Just received an important announcement from a company out of Dallas. The subject line included the phrase, " Cool New Tool You Might Be Interested In". The phrase that came to my mind was, "Look, a virtual squirrel."
This post is for those sales professionals who are searching for clarity about the definition of permission-based marketing. As I sat at my desk scratching my head trying to figure out who the hell Ryan was and why he thought pushing my "Cool Tool" hot button would be fun, I found the answer in the footer.
"You are receiving this email because you have previously been subscribed to a Distribion mailing list. (Emphasis is mine).
Really Ryan? I have previously been subscribed? By who and when? The mystery was solved as I hovered over the Unsubscribe link. It would take me to the server: www2.dmpemail1.com. My eyesight is better that it used to be, but I swear that link takes me to dump email 1. Apparently this is the digital version of, "Let's spam all these addresses and see which ones are good." Nothing new here, credit card hackers do it all the time.
Now I have no quarrel with this company. Before I received Ryan's UBE (unsolicited bulk email) I had never heard of them. Of course, now things are different. Ryan's invitation was to check out their Marketing Automation Platform. It was going to give me a boat-load of ROI and "build brand awareness". Besides, it was a cool tool.
That second benefit contained all of the truth in the message.
I'm going to reply to Ryan in a moment and ask him to go find the person who previously subscribed me without my permission and request they dump my email.
Permission-based Marketing
Yeah, I get it. Standards have changed. Using re-marketing to stalk consumers and using big data to get inside the mind of the prospect are now acceptable methods. Here's what I don't understand. Why wasn't the platform used to make sure I never had the opportunity to form a negative brand awareness in the first place. Sales professionals, here are some tips for you to consider:- Permission is in the hands of the person who receives the email. Screw this up and it becomes part of your permanent record, and the record of the brand you represent.
- Techies love "Cool", business professionals despise the word. Take a moment to define your audience before flipping the switch on your next campaign.
- Deceptive messaging drives your brand to the bottom of a cold, dark ocean.You are never, ever, coming home again.