I’m a Shameless Marketer… Just Like All the Rest

This is just my second post on this new blog but this will be something a bit different…

I’ve sent a few more e-mails lately than I normally do and they’ve included some promotions that I’ve thought could help.

This apparently bothers some people and they complained that I’ve “turned into a marketer” or “that I am just like all the rest”.

My initial reaction was…

“Well, duh, I am a marketer and if ‘all the rest’ means some of the people whose marketing I really admire then yeah, thanks for the complement.”

Then I thought more about it and really became confused.

Understand I market to other marketers.

Understand I ONLY market to other marketers.

My “job” is to market.

In fact, your “job” is to market.

Furthermore, the “job” of the complainers is to market.

So what is the problem?

I’ve heard Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer say something many times that continues to make sense to me. This isn’t an exact quote but it catches the essence:

“If you have a product you truly believe will help people, it is your moral duty to tell them about it.”

This is similar to, although this is admittedly a bit extreme, knowing where the oasis full of water and seeing a thirsty man in the desert; it will help him and you should tell him (hey, I did say it was extreme

I think that above statement should be the mantra of every marketer.

There are 2 key “rules” in that statement though and the reason for the bad reputation marketers and salespeople have is because they do not follow those 2 rules; “ethical marketers” always follow those rules.

The rules are you must “truly believe” and it must “help people”.

Of course, being marketers we understand that we cannot and should not try to help everyone at all times; that is surely the way to failure.

BUT we can and SHOULD try to help some people ALL the time.

The help could well be telling them about products and services that could enhance their life, it could be advice, it could be knowledge, it could be a special discount, it could be a gift, or it could be any number of things.

I don’t believe in being pushy and trying to continually pressure people into taking advantage of the opportunities I present.

While that technique can frequently result in additional sales in the short term, I believe that ultimately it isn’t building a good client/customer relationship and it probably is breaking the rule to “help people”.

But back to the point.

I am really unclear how a marketer could become offended by someone who is marketing to those 2 rules.

I am really unclear how this is bad.

In fact, I don’t think it is bad. I think it is good.

Certainly, if someone is sending a dozen e-mails a day pushing any old crap, stuff NOBODY wants, they aren’t marketing to the “rules”.

But if someone is sending a dozen e-mails a day each one just needs to help 10% of the recipients, if it does then they are following the “rules.”

As marketers, we should understand and support that and if I am rarely in the group that gets value then I should unsubscribe but I shouldn’t be upset I should say that this person is helping lots of people but I am not being help at this time.

I love to look at all the marketing I get (and there is tons of it), I wish I could look at more!

I learn so much from it.

I get so many great ideas from it.

I improve myself and my business so much from it.

So if I send 10 e-mails a day (like Shawn Casey or Tellman seems to or 1 a month, I am just doing my job, heck, according to Dan Kennedy I am just doing my “moral duty.”

Now, remember I am not trying to please you all the time.

I am trying to please you enough of the time for you to feel that there is value in continuing our “conversations”.

If I am not doing that then you should let me know.

If I continue making you dissatisfied you can easily just unsubscribe and you’ll not here from me again.

That is one great thing about marketing online, your prospects list are self-regulating and self-improving.

Over time the vast majority of prospects/customers on the list are there because they want to be there, you have proven to them that you’ll give them enough value (for the price of the e-mails they don’t want) that they are happy to “be your friend.”

But we should always remember who we are, what we are doing and why we are doing it.

If a marketer doesn’t market, well… truth (and the marketplace) will prevail in the end.

So if you are an “ethical marketer” then market without shame. If someone doesn’t like it then hold your head up high, say thank you, and show them the door.

‘nough said but please add your thoughts.

David
aka the “Shameless Marketer”
aka the “Ethical Marketer”

O.Y. I do appreciate the comments and e-mail even the “bad ones”. My life is basically one of continuous improvement so everything helps in one way or the other.

O.O.Y. Being shameless I want to give you a free gift, 322 top quality graphic icons that you can use pretty much everywhere. Get them at http://www.FromTheDeskOfDavid.com/blog/Gifts/332Icons-GR.zip

Tags: Dan Kennedy, e-mail marketing, online marketing, rules of marketing, shameless marketer, shameless marketing