Liss Graham is the CEO and President of LissT Management, making oodles of money for email list owners. She is also the co-founder of Texas Patriot Real Estate and Construction, where the team builds and invests in homes on the Texas Coast. Liss also piddles in direct response health and fitness businesses as a partner. She is the mom of two beautiful but angsty teenagers, Kaedyn and Kynlee. Her favorite hobbies are caring for her 4 dogs and playing tennis.
Can you share the journey that led you to become an email marketer?
In 2012, I entered and won a fitness transformation contest with Venus Index. I went on a podcast with one of the owners to discuss my journey, and we really hit it off. Soon after that, the offer went to #1 on the Clickbank marketplace and the team just could not keep up with the demands in the forum, so they asked me to help part-time. From there, I started helping with project management and other tasks. One day, our list manager quit unexpectedly, and they asked me to help run their email list. My first month running the list, we did 10x the revenue that the professional list manager had the month prior. The partners took me across to their other lists and my success was repeated. Eventually, word started spreading, and a business was born!
Did you start alone, or did you have a partner when you started?
By myself.
What budget did you have when you started your business?
None.
With over 15 years of experience, what do you consider the biggest evolution in email marketing for direct-to-consumer brands?
I am going to say there are three big ones:
- The rise of e-commerce brands;
- The ever-changing landscape of email deliverability;
- SMS marketing.
How do you keep a life-work balance?
I don’t always, but I try for my kids and dogs. Typically, my travel schedule is the most challenging. I try to limit myself to one business trip a month, but sometimes it’s not possible. Also, when I’m home, I try to limit my working hours to 8 hours a day. Again, it’s not always possible, but these are two things I strive for that helps.
How have your hobbies and life as a parent shaped your approach to business?
I grew up playing competitive tennis, that game creates mental toughness and resilience which are both key as an entrepreneur. Moving to parenting, I want my kids to have a mom who is present and engaged in their lives. I also want them to see that you can build an ideal life for yourself, you don’t have to accept the status quo. I want my kids to experience places and people outside their home, it creates a perspective that is wider than the self.
In your diverse portfolio of services, could you elaborate on the primary revenue streams and the specific niches you target? How do these elements integrate to form a cohesive business model?
I specialize in monetizing email lists, and I also provide SMS and push marketing in my services. Many of our clients are in the health and supplement space, but I also have lists in relationships, dating, business opportunities, personal loans, insurance, gadgets, and spirituality… just to name a few off the top of my head. Email doesn’t take days off, and it is highly time-consuming. Most clients are better off being focused on acquiring new customers, while I help them make as much money as possible on the back end.
List hygiene and email deliverability are critical aspects of your services. Could you share some insights on maintaining a healthy email list?
List hygiene and deliverability are both super important. List hygiene means keeping your open rates above 30% which comes down to segmentation. You should also keep your click rates above 2% and that comes down to engaging copy. This also means not mailing everyone, only engaged subscribers to achieve those benchmarks. For email deliverability, you should keep your eye on domain authentication, domain reputation, and how well emails are delivering to each ISP. I could go into more depth here with other things, but most people’s eyes start glossing over usually
The testimonials on your website highlight your success in generating significant revenues for clients. Can you share a case study or an example of a successful campaign?
Here are 5 actual case studies:
- Liss vs Nothing
I took over management on a list that the list owner had not been utilizing at all after a mutual friend’s insistence to talk to me (it took 3 separate reminders on his part)... that list has since generated $ 708,271.66 in the last year.
$0 per year to $708 271.66 per year.
- Liss vs Some Random Marketing Girl
I took over a list that was being mailed daily by a girl who had a marketing firm but was not in the affiliate marketing space. In April, she generated $32,896 from the list. This is something ANYONE could do, just throw offers at your list that seem to be a fit... although a random marketing girl did not keep very good data so she probably had no idea nor did the list owner of how much was generated.
My first month, the same list generated $98 594 under my management.
$394 752 per year to $1 183 128 per year.
- Liss vs Someone Trying Their Best
I took over a list that was being mailed every other day or so by someone who is in the affiliate space but is not a list manager. There was not much in the way of records, but they made about $1 500 in April from affiliate emails.
In the first 30 days I had the list, we made $ 5,041.
The list started skyrocketing in growth in the next few months as this offer climbed to #1 on Clickbank.
In the last year, they have made $718 539 from the list.
$ 18,000 per year to $718 539 per year.
- Liss vs The Offer Owner
I took over a list from an offer owner who was managing it.
They were mailing MAYBE every other day, mostly for friends who asked and then would randomly hit the list hard for internal tests or contests. They were making about $300 per week.
In my first week, I made $4 881.50 on the list.
In one year, they made $ 1,631,824.66 from their list after one of their offers hit #1 on Clickbank.
$14,400 per year to $1 631.824 per year.
- Liss vs Another List Manager
A client’s list manager quit out of the blue with no notice. So I got the list, carte blanche.
The previous list manager was making about $ 10,000 per month on the list. In my first month, I made $ 170,000 on the same list.
$ 120,000 per year to $ 2,040,000 per year.
These stories are not meant to toot my own horn, but rather to point out the amount of money some folks are leaving on the table.
The concept of reciprocal deals is intriguing. How do these partnerships work, and what benefits do they bring your clients?
To be clear, not all of my clients do reciprocal deals, so we run their list however they like. Some are e-commerce lists, for example. But reciprocal deals work amazing for the clients who want those. Basically, if another client’s offer works to your list, then we can arrange a reciprocal deal on their list where we test your offer to that list. More often than not, the offers work both ways. A rising tide raises all ships :)
What emerging trends do you see in email marketing for health and fitness brands, and how is LissT Management preparing for these changes?
A lot of clients are creating both direct response and e-commerce versions of their offers. We manage both types of lists and can do it simultaneously.
I am also seeing digital offers pick back up after years of supplements dominating the space.
What are your plans for 2024? Do you have some KPIs you want to reach?
I have been traveling heavily so far in 2024, doing a lot of speaking engagements that I have been invited to attend. I love teaching and meeting new people all over the world! I don’t necessarily set KPIs for the year, but we are always setting the bar to outdo the previous year. I’m also always looking to try new verticals so we can learn and grow.
Can you give some practical and useful recommendations to young entrepreneurs who would like to start their journey in the field of email marketing?
It’s as much about who you know as what you know. I never heard that advice when I was young. There’s a saying that you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with. If you want to move into entrepreneurship, then start meeting other entrepreneurs and spending time with them.
