Expertise Marketplace - Professional Service Firm Marketing Blog: Professional services direct marketing

Twice in about a month, here and here, Ruth Stevens told B2B marketers they didn't need to follow an opt-in policy for their email marketing.

She cited an example: “In the world of B-to-B, if I meet you at a trade show and we exchange business cards, I fully expect you to follow up with me by e-mail,” says Stevens. “I'm giving you tacit permission. You don't have to get a formal opt-in from me." She believes business customers expect to receive unsolicited emails, and that they would prefer an opt-out arrangement in which you send them messages unless they say "stop."

The vast majority of comments to her remarks were immediately negative. Eventually she had to clarify her points, thus:

"I do believe that if I hand over my business card at a trade show, I am implicitly giving the recipient permission to contact me using any data that is on my card. The recipient, however, would be crazy to drop my email address in a general marketing file and start sending me, say, a company newsletter via email. We don’t have that kind of relationship yet. What they should do is begin a lead qualification and nurturing program with me, whereby they keep in touch and try to move me along the buying process."

Even with her clarification, I suspect many professional service firms (PSFs) do not have well-developed "lead qualification and nurturing programs." Being mostly dependent on thought leadership "opt-in" email approaches, I'd wager PSF marketers will largely reject her views. B2Bs probably do have a stronger lead generation focus, so I'll bet their objections might not be as broad or vehement.

Thoughts, folks? (And thanks, Ruth, for making us think.)

Even though I just published a book on the topic of integrating marketing and business development, I had a very negative reaction to this organization's summary for its new e-book.

First, this pitch paints an unnecessarily negative picture of the work most marketers do. Just reading some of the verbiage (like "drudging," "rogue requests"), and the snarky tone of the first paragraph is enough to turn me off completely. Geez, if I were a marketer at firm where these situations exist, I would certainly not be interested in aligning with any of my sales colleagues!

Secondly, I disliked the picture of the two guys hugging. The implication -- that they were yelling and punching each other prior to this picture -- just seems off to me. Come on: just reading this e-book will bring "bliss?" Please.

Third, the entire summary implies that sales, as a function, is better than the marketing function. Take a look at the phrase: ". . . marketing can consistently provide sales with vital insight. . ." Hey, doesn't sales have responsibility to work with marketing, too?

Not to mention the fact that the "answer" to this challenge, according to these folks, is a marketing automation tool. I'm not sure what they mean here, and they just wasted my time teasing me. Next time, guys, quit with the cutesy innuendos and condescending terms, and tell me about the value of your product!