According to a post at the True You Marketing (TYM) blog, "Dennis McConnell … sailed merrily into the office … only to find seven unsubscribe messages in his inbox." All were in response to an email he had sent announcing an upcoming Photoshop workshop. You probably understand why he made a snap decision to send fewer messages to his subscribers in the future. "'Why anger them?' he thought."

But TYM believes this is the wrong approach. Suppose you're giving a speech to 100 people, and 30 of them walk out the door. It's discouraging, certainly, but you shouldn't forget there are still 70 people in the room. "Your job is not to focus on the people who are leaving," they say, "but on those who have stayed to listen to you."

Further, they argue, unsubscribers are people who probably wouldn't make a purchase even if they stayed. It's better, says TYM, to be concerned about people who lodge complaints. "The only time people complain is when they DON'T want to leave. Complaining is their way of communicating to you to spruce up your act."

TYM's advice: focus on serving the customers who truly want to stay. "Customers want to improve their lives, their businesses and their careers. If you believe you can do that, tread the intelligent road by educating them in great detail."

The Po!nt: Focus on what you have, not what you lost. "Don't let the unsubscribers worry you," says TYM. Letting them go will help sharpen your list—and better serve your loyal subscribers.

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