Top 6 Most Annoying Marketing Tactics

I’m feeling a little punchy after a long day of travel for a speaking engagement and so here’s a list of marketing tactics that make me crazy. Do they bug you too? Leave your comments below…

1. Adding Users to Your Mailing List Without Permission

I recently exchanged some personal email with a fellow author. She’s well-known with a big following. Well the next thing I know, I’m suddenly on her mailing list—and the messages show up almost every day. Seriously? This falls under the totally uncool category and ruined all respect I had for this person.

By the way, the same rule applies after attending a conference or event, exchanging business cards, and then ending up on a mailing list. This is not an effective way to build your reputation or a loyal list of subscribers.

2. Copy and Paste Email Pitches

Today I received yet another request from someone who wants to submit an article for my site. It was clearly a template that told me I have great content. There was no effort to personalize it whatsoever. Worst of all? Below the email that was addressed to me I found the actual template accidentally pasted in, complete with . Oh, and the pitch was for content that has absolutely nothing to do with my target audience of entrepreneurs.

My team has certainly used email to reach out to prospects and we create templates, but we also make a point to personalize them, we research our target audience, and avoid mistakes like the copy and paste fiasco. If you use this method, put a bit of effort into making it a win-win situation with the right prospect.

3. Cold Calls from Call Centers

You know the kind I’m talking about—where you hear dozens of other agents in the background making calls en masse. Now I understand that cold calling has its benefits, but there’s a way to do it right.

One company that contacted me recently had a knowledgeable sales representative calling from a quiet office. He started by offering me something of value for free (a listing on a website that reaches my target audience), which captured my attention. In the end, he didn’t get the sale, but I wasn’t put off by the call because of how it was handled and the fact that I was an appropriate target audience for that company’s service.

4. The Meet and Repeat

I don’t attend a lot of business networking events, in large part because I get frustrated by the one-way conversations that happen there. It’s fascinating to me how I can say hello to someone and they suddenly launch into a pitch for their products and services. I don’t have a good poker face so I’m sure I stand there looking appalled or bored, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Whatever happened to two-way conversations? I have never hired someone after they puked up a sales pitch at an event. The people I buy from are most often people I’ve gotten to know and like, and that starts with a two-way conversation!

5. “But Wait, There’s More!”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I hate long-form sales letters. The ones with big, bold promises, testimonials from the marketer’s friends, and offers of “six easy payments.” When I see a page like this, I run in the other direction.

Imagine if you were shopping for a new TV on Best Buy’s website and each page had a ridiculously long sales letter telling you how your life would be so much better if you owned this TV. You would be richer, smarter, thinner, taller—all because you bought the Sony. Pu-lease!

Yes, we need to ask for the sale online, but there is a way to do it gracefully and with authenticity. Describe the benefits for the buyer, provide some REAL testimonials, and then make it as easy as possible to make a purchase. Guess what? This approach works too!

6. The Bait and Switch Teleseminar

There are plenty of free teleseminars to listen to, and conducting them can be a great way to attract new prospects for your business. However, the most annoying tactic of all is to provide a bunch of promises in the pitch for the teleseminar, get people on the line, and then waste their time with cheesy infomercial-style tactics that require the listener–who has just given you an hour of their time–to make a purchase to actually get the answers that were promised.

Here’s a tip: Give away your best content freely! That’s right, give it away for free. Write about it on your blog, tweet it out on Twitter, shout it from the rooftops, and give it up to people who show up at your teleseminar, webinar, or live speaking event expecting to get it for free.

Guess what happens? They will want more! I believe your prospects will be MORE LIKELY to hire you if you give them your best content for free up front. They will still need support with implementation and some hand-holding along the way. No need to bait and switch and risk ruining your reputation, especially when you can choose to give value and build your reputation as someone who provides great content!

Okay, folks, that’s my rant for the year. Agree or disagree? What annoying marketing violations did I miss? Share your thoughts below…

Stephanie Chandler is the author of LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business.
She is also CEO of http://AuthorityPublishing.com, a custom publisher of
nonfiction books, and http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources
for entrepreneurs. Also visit http://StephanieChandler.com

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