Now historically speaking I am somebody who HATES being marketed to. I mean I HATE it! No, you don't understand, I REALLY HATE it!
DON'T call me!
DON'T email me!
DON'T send me catalogs!
DON'T send me your newsletters!
Just DON'T!
Not too long ago I was a member of a BNI group (Business Connections Chapter.) Within the organization there is a general rule that members are not allowed to spam each other with their unsolicited promotions and communications. "Whew!" I thought, "thats a relief."
But then another thought occurred to me. BNI is a networking organization. We are literally meeting every single week to make ourselves known and marketable to each other and by each other. The web is one of the most powerful marketing tools ever invented and all of us would be absolute fools not to be heavily present on the web. So how foolish is it that we wouldn't want to be fully versed on each other's web presence in order to pass referrals? Email is one of the greatest communication tools ever invented -right up there with the telephone. Why wouldn't we want to connect with each other using this great tool? People in BNI are literally PAYING MONEY to make connections. Why would email be off limits within the membership?
Well, BNI is its own animal and I would be the last person on earth to decry it because it is a truly great organization with this particular rule being one of the only places that I found it lacking.
Getting on the mailing lists of people to whom you intend to refer (and from whom you would like referrals) and asking them to engage with your marketing vehicles -newsletters, emails, postcards, etc.- is one of the best ways to "play ball" in business.
Email systems today are robust and easily configurable to keep clutter and true spam to a minimum. I'm on many a list and receive dozens of offers from business associates and affiliates on a regular basis. Some of these marketing products are pretty lame; one of my business associates has this service that sends out a "motivational quote" every day, like I really need to have it explained to me by Gandhi why I should roll out of bed every single morning (EVERY SINGLE MORNING A NEW REASON TO BE ALIVE! SOMEBODY SHOOT ME PLEEEEEZ!) But so what?! Its just his way to keep his name in my mind. My gmail account just filters stuff like that into a folder so that it completely bypasses my inbox and I don't have to deal with it. And when I send his wife a Mary Kay catalog once a quarter he doesn't complain to me either so what the heck?
Now I will say that there can be some integrity issues with sharing email information. Some people are in the business of getting your email address and selling it to spam organizations who will pummel you with spam hoping to get a lead that is then sold to somebody else etc. Since nobody ever really wants to be used in that way the preferred method of getting you to give up the email address is by using false pretenses (conning you.) I can actually pinpoint certain people who have done that to me: Its usually pretty clear (suddenly I'm slammed with spam out of nowhere) and has happened twice within 24 hours of handing my card to somebody representing another direct selling company.
If you do that to me your dead (in business anyway.) You, your product, your name and your dog's name become the scum of the earth on the tip of my tongue and you will quickly find yourself out of business in my community. So don't.
Just be aware that some unscrupulous people will take advantage of you sometimes but its easy to get past it and hiding in the basement will not make you very marketable anyway. Just roll with it: Get on the lists of solid referral partners and get them on yours. It pays.
Linx:
Making Connections: Playing Ball: Email Lists & Newsletters -YOU ARE HERE!
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