I recently asked some of my readers and networking contacts what marketing tactics annoyed them. I thought it would be a good idea to start off the New Year with a list of what not to do, as we all put together our marketing plans for this year. Some of these concepts stretch beyond marketing and into networking behavior and networking events, but they are still good tips to keep in mind. 
1. Unsubscribe from my newsletter, but send me yours
Gotta love that one! Doesn’t everybody want a one way relationship?
2. Confuse Marketing with Sales
If you are at a networking event, just be normal and talk to people. Be interested in them. Don’t start selling to someone before you know who they are, and what their business is about, and what interests them. And if somehow you do end up doing some self promoting, if they aren’t showing any signs of interest, stop selling!
3. Disrespect other people’s time
Hopefully cold calling will one day disappear, but until then perhaps those who do it can start to get good at it and realize that those they are interrupting have other things going on. If you are lucky enough to get a moment of their time, be brief, mention one value proposition (i.e. of value to the person you are calling), respect their time, and try to set up a convenient time to talk. One colleague mentioned that a cold caller got upset because he hadn’t reviewed their unsolicited information yet.
Another pet peeve noted was when the same company calls you twice in the same day, after you’ve already said no the first time. No does mean no! One person suggested medication or hospitalization for those that don’t understand this. The auto generated calls are particularly annoying to me. You can always see them coming: it starts with an 800# or unknown caller on the caller id, then if you do pick up you get the delay before anyone speaks. It’s in that moment that I usually hang up because I know what’s next. But if I do happen to answer and say, “hello, this is Lori Williams, can I help you?” , I have to endure the pause, followed by the scripted message I just heard a few hours ago.
Another person mentioned that they don’t like it when events start or end after the allocated time. Respecting other people’s time means beginning on time, for those who are there, and not waiting for those who aren’t. And it means ending on time for those who have appointments after.
A final comment in this category included people you are in business meetings with who continue to take calls, emails, and text messages during your meeting. That sends a clear message to the person you are meeting with that they are not as important to you as the other people who you are communicating with. Be fully present whenever you are talking with someone in person or on the phone, or don’t bother taking the call or meeting.
4. Mass Mail
Don’t you love it when your own bank or credit card company or insurance company tries to solicit your business through a general mailer? Not a promotion for customers, but a mailer designed to get business. They already have it! Is it that hard to cross reference customer lists from prospect lists? I think they do more damage to their brand when they blatantly acknowledge they don’t know I’m a customer.
If that wasn’t bad enough, another person mentioned they responded to the enticing mailer only to find that the service wasn’t available in their area.
And then there’s the favorite flyer on the windshield. Nothing like a captive audience at a church parking lot, or busy strip mall. There’s a coffee shop I frequent in a strip mall, which also contains a dry cleaning establishment. Every single time I return to my car, there’s the postcard from the drycleaner. I really want to go in there and say I’m never going to be your customer.
Target market people! You should try it sometime!
5. Fail to follow-up
Nothing destroys credibility faster than failing to honor your word. Sure we’re all busy, but are you too busy to be a person of integrity so someone knows if you give your word it is as good as done? If you say you are going to call at a certain date/time, then call. If you promise to follow-up with an email or information in the mail, do it! This is hardly rocket science, but a real differentiator between those you want to do business with and those you don’t.
6. Fail to ask permission to email promotional material
Meeting someone at a networking event once and exchanging business cards is not implied consent to be on their email marketing list. Ask them if you can add them to that list, and allow them the option to unsubscribe from the list, if they choose to do so at some point.
What are your marketing pet peeves? Give an example of something on or off this list that happened to you. Or perhaps you learned something new. What marketing habit will you now give up after reading this list? Finally, what marketing tactics do you feel work? Name some that work for you or that you appreciate when others do it.
All good peeves, Lori.
I would add “Failure to be relevant” – which you kind of touched on in your mass mail one. In this multiple touch point, connected, one-to-one marketing world, there’s no reason not to be relevant or not know who you’re talking to. There are plenty of companies (mine included) that can help you manage your database and make sure you’re saying the right things to the right people. Don’t send me messages from eHarmony when I’ve been married for nearly 30 years.
Another, related pet peeve is people who are obviously just marketing and not taking the time to know who they’re marketing to. I can’t tell you how many direct messages I get on twitter from people I’ve followed back that say something like “I do such and such, what do you do?” Um, didn’t you read my bio when you followed me? It clearly states what it is that I do.
Thanks Mike! These are all points well taken. I too get annoyed with the DM’s on twitter that are auto generated. Recently I met someone at a networking event, we chatted about our businesses, and I decided to “follow” him on Twitter when I got back to the office. Then I got the DM: “thanks for following, tell me about what you do”. I think we covered that during our meeting!
In addition to cold calls, I’ve also been the recipient of the cold VISIT. If a person is wanting to sell a product or service, walking into an office without an appointment or invitation can be a huge disruption. In a place like ours, that prevents us from serving our clients timely, often at a stage that can be critical. Bothering the receptionist means she cannot answer the phone, send a fax, make copies, or do any of the myriad of other things she needs to get done. Standing there for several minutes making a sales pitch and not even NOTICING that she’s not making eye contact or encouraging the person in any way… is simply unacceptable. Coming in and asking to see the managing partner or office manager without (1) knowing the person’s name and (2) having an appointment is a surefire way to be sure that ANY other company will be chosen before the one that is unprepared.
Agreed wholeheartedly Annamarie! And thanks for the response. I am stunned that someone would walk into a law office or other professional building, without an appointment, and try to sell something to someone and not even know who the someone is. I thought the days of the traveling lawbook salesman were over. That sort of thing happened in the 80′s! Didn’t know it was still happening.
Thanks for the tweet Lori, I checked out your blog and posted the Marketing Pet Peeves on our Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber blog. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Andrea! I am privileged to have you share my work with other Chamber members. Looking forward to reading the other articles in the blog. I really enjoyed the one from Jason Ribitz about the “friendly sales pitch” at networking meetings.