I published the first issue of my e-newsletter, Financial Profundities, in 2003. In eight years, I’ve never, ever, added someone to the distribution list without their permission; they either signed up after a workshop, gave me verbal permission, or were added as a result of a purchase of a product or service. And, I never added someone simply because they gave me their business card at an event. I unwittingly followed the rules of permission marketing (opt-in) before it became industry standard for email marketing.
Which is why it always stings just a little bit when someone opts-out or, worse, opts-out with a complaint. Thankfully, neither happens frequently but even just a 0.29% opt-out rate unnerves me. Someone has just logged a vote that they don’t want what I’m offering…they don’t want me! Gasp!!
Whether personally (e.g., dating) or professionally (e.g., job interview, client development), we all have done our share of rejecting, and we’ve all experienced being rejected. At some point we have heard or said a variation of the phrase: “It’s not you, it’s me.” For some odd (and misguided, in my opinion) reason, those words are uttered as a way of bringing comfort in hopes of lessening the blow that comes from hearing, in effect: “I’ve changed my mind; I am not choosing you.” (Continue Reading…)
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