre-purchase, post-purchase, winback • Talk with your audience, not at them (use replies, quizzes, polls) But: Even smart brands overlook automation because it feels “too technical.” It’s not. It’s a system that sells while you sleep. P.S. Curious to learn more about turning emails into a profit machine? Drop a 💡 and I’ll send you the exact flow I use to generate $64K+ in 30 days.