I’ll be the first to raise my hand when it comes to endorsing the concept of “permission based marketing.” Bottom line is that you simply don’t add someone’s email address to a mailing list unless they provide it to you for that purpose.
Which is why I’m a bit steamed over the fact my personal inbox was hit with sales pitches yesterday. The first couple, I unsubscribed using the links provided, then sent a note to the vendors explaining why I’d done so, asking that they please not use that address. By the time the third fourth one appeared, however, the pattern surfaced. Marzipan, Evy Jacob, Fin + Roe, and Hen and Barley–the three four that sent uninvited e-blasts–shared a booth…and reps.
Did the vendors know what was going on? No way to know. The e-blasts came direct from them, not the reps, which required manually adding a stack of new addresses.
Did they know the reps were giving them addresses for people who had no idea they were being added to a solicitations list? I doubt it..but don’t know for sure. The other lines in the booth haven’t sent e-blasts (yet), so that one’s up in the air.
Vendors, if your reps hand you a list of email addresses that don’t have orders attached, you need to ask where those addresses were culled from and whether or not the individual asked to be added to a mailing list. In my case, I left a card with one of the reps to let the vendors know I’d stopped by to say hello. I certainly would not have done so if they’d told me I’d be added to three four (or more?) mailing lists.
Reps, this crosses a line. A big one. You’re not only responsible for spam now (yes, that’s what unrequested solicitations are called, even from legitimate origins), but you’re also putting your vendors in a position of taking the fall for your irresponsible actions. A business card is not an invitation to add someone to a list of any kind without their consent.
We’re about to head into the summer show season when a lot of business cards will change hands. What do you say we all get on the same page ahead of time rather than end up with a lot of bad buzz because someone’s blanketing unwilling recipients with unwanted e-blasts?
Off my soapbox. Thanks for listening.
P.S. to the reps who did this: Please contact any other lines you’ve handed my address to and have me removed from their lists asap.
Click here to tell me what you think....
That is not cool. What I don’t understand though is why you are out the vendors and not the reps?
Editor’s note: Unlike the reps who have my name and contact info, they did not give me theirs.
Everyone receives a lot of e-mail, which I understand can be frustrating when you get something you’re not interested in, in which case you can simply opt out. The laws are, however, different from what you state above, and in fact, what you received from us cannot be classified as spam. Since retailers and vendors alike rely upon e-mail marketing solutions, it would be helpful to give your readers the correct info, which can be obtained from the Federal Trade Commission here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm
This is an important topic, so even though you mentioned our company in a negative manner I am happy you put it on the table for discussion.
Editor’s note: No laws or legal references were stated in the blog post. According to Wikipedia, spam is “unsolicited or undesired bulk email messages” which the four e-blasts certainly qualify as.
THANK YOU for bringing this up! As a rep myself, it’s frustrating to see others pad their email lists or the lists of their vendors with people who never intended to be added to an email campaign. Those of us who work above board don’t try to pump ourselves up in vendor eyes by padding the lead lists we generate, but opt instead for quality over quantity. Maybe it’s experience or maybe it’s good rearing as a child, but if you’re on top of your game to begin with, these types of unprofessional practices are unnecessary.
In reading the comments prior to mine, it appears the vendors whose companies used your address are weighing in with their opinions in critical terms. What a shame they aren’t thanking you instead for having pointed out a glaring problem with the reps they use instead of trying to make the rep’s mistake your fault.
Keep up the great blog posts, Cinda. You’re raising the bar for everyone.
Well, at least you used a reliable source to get your definition of spam.
I agree with Ann that reps who lump everyone into vendor mailing lists need to think twice. As a buyer who owns three stores, I often leave cards in booths asking that someone call me to discuss a specific question or similar. If I was added to mailing lists every time I left a card for a call back I’d be buried in spam. The appropriate response in the booth is for the helper or rep to jot a note on the back letting the vendor know what I need. It sounds like the reps in this booth were either not paying attention to details or were more interested in assembling a larger lead list.
I hope your blog will remind reps and vendors that they need to be just as careful with potential customer information as we are in our stores. This isn’t all that different from the old practice of chain stores copying mailing addresses from checks in the register at the end of the day. We all know how incensed we’d be if that went on today.
I’m sorry to see the point you made has been lost on some of my fellow commenters, Cinda. You are completely correct that no rep, vendor, or temporary employee in a booth should automatically add someone’s name to a mailing list. Thank you for reminding us how important it is to make certain our booth staff is educated and professional in their handling of personal contact information.
Alan Gerlaine
Typically when one leaves their information at a show, it’s because you want information. If that wasn’t your intention, then why did you leave your card?
To Anon: I asked that Lori from Marzipan contact me so I could tell her that a client of mine was so impressed with the line I was inspired to return for a second look.
Wow- so I am really confused, and apparently out of touch. As both retailer and wholesaler/exhibitor I need to get on the program. So I am throwing in my 2 cents- in hopes of gaining some clarity and I hope not to stir the pot in to a full boil! Apologies in advance!
As a buyer (14 years of shows under my belt) if I leave my card at a booth I expect that it is carte blanche for that company to send emails. (Never do I expect the list to be shared or sold.)
I therefore, am very careful to have cards printed with an email box where I would like to have email sent. Then I hand pick which lists I wish to remain on and unsubscribe at will when I am contacted. If I am really interested I may update the address at a later date. I have always felt that if I didn’t want a vendor to email me I would simply cross the email address line off my card, clearly a tactful “Do not Disturb” sign.
Now here goes… As a manufacturer (not sure if I am supposed to or not supposed to say what company I am with???) I am thrilled when someone stops by the booth to meet, greet, buy or request a catalogue. I assumed that when potential customers leave a card that is a bona fide sales lead. If they leave a card I thought that meant that I can add them to my email list! Seriously- is this is not so??? Why on earth would an exhibitor pay all that money to attend a show and then not expect to make new contacts?
Eeek- I clearly need to get my etiquette straight before sending out our next email.
Thanks for the wise words, Joan. As always, you make good points from both buyer and vendor perspectives in your trademark, level-headed manner.
It’s surprising to me that some readers are missing the point of the post, though: Reps and booth staff need to be more careful with contact information. That’s it. That’s all.
When I look someone in the eye, hand them my card, and say “Please let Lori know I stopped by to tell her the line looks great,” it is not an invitation to add me to four different mailing lists (that I know of thus far; there were more lines in the booth).
From now on, I’ll follow Joan’s lead and cross my email address off the card. Won’t look the best, but I’ve learned my lesson-—don’t assume booth staff will accurately follow through on a request. Hopefully, since the four vendors are named here, they can figure out who these two reps are and nip this e-blast thing in the bud (please).
I’m a fan of your campaign and have been following your blog and twitter feed for a little while now. It is in everyone’s interest to see the retail industry succeed, especially the vendors on whom their business depends.
It is in this spirit that I wanted to say that I have found your coverage of the vendor-retailer nexus to be a little unbalanced. Calling out the mistakes and shortcomings of vendors, sometimes by name (I’m not one of them), is discouraging. A rising tide lifts all boats, and in these difficult times, it seems to run counter to the mission of the 3/50 Project.
Vendors can receive hundreds of cards at each show, and while many may do their best to follow instructions of their owners, it is easy to see how a few may innocently fall through the cracks, even operating under commenter Joan’s reasonable guidelines. Yes, people need to be more careful, but all mishaps aren’t duplicitous in nature.
Booths are understaffed because it is too expensive to bring more employees to help. Vendors can’t attend shows if they just don’t have the cash to go. Some retailers aren’t paying on time, if at all, forcing vendors to provide interest-free loans (not to mention countless work hours spent calling and emailing the store to collect, because no one will answer). You are all too aware of this dynamic, otherwise you wouldn’t have started the 3/50 Project. But all the more reason to think twice before calling a vendor out publicly–that very vendor may be the one whose aging receivables are about to do them in.
My point in commenting is just to remind you that for every struggling retailer, there are probably hundreds of struggling manufacturers. I would just encourage you to keep their stories in mind as you provide fresh insight and commentary on the retail industry. Best of luck and thank you for your efforts.
As as retailer, I sometimes get emails from various vendors that I haven’t specifically contacted, but figure that we’re on show attendee lists, and/or have made contact with a group that the vendor may be aligned with. Honestly, I don’t mind so much. (Can I put that in very small type?) Sometimes it’s something interesting, sometimes not. In the latter case, I can so easily delete/unsubscribe. But what really gets my goat is vendors sending unsolicited faxes. It uses up the toner (which will run out at a critical moment, of course) and ties up the phone line, shared with our credit card processing. And it uses paper. Grrrr.