Is It Really Okay to Email Small Business Owners?

50 replies
I've written a few emails to send to businesses offering my services, but I've hit a wall. After researching the CAN-SPAM Act and making sure that my messages would be compliant, I realized that there's another issue at hand. Blacklisting.

Sending emails could get your IP blacklisted. It could also happen to your server, or even your domain. How do you ensure that you won't be labeled as a spammer? CAN-SPAM compliance can't save you from being blacklisted. It just saves you from heavy government fines. If enough people report your emails, then you have no recourse. ISPs don't care about compliance, they care about complaints.

Has anyone ever thought about this? Sure, you could always just get another domain and hosting on a different server. But, that won't do you much good. Just think of the effect of having your company domain blacklisted. That's bad, really bad.

What are your thoughts on this?
#business #email #owners #small
  • Profile picture of the author Headfirst
    Well, it would seem that the best course of action isnt to spam.

    Pick up the phone, tell the business owner you want to email them some info. ASK them what email to send it to. Then follow up.
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    • Profile picture of the author truly_gifted
      Originally Posted by Headfirst View Post

      Well, it would seem that the best course of action isnt to spam.

      Pick up the phone, tell the business owner you want to email them some info. ASK them what email to send it to. Then follow up.
      So, you've never sent an email to a business owner without calling them first?
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      • Profile picture of the author Headfirst
        Originally Posted by truly_gifted View Post

        So, you've never sent an email to a business owner without calling them first?
        Yeah, that's pretty accurate. If I get a voicemail I tell them I'm sending a message and what email address I'm sending it to.

        Why would I send them an email without calling? I have better things to do with my time than write email that wont get opened or answered.
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  • Profile picture of the author High Horsepower
    Originally Posted by truly_gifted View Post

    I've written a few emails to send to businesses offering my services, but I've hit a wall. After researching the CAN-SPAM Act and making sure that my messages would be compliant, I realized that there's another issue at hand. Blacklisting.

    Sending emails could get your IP blacklisted. It could also happen to your server, or even your domain. How do you ensure that you won't be labeled as a spammer? CAN-SPAM compliance can't save you from being blacklisted. It just saves you from heavy government fines. If enough people report your emails, then you have no recourse. ISPs don't care about compliance, they care about complaints.

    Has anyone ever thought about this? Sure, you could always just get another domain and hosting on a different server. But, that won't do you much good. Just think of the effect of having your company domain blacklisted. That's bad, really bad.

    What are your thoughts on this?
    I send bulk emails with no problem. Make sure you are 100% compliant with CAN-SPAM and give them an easy opt out, don't hide it.

    Fortune 1000 companies do bulk email blast daily. In fact, I save my Good Spam, I probably have some of the best Spam available.

    You can use your own hosted solution, no 3rd party like AWeber will allow so-called spam, even thought it's not. Most members here have No clue what Spam is, 99% couldn't pass a Spam test. :rolleyes:

    Huge companies make fortunes off email blasting no non solicited businesses. I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there. I know of 2 WF members who make 7 figures a year doing what most call Spamming.

    I recently sent an email blast (less than 1,000) and made over $15,000 in 3 days, not bad for very little work.

    All LEGAL, yes, so-called Spam that is 100% legal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Red Mist
      Headfirst - great idea. I've started doing this recently and had some great results. 9 times out of 10 they agree to it and you've one foot in the door (almost!).
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    • Profile picture of the author Nail Yener
      Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

      I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there.
      If you have some solid ideas and proven emailing tactics, and you get nice results from your emailing campaigns, I am sure many warriors who try hard to find clients via email, including me, will be interested in learning from you.
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      • Profile picture of the author BizzyBea
        Originally Posted by Nail Yener View Post

        If you have some solid ideas and proven emailing tactics, and you get nice results from your emailing campaigns, I am sure many warriors who try hard to find clients via email, including me, will be interested in learning from you.

        I sure would too!
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

      I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there.
      No need. It's all quite clearly given for free on the FTC website.

      The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | BCP Business Center

      If people are unable to follow those very simple rules then they are not going to be able to follow anything you tell them. Compliance could not get much simpler than it already is.

      Follow the laws clearly laid out and you will have no dramas.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mike Remer
        If you are in a position to help the business owner, and have actually spent time looking at his site, and see a way to improve his situation, then offer some free actionable step he can fix.

        Reaching out to someone you can help whether by email of phone should be governed by how you look at yourself as an ally of the local business owner.

        Don't let govt regulations interfere from your mission to help the business owners you can help.

        So offer a tip, and leave your contact information intact.
        Especially if you are contacting businesses in your own local area.
        How rare it is for these companies to get an email from someone who can help them locally... Most of the time it is spam from India seo cos that you are competing against.

        Mike
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      • Profile picture of the author Nail Yener
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        No need. It's all quite clearly given for free on the FTC website.

        The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | BCP Business Center

        If people are unable to follow those very simple rules then they are not going to be able to follow anything you tell them. Compliance could not get much simpler than it already is.

        Follow the laws clearly laid out and you will have no dramas.
        Will surely nobody would need a WSO about complying FTC rules. But getting response and conversions out of emails is much like an art and anybody who is involved with email marketing would be willing to learn from tested and proven methods.
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    • Profile picture of the author Randome
      Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

      I send bulk emails with no problem. Make sure you are 100% compliant with CAN-SPAM and give them an easy opt out, don't hide it.

      Fortune 1000 companies do bulk email blast daily. In fact, I save my Good Spam, I probably have some of the best Spam available.

      You can use your own hosted solution, no 3rd party like AWeber will allow so-called spam, even thought it's not. Most members here have No clue what Spam is, 99% couldn't pass a Spam test. :rolleyes:

      Huge companies make fortunes off email blasting no non solicited businesses. I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there. I know of 2 WF members who make 7 figures a year doing what most call Spamming.

      I recently sent an email blast (less than 1,000) and made over $15,000 in 3 days, not bad for very little work.

      All LEGAL, yes, so-called Spam that is 100% legal.
      What software do you use to blast the emails?
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

      ... I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there. I know of 2 WF members who make 7 figures a year doing what most call Spamming.

      I recently sent an email blast (less than 1,000) and made over $15,000 in 3 days, not bad for very little work.

      All LEGAL, yes, so-called Spam that is 100% legal.
      You have no idea how much confusion is out there, nor do you know all the international laws, pending legislation, ISP TOS, penalties, risk exposure, etc. And promoting unsolicited email marketing with such flippancy is one of the fastest ways of getting yourself banned from the forum. :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author mike_lucas
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        You have no idea how much confusion is out there, nor do you know all the international laws, pending legislation, ISP TOS, penalties, risk exposure, etc. And promoting unsolicited email marketing with such flippancy is one of the fastest ways of getting yourself banned from the forum. :rolleyes:

        well compared to all of Junk WSO's that are offered and no action taken against the creators who are about as close to scamming as there is or ones who promise a refund and sell pure junk and then don't refund yet when promised only to offer WSO's again and again .

        I am little surprised at the "banning threat" for something that would have value if done correctly. A simply disclaimer to check your local laws I think would more then cover any concerns.
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          Originally Posted by mike_lucas View Post

          ... A simply disclaimer to check your local laws I think would more then cover any concerns.
          I think you should read the Forum Rules.

          Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
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          • Profile picture of the author mike_lucas
            Originally Posted by myob View Post

            I think you should read the Forum Rules.

            Just sayin'. :rolleyes:

            I have read the forum rules honestly before I joined as well as the the Federal us Can-Spam laws and sught legal consel on emailing as there are so many "experts" and rumors "spam" or UCE and yes you can send Unsolicited Emails to business or that matter consumers If and ONLY if you follow the Guidelines set . They are very clear , some would call it spam but I think that is what the poster above is talking about when he stated you can use "legal spam" but the correct term I guess would be Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) and they are perfectly legal( again if done correctly) ( sorry no pm's on what is and what is not I am not a lawyer no will even attempt to say what is or is not that is why I paid to get my answers lol)

            I doubt very likly that the Warrior forum could would take a position to ban someone when the FTC says it is prefectly legal if again XXX is followed . again I sure different countries may have different laws governing emails thus the disclaimer.
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            • Profile picture of the author myob
              Originally Posted by mike_lucas View Post

              I have read the forum rules honestly before I joined as well as the the Federal us Can-Spam laws and sught legal consel on emailing as there are so many "experts" and rumors "spam" or UCE and yes you can send Unsolicited Emails to business or that matter consumers If and ONLY if you follow the Guidelines set . They are very clear , some would call it spam but I think that is what the poster above is talking about when he stated you can use "legal spam" but the correct term I guess would be Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) and they are perfectly legal( again if done correctly) ( sorry no pm's on what is and what is not I am not a lawyer no will even attempt to say what is or is not that is why I paid to get my answers lol)

              I doubt very likly that the Warrior forum could would take a position to ban someone when the FTC says it is prefectly legal if again XXX is followed . again I sure different countries may have different laws governing emails thus the disclaimer.
              You are again posting entirely incorrect information. Sending spam or what may be euphemistically termed "UCE" or "UBE" is against all of the major ISP Terms of Service, and offenders may be subject to legal action by these providers for this type of behavior. There is not much tolerance for spam no matter how you define it with these semantic acrobatics. It is also against the forum rules, and moderators have clearly said on several occasions that promoting or defending the sending of unsolicited bulk email on this forum is a bannable offense.

              There are contractual obligations that are completely apart from the FTC (which is only US), which allow for discretion of deliverability by providers who think such email is objectionable to their customers - hence being black listed as the OP observed for your IP, domain and server, with legal consequences. In addition, pending legislation in Canada, for example, will allow recipients to sue directly. What you "think" may be true, "guess" about the meaning, or "doubt" about the consequences are far from reality.
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            • Profile picture of the author JerrickYeoh
              What you can do is reduce the spam happening. Show only want customer would like to read in the content. Don't sell everything in one email.
              Learn how to use the subject that do not sound as spam like win $1 million or something. Reduce those pop out content in email. Reduce large file content in email.
              Use Email Blasting System to differentiate your customer in to lot of small group and send to them what they wish to look for .
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      • Profile picture of the author High Horsepower
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        You have no idea how much confusion is out there, nor do you know all the international laws, pending legislation, ISP TOS, penalties, risk exposure, etc. And promoting unsolicited email marketing with such flippancy is one of the fastest ways of getting yourself banned from the forum. :rolleyes:
        Paul, you and I have discussed this before and are in agreement. Everything I do with email bulk blasting is done legally, including using Infousa.

        You and I know a lot about correct email blasting, most people have no clue about sending bulk email. We've discussed this in several threads already. It frustrates me that there is so much misinformation about sending emails.

        There are a ton of WSO's here that discuss email sending of unsolicited emails to Offline business owners. In fact, probably the #1 WSO here with the highest reviews promotes sending unsolicited emails to business owners. I've purchased countless WSO's that promote email blasting and as far as I know they all violate the WF rules. I've stuck to the rules and have given advice to do this legally.
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        • Profile picture of the author mike_lucas
          Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

          Paul, you and I have discussed this before and are in agreement. Everything I do with email bulk blasting is done legally, including using Infousa.

          You and I know a lot about correct email blasting, most people have no clue about sending bulk email. We've discussed this in several threads already. It frustrates me that there is so much misinformation about sending emails.

          There are a ton of WSO's here that discuss email sending of unsolicited emails to Offline business owners. In fact, probably the #1 WSO here with the highest reviews promotes sending unsolicited emails to business owners. I've purchased countless WSO's that promote email blasting and as far as I know they all violate the WF rules. I've stuck to the rules and have given advice to do this legally.
          Exactly not just one but several WSO'sthat not only talk about "spamming" but several other TOS violations but they pay.offer the service etc for the WSO so I guess it is over looked for what ever reason. heck one even sold pirated software and nothing was done, again for what ever reasons.
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

          I've stuck to the rules and have given advice to do this legally
          This statement alone can get you in a heap of trouble - for dispensing legal advice without a license. You are claiming to be giving "legal" advice, which is not only incomplete but incorrect in many areas. That's not a good position to be in, nor is putting inexperienced marketers into an even more vulnerable position by promoting UCE. There are a lot of missing pieces here that will get people into trouble. It cannot all be covered in a thread or even in a WSO. The best advice here is "Don't send UCE".

          Yes we did have conversations regarding it, and still do remain in agreement with one exception: Do not discuss it in this forum, among inexperienced marketers. Discussing UCE methods as a marketing model was an error in judgement for which I received a reprimanding PM from a moderator that this is against the Forum Rules.

          Promoting or defending the sending of unsolicited bulk email on this forum is a bannable offense.

          As you can see just from reading these kind of threads, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and is only going to get people into a whole lot of trouble. So far, every post here is incorrect and will subject the less experienced marketers to loss of their IP as the minimum. Following the "law" such as the CAN-SPAM Act does not make it okay to disregard the Terms of Service of your IP. To do UCE within the law and within the providers' TOS requires a level of marketing experience that can not be learned in a WSO not to mention in a few posts. There is a reason that IP's do not permit UCE; the widespread abuse and ignorance exposes them to legal liabilities and loss of reputation. Violation of these TOS can be grounds for civil action such as lawsuits to recover damages.
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          • Profile picture of the author truly_gifted
            Originally Posted by myob View Post

            This statement alone can get you in a heap of trouble - for dispensing legal advice without a license. You are claiming to be giving "legal" advice, which is not only incomplete but incorrect in many areas. That's not a good position to be in, nor is putting inexperienced marketers into an even more vulnerable position by promoting UCE. There are a lot of missing pieces here that will get people into trouble. It cannot all be covered in a thread or even in a WSO. The best advice here is "Don't send UCE".

            Yes we did have conversations regarding it, and still do remain in agreement with one exception: Do not discuss it in this forum, among inexperienced marketers. Discussing UCE methods as a marketing model was an error in judgement for which I received a reprimanding PM from a moderator that this is against the Forum Rules.

            Promoting or defending the sending of unsolicited bulk email on this forum is a bannable offense.

            As you can see just from reading these kind of threads, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and is only going to get people into a whole lot of trouble. So far, every post here is incorrect and will subject the less experienced marketers to loss of their IP as the minimum. Following the "law" such as the CAN-SPAM Act does not make it okay to disregard the Terms of Service of your IP. To do UCE within the law and within the providers' TOS requires a level of marketing experience that can not be learned in a WSO not to mention in a few posts. There is a reason that IP's do not permit UCE; the widespread abuse and ignorance exposes them to legal liabilities and loss of reputation. Violation of these TOS can be grounds for civil action such as lawsuits to recover damages.
            Ok, first of all, let me make something clear. I did NOT ask for legal advice nor have I made any statements that could be misconstrued as even referring to legal issues. I simply asked about the precautionary measures that can be taken to prevent blacklisting. THAT is the topic of this thread.

            Myob and High Horsepower, I appreciate your input, but let's keep the legalities out of the thread. I don't even care to discuss bulk emailing. My only concern is the avoidance of being blacklisted. And for what it's worth, let me say one last thing.

            You can be fully compliant with any and all laws or regulations that pertain to sending emails, and STILL be blacklisted.
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    • Profile picture of the author chazkey
      Originally Posted by High Horsepower View Post

      I send bulk emails with no problem. Make sure you are 100% compliant with CAN-SPAM and give them an easy opt out, don't hide it.

      Fortune 1000 companies do bulk email blast daily. In fact, I save my Good Spam, I probably have some of the best Spam available.

      You can use your own hosted solution, no 3rd party like AWeber will allow so-called spam, even thought it's not. Most members here have No clue what Spam is, 99% couldn't pass a Spam test. :rolleyes:

      Huge companies make fortunes off email blasting no non solicited businesses. I've thought about doing a WSO one day, so much confusion out there. I know of 2 WF members who make 7 figures a year doing what most call Spamming.

      I recently sent an email blast (less than 1,000) and made over $15,000 in 3 days, not bad for very little work.

      All LEGAL, yes, so-called Spam that is 100% legal.
      Hey "High Horsepower",
      I am looking for a solution envolving email blast to business owners. Could you pm me, so we could talk about this. I think you may have the solution. Not looking for a free solution either.
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  • Profile picture of the author truly_gifted
    Thank you, High Horsepower.

    You are absolutely right about the "spam" debacle. I've done some serious digging into the subject of commercial email blasts, and there is a right way to do it. I was just a little apprehensive about those "spam-happy" people who like to hit the report button for everything.
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  • Profile picture of the author BuzzedBuns
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author truly_gifted
      Originally Posted by BuzzedBuns View Post

      Don't look down on small business owners. Take my advice.
      Eh, are you just trying to boost your post count? I don't really see the relevance of your statement to this thread. Care to elaborate so that the rest of us can understand what you're saying?
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrew Milburn
    I would give the owner or receptionist a ring and just say you have something to send them by email, and you just wanted to check you had their address right, and ask if you have it.

    And then in the email say further with your chat today with xyz please find the details.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael William
    There are some email templates that do get a response, almost every time. What I do is buy domains that I use for emailing only in case they do get blacklisted, but as far as I know that has not happened yet.

    And I do use email scraping software and load up BCC with the main recipient being another email of mine. Occasionally I get called on that but for the most part it is over looked. It gets me call backs, replies to the email, and more business.
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  • Profile picture of the author MyBizMastermind
    So would it be smarter to send one by one so they cant see that there are so many other business you are sending to?
    Thanks for the help.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrian John
    Yeah, i am willing to learn more about email tactics to get clients.
    Horsepower, if you decide to put up an WSO i'm in for it
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael William
    Once I fine tune my email tests I plan on hiring a bulk emailer. I am split testing services/subject lines, and sales funnels right now but so far I would say I can get 2 clients by sending out roughly 500 emails a day, 5 days a week. Takes about an hour a day so its not that much "work". The real work is the follow up and making the sale after they contact me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
    Sending an email to anyone, you have the chance of getting blacklisted.

    Don't worry - Just continue as you were. Just don't mass mail anyone from
    your own network.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      A real easy solution is to go with a reputable bulk email service. I have used infousa.com for quite a number of years before installing my own self-hosted autoresponder. You buy targeted leads from them, and they will handle the emailing for you, with all required legal disclaimers.
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  • Profile picture of the author LarryC
    I don't know what the laws are, but to me it doesn't make sense why it's less intrusive to call somebody out of the blue and ask if you can email them. Personally, I'd rather receive an unsolicited email that takes a second to delete than a phone call.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Sending out unsolicited email without knowing and following very strict laws governing this type of marketing may subject you to severe penalties. There are also stringent laws for making unsolicited phone calls which can also cause you lots of pain and grief. Just being ignorant of the law does not make you exempt.
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      • Profile picture of the author Headfirst
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        Sending out unsolicited email without knowing and following very strict laws governing this type of marketing may subject you to severe penalties. There are also stringent laws for making unsolicited phone calls which can also cause you lots of pain and grief. Just being ignorant of the law does not make you exempt.
        Not B2B phone calls. DNC compliance is consumer only.
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        • Profile picture of the author mike_lucas
          Originally Posted by Headfirst View Post

          Not B2B phone calls. DNC compliance is consumer only.

          correct there is no DNC for businesses. It's funny how many think there is
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        • Profile picture of the author sam770
          Does it mean that I can make a phone call to *business* in the US and offer them my services without checking first the "do not call" list?

          Originally Posted by Headfirst View Post

          Not B2B phone calls. DNC compliance is consumer only.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Raglin
    In my opinion, if you're offering a service to businesses you shouldn't hesitate to call them and treat the call like a survey by asking "are you currently using XYZ service?" "if so, are you happy with it?"

    If you ask questions and let them talk you will be able to get a more reliable answer than blanket spamming any business that you can.

    I've found that many business owners don't get the chance to check their email that often and it's sometimes easier to get through to them with a simple phone call.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Raglin
    I remember when the DNC list first started to take shape years ago and many people though it was going to kill telemarketing and cold calling but I never had a problem with it because I always took the time to introduce myself when I made my calls, talk with people, ask questions and take a consultant approach in my sales process.
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  • Profile picture of the author absolutelee
    I've never gotten anything from emailing businesses. I've gotten a ton from just picking up the phone and calling them. What works even better is just walking in the door and introducing yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Dittberner
    Interesting thread...I get a large majority of my offline clients via e-mail. I do use direct mail, cold calling, and other methods too, but without question...e-mailing produces the best results. I will admit, at first, it was EXTREMELY ineffective, but now it works fantastic (the smallest details can make a HUGE difference).

    I do use a generic (read: Yahoo & Gmail) address for initial contact. I also send it as a "personal e-mail" with my own name, and not as a representative of my company. Your blacklisting worries are decreased if you are "avg Joe" in this first message, rather than coming out of the gate HARD SELLING. BUT, you will note I still use the Gmail & Yahoo “just in case.”

    40-60% of the time I am selling SEO services with this method. The problem is, if you are contacting the usual suspects (e.g. plumbers, doctors/dentists, painters...all the stuff you hear everyday) these prospects have everyone AND their neighbors dog contacting them for “getting on the first page of Google” and “SEO” services = FAIL! Catch them on a bad day, or a few on a bad day, and your backlisting worries are justified.

    Every single e-mail I sent out using the word “SEO” and/or “first page of Google” resulted in exactly nothing…and probably increased my blacklisting chances. Now, I simply send a quick Jing video, showing them a few things wrong with their site and how to fix, and then my contact info should they need help (like many people do). I keep it simple. I never mention SEO or first page of Google and every time I send out 25 of these, I can turn at least one into a client.

    Wash, rinse, repeat…then work off of referrals.

    IMO worry about being blacklisted “if” and after it happens. Surely that will offend someone, but in my book…lack of taking action is way worse than “what-if” scenarios.

    It’s not SPAM if you send them some valuable information (i.e. how to fix their website issues) and make no mention of “buying” anything. Be smart, and you have no worries.
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    • Profile picture of the author Creativegirl
      Originally Posted by Jason Dittberner View Post

      Interesting thread...I get a large majority of my offline clients via e-mail. I do use direct mail, cold calling, and other methods too, but without question...e-mailing produces the best results. I will admit, at first, it was EXTREMELY ineffective, but now it works fantastic (the smallest details can make a HUGE difference).

      I do use a generic (read: Yahoo & Gmail) address for initial contact. I also send it as a "personal e-mail" with my own name, and not as a representative of my company. Your blacklisting worries are decreased if you are "avg Joe" in this first message, rather than coming out of the gate HARD SELLING. BUT, you will note I still use the Gmail & Yahoo "just in case."

      40-60% of the time I am selling SEO services with this method. The problem is, if you are contacting the usual suspects (e.g. plumbers, doctors/dentists, painters...all the stuff you hear everyday) these prospects have everyone AND their neighbors dog contacting them for "getting on the first page of Google" and "SEO" services = FAIL! Catch them on a bad day, or a few on a bad day, and your backlisting worries are justified.

      Every single e-mail I sent out using the word "SEO" and/or "first page of Google" resulted in exactly nothing...and probably increased my blacklisting chances. Now, I simply send a quick Jing video, showing them a few things wrong with their site and how to fix, and then my contact info should they need help (like many people do). I keep it simple. I never mention SEO or first page of Google and every time I send out 25 of these, I can turn at least one into a client.

      Wash, rinse, repeat...then work off of referrals.

      IMO worry about being blacklisted "if" and after it happens. Surely that will offend someone, but in my book...lack of taking action is way worse than "what-if" scenarios.

      It's not SPAM if you send them some valuable information (i.e. how to fix their website issues) and make no mention of "buying" anything. Be smart, and you have no worries.
      I get tons of these emails every week and most use the free email (gmail usually). Some small mom and pop's may not mind it but for most it's a red flag of spam. I understand your reason for using such, but as a fellow marketer and business owner I automatically consider these emails spam because they lack credibility with their address.
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      • Profile picture of the author thriftgirl62
        Originally Posted by Andrew Milburn View Post

        I would give the owner or receptionist a ring and just say you have something to send them by email, and you just wanted to check you had their address right, and ask if you have it.

        And then in the email say further with your chat today with xyz please find the details.
        That works - you help out the gatekeeper and you've got help on the inside!


        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        I think you should read the Forum Rules.

        Just sayin'. :rolleyes:
        If enough people report your emails, then you have no recourse. ISPs don't care about compliance, they care about complaints.
        That's not quite true. Depends on who you are and who the complaints are from. People with authority in business have their own algorithm to decide. Substance with merit takes time to earn. When you see the year 2002 doesn't that tell you something? ...AND the older you are, the less you lie....And wouldn't it be nice to have a 90 year old mind and a 22 year old body!!

        http://www.12sc123.com/bulkmail.html
        That email looks professional enough to get through - instead of all salesey. And they don't use page breaks either - the guru opposite works!! What about: jigsaw.com or hover.com

        Go here and signup free and that will get you in the Founding Members Circle right up there with Jane Mark and all the advertising there. You can use their local search thing to find all kinds business tools for traffic.

        If you really want something to offer your local business clients you need to check out the custom iphone app with the free SMS Messaging It's in the classified section. That's a MIKE G. service and it blows every one of them out of the water! More mainstream than the other ones put out by the IM'ers
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        I retired in 2005 at 43 and now I give away websites like these for FREE [hosting excluded]

        When you make at least $100+ per month, we split the profit 80/20 and YOU get the 80% Until then, you keep 100% and I'll help you drive traffic, get backlinks and put the domain in your name too!
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    • Profile picture of the author jwpdad
      Originally Posted by Jason Dittberner View Post

      I simply send a quick Jing video, showing them a few things wrong with their site and how to fix, and then my contact info should they need help (like many people do).
      Great post, thanks for sharing. I asked a similar question of you in another thread, but are you giving the contact info in the video as opposed to typing it in the body of the email?
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  • Profile picture of the author tiwi
    Hi! I'm new here and I was reading this thread that is very long, I must say. All your inputs are really very good and I guess since we are all quite successful in each of our different approach, we should just respect each others opinion and try to suggest but not insist on having it our way. Getting your IP blocked for me is a serious issue and so I am really careful about sending unsolicited email but if you are after getting things done quick and not have to worry about being labeled a spammer and getting blocked then you can subscribe to bulk email services that you think is right for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bayo
    I send emails regularly with no problems and all emails are targeted.

    I work in specific local geographic regions around where my business is based, so my emails are always from a 'fellow local business owner.'

    Subsequent emails build i=on the initial one sent and contain different types of content including inviting them to connect on social networks such as FB on Twitter on LinkedIn etc.

    Of course, they always get complimentary reports and invitations to my local business virtual events. This way the emails are not, or at least up until now, have never done anything other than build relationships, get me to know some great people and make sales.

    Its all in the approach and the intent

    Bayo
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    • Profile picture of the author chazkey
      Originally Posted by Bayo View Post

      I send emails regularly with no problems and all emails are targeted.


      Bayo
      I'm looking for a JV that has mostly B2B off liners. Interested?
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  • Profile picture of the author Doug Terry
    I use a similar approach as Bayo spoke about and find it works a treat. I like the connect on social media etc approach as an additional hook. Thanks for the idea Bayo-

    Have to agree with Creativegirl on the issue of free email addresses; i too get a stack of email from these addresses and it doesn't matter how interesting they are at first glance the result is the same....delete. I guess that is why the response rate is approx 2 from 500 sent. The good news is we are all free to choose the methods we feel best fits our business model.
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  • Profile picture of the author jaredblake
    Unfortunately, email takes more time and is less well-received than cold-calling. The upside is that it is easier for people to file your information for the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author bboyvinny
    It would make sense to group all the businesses you plan to email into geographical/type of goods/demographics categories and then develop an email specific to each one. E.G. if you were emailing all the businesses within a particular shopping center, you'd write about a recent event relevant to the shopping center and keep it local. I would think that should decrease your chances of your email being perceived as irrelevant and a piece of spam junk. Yes it takes more work, but then again you could always hire a VA to do the research for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author rockyonfire
    Don't just blatantly start send marketing emails. Do it in a smarter way. Offer something for free or start some discussion.
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